The Cat Loved You

By Laura Bond Catalyst

Send comments to: catalyst@wildcat.arizona.edu

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat

Frankie "Elvis the Cat del Monte" Martinez died in Tempe Oct. 8 at the age of 60, leaving behind a colorful collection of inspired collage work some have described as visionary.

To those regularly gathered around barstools in Tempe hangouts like Long Wong's and Nita's Hideaway, Elvis the Cat was a kind of legend. Local bands, including the Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments, regularly invited him on stage to perform his sincere, though sonically challenged, variation on the Elvis impersonation theme, belting out "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" in a muddled Spanish accent, pelvis shake and all. When not on stage, Elvis designed fliers for local bands and created the cut-and-paste collage paintings which made him semi-famous - and landed him on the covers of Phoenix magazines Planet and Get Out. A typical Martinez work involved some kind of cat image, a photo of Elvis the Cat himself, and some self-referential motto like "Elvis the Cat Love You."

And he did. Though mental illness and debilitating diabetes regulated Martinez's large personality to a small, fragile frame, Martinez was friendly and outgoing, always seen hugging and shaking the hands of those who happily paid the $5 he asked for his work.

I have a small collection of Elvis' work. Initially, I bought the collages because I liked Elvis as a person. Over time, I began collecting them for purely aesthetic reasons; as many people realized, most of Elvis' collages were damn good. The images were sharp and skillfully chosen, the compositions revealed a truly artistic sensibility. The collages, often inscribed with small reminders like "My birthday is Oct. 30" could only be the product of a truly sincere soul, hoping to communicate a personal message through the medium of art.

Elvis the Cat del Monte will be missed. We can only hope he's hanging out on some grand stage with the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself, belting out "Jailhouse Rock," surrounded by all of his cats.