August 03, 2002

Elvis Speaks! New Pearls of Wisdom from the King
   Men's magazine, Esquire, on Friday said it will run a page of quotes in an upcoming issue that were culled from
   a handful of never-before-seen interviews the entertainer gave from 1954 to 1972.

---------------------
   What I've Learned: Elvis Presley
   From rare unpublished interviews, the King on fried foods, flashy clothes, cars, sports, trouble, and women: "I wouldn't
   call girls a hobby. It's a pastime." ....  
  
   Elvis Presley
  Singer, Memphis, died August 16, 1977
  (Esquire - September 2002, Volume 138, Issue 3)


I wouldn't call girls a hobby. It's a pastime.
Any audience, as a rule, goes for a fast number.

I don't like to be called Elvis the Pelvis. It's one of the most childish expressions I've ever heard coming from an adult. But if they wanna call me that, there's nothin' I can do about it, so I just have to accept it. Just like you gotta accept the good with the bad, the bad with the good.

When I started singing, I weighed 153 pounds. I weigh 184 now. I haven't gotten any taller, but I'm putting on a little more weight.

I like pork chops and country ham, creamed potatoes, stuff like that. Redeye gravy. It comes from ham, bacon, stuff like that. It's the grease that you fry it in. I eat a lot of Jell-O. Fruit Jell-O.

I never have tasted alcohol.

In public, I like real conservative clothes, something that's not too flashy. But onstage, I like 'em as flashy as you can get 'em.

My mother goes to town now and she buys anything she wants, which makes me feel real good.

All my life, I've always had a nice time. We never had any money or nothin', but we never were hungry, you know. That's something to be thankful for.

The only exercise I get is on the stage. If I didn't get that, I'd get a little round around the tummy, as much as I eat.

The only kind of trouble I've ever been in is when I was stealing eggs when I was little. I think I know right from wrong.

I would like to learn how to act in the movies.

The thing I like about success is to know that you've got so many friends. A lot of real close friends that I've made since I've been in the business.

I don't think it's very good to work in your hometown.

I went into Sun Records and there was a guy in there took down my name, told me he might call me sometime. So he called me about a year and a half later, and I went in and made my first record, "That's All Right, Mama."

Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people just sway back and forth. I just started doin' my altogether, I guess.

I watch my audience and listen to 'em, and I know that we're all getting somethin' out of our system. None of us knows what it is. The important thing is we're getting rid of it and nobody's getting hurt.

The first car I bought was the most beautiful car I've ever seen. It was secondhand, but I parked it outside of my hotel the day I got it. I sat up all night, just lookin' at it.

I haven't met the girl yet, but I will, and I hope I won't be too long, 'cause I get lonesome sometimes.

Critics have a job to do and they do it.

You have to put on a show for people in order to draw a crowd. If I just stood out there and sang and didn't move a muscle, then people would say, My goodness, I can stay home and listen to his records. You have to give them a show.

I hate to turn anybody down who wants an autograph.

The Colonel has a lot of friends in the entertainment business.

My mother never really wanted anything fancy. She just stayed the same all the way through the whole thing. I wish—there's a lot of things happened since she passed away that would've made her very happy and very proud. But that's life.

It takes time to accomplish certain things. You can't overstep your bounds.

I'm not knocking people who like golf and tennis, but I like rugged sports—boxing, football, karate, things like that. I have a great ambition to play football. The thing I keep up with most is professional football. I know all the players, I know all their numbers.

I don't read any of the books that other people read. I read a lot of philosophy and some poetry. That type of stuff interests me.

When I'm pushed to a certain point, I have a very bad temper.

It comes with time and a little living a few years behind you.

You get a little older, you learn a little more, you see things a little differently. You see people a little differently.

I've had a pretty good lesson in human nature. It's more important to try to surround yourself with people who can give you a little happiness, because you only pass through this life once, Jack. You don't come back for an encore.

Culled from previously unpublished interviews, 1956 to 1972, courtesy RCA Records.

August 03, 2002

Far-flung tributes are fit for the King
   By Bill Ellis, The Commercial Appeal - August 3, 2002

With Elvis Week fast approaching, one might rightly think that all things rockin' will rightly converge in Memphis on this momentous 25th anniversary. Yes and no.

We have plenty planned, from a University of Memphis seminar on Aug. 15, "Is Elvis History?", and an Aug. 16 concert at The Pyramid to special Hawaiian guests I Kona Mau Lima, a hula troupe from Maui who will perform about town in honor of Presley's Polynesian roots (the celluloid kind, at least), from Blue Hawaii to Lilo & Stitch.

But the 25th also has drawn interest outside the Bluff City - sparked in no small way, one suspects, by a certain global No. 1 single, the JXL remix of A Little Less Conversation.

Among Kingly things to do should you find yourself out of town and feeling the (burning) love:

Lincoln Center and the Out of Doors festival cap the annual Roots of American Music series with a rockabilly night to feature Sun veterans Billy Lee Riley and Narvel Felts. The Aug. 11 concert, free to the public in New York City's Damrosch Park, also promises an a cappella tribute to Elvis by the Persuasions, rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson and the great Rosie Flores, plus Rocky Burnette, Jack Scott (What In the World's Come Over You), Jim Weider of the reformed Band and Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats. Visit http://www.lincolncenter.org for more info.

Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, which inducted Sam Phillips last year and Elvis in 1998, has put together a bounty of activities Friday till Aug. 18 for its own Elvis Week, most events free with museum admission.
The coolest offering is daily guided tours of RCA's Studio B, where Elvis recorded much of his '60s output, from Little Sister, (You're the) Devil in Disguise and How Great Thou Art to the soundtracks for Harum Scarum and Clambake. Tours run between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and cost $6 for adults, $3 for children, including transportation to and from the studio. An Elvis-themed "Taking Care of Business" tour of the Hall of Fame and its museum, located in striking new digs at 222 Fifth St., will go on concurrently.

Also at the Hall is "An Insider's View of Working with Elvis," a 2 p.m. Aug. 10 panel led by Elvis bassist (and Jimmy Buffett producer) Norbert Putnam, whom Memphians will recall as the producer behind Cadre's short-lived but thoroughly enjoyable string of soul, jazz and blues records. Fellow session musicians including David Briggs are scheduled for the talk.

