Rockford’s Fat Elvis is fat no more

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:08am Georgette Braun

Chris Roser’s Elvis imitation “still sucks” — his words, not mine. And the Rockford band that goes by the name Fat Elvis and performs others’ tunes at area bars continues to play only four Elvis songs.

But the not-so-big news is that Roser, singer of Fat Elvis,  is fat no more. He’s lost 85 pounds the past two years and is no longer bursting at the seams in his “Fat Elvis” costume, like he was in this Register Star photo taken five years ago.

Now, his costume is baggy. Roser, 38, said he decided to shape up when he became romantically involved and thought he might start a family, though he’s not in that relationship now and hasn’t started a family. As part of his new outlook on life, he took a physically demanding job at a distribution center for a discount store and has started taking classes to become a physical therapy assistant. “Now, I know, most of all, you have to do it (get fit) to feel good about yourself.”

If you’d like to see the not-so-fat Fat Elvis perform, the band will play Saturday, April 11, at JD’s Sports Bar and Grill, 908 W. Riverside Blvd., Rockford.

Roser doesn’t think fans will mind if he’s fat or not. “Our show is just one big party,” he said in an e-mail. “It’s just the vibe that is created by a guy in an Elvis costume who isn’t afraid to do anything he wants on stage, and gets away with it.”

Entry Filed under: music