Republica’s Pravat Jung Gurung caught up with Bartlett and asked him the following queries:[break]
What made you want to be Elvis and start performing?
It started after a show called Legends and Concerts in North Carolina. I saw an impersonator there and then people there said that I looked like Elvis. So after the show, I spoke with the impersonator and he said that I should do this and that I have the looks.
I couldn’t believe he actually made money traveling around the world and I wondered, “Who’s going to pay to see that?” But obviously people did and I started. It’s more like acting and playing in a movie.
How’s life as Elvis?
When I was in Vegas, it was kind of non-stop and I would do six shows, six days a week, sometimes even seven, and it got very hectic. But now I’m on a schedule with my traveling and everything. I might be gone a little while, and then come back home for a week or something and go back on the road again.
It’s nice this way because I get more time that way and that I’m not doing the same thing in the theater all the time, although I never get bored performing. I feel blessed. In fact, because there are a lot of people who are unemployed or hate their job. For me? Making money out of something I love doing is a great thing!
What’re the best and worst compliments you’ve got after performing?
This might sound a little weird but I’ve actually had fans who cried and I thought I messed up so bad that I was killing it (laughs). But after the show, they would say that they’ve seen Elvis in concert and that it brought back memories and thank me for giving them a chance to relive the moments again.
That’s probably the best compliment I’ve got. The worst compliment I say is that most people are polite and they would leave the concert and later say that it wasn’t so good. But never up front.
How has life changed after starting to perform Elvis?
I’ve gotten 12 years older (laughs). For me, it’s been a great experience because as Tom Bartlett, I would probably just be sitting back home and watching TV. But Tom Bartlett as Elvis now, it takes me all over the world and it puts me in situations like where I’m sitting here and talking to you right now which wouldn’t have happened if I was just myself. So it’s a great thing that I get to go around, experience other cultures and meet different people. I just absolutely love that!
What kind of music do you, personally, listen to?
I love everything, really. But I’m a big Beatles fan and I love the Beatles.
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