Eddie Murphy on the influence of Elvis: “He had the strongest presence of anyone ever”
Eddie Murphy is an icon of the highest order in both stand-up comedy and Hollywood. Rising to fame in the early 1980s on Saturday Night Live before becoming the biggest movie star in the world with Beverly Hills Cop, he built his success on talent, charisma, and an unmatched stage and screen presence. But before he was famous, Murphy was just a fan like anyone else—devoted to one star above all others. His admiration for this icon even landed him in hot water a few times over the years, but his love for them never wavered.
Interestingly, Murphy’s love of this superstar was obvious to anyone paying attention from his earliest days rising through the standup ranks. Murphy was known for incorporating hilarious impressions into his act, with two of his best being Stevie Wonder and James Brown. However, he also regularly rocked a brilliant impression of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley – an impersonation that was so impressive because he’s always been an enormous fan.
“I love Elvis,” Murphy told Rolling Stone in 1989. Indeed, when the legendary rock magazine interviewed Murphy, it was in his office, which was adorned with Elvis memorabilia as far as the eye could see. He had Elvis gold records and street signs on the walls, Elvis books on his shelves, and various other pieces of rare and valuable merchandise scattered around.
The interviewer even noted how Murphy seemed to pride his pristine appearance in the same way the King did, constantly combing and recombing his hair to ensure it stayed in place. “Elvis looked like every hair was where it was supposed to be,” Murphy noted. When asked why he had always been so fascinated by the King, he was quick to answer.
“His presence. He had the strongest presence of anyone ever in this business.”
eddie murphy
It then became clear that a lot of Murphy’s own presence – his bravado, his obsession with looking good, the jumpsuits he wore on stage, the way he carried himself off-stage – was all modelled on Elvis. When the interviewer pointed out that Murphy also exuded a strong presence, though, it was like he’d thrown dirt in the star’s eyes. “Yeah, but it’s no fucking Elvis Presley presence,” he scoffed.
Murphy claimed that he even felt Elvis’s irrepressible presence shone through in his later years, as his body went to seed and his music became “really weird”. Despite this seeming diminishment, “It didn’t matter what he was singing…he was Elvis up there.” To Murphy, it was impressive that Elvis was able to still appear in control on stage doing what he did best, even while he was out of control in many ways. He was a performer through and through.
Over the years, Murphy’s undying love for the King hasn’t gone over well in the Black community. After all, Elvis was rumoured to have said, “The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes,” so large swathes of people who look like Murphy have nothing but disdain for him. In 2011, though, Murphy defended the memory of his hero, who may have never even uttered those words.
Murphy told Rolling Stone, “The big myth in the African-American community was that he said that the only thing black folks could do for him was shine his shoes and buy his records. People liked him when they were young, then said, ‘I don’t like him because he said that,’ and I said, ‘He never even said that.'”
