Thai Kevin at Palms Thai
Thai Kevin, a Thai Elvis impersonator, circa 1996. Photo by Rich Jacobs.
Hollywood, California
Circa 1996
Thai Kevin was a very suave man. He wore the color purple better than most. The restaurant in which he did his Elvis impersonation was inside a mini-mall full of different Thai eateries in Hollywood. I even seem to remember there being more than one of these characters. I would guess the year was probably 1996? I definitely saw him on purpose. I was told by friends of his existence. I think I went with either my old roommate, Leslie Ishino (drummer of the Red Aunts), or it could have been with her then boyfriend and my good friend, Sam Velde (singer for Bluebird), but that is unclear in my memory. I had trouble looking at my food, because I wanted to see this guy belt out his Elvis impersonator skills and show off his styles beyond, which he had in spades. My reactions to this were mostly impressed, satisfied, enthused, excited and confused, but there was absolutely no doubt involved. The food was a lot more average than Thai Kevin was. I don’t even remember what I ate, except that it was almost definitely either pad thai or spicy noodles, which I almost always get. It is one of my favorite dishes ever. I can’t remember which issue of Move Zine this photo was in, maybe number six or seven? It was one of the pocket-sized ones. If pressed, I would say seven, and that is all I can say. I am not allowed any other words regarding this photo.–Rich Jacobs
Note: The photo above originally appeared in Move Zine circa 1996.
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