Elvis...or Michael?

[Ghoulish Delight]

On the surface I'd fall on the side of MJ. Musically and entertainment...ly I consider them equals, but MJ gets the edge in my book because of his impact on the music industry itself. Like the Beatles, he went beyond a performer, or even a creator, and personally got involved in shaping the path of the music industry.

But that said, when you get to that scale it becomes silly to debate who is "more" influential. It's like debating "Which affects geology more, earthquakes or volcanoes." Far too many utterly inseparable factors to declare any sort of comparative victory. If you like MJ's music more, he's probably more of a personal impact to you. If you like Elvis' music more, he's probably more of a personal impact to you. Whether you like either of them or not, or claim not to be influenced by either of them, somewhere down the line something you are influenced by was influenced by one or both, thus indirectly influencing you.