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Not every Elvis artifact is a performance or recording. The American market seems to have an insatiable appetite for objets d'Elvis: ashtrays, lampshades, paintings on velvet-a veritable avalanche of kitsch. Many of these are sanctioned by the Graceland estate, which peddles over 2,000 Elvis keepsakes in its eight stores as well as through wholesale and mail-order (call 800-238-2000). Graceland's licensing unit fields about 60 ''great ideas'' per day from would-be makers of official Elvis knickknacks. Manufacturers who don't go through channels should beware. Graceland aggressively ferrets out infringements on the name, image, and likeness of Elvis Presley, firing off about 1,000 cease-and-desist letters each year. According to Carla Peyton, Graceland's director of merchandising, the estate will veto products that are ''tacky, pornographic, or associated with 'Elvis is alive' rumors.'' Consistently rejected ideas include ''I Saw Elvis Alive'' T-shirts, Elvis Sweat, and Elvis Underwear. Graceland hasn't decided whether to relicense the fabled Elvis booties, fuzzy blue slippers adorned with scary little Elvis heads.
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