Hall curators Mark Medley and Denny Adcock lead a discussion of Elvis artifacts and photographs in the museum on Aug. 16.

Several films will be screened. A documentary on Elvis's gospel music called He Touched Me will be shown in two parts Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, while a series of midnight movies will feature Loving You on Aug. 16 and Clambake on Aug. 17. A documentary entitled Elvis '56: In the Beginning shows on Aug. 15.

Among live performers for Elvis Week will be Rosie Flores on Aug. 17. For a complete schedule, visit http://www.countrymusichallof fame.com.

And don't forget the third annual Rockabilly Fest in Jackson, Tenn. Put on in conjunction with the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame - which opened last year at 105 N. Church St. in downtown Jackson - this year's installment kicks off with a "Sun Record Company Golden Anniversary Celebration" 6 p.m. Thursday at the Garden Plaza Hotel, 1770 U.S. 45 Bypass.
Hosted by current Sun records owner Shelby Singleton, the catered event will feature Sun founder Sam Phillips, who is scheduled to present the inaugural "Sam-Sun" award to Jackson's favorite son, Blue Suede Shoes legend Carl Perkins. Also attending will be songwriter Joe Melson, who co-wrote the classics Blue Bayou, Only the Lonely, Crying and others with their performer, Roy Orbison. Melson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame that night and will receive a BMI award for airplay in excess of 15 million spins, according to Hall of Fame director Henry Harrison. Tickets are $25.

Among the artists scheduled to perform Friday through Aug. 11 at Rockabilly Fest 2002, dubbed a "50 Year Tribute to Rock and Roll," will be Wanda Jackson, the original Comets, Ace Cannon, D. J. Fontana, Sonny Burgess, Narvel Felts, Rocky & Billy Burnette and Mack Self, all at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.

Tickets are $17.50 nightly or $45 for all three days. Go to http://www.rockabillyhall.org for more info. Full Story... 

August 03, 2002

MTV Designates ALLC Video as "Buzzworthy"
   -------------------------------------- EPE - 8/2/2002
 
Everyone wants their new music video to receive the "Buzzworthy" designation from MTV. It's usually a good indication of video's potential success. The video for the JXL remix of Elvis' A Little Less Conversation is now officially buzzworthy at MTV. Check it out on the MTV web site. Scroll down to find Elvis once you're there.

August 02, 2002

25th Silver Anniversary Edition "Elvis, Precious Memories"
   By Donna Presley Early and Lynn Edge
  





This is the revised 25th Silver Anniversary edition of "Elvis, Precious Memories" with an additional hundred photos, many have never been seen,
and many new stories!

  "The Official Donna Presley Early" Website has a new look !!
   Check out all the new Changes To Donna Site

Source : Donna Presley

August 02, 2002

Always on their minds
   Philadelphia Inquirer - August 01, 2002

YOU GOTTA wonder what the stuffed-shirt editors of Time magazine were thinking (or drinking), when they failed to include Elvis Presley in the "Most Influential Entertainers of the Twentieth Century."

As gonzo rocker Mojo Nixon proclaimed in song, "Elvis is Everywhere" - still resonating in popular culture 25 years after his death.

Ask almost any working-class guitar-slinger born in the post-war baby boom to explain how it all began for him or her, what first sparked that interest in being a performer. From major celebrity to your favorite local bar entertainer, all will respond as one.

In the beginning...

"Before Elvis, there was nothing," to quote one disciple, the late John Lennon - evoking memories of the dull, calculated music establishment of the 1950s that spoon-fed teens on mush like "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window."

After Elvis, there was hope, inspiration, new direction for the emerging youth culture. Elvis shook, rattled and rolled, unlocked the cages and let the dogs out, giving direction for a a zillion young kids to pick up guitar, strike a sneeringly rebellious (or sexy) pose, and let it rock - lifting themselves and their listeners out of the doldrums of their ordinary, dead-end lives.

As chronicler Greil Marcus calls him, "This sexy, half-crazed rockabilly fool, standing on stage, singing his heart out" gave them all musical inspiration. He gave them style clues. He gave them attitude, galore.

"Every time I felt low, I just put on an Elvis record and I'd feel great, beautiful," recalled another Beatle, Paul McCartney. "When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted to be was Elvis Presley."

"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody and nobody was going to be my boss," testified Bob Dylan. "He is the deity supreme of rock and roll religion as it exists in today's form. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."

To hear Presley belting out "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" or "All Shook Up" on a 45 rpm platter or the radio was one thing. To see him sweatin', sneerin' and wigglin' that knee (a "move" read as sexual language, though borrowed from one of his favorite gospel singers) made even more of an impact.

Especially with those early (1956-57) TV appearances on the Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen Sunday night shows, and later with his '68 Comeback Special, catching Elvis on the tube became for many a "life altering" experience as powerful as later watching Jack Ruby assassinate Lee Harvey Oswald, witnessing American astronauts landing on the moon, or seeing the World Trade Center crumble.

"I ran out and bought a guitar, after I saw you," eulogized Lou Reed, later to kick-start the punk rock movement with his group the Velvet Underground.

"He had total love in his eyes when he performed," recalled k.d. Lang. "He was the total androgynous beauty. I would practice Elvis in front of the mirror when I was 12 or 13 years old."

"The first concert I attended was an Elvis concert when I was 11," said Cher. "Even at that age he made me realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."

Kenn transformed

Philly folk rocker Kenn Kweder said he wasn't really into Elvis until he saw him on the Sullivan show - "that changed everything." Years later, on a dare, Kweder even "became" the ghost of Elvis for a few weeks - strolling up and down South Street in a Presley-like jump suit and performing sincere concert recreations of his '68 comeback and his 1970s Las Vegas extravaganzas at J.C. Dobbs, complete with klieg lights outside the club and Kweder's own "Memphis Mafia" of bodyguards, headed by former Phillie Tug McGraw.

Quantum physics

"Elvis Presley is like the 'Big Bang' of Rock 'n' Roll," declared U2's front man Bono. "It all came from there and what you had in Elvis Presley is a very interesting moment because, really, to be pretentious about it for a minute, you had two cultures colliding there. You had a kind of white, European culture and an African culture coming together - the rhythm, OK, of black music and the melody chord progressions of white music - just all came together in that kind of spastic dance of his. That was the moment. That's really it. Out of all that came the Beatles and the Stones, but you can't underestimate what happened. It does get back to Elvis."

