Good-bye Elvis and USA · review
Keiichi Tanami had an interesting place in the pop art scene of the late 60s/early 70s (also known as the late 60s). Good-by Elvis and USA shows a thoughtful extravaganza of a world now under assault by images for the first time. His imagery is abstract, frenetic, and jarring, as a signifier toward the breakdown of celebrity as human, production as craft, and culture as organic. It's a fond farewell to the days of Elvis and his meaning as a human musician, and a look around at the image that the man had become. If you're interested in psychedelic video, or artsy thought-pieces discussing the creationof mass pop culture and the production of symbolic late capitalism, then this and Tanaami's other short films of the era are an excellent addition to your study.