A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the Black man’s music, when in fact almost every Black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.
Last Sept 25 completed the first year of the demise of Kuching Elvis Presley titleholder Ges Barundang, better known as Elges Presley. He was 65 and left behind his wife Helen Menon, a retired teacher and four sons (all college and university graduates) and their spouses, three grandchildren and all loved ones.
Our good friend and brother left the building during the pandemic, thereby making it impossible to hold vigil wake at their home in Samarindah. Instead the wake was done at a special place in Mile 7. He was laid to rest at the Batu Kitang Anglican Cemetery. On this coming Oct 8, a ceremony to mark a year of his passing will be held at Function Room, Penview Hotel. It is called First Anniversary Prayer cum Dinner. Apart from yours truly, also invited is twice Elvis of Sarawak titleholder Wilfred Vincent Ragam, 73, and his wife.
In fact his passing disrupted our Elvis Presley Fan Club of Sarawak (EPFCS) running, an item that was earlier worsened by the pandemic and that our late friend was the president. His demise means the loss of EPFCS’s main pillar of strength; after all he was instrumental in the club’s registration with RoS in 2014 and led it till his passing.
As the club chief he was very active in looking for sponsorships from a number of generous individuals comprising a well-known philanthropist, ministers, political leaders, businessmen and other dignitaries. Funds donated are for the club expenses during shows, meetings, community functions and others. He led the club in getting appointments for gigs whereby we shared with enthusiasts and fans the legacy of the king through his music, making EPFCS an umbrella for the EP wannabes.
I first came to know Ges in the early 90s when karaoke was the craze of like-minded music enthusiasts. We bonded immediately as both were impressionists of the king. Our friendship was renewed when I came back from Brunei in 2002, the year he won Elvis of Kuching title whereas yours truly came second.
When I was employed as part-time deejay in Sapphire Executive Pub and Lounge (teaching college students in the morning in 2004/2005), Ges was given a slot to appear twice weekly – Wednesday and Friday evenings. His show did well and attracted good crowds during his six-month stint.
For the two of us – I was the closest Elvis Tribute Artiste to him – we appeared together in a number of shows such as in Bau (2002 when he was still with SALCRA); 2007 to 2016 (in Kampung Sorak Dayak Serian); Sibu (2007); Mukah (for Kaul in 2012); Bintulu (in 2012 upon the invitation of my cousin Richard Abunawas the current Betong Resident who was then Bintulu Deputy Resident); KK (2012 for 9 Malaysian ETAs); Julau (for an Astro show in 2013); Sri Aman (2014 for Pesta Benak); Kapit (four shows since 2013); PJ in KL (2014/2016); and since 2014 there were a lot of shows in Kuching and Samarahan at hotels, pubs and private functions. During our shows outside Kuching and staying overnight, we also shared room most of the time. Our last rendezvous was in 2019 Christmas Eve at Penview Hotel.
In 2004, Elges made a trip to one university in the US to receive his degree scroll and used the opportunity to visit Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, the former palatial home of Elvis and then made into a museum hosting about 3,000 visitors daily. He was attired in his EP light blue costume (as his photo taken in front of the main building shows) and stayed at the iconic Heartbreak Hotel, in the 13.8-acre home’s compound and performed there too. His Graceland trip was the first by an ETA from Malaysia.
My late buddy was an adventurous guy who enjoyed great challenge. So when he left Tribune circa 2017 (he was our proof reader for some years), he joined an orchard in the outskirt of Melbourne, mainly collecting apples. He left after five or six months. Earlier, in 2015, he did join a global EP contest Down Under at the Gold Coast Viva Surfers Paradise and qualified for the grand finale, earning substantial Aussie dollars.
During his lifetime, he took pride in his 13 EP jumpsuits, one of which was ordered online from New Jersey in US, but self-assembled for our KK show in 2012. It cost about US$1,200. The ‘Eagle King’ was a replica of the real thing used by the king himself for his 1974-75 US tour. All these are well-now kept and treasured by his wife and children. They become his legacy and token of remembrance. Once again I wish you rest in everlasting peace my dear brother.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