Black like Elvis

Much was made in some circles about Elvis' co-opting black culture - as the first Southern white rock and roller who's howlin' hound dog sound could pass for that of a soul brother. But those rhythm and blues singers who got to know him say the boy was sincere, and on their side.

"I thank God for Elvis Presley," Little Richard has declared. "I thank the Lord for sending Elvis to open the door so I could walk down the road..."

"I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun studios," recalled bluesman B.B. King. "Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song, was as unique as Sinatra's. I was a tremendous fan, and had Elvis lived, there would have been no end to his inventiveness."

"He was just a beautiful man," recalled Philadelphia rooted music legend Solomon Burke. "I thought his gospel music was wonderful because he opened up the soul where it came from. He was into the black church music, 'cause growing up in East Tupelo, he went to their services. He picked up that soul from the bottom. He didn't just say, 'I'm going to sing black tomorrow.' He walked around barefoot, he stood in the cotton fields with black people. He was just a poor country boy. It wasn't an issue of black and white back then, just poor and rich. If you walked together, sung together, you got along fine."

Known from his own youth as the "King of Rock and Soul," Solomon Burke didn't even mind sharing the name of the South Philly tailor who'd made him a regal, gold lame suit, when Presley asked how he could get one of his own. "The guy charged Elvis $10,000 for his version," chuckled Burke, and the entertainer then wore it famously on the cover of his "50 Million Elvis Presley Fans Can't Be Wrong."

"But when I went back to the guy and asked him to make me another, he told me he couldn't, 'cause he was all out of material!"

(Still) falling in love with you

Even decades later, Elvis Presley's influence is still being felt, overtly or subtly. The Secret Service's code name for amateur saxophonist Bill Clinton was "Elvis," and the former president has praised Presley as "my favorite of all time."

Jon Bon Jovi's band mates like to call him "Elvis," too, and the singer allowed "I identified a lot with Elvis, yeah."

Serious homages to The King are still being crafted by artists like Bruce Springsteen - who once declared Elvis his "religion" and allowed "but for him, I'd be selling encyclopedias right now." Long after Presley's passing, The Boss was still so distraught by Presley's unseemly exit from the building that he turned the disappointment into "Johnny Bye-Bye," a song pulsating with suppressed anger and pain. "They found him slumped up against the drain, with a whole lotta nothin' running through his veins...By bye, Johnny, Johnny bye bye, you didn't have to die, you didn't have to die."

Paul Simon, meanwhile, tried to recapture both his own lost innocence and a sense of contemporary spirituality by taking a bunch of African musicians on a musical pilgrimage to "Graceland."

While he's never admitted as much, Michael Jackson's choreography has often borne a remarkable likeness to those cool moves Elvis first created in films like "Jailhouse Rock." And what is M.J.'s billing as "King of Pop" if not a guarded nod and comparison to the "King of Rock"?

Moody twang rocker Chris Isaak is first among many who continues to cultivate the sullen look and aching crooning style of Presley. "If you're a musician and listen to Elvis, it's like being a ball player and watching Babe Ruth," he said recently. "I was just talking to my bass player about this. There's still nobody as charismatic, as good looking and who sang like that. Nobody's done that since. It's something to set your sights on."

Why, even Britney Spears poured herself into a Elvis styled-jump suit a few months ago to promote her "Britney in Las Vegas" HBO Special. What inspired her? we asked the Brit. "Cause he was the sexiest man to ever walk the earth...and he's from Las Vegas, right?"

Well, you're half right, hon.

August 01, 2002

BMG Poland (Promo CD)





3:30 - ELVIS VS JXL "A Little Less Conversation" Radio Edit
Promotional Only - Not For Sale
BMG Poland 2002




     Click here to enlarge CD (and Cover)

August 01, 2002

BBC1 marks anniversary of Elvis's death with documentary
   Ananova - Thursday 1st August 2002

BBC1 is to explore the private life of Elvis Presley in a documentary to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death. It will feature interviews with his physician, bodyguards, drivers, 'fixers,' golfers and confidantes. The Elvis Mob will be shown on Thursday August 15. According to WaveGuide.co.uk, the interviews reveal a darker side of Elvis's character, very different to his stage persona.

August 01, 2002

New ELVIS FLIPBOOK from Fliptomania
  ------------------------------- EPE - 7/31/2002

Following is a press release from FLIPTOMANIA Fliptomania Flipbooks:

ELVIS FLIPBOOK, VOLUME 1
By Fliptomania

A new flipbook featuring classic 1956 film footage from one of Elvis’ earliest stage performances.

You remember flipbooks – those little books that show a movie in your hands when you flip the pages with your thumb? Fliptomania, the country’s largest publisher of flipbooks, has produced a wonderful action flipbook that features Elvis performing some fancy footwork and body English from one of his earliest stage performances. You know he had the voice, and you know he had the looks, but don’t ever forget that the man could really move!

Each of the book’s 40 vintage movie frames has been hand-tinted to highlight Elvis' gold lame’ jacket as he dances across a floodlit stage. Also, to add a special touch of class, a neon-animation of Elvis’s signature appears in the final frames. Elvis Flipbook, Volume 1 is visually stunning, extremely affordable ($4.00) and will appeal to fans of all ages and backgrounds. It’s a timeless little keepsake. Naturally, the flipbook is published in conjunction with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

August 01, 2002

Priscilla Presley Backs Show Based on Elvis Marriage

— LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Call it "Love Me Tender" or "Heartbreak Hotel."

Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley and Los Angeles-based Immortal Entertainment Group on Wednesday unveiled plans to develop a musical stage show based on her legendary romance with the king of rock-and-roll.

Immortal President David Codikow promises a lively and upbeat show like the current production of "Mama Mia," which uses songs from 1970s pop music sensation, Abba, but the as yet unnamed Presley show will span the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

"This is going to be Priscilla's vision. It's her story. It's the king and the queen. It's the birth of rock-and-roll," said Codikow.

Codikow said it may take 12 to 14 months to get a show up and running, and his company plans to conduct a nationwide talent search for the lead parts of Elvis and Priscilla.

He said the musical will aim for Broadway, of course, but could easily open in Las Vegas, where Elvis made his mark in his later years.

Later, a spokeswoman for Immortal said it was not clear how much of Elvis' own music would be in the production.

