“I Felt So Embarrassed For Him”: The Rockstar Who Refused To Meet Elvis

Not many people can say they received a direct invitation to meet Elvis Presley, and even fewer can say they refused to go—but one British rockstar can say he’s done both. Jethro Tull’s lead vocalist, flutist, and principal composer Ian Anderson received his gilded invitation in 1969.

He turned it down. When Elvis’ camp pushed back, not-so-subtly demanding him to follow through with the meeting, Anderson turned it down again.

Why Ian Anderson Refused to Meet Elvis

In August 1969, Elvis Presley and Jethro Tull were both pursuing their respective careers in Las Vegas. The former “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was in the middle of a four-week residency at the International Hotel. Meanwhile, the latter band from Lancashire was busy promoting their sophomore album and first commercially successful release, Stand Up.

In a Prog interview 55 years later, Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson recalled receiving what many Elvis fans could have only dreamt of: an invitation to meet the King in his quarters. Anderson, however, used less romantic language. “We were dragged by the scruff of the neck to some casino where he was appearing,” Anderson said.

“I was never really a big Elvis fan, but I suppose the first couple of songs that he ever recorded were part of my childhood fascination with music,” he continued. “I was just appalled by the commerciality and the triteness of it all. He was clearly out of his box, slurring his words. He didn’t know where he was; he would stop the band halfway through his song. It just wasn’t the way to see Elvis.”

The Rockstar Turned Down His Invitation Twice

It’s uncertain how familiar Elvis Presley was with Jethro Tull at the time. Nevertheless, someone from Presley’s camp found the British rockers in the crowd and extended an invitation to meet the Elvis Presley. “I replied, ‘Tell Mr. Elvis that it is a really great honor to have been here tonight. But we’ve got a show tomorrow. We’re a bit tired, and we need an early night,’” Anderson told Prog magazine.

“They said, ‘No, you’re not listening. Elvis will see you backstage in the dressing room,’” Anderson continued. “I thought, ‘This is not an invitation. It’s a f***ing instruction.’ I think a couple of band members were miffed. But I felt so embarrassed for Elvis, and I didn’t want to make things even worse. Obviously, he would have had absolutely no idea who we were—no matter what they said.”

In an interview with Rocket 88, Anderson said he couldn’t lie to Elvis, clad in his iconic white jumpsuit, about whether he enjoyed the King’s performance. “He’s clearly a guy who was so insecure [he] had to be surrounded all the time by people telling him how wonderful he was, hence the invitation to go back and see him after his show,” Anderson said.

After refusing Presley’s representatives multiple times, Anderson said, “I could almost smell the threat of a small revolver being produced and being frog-marched into Elvis’ dressing room to pretend to be sycophantic.” Eventually, Anderson’s point got across. Jethro Tull left, still wearing the tuxedos they had to rent to attend Elvis’ Las Vegas performance in the first place.

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