While Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself, has long passed away, his larger-than-life personality and charisma live on each day in a number of ways.
Presley still garners swarms of fans, both older generations as well as younger fans. Millions of people head over to his famous Graceland estate each year, which is actually the second-most-visited house in the U.S. behind the White House.
His movies are a timeless nod to older days and familiar rock tunes. Beyond his tangible things left behind, or even family members, Presley left behind a very real impression on just about everyone he met.
Steve Martin Talks About Meeting Elvis Presely
One of these individuals is Steve Martin, known for his hilarious comedy roles in movies like “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “The Pink Panther,” and “Father of the Bride.” He also landed a brand new comedy series on Hulu called “Only Murders in the Building” with Selena Gomez and Martin Short.
Steve Martin recently appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” and shared his odd experience with Elvis Presley. The King was apparently “dead-on” in figuring out his weird sense of humor.
“Remember, it’s 1971 and I was backstage, I had just opened for Ann-Margret, I knew Elvis was coming that night to see Ann-Margret because they were friends. So, I’m waiting backstage and I leave my door room open so I can see Elvis, by the way, my act was magic, I don’t think I played the banjo in that, but jokes and weird stuff. First I see a beautiful woman walking toward me, and that’s Priscilla, and then Pricilla moves aside and there’s Elvis all in white. He looked great and he had the huge buckle,” Steve Martin recounted.
Elvis Presley then walked up to him and said, “Son, you have an oblique sense of humor.” Steve Martin applauds the description saying it was pretty accurate. After that bonding moment, Elvis asks Martin, “Wanna see my guns?”
“He had three guns on him and he was very safety conscious … Eventually, I’m holding three guns and Elvis is holding 18 bullets,” Martin said.
Presley and His Guns
Elvis Presley had a huge passion for guns and was known to even give guns away as gifts. Or he would just carry them around to flaunt and start up conversations, such as with Steve Martin. His guns were real masterpieces, featuring really interesting engravings and other details.
Presley reportedly owned 32 handguns, one shotgun, and a machine gun throughout the course of his life.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, one Christmas, Priscilla and the rest of Elvis’ family were annoyed with how much he spent on presents. He spent about $100,000 on 32 handguns and 10 Mercedes-Benzes. He was accustomed to traveling with guns and really wanted the federal narcotics badge from the official Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
This is where that iconic photo of Elvis and President Nixon came into play.