"It's a celebration of the music from that period. It may include some Elvis music, it may not," depending on resolution of copyright issues, she said.

Elvis and Priscilla met when she was just 14 years old and the daughter of a military man stationed in Germany at the same time as the 24-year-old Elvis.

Priscilla eventually moved into Elvis' home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tenn. where she lived and went to high school, graduating in 1963. The two were married in 1967, when she was 21 years-old, in Las Vegas at a time when the "Rat Pack" led by Frank Sinatra ruled the gambling town.

Nine months after their marriage, Elvis and Priscilla had a baby girl, Lisa Marie. But theirs was a stormy relationship at times filled with infidelities and his drug abuse. They divorced in 1973.

Priscilla eventually forged her own career as an actress, appearing in such shows as 1980s prime-time TV soap, "Dallas."

The announcement of the musical coincides with the upcoming 25th anniversary of Elvis' death on Aug. 16, 1977.

Immortal Entertainment operates record label Immortal Records and produces various live shows and touring events, such as the current "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" tour which features music from the 2000 movie of the same name.

August 01, 2002

What was in Elvis' kitchen cupboard?
   Philadelphia Daily News - July 31, 2002

Ever wonder just what Elvis kept in his pantry at Graceland? Here's a peek at the stockpile of sugar-heavy, cholesterol-laden favorites Elvis loved. The list was compiled from Elvis recipe Web sites.

To cook like Elvis, try the books "Fit for a King: The Elvis Presley Cookbook" (Rutledge Mill Press, $14.99) and "Are You Hungry Tonight? Elvis' Favorite Recipes" (Gramercy Books, $9.59).

• Fresh ground beef

• Orange drink

• Fresh-squeezed orange juice

• At least six packages of biscuit dough

• Hamburger buns

• Pickles

• Potatoes and onions

• Bottles of milk and half-and-half

• One case regular Pepsi

• Bacon

• Mustard

• Peanut butter

• Banana pudding

• Ingredients for meat loaf and sauce

• Brownies

• Vanilla and chocolate ice cream

• Fudge cookies

• Shredded coconut

Food fit for the King
   Chefs give Elvis' favorite recipes a new twist ... Full story click here

August 01, 2002

ELVIS , A CELEBRATION - Major New Elvis Photography Book for the 25th Anniversary
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPE - 7/29/2002

   Following is a press release from DK Publishing:




ELVIS A Celebration
By Mike Evans

The Ultimate Pictorial Tribute to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

As the world celebrates the life and legend of Elvis Presley on August 16th — the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ death — DK Publishing proudly presents Elvis: A Celebration (August 2002; $50; hardcover), the most comprehensive and visually compelling tribute available today. Published in conjunction with the Elvis Presley Estate and featuring materials from the official archive at Graceland, this stunning coffee table book offers a unique insider’s look at one of the most beloved icons of the 20th century.

Elvis: A Celebration features 620 annotated photographs capturing all the pivotal and private moments — from his early days in Tupelo and Memphis, to his rise to music super-stardom and his career in the military, movies, television, and on the concert stage. His ascent to the top of the pop-culture pantheon is captured in hundreds of candid photographs, publicity and movie stills, and merchandising ephemera, including ticket stubs, movie posters, buttons, newspaper clips, original LPs, even Elvis Presley lipstick.

With more than 600 pages packed with backstage and behind-the-scenes photos, trivia buffs and fans of all ages will revel in this unique collection. Elvis: A Celebration is a timeless keepsake and visual treat for any fan…and proof that the legend lives on!

About the Author
Mike Evans has been writing about popular music since the 1970’s, when he was a regular contributor to the UK’s top weekly newspaper, Melody Maker. He is the author of the much-acclaimed The Art of the Beatles and has worked in publishing where he has commissioned and edited over 60 titles on rock, jazz, and pop culture. He has also worked on two previous volumes about Elvis, during which time he collaborated closely with the Elvis Presley Estate in Memphis. A rhythm and blues saxophonist by night, Mike currently lives and works in London.

Availability
ELVIS A Celebration will be available wherever fine books are sold. Although the publicized release date is August, bookstores and online retailers already have it in stock. It will soon be added to Shop Elvis here on Elvis.com.

July 31, 2002

New Kay Wheeler CD
   (San Francisco DJ)

Rockabilly MC and local gal Kay Wheeler, who founded the first Elvis Fan Club, is releasing a CD of her voiceovers on various Elvis tracks. "Kay Wheeler's Personal Memories of Elvis are a fan's recollections from a time before fan appreciation became a commodity, or for that matter, before Elvis became a commodity. More than a time capsule, this CD is a window back in time where we see Elvis, the first star of his kind, through a fan's eyes, especially eyes that were as close as Kay's were to Elvis'.



click here for more informations, including sound samples

Source : Linda Wheeler/Maurice Colgan/

July 31, 2002

Joe Esposito - Appearances (August 2002)

August 6 - Larry King Live Show Airs: 6pm PST 9pm Eastern, CNN
Larry King Live is the first worldwide phone-in television talk show and the network's highest-rated program. Larry King will be interviewing me about my life with Elvis and I will also be promoting my new DVD/VHS "Elvis, His Best Friend Remembers".

August 5 - The Today Show, NYC Airs: Weekdays, 7 am/ET, NBC
The venerable morning show that's also TV's longest-running daytime series (and the first ever early-morning program). Interview with Katie Couric interviews me about my life with Elvis Presley as well as my new DVD/VHS.

click here for more information

Source : "Joe Esposito" Website

July 31, 2002

Elvis Ranch Developers Face Hurdle
   (Associated Press) Tue Jul 30, 2:41 PM ET



If the developers of the Elvis Presley Ranch to leap several legal hurdles pretty quickly. The developers want to build a $500 million resort and entertainment complex on 800 acres near Horn Lake, Miss. — part of it on land once owned by Elvis.

The DeSoto County, Miss. planning director says the developers still haven't gotten approval on the final site, which means the county can't issue a building permit.

But a spokeswoman for the developers insists they will break ground on the 25th anniversary of Presley's passing.

She says the ground-breaking will be ceremonial, and zoning regulations aren't a problem for "a bunch of people sticking shovels in the ground and tossing small amounts of dirt in the air."

Meanwhile, expect Elvis sightings to increase between now and mid-August. Not necessarily sightings of The King himself — but stuff about him is going to be everywhere.

