PARIS: Along a narrow side street on the Right Bank, a familiar figure in a shiny gold tuxedo looms from a little shop the color of blue suede shoes. The crooked smile, smoky eyes and tousled hair are instantly recognizable but, just in case, the shop owners hail the "King of Rock and Roll" and their petite Graceland in bold gray and red print: "Elvis My Happiness." Elvis Presley never performed a concert in Europe in his long singing career, but that unfortunate oversight apparently is helping to stoke the burnin' flames of desire for all things Elvis in this Parisian colony and other unlikely outposts, from Elvis Matters in Belgium to the Flaming Star in Norway, where the perennial best seller is a €10, or $14, pair of Vegas vintage sunglasses. There is a great difference between most of the American fans and the European fans," said Peter Beines, chairman of the Elvis Presley Gesellschaft in Bonn. "Americans prefer Elvis impersonators while the original musicians for Elvis are more popular in Europe. The Americans prefer music from the Elvis of the '50s, but European fans, especially in Germany, prefer the concert Elvis of the '70s." . . . Continued

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