Elvis

2/12/2016

As a teenager, I, like all of my friends, thought Elvis was the best thing since sliced bread.  He was handsome, at least at that time, and his songs were great.  I remember watching him on the Ed Sullivan Show and loved his performance.  My parents were, like most parents, unimpressed with him, but they patiently sat and listened to his songs on television.  We were clearly entering the age of rock 'n roll, although we didn't know it at the time.

When Elvis began making movies, I went and saw all of them.  Were they any good?  Not particularly, but if you went to an Elvis movie, it was more about the singing and less about the story.  These days, you can watch movies on your computer, your television and even your phone.  In the 60's, we went to the movie theater.  Grungy clothing wasn't around when I was a teenager.  If you went out, you dressed up.  Jeans didn't yet have a firm grip on fashion, as they do today. 

I'm always interested in the history of things.  I wanted to know who Elvis was as a person, not the Elvis we saw in movies.  I bought two used books recently.  One was written by Priscilla and the other by Ginger Alden, his fiancee.  I've just started reading the books, but one thing that amazes me is how much they seem to remember.  Are the memories accurate?  Were the conversations these women remembered having with Elvis, accurate?  

I don't know about you, but I can't remember a conversation I had with Jeff two days ago, much less 41 years ago!  Perhaps they kept a diary.  It would be pretty hard to dispute their stories, because these books are about their life with Elvis.  

Eventually, as we all know, Elvis lost his swagger and became heavier.  Years of prescription drugs and alcohol took a toll on him and likely contributed to his death at the age of 42.  

I always wanted to see Elvis perform live.  But, I wanted to see the young, handsome Elvis, not the older, heavier Elvis.  

I look forward to reading these two books, because who doesn't enjoy these "tell all" books about famous people?

P