Two of the niftiest new pieces of Elvis-a-bilia will set you back plenty. Two new coffee table books, "The Elvis Treasures" and "Elvis: A Celebration," cost $50 apiece.

"The Elvis Treasures," published by Villard, is like owning The King's scrapbook. It tells the story of Presley's life through letters, press releases, film scripts, photographs, movie posters, print ads, record sleeves, magazine covers, and a CD of Elvis interviews from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Meanwhile, DK Publishing's "Elvis: A Celebration" is 600 pages, and was done with the support and authority of the Elvis Presley Estate.

July 30, 2002

Segeant Elvis Presley-Bronze
   Pressbox.co.uk (Sun Jul 28 2002)

Graceland CEO Jack Soden, in a hand-written message to yours truly wrote, the statue of Elvis unveiled in Tupelo on the 8th January 2002 was, "A great idea!". The sculptor Michiel Van der Sommen had put my proposal sent to, Larry K Otis the Mayor of Tupelo Mississippi by letter 1999, into a fine life-sized Bronze statue of, "Elvis at 13". The small part I played in it was acknowledged in the local, "Daily Journal", newspaper 18th January edition.

Therefore heartened by that success, another idea! A life-sized, or even larger, bronze statue portraying Sergeant Elvis Presley in his pristine U.S.Army dress uniform would be an excellent addition to grace the grounds of Graceland!

The 25th Anniversary commemorations in Memphis Tennessee during, "Elvis Week", this August are sure to draw the attention of the world's Media and Elvis fans alike. An opportune time to have this proposal disseminated and, hopefully, accepted.
The 1960 Elvis song, "Soldier Boy", begins, " I will be home again......".
Maurice Colgan. July 2002.

Source : Maurice Colgan

July 30, 2002

New Elvis Magazines

A Tribute To Elvis Presley
   25th Anniversary Silver Edition



Exclusive 25th Anniversary Elvis Magazine - FOREVER OUR KING!
Rare & never before seen photos. An Elvis record & memorabilia price guide. Over 130 pages. Exclusive stories that follow Elvis' journey from the early years through the 70s and beyond. Hundreds of color concert, candid and black/white photos.

   Elvis 25



How Elvis Defined America Tribute Magazine
This special 25th Anniversary commemorative magazine is quite simply beautiful.
The True Story .... Elvis Forever .... The Man Behind The Myth. Hundreds of color concert and candid photos & 6 giant posters. The color pictures of Elvis in Vegas, of Elvis & Priscilla, of the King in concert and of the Hillbilly Cat will blow your mind.

Celebration Of A Legend Set 

Exclusive Offer Four 100% Elvis Hologram Magazine Set
Special collectors edition 4 25th Anniversary tributes to the King. This Celebration Of A Legend set features 4 different special deluxe hologram covers. Written with love and loaded with both color and black/white exclusive never before and rarely seen photographs.

   Source : Elvis Unique

July 29, 2002

Elvis parade promises to light up Beale with fireworks, howitzers
   By Michael Lollar, The Commercial Appeal - July 29, 2002


The street known as the home of the blues will become the heart of rock and roll Aug. 10 with a red, white and blue salute to Elvis Presley including everything from Disney movie characters to an air show with a traditional "missing man" flight formation.

The Beale Street parade will kick off Memphis's annual death-week tribute to Elvis, turning the annual rite into the "Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Celebration of Life Parade."

With up to 70,000 fans expected during the milestone anniversary week, the parade and nightlong street party are intended by Graceland and the city to thank more than 12 million Elvis fans who have traveled to Memphis since Elvis's death on Aug. 16, 1977.

Parade chairman Pat Kerr Tigrett, the fashion designer who turned the groundbreaking for The Pyramid into one of the largest "Big Digs" since the excavation of the Panama Canal, is fitting the parade's theme to facets of Elvis's life. Floats, a band, hound dogs, fireworks and Army howitzers that Tigrett fears may "blow the bricks off" the street's vintage architecture will celebrate Elvis as rock icon, Army G.I. and movie star.

The Army National Guard is supplying tanks, the 50-ton howitzers and other Army themes, while Elvis's love of cars and motorcycles will be represented by vintage sports cars, 40 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the NASCAR Elvis show car driven by Rusty Wallace and the Elvis funny car driven by John Force.

Wallace and Force will be part of an entourage that will include hula dancers, performers dressed as Disney's Lilo & Stitch movie characters and other entertainers who will be part of a nightlong club circuit with $10 wristband tickets as a single cover charge for Elvis-themed acts.

The 7:30 p.m. parade will be set against an unmistakably patriotic backdrop, with U.S. flags flying along Beale and a display showing the evolution of the U.S. flag from the found ing of the country to the modern flag. Ten thousand small flags will be distributed to the crowd, and a 30-by-40-foot U.S. flag will hang beside a 30-by-40-foot Tennessee flag on the Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division building in the heart of the entertainment district.

As if watching over the parade, Elvis will be visible via a giant video screen set up outside Elvis Presley's Memphis at the end of the parade route.

Tigrett said the patriotic theme was a question of, "Why not? Elvis was patriotic, and I think it's a good thing for us now to have a patriotic theme. There's the whole G.I. Blues thing, and I think it just makes sense at this time in our history."

The parade will form just west of Danny Thomas Boulevard and move west along Beale past Fourth to Second, where it will turn south, then turn into a street party with outdoor entertainment in Handy Park and the clubs. Parked in front of Elvis Presley's Memphis, an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer will debut as the first traveling exhibition of Elvis artifacts.

Open for free tours, the "Mobile Graceland" will then move to the Graceland visitor center for the rest of Elvis Week before beginning a 50-city U.S. promotional tour for the upcoming record release "ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits."

Graceland spokesman Todd Morgan said the exhibition is a collaboration between Elvis Presley Enterprises and BMG Entertainment and sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment and FYE record stores.

The Elvis collection onboard "Mobile Graceland" and musical acts during the street party are still "evolving," said Tigrett, who volunteered for the role of parade chairman. The grand parade marshal will be Gov. Don Sundquist, with honorary parade marshals including Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore, former Shelby County Mayor (and former sheriff and Elvis friend) Bill Morris and close Elvis friends, George Klein and Jerry Schilling.

