Black Velvet, If You Please

Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. You’re reading Dispatch Culture, our weekend newsletter featuring essays about American culture, staff recommendations, book reviews, and more. Happy Saturday! Elvis Presley died nearly 50 years ago this weekend, and in honor of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Chris Scalia expounds on the phenomenon of the “Velvet Elvis,” most likely found at a yard sale or your aunt’s den. Valerie is Ideas Editor at The Dispatch, based in New York City. Prior to joining the company in 2025, she worked at The New York Times and NewsGuard Technologies, and she is currently a Novak Fellow through The Fund for American Studies. When Valerie isn’t commissioning and editing the nex