Lowering the Bar: Elvis Shop and Beatles Museum Settle Lawsuit

The BBC reports that Sid Shaw, who runs "Elvisly Yours," a memorabilia shop in central London, and Harold Cohen, who runs the Beatles museum next door, have settled their legal dispute over the use of the Elvisly Yours basement.

The settlement clears the way for Shaw to start a new business in that space, which will operate Elvis-themed karaoke tours featuring open-topped tour buses staffed by singing Elvis impersonators. And just in time for the holidays.

Shaw and Cohen have a joint lease for the space, which is on Baker Street and so probably not too far from some type of Sherlock Holmes nonsense. Shaw contended that Cohen's Beatles store was not paying its share of the rent and that Cohen had breached the terms of an agreement to remodel the basement of the Elvis store. He wanted Cohen out in time for the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death, so that Shaw could have a party there for that occasion as well as to commemorate his wife, who apparently died earlier this year. But a judge denied Shaw's motion for an injunction, so his Elvis/dead-wife commemoration party had to go forward in the regular Elvisly Yours space in August.

The report this week is that the case settled on the day of trial, after Cohen agreed to vacate the basement and instead use a location across the street. The remaining terms of the settlement were confidential.

Shaw, who reportedly wore actual blue suede shoes for court appearances, told the BBC that "perhaps Mr. Cohen is 'all shook up.' Hopefully now he'll 'let it be.'" In my mind, he was then immediately struck and killed by an open-topped tour bus shaped like a yellow submarine and staffed by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band impersonators.