Although some parade elements are still coming together, Tigrett said she has lined up 28 hound dogs "which will be well cared for" during the festivities.

Why 28?

"That's all I could find," she said.

July 29, 2002

Elvis: More than a legend
   By Alyssa Schnugg and Chris Curry, Sun-Herald (July 28, 2002)


To many fans, Elvis was the king of rock 'n' roll -- an untouchable superstar who shined above the rest. Most would have to settle for watching their idol on screen or listen to his songs over the radio -- and daydream that one day, they might catch a glimpse of him from afar.

But to others, Elvis was their first kiss, a boyhood friend -- a man.


Saying goodbye

For North Port resident Cindy Dinsmore, her dream of meeting Elvis was cut short by his untimely death.

When she was 20, Dinsmore was the reservations manager and weekend auditor at the Sheraton Inn in South Portland. The large hotel was working on a full crew, gearing up for the arrival of Elvis and his entourage that was due to arrive on Aug. 16, 1977.

"Being peak season in Maine, we did sell out that night, amidst screams, fainting females and constantly ringing phones," Dinsmore recalled.

At about 6 p.m., Dinsmore said the hotel received the call that Elvis would not be staying at her hotel -- ever again.

"I took the call," Dinsmore said. "It was awful. The front desk clerks started crying; my roommate, who also worked there, was sobbing. It was very upsetting and stressful. It was an experience I will never forget."


Forbidden love, sweet memories

In 1955, Elvis, 21, was starting his climb to stardom in Memphis, Tenn. But for 14-year old JoAnne Burch, Elvis was more than a big shot -- he was her first love and her first kiss.

Burch's mother rented an apartment to Elvis' aunt and his cousin Bobbie. Bobbie and Burch were childhood friends.

"Elvis came to the apartment and he took to me immediately," Burch recalled. "I told him I was 18 years old. I was tall for my age and made Bobbie swear not to tell."

According to Burch, on their first date, Elvis brought her to meet his mother.

"He was a mama's boy for sure," she said. "Everything you read about that is true."

After their second date -- and a passionate kiss -- Burch told Elvis the truth about her age.

"I was so nervous knowing I couldn't be a real 'woman' to him," Burch said. "When he stuck his tongue in my mouth, I thought I'd get pregnant. I started to cry and told him I was just 14.

"I can see him today, standing there on my driveway, telling me to stay a good girl. He was so sweet about it."

Burch said after she revealed the truth, she was able to relax around the rising star.

"I went from the front seat in his car to the back seat with his cousin, Bobbie," she said. "But I had more fun. I was part of the gang and not nervous anymore."

Burch recalls times when Elvis would come to her house and play the piano or help her mother out when their lawnmower wouldn't start.

"He would go out and get it to work," she said. "He was just the nicest, sweetest person you could know. He was very charming. Even if he never became famous, his personality was enough to make him a star with anyone who knew him."

When Elvis bought Graceland in 1957, Burch would often go with her friend Bobbie to visit Elvis and his family. But eventually, fame and fortune and her own developing adulthood took Burch away from her childhood friends.

In 1976, while in a grocery line, Burch read that her friend Bobbie had killed herself after divorcing her husband.

"I didn't believe it, but it was true," said Burch, her voice lowered at the sad memory.

The last time Burch saw Elvis was in Las Vegas, sometime in the '70s.

"I have the memories in my heart and in my diary that I kept all those years ago," she said. "That's all I need."


The birth of Lisa Marie

Lucille Wilson was witness to one of the happiest moments in Elvis' life. Wilson, who now lives in Englewood, was one of several private licensed practical nurses hired to attend to Priscilla Presley when she was at Memphis' Baptist Memorial Hospital in labor. Wilson, 81, was the LPN on shift Feb. 1, 1968, when Lisa Marie was born.

A photograph of her wheeling Priscilla and the baby out of the hospital, alongside a beaming Elvis, appears in several collector's magazines. Wilson said before the birth of his only child, Elvis was pacing the floor with nervousness. Afterward, she said he invited all the nurses to dinner at Graceland and displayed gentlemanly "country boy" manners when he played host.

Approaching age 50 when she met Elvis, Wilson said she did not care much for rock 'n' roll music, especially since her two sons were playing in a garage band.

"When Lisa Marie was born, Elvis asked me, 'Do you have any children?' and I said, 'I have two boys, and they play rock 'n' roll.' And he said, 'Send them over sometime, I could use somebody for the band.'"

Wilson said that her misgivings about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle kept her from relaying the message to the family. Still, she said Elvis' cordial, friendly behavior changed her mind about the performer.

"I had a different view of him. I really liked Elvis after I met him," Wilson said. "He was polite. He put his arm around my shoulders and patted me and said I was just like a mother to him. And I was old enough to be his mother."

Wilson said she was also working at Baptist Memorial on a far more sad occasion nearly 10 years later, when Elvis' body was brought in after he died.

"They called from Graceland and said they thought he had a heart attack. I said, 'Oh no.' It really hurt me. I stared out the window to see when he would come," she said.

July 29, 2002

Elvis soldiered with the best of 'em
   By Don Moore, Sun-Herald (July 28, 2002)

   It was a tough job for a rock 'n' roll idol

Elvis Presley would have probably made a good soldier. But it's tough to be a soldier when you're the rock 'n' roll idol of the Western world.

By the fall of 1958, when he was sent to Germany as a member of the U.S. Army's 32nd Tank Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, the 23-year-old was already a celebrity.

His songs had gone to the top of the pop music charts, with "Heartbreak Hotel," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Hound Dog" among his No. 1 hits. In Hollywood, Elvis had also starred in his first picture "Love Me Tender," which opened in November of 1956. He was just about to begin production on "King Creole," his second flick, when he got the draft notice from the Memphis Selective Service Commission in December 1957.

The notice was hand delivered to the front door of his Graceland home by Milton Bowers, head of the draft board. The King of Rock 'n' Roll shook his hand, invited him in and thanked him for taking the time to personally deliver the notice.

Immediately, Elvis had a problem. Paramount studio was nearly ready to start filming "King Creole" and Elvis needed a six-week delay in his service career to complete the movie before he became the property of Uncle Sam. After Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, did some behind the scenes wheeling and dealing with the Washington politicians and the draft board, Elvis got a temporary reprieve to finish the film.

