The Forgotten Rebels are a punk band from Hamilton, Ont. who, strangely enough, apparently still exist. They formed in January 1977 (I saw them circa 1985-86 in the basement of the Ambassador hotel in Edmonton, home to many a great gig!). Lead singer Mickey DeSadist is the only original member -- I guess it beats driving cab.

Anyhoo, back in the day, they penned a little ditty called Elvis Is Dead. Here's the lyrics, to help us better commemorate this special day:

Elvis is dead Elvis is dead The big fat guy is dead, dead, dead Elvis is dead, Elvis is dead The big fat goof is dead, dead, dead Millions of assholes mourned his death I'm gonna steal his body from its place of rest (x2) Give him back in pieces when the ransom's paid Leave his hypodermics where the money's laid Elvis is dead Elvis is dead The big fat goof Is dead, dead, dead Elvis is dead, Elvis is dead Spend your money on our records instead

Here's the song on YouTube:

I went to the band's MySpace page. The kickoff song was Surfin' On Heroin. You would have thought on this special day, they would have set it to youknowwhat, but the page hasn't been touched since May 19, 2006. I would have liked to seen some words from Mickey DeSadist* on whether his feelings about the big fat goof changed over the ensuing 30 years, but sadly, I saw nothing in public.

* I wonder if he ever considered going with Mickey DeMouse as his punk handle -- although I'm now thinking that line was probably funnier in February 1978, when it was likely first used.

Afterthought

Could it be that I'm one of the few people left alive that remembers this particular Forgotten Rebels tune? That not even Mickey himself remembers?

It's a possibility we cannot reject out of hand.