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That's Torn It! The Story of P.J. Proby

Rob Chapman, MOJO, May 1997

P J. PROBY, SURVIVOR OF 30 YEARS OF fame, purgatory, and sporadic redemption, is holding court on one of his favourite subjects. "From Graceland to the stage is all he ever knew in life – apart from Germany, which he saw from a hotel window and an army base. He died without ever going around the world. Without ever knowing what Lobster Thermidor was. I got tired of going to Elvis's house to eat every Saturday because I got tired of fried chicken and hamburgers. Elvis didn't know what good cuisine was and he didn't wanna learn." He stayed a good country boy, I venture? "No," says Proby, quietly offended. "That's not country, that's ignorant. Roy Rogers was a country boy but he acted like a king and saw the world. Elvis didn't have the desire or the intelligence..."

Total word count of piece: 4899

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