When word leaked out in the newspapers about his "sweetheart deal" with the U.S. military, it caused a stink. Many people complained he was getting preferential treatment.

If they had only known. The Army and the Navy got in a bidding war of sorts for Elvis.

The Navy showed up at Graceland with a "celebrity enlistment package." It included allowing him to perform in Las Vegas and live in grand style while there. He would also be given the opportunity to form an "Elvis Presley Company" comprised of sailors from Memphis and he could personally pick his friends to be part of this special company.

Not to be outdone, the Army had a bunch of goodies that Elvis would receive if he signed with the ground pounders. "Special privileges" were part of its deal, too. They included a worldwide tour of all of the Army's prestige posts and first-class travel at the Army's expense.

After talking to Parker about the cushy deals he had been offered by the Army and Navy, Elvis decided he wanted nothing to do with them. Both his manager and his father agreed with the young star -- a front-line combat unit is where he should do his soldiering.

Even that was a hassle for the service. It's estimated the Army spent $500,000 for an advance team that followed the star around during the first few months he was in the service.

Reality must have finally hit home about where he was and what he was doing when he received his first $78 pay check for a month of soldiering. Elvis was used to million-dollar paychecks by then.

After getting his famous G.I. haircut at Fort Chaffee, Ark., on March 25, 1958, Elvis began his basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. His parents soon moved into a temporary home near the base.

In August, his mother Gladys became ill and returned to Memphis, where she was hospitalized with acute hepatitis. Elvis was granted emergency leave and visited his mother, who died in the early hours of Aug. 14.

Despite his overwhelming grief and despair, Elvis resumed his soldiering duties, advancing from basic to advance infantry training by the time he was preparing to ship overseas.

"I was standing in line to get inoculations as an 18-year-old Army private," Punta Gorda resident Larrie Tisdale recalled. "Elvis was standing in a line parallel to me waiting for his inoculations as well.

"Elvis was ahead of me as far as Army training. He was in AIT and I was in basic training. His barracks were across the street from mine. Although he didn't sleep in the barracks (he had an apartment in town), most people thought highly of him. He had the reputation for being a very good soldier."


Tour of duty

On Oct. 1, 1959, Elvis arrived at the port of Bremerhaven, Germany. When he walked off the troop ship, 1,500 fans, reporters, photographers, movie and TV cameramen were waiting at the gangplank. On the troop train to his base in Friedberg, near Frankfurt, Elvis spent much of his time lounging in the kitchen with the cooks to get away from adulation.

When he got a chance, the rock 'n' roll idol was a better than average soldier, performing well in the field during maneuvers. As he had in Texas, however, he had a second life off base at night in a house of his own. The place was filled with family and friends from back home in Memphis.

During his final year in the Army, the manager of a service club on the base brought a 14-year-old groupie named Priscilla Beaulieu to meet him at his nearby off-base home. The pretty, blue-eyed, dark-haired teen-ager was starstruck. Elvis, who was 10 years her senior, was smitten as well.

It was a strange relationship. Besides their age difference, Priscilla's parents weren't exactly sure what to make of Elvis. The girl's father was an Army captain.

Elvis was already a rock 'n' roll star of major proportions who could go out with almost any girl he wanted. Why did he pick their 14-year-old daughter?

After some serious compromises on his part and a substantial amount of soul searching on their part, the Beaulieus allowed Priscilla to date Elvis. He spent most of his time on leave with the girl.

By Christmas 1959, he was within weeks of being discharged from the service. Elvis and Parker, his manager, had been making plans for months with the record companies, the movies and TV networks to re-energize his career. At one point, he spent some time talking by phone with Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand, about his return to civilian life and his career that had been put on ice for two years while he served his country.

Elvis held a final press conference at the enlisted men's club in Friedberg on March 1, 1960, before flying home from Germany.

It was a tough time for him and Priscilla, who by then was 16. He promised to stay in touch with the young woman and some day, "when the time was right," they might even get married.

At the air base at Rhine-Main just before Elvis' military plane flew off, a contingent of 10 Air Force policemen kept her from reaching the young sergeant who went aboard a transport with a bunch of other returning soldiers. Life magazine got a shot of Priscilla waving goodbye to her love. When it appeared in the magazine it was captioned: "Girl He Left Behind."

The King returned to a hero's welcome in the States after being discharged, with the rank of sergeant, on March 5. Before the year was out he took "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" to the top of the record charts for weeks as the No. 1 best seller.

It would be seven years before Elvis married the girl he left behind. He and Priscilla were wed at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. She was 23 and he was 32.

July 28, 2002

A hunka hunka tourist mecca

Long after Elvis' death, the faithful still flock to Graceland to show their burnin' love
By Josh Max, New York Daily News (July 28, 2002)

Graceland, the Memphis mansion Elvis Presley called home for 20 years, inspires every emotion Elvis evoked from fans and detractors during his unmatched success in the world of entertainment: fascination, awe and traces of sympathy. I was barely into my teens when Elvis died, Aug. 16, 1977, and steeped as I was in Cousin Brucie's WABC-AM radio show — where the King had not made an appearance since 1972's chart-topper "Burnin' Love" — the event had no impact. It wasn't until my 18th year, when I bought an eight-track of his greatest hits, that my Elvis fever began. I recently visited Graceland to say hello to Elvis Presley, but as it turned out, it was really a goodbye.

My wife and I landed at the Memphis airport at 11 p.m., fetched our bags and hailed a cab. It's a tourist town, and there are dozens of places to stay, from the humble motel next to a pawnshop with a buzzing neon "GUNS, GUITARS AND JEWELRY" sign in the window, all the way up to the high-toned Peabody on Union Ave. But we thought we might as well take advantage of the Heartbreak Hotel's relative economy and proximity (right next door!) to Graceland.

"Where to?" the dispatcher called after our cab as we pulled away. "Goin' to see Elvis!" our driver yelled, our faces reddening as our glaring tourist status was exposed.

We wanted the King and we got him, from the speakers blasting Elvis songs in the lobby of the Heartbreak Hotel, to the TV in the reception area tuned permanently to Elvis movies, to huge portraits hanging above our bed and in our living room. Even as we enjoyed the free continental breakfast of hot and cold cereals, fresh fruit, warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts, bagels, coffee, tea and make-them-yourself waffles, we were serenaded by his hits — and more than a few of his misses. "Mystery Train," "Baby, Let's Play House" and "All Shook Up" shared equal time with "Fame and Fortune" and "Harem Holiday."

