Long live the King
A ‘low-budget’ and ‘rubbish-looking’ Elvis Presley impersonator was told his act was ‘too comical’ for a tribute competition.
Woodbridge postman, Simon Goldsmith, aka ‘Harry Isaac Presley,’ hoped to donate the £1,000 prize money from Ipswich's Elvis King's Crown competition to a local hospice, but his entry was rejected when the competition organiser said he didn’t want to see anyone ‘embarrassed’. Undeterred, he used it to positive effect, being inspired to go on a fundraising spree!
Simon had hoped to join the dozen or so Elvis acts at this year's Elvis competition in Copdock, near Ipswich. ‘I was asked if I ever perform where it's not comical and whether I had any authentic costumes,’ he told BBC News. ‘I know I can look a bit rubbish - but I can sing.’
Organiser Andy Sexton admitted he did not think Simon was a likely candidate to take this year's prized crown at the event at the Best Western Hotel.
‘It's a proper Elvis competition and the last thing I want is to embarrass anyone, so they have to come up to a certain standard,’ he said. ‘Everyone thinks they can do Elvis, but not everyone can. They could look a bit silly.’
Instead, Simon spent the entire weekend performing in as many venues as he could in the Ipswich area resulting in an incredible £2,635 raised for St Elizabeth Hospice, an independent charity providing specialist care to those living with progressive or terminal illnesses.
‘Both my mum and dad were cared for by St Elizabeth’s Hospice in 2009 and 2014 at the end of their lives as they both succumbed to terminal illnesses while only in their mid-50's,’ said Simon. ‘I was blown away by what they offered and couldn't believe they depended mainly on charity.
‘Since 2010, I’ve raised more than £10,000 for the hospice with different events as the experience we had there, despite being sad obviously, was unforgettable and I feel like we owe them.’
It’s not the first time Simon has experienced rejection. After failing to get a place in the London Marathon in 2015, he held his own ‘world's dullest marathon’, running 17 times around a village to raise funds for charity dressed as a ‘Zombie Elvis.’
‘I did my first Elvis gig back in 2005 for a friend on New Year's Eve in a local pub,’ said Simon. ‘I’ve done it on a very part-time basis quite a lot since 2010 both solo and with a band. My favourite Elvis song to perform is probably “It's now or never.”
‘My act is a little bit left-field. It's more of a spoof of the Elvis tribute artist genre really. I was almost expecting to get turned down when I applied for the Elvis King Crown competition as I don't spend thousands of pounds on the replica 70's outfits, which seems to be a prerequisite for entry!
‘So, I wasn't too surprised about being rejected, but I was surprised when I saw the standard of some of the acts they had included!’
If you would like to help Simon raise even more money for St Elizabeth Hospice, you can click here to visit his Just Giving fundraising page.
