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PAGE 6 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 1989 (pinion Another sore point with me is the playing of more and more ‘50‘s rock and roll. I mean if we want to feature something from the ‘50‘s, or thereabouts, how about digging up Eddie Dietrich‘s version of A Maiden‘s Prayer. If a country station doesn‘t have a copy in their library, I‘d be happy to loan them the one I bought in the beverage room of the Marquis Hotel in downtown Lethbridge, a few years But for a down and dirty country music fan (yes, that isreal manure on my cowboy boots) there is too little country music and too much of almost everything else on the air back For my money, CHAM is at its best in the evening, when you might actually hear two or three real country tunes in a row, without any interruptions. [ have only a layman‘s grasp of why morning and driveâ€"home radio involves so much chatter and other assorted nonsense. But I really have trouble getting my jollies from listening to some anonymous phone ring, while we‘re waiting to give away the super, fantastic, incredible grand prize for the current ratings period. But the bottom line here is that I‘m a CHAM fan, and regular listener. None of my radios ever changes from 820. (Except, of course, when my teenagers are home alone. Teenagers, who, by the way, like Elvis Presley ) But they (CHAM) are not perfect. Of course, neither am I. I mean it‘s one thing to knock Elvis, but you take you life in your hands by saying anything about CHAM. Maybe next week we‘ll get into Roy Orbison. Just kidding. Honest, I‘m just kidding....1 love Roy Orbison. So, as much as I stand behind my Presley comments to the letter, let me temper, or explain, what I said about CHAM. First of all, as radio goes, it‘s head and shoulders above anything else available in this area. And the morning man, Cliff Dumas, who handled the calls about my column, did so in the manner of a pro. He‘s obviously a class act. CHAM also is in a class by itself in two areas: news and traffic reports The controversy was all about my comments in this space last week, when I said how much I dislike Elvis Presley. And then I really did it, by picking on CHAM radio in Hamilton for straying from its country music mandate to run a Presley special on the recent anniversary of that entertainer‘s death. Talk about brightening a guy‘s day! It‘s a good thing I‘m from the old school; the one that says, "Love me or hate me. Just spell (or in this case pronounce) my name right." icture this. It‘s early in the morning, very early in the P morning. I‘m wet from the shower, cold from the climate and grumpy from general principles. I‘m paying little attention to anything, when suddenly I‘m jolted to attention by a comment on the radio, playing in the background. Quickly it becomes apparent that those folks are talking about me Or. more correctly, disagreeing with me In fact. to sum it up succinetly, about half the people in the universe seem to be calling in to voice support for the notion that I‘m an airhead. And most of them don‘t even know my ex wife I mean I haven‘t been this popular since the time I wrote about sneaking around an OPP roadblock to drive home in a storm, after the roads had been closed. By Jim Merriam Even if you‘re on the right track, If you just sit there you‘ll get run over Let‘s hear it for CHAM Will Rogers My problem is with Mr. Merriam‘s failure to recognize what Elvis was. At a quick glance at history it can clearly be seen that there were individuals before, during, and after Elvis who had more talent. The late Roy Orbison with his ability to hit three octaves easily and whom Elvis himself called the "greatest voice in the world" would be an example of this. Also the likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Bono Vox with their amazing ability to write socially relevant and emotionally compelling songs are also examples. The list goes on but the point remains the same. The rise, the career and downfall of Elvis was one of the most important of it‘s kind. Elvis was not merely a singer In response to Jim Merriam‘s piece entitled "Sick to Death of Elvis", I am perplexed to see that the highly regarded General Manager/Editor has totally overlooked the significance and greatness of Elvis Presley. I have no problem whatsoever with the fact that Jim Merriam did not and does not like the music of Elvis Presley. That is his own personal opinion and far be it for me to question the musical taste of another individual, something that Presley himself would have subscribed to as well if he had been alive today. Column reflects misunderstanding of Elvis‘ importance and songwriter but a symbol. A symbol of greatness and potential that destroyed itself. Elvis was the epitome of the new age. An age in which man has total supremacy and power over his world. Elvis symbolized the thrill and the sudden but not unexpected fall to destruction. Elvis is the King because he was that thrill He challenged us to question our own norms by which we live. He changed the face of popular world culture. He questioned our attitudes and eventually ignored them and started a new movement called Rock n‘ Roll. This Rock n‘ Roll became synonymous with true freedom of expression. A freedom of expression that transcended from a mere swivel of the hips to basic cultural attitudes. He was the consummate symbol of rebellion. As well, his fall was also a lesson. Personal problems including drug abuse were but an example of While it is true that Jim Merriam is correct in stating that his personal life was a mess, it is probably also true that it was largely responsible for his great popularity some eleven years after his passing. I am truly sorry to see a man that experienced part of the Rock n‘ Roll revolution of the ‘50s and ‘60s blind to the fact that Elvis was a symbol of his and our age. That is why we "idolize an emotional cripple" every August 16 and January 8. We idolize him because he was and still is a part of every person who exists today. In the words of the And this Mr. Merriam is why Elvis will always live. Mark. F.H. Cauchi