Memphis fills many roles in American history. It's the birthplace of rock 'n' roll: Legends like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison all started their recording careers at Sun Studio, 706 Union Ave. Memphis is also a center of African-American heritage; the National Civil Rights Museum is here, and in 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel, 450 Mulberry St.

But the city's favorite son is undoubtedly Elvis. T-shirts, keychains, mugs and countless other tchotchkes bearing the image of the world's most famous pop star are available everywhere. Unlike nearby country-music mecca Nashville, which has been developed to the point where most of its authenticity has been diluted, Memphis retains an original, retro flavor without irony. If you veer off the well-beaten tourist hub of Beale St., most of the city seems frozen in the late '50s and early '60s: Bowling alleys, juke joints and mom-and-pop stores abound, living museums worth a visit.

But the biggest draw in all of Memphis is Graceland. The mansion was built in 1939 on a 500-acre farm. Elvis was 22 when he bought it on March 26, 1957. The estate was officially opened to the public in 1982, three years after its last tenant, Elvis' father, Vernon, passed away.

At first sight, surprisingly small

More than 600,000 fans visit Graceland every year. The highlight of the experience is the all-inclusive Platinum Tour, a three-hour, $25 Elvis extravaganza. The tour includes a walk through the mansion, visits to the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum and the "Sincerely, Elvis" memorabilia hall across the street, and a peek at Lisa Marie and Hound Dog Two, jets Elvis bought in 1975.

When we arrived, the cavernous lobby was packed with folks of all ages, shapes and sizes from the U.S. and abroad. After buying a ticket, guests are issued headphones for the audio guided tour, and proceed to a bus, which is driven across the street and through the famous front gates with their welded musical notes. The gates' pillars, the sidewalk and every streetlamp nearby are decorated with heartfelt graffiti messages for the man of the house.

Viewed from the front, the house is surprisingly small and elegant, given Presley's reputation for extravagance. Stone lions bookend the steps and you pass through four stately columns as you enter the residence.

It's tiny, with low ceilings and less space in each room than you'd think from looking at the exterior. To your right as you stand in the foyer, there's a 15-foot white sofa and two matching chairs positioned on a cream-colored rug. Two floor-to-ceiling stained-glass peacocks lead into a small music room whose centerpiece is an ice-cream-white grand piano. Loud gold curtains cover the wall. To your left is a dining room with blue velvet curtains, an enormous chandelier, corner shelf units full of artwork and bric-a-brac, and a banquet table set with Noritake china.

The adjoining kitchen — where many a fried peanut-butter-and-bacon sandwich was concocted — retains all the appliances and amenities Elvis used, including a green-glazed double sink and a Tappan oven straight out of Good Housekeeping, circa 1970.

Upstairs — where Elvis died in his bathroom — is off limits, so the tour continues down a tiny mirrored staircase into the TV room. It's blazing yellow, with a mirrored ceiling and three TVs mounted into one wall (Elvis got the idea from Lyndon Johnson, who liked to watch all three networks at once). Chrome accessories, a black-and-yellow painted cloud pattern featuring Elvis' motto "TCB" — Taking Care of Business — and an accompanying lightning bolt are stenciled on another wall. A bar with a screaming banana-yellow counter and matching stools leads into the poolroom, which boasts 350-plus yards of floor-to-ceiling pleated fabric in an explosion of Asian and European patterns.

Back on the main floor is the renowned Jungle Room, with its custom stone waterfall and fake-fur furniture with carved-wood frames and coordinating tables. A green shag carpet covers the floor and ceiling. A next-door annex contains Elvis' gun collection, karate outfit, football uniform and other sports memorabilia.

By this point, all those colors were overwhelming, but the next stop was the perfect antidote. Vernon Presley's office is as bland and ordinary as Elvis' wings are over-the-top. I found this office, with its faded mustard-yellow desks and carpet, more striking than the dizzying display that came before; it was as though Vernon and his staff had simply gotten up and walked away, compared with his son's carefully arranged furnishings. Near a doorway leading to the backyard was a swing set used by Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter and only heir. The backyard pasture is still home to Ebony's Double and Mare Ingram, two of Elvis' horses.

From there it's on to what once was an indoor racquetball court but now houses boatloads of memorabilia. Elvis' signature gold lamé suit is behind glass front and center, with all the pomp of a real show. He was bigger than I'd known — 6 feet tall, according to his driver's license — and the suits bear out his stature.

On the walls are dozens of early newspaper clippings and an avalanche of gold and platinum records, costumes, original movie scripts, posters and a boxing robe he wore in "Kid Galahad." Down the hall, I found a den — with traditional easy chairs, footstools and an upright piano — to be the most moving; it was there, the morning before he died, that Elvis played and sang "Unchained Melody" for friends for the final time.

Elvis, his parents, Gladys and Vernon, and Elvis' grandmother Minnie Mae Presley are buried in the meditation garden, their graves as fresh and clean as the day they were interred. Elvis' stillborn identical twin, Jesse Garon, has a memorial headstone next to the others.

Exhausted, we flopped into the bus for the trip back across the street, where we gazed at "Sincerely, Elvis" — a collection of more clothes, Lisa Marie's toys and Elvis and Priscilla's wedding outfits. I perked up considerably at the adjoining auto fleet, ogling such beauties as Elvis' purple '56 Cadillac El Dorado, '60 MG, pink '55 Cadillac, '66 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III and '71 Stutz Blackhawk. Then it was time to climb the steps into the Lisa Marie, a jet with such amenities as 24-karat gold sinks, velvet, suede and leather furnishings and gold-plated seatbelts.

Graceland left me with complex emotions. As a fan and pop-culture junkie, I appreciated seeing the place where one of my favorite singers lived and died. On the other hand, it's hard not to conclude that Presley must have been desperately insecure and unfulfilled to surround himself with so much garish junk. Still, I was happy to spend a few hours getting as close as possible to the King. Elvis has indeed left the building — but at least we still have the building.

July 27, 2002

DVD Video
  

    ELVIS : THE GREAT PERFORMANCES (3 DVD)
    Official 25th Anniversary Edition
    Authorized by The Elvis Presley Estate

    This DVD will be released in Poland at 26rd August 2002
  Full information | Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 3 |

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