Businessman's Elvis tribute heads to stage at the Lourie

Jessica Johnson
The Post and Courier

Mike Viljac of Coastal Pressure by day practices "Love Me Tender" for his weekend Elvis gig.

A new Coastal Pressure customer walking into the small concrete building in the back of an industrial park on Bowman Road might wonder what exactly is going on when he hears Mike Viljac stretching out the word "I'm" to a note of several seconds.

True Elvis Presley fans would recognize it as one of the first and hardest notes in "Hurt."

And people who know Viljac, even non-Elvis fans, know it's just Viljac tuning up for his weekend Elvis gigs. They walk in saying, "Hey, Elvis. What are you doing? Sing that song for me."

He sings a few bars into his gold-toned microphone, walking around a small shop while people pick up their pressure and painting equipment.

Viljac calls himself a second-degree Elvis because he and his Elvis band keep their performances to the weekends. "I approach it with a grain of salt," Viljac says.

He tries not to get too carried away, but in performance, the Summerville High School graduate reaches out to audience members, hands out scarves and kisses women.

People expect a spectacle and Viljac delivers. He does the hip shakes, the chops, the stances. He crouches down with his knees pointing in opposite directions.

"I've always been able to move my hips," he says. "People like the movements of Elvis."

The moves are mostly karate exercises. Presley was experienced in martial arts and so is Viljac.

Viljac sang his first Elvis song at a karaoke bar in 1993 after someone begged him to sing "Don't Be Cruel."

"Believe it or not," Viljac says, "I was so scared and I was embarrassed."

Viljac, who at the age of 10 wanted to be Johnny Cash, never wanted to be an Elvis.

He thought it was hokey, the idea of him in a jumpsuit, with greased black hair and sideburns, shaking on the stage.

Not too long after the karaoke night, while watching an Elvis impersonator, his wife leaned over and said if that guy is getting paid, you could earn twice as much.

"I was pushed into it literally," Viljac says.

In 1996, he did his first show. It has evolved through 12 years moving from singing to canned music and performing with a band. He plays beach and shag music with another band, but it's a much more low-key thing.

When he's Elvis, people want to have their picture taken with him, his autograph and a kiss on the cheek. Audience members give him presents such as Elvis bears and posters.

Viljac, 49, tried to hang up his jumpsuit and jet black wig a few times, but the calls keep coming. His next public Elvis performance is at the Lourie Theater in St. George on Aug. 16, the 31st anniversary of Elvis' death. In the meantime, private events fill his weekends. He's even had a few requests to perform weddings.

And though original fans of the King are growing older, and some can't drive themselves to shows, Viljac believes people will make a living off the cultural icon 100 years from now.

His image seems as universal as Santa Claus.

During a recent trip to a gas station, an 8-year-old pointed at Viljac, whose daily resemblance to the King doesn't go beyond side chops. The boy said, "Mama, look at Elvis."

Reach Jessica Johnson at jjohnson@postandcourier.com.