Elvis and the MM

[presley31]

whats everyones thoughts about the MM??

[ksimms2]

you know how I feel....I think they were all friends of Elvis who Elvis wanted around him 24/7 - until one of them disagreed with him -then he'd have a fit....but eventually they'd make up. they lived with Elvis 24/7 and took care of him - every aspect of his life - including the girlfriends, etc. They'd shuttle the girls back and forth, etc. I think the MM gets a raw deal. I don't believe everything that I read, however it can't all be lies.

[Rover]

I've mixed feelings about them...the first members who stuck with him since the beginning were probably his friends. But the guys who joined later were just attracted by the money in my opinion. And some of these guys even wrote a book telling the truth about his drug problem, while they were supposed to be his friends (n)
Besides having a cool nickname, these guys are a symbol of how sad Elvis' life was...when you think of it, they were the closest thing of friends he had :(
Some people said they had a bad influence over Elvis, I don't think so: I guess he was the leader of the group, he could have tell them to stop act like fools if he had wanted to.

[ksimms2]

I've mixed feelings about them...the first members who stuck with him since the beginning were probably his friends. But the guys who joined later were just attracted by the money in my opinion. And some of these guys even wrote a book telling the truth about his drug problem, while they were supposed to be his friends (n)
Besides having a cool nickname, these guys are a symbol of how sad Elvis' life was...when you think of it, they were the closest thing of friends he had :(
Some people said they had a bad influence over Elvis, I don't think so: I guess he was the leader of the group, he could have tell them to stop act like fools if he had wanted to.

yes, he was usually the instigator....he liked to have a good time and he wanted all the guys around him all the time....he even had them on his honeymoon...what does that say? I think they've gotten a raw deal too...not that they don't deserve it sometimes....but they are being bashed for telling their side of the story of the life they lead with Elvis...and because it's not all "peaches and cream" they are being called liars.

[Getlo]

. And some of these guys even wrote a book telling the truth about his drug problem, while they were supposed to be his friends

And what is wrong with telling the truth, drug addiction and all?

Elvis was a drug addict: why deny it?

[Getlo]

they are being bashed for telling their side of the story of the life they lead with Elvis...and because it's not all "peaches and cream" they are being called liars.

Exactly.

Blinkered fans would rather read fluff pieces like that of Charlie Hodge, the biggest syncophant in the MM.

If, for example, an unpublished manuscript written by Charlie was discovered, and it said that Elvis was, in fact, a total bastard ... well, you can bet these blinkered fans would turn on Charlie real quick.

Some truths about Elvis were just awful. He did some nasty, horrible things to people occasionally (and to himself), as everybody does.

Some people only want to hear the "good" truth as opposed to the "bad".

[presley31]

some stuff l found on you tube about the MM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Ku4JP5L6A

[Johnny]

you know how I feel....I think they were all friends of Elvis who Elvis wanted around him 24/7 - until one of them disagreed with him -then he'd have a fit....but eventually they'd make up. they lived with Elvis 24/7 and took care of him - every aspect of his life - including the girlfriends, etc. They'd shuttle the girls back and forth, etc. I think the MM gets a raw deal. I don't believe everything that I read, however it can't all be lies.

My feelings exactly

[Getlo]

why would we want to sit back and talk about all the bad stuff gelto, is that really inportant??

Of course it is!

So long as it's the truth. Even if it turned out that Elvis liked to get his jollies by kicking puppies and kittens to death, then it should be out there.

For too long, EPE and Graceland have provided only a sanitised version of Elvis' life, rarely if ever touching on the negatives.

I think, overall, the good outweighs the bad in Elvis' life and his behaviour. But the negatives are just as important as the positives, and just as relevant.

There are fans out ther who believe that everything written by the MM is just lies and fabrications. These fans are fooling themselves.

The vast majority of the info from the MM is true, whether fans like to believe it or not. The method of delivery (ie tell-all books, TV shows etc) may not be everyone's cup of tea though.

[Diane]

What about the horrible nasty things some of the MM did to people where Elvis had to pay some heavy fines to avoid law suits against them?

Diane

[Getlo]

What about the horrible nasty things some of the MM did to people where Elvis had to pay some heavy fines to avoid law suits against them?


Hmmm ... and what about the time Elvis nearly killed a young girl by giving her too much cough syrup? Or the time he almost shot Linda in the head?

The point is, there were mistakes on both sides.

As for the "horrible, nasty things" from the MM lawsuits ... I don't think getting rough with some of the fans can be called that. And, as far as I know, none of these lawsuits ever came to anything anyway. (?)

[presley31]

I never knew about the fines diane

[presley31]

Hmmm ... and what about the time Elvis nearly killed a young girl by giving her too much cough syrup? Or the time he almost shot Linda in the head?

The point is, there were mistakes on both sides.

what about the time the MM were all messed up too

[Getlo]

what about the time the MM were all messed up too

Er, could you be more specific?

Once again ... "The point is, there were mistakes on both sides."

[Rover]

And what is wrong with telling the truth, drug addiction and all?

Elvis was a drug addict: why deny it?

Ok, Elvis took drugs, I'm not denying that! It's just that, when you're the friend of someone, you don't tell about his secrets. Even if it's drug or whatever, you don't tell to anybody unless you think it could help him fix this problem. If they wrote this book, it is because they wanted the money these revelations would gross, they didn't want to help Elvis...

[presley31]

Ok, Elvis took drugs, I'm not denying that! It's just that, when you're the friend of someone, you don't tell about his secrets. Even if it's drug or whatever, you don't tell to anybody unless you think it could help him fix this problem. If they wrote this book, it is because they wanted the money these revelations would gross, they didn't want to help Elvis...

Good points rover, friends don't back stab eachtogther.

[Getlo]

If they wrote this book, it is because they wanted the money these revelations would gross, they didn't want to help Elvis...

We've been over this before.

Sonny and Red have admitted that What Happened was partly because they were so pissed off at how they were treated. And they had a right to be annoyed!

And, again as discussed before, the boys made very little from the book. Dunleavy and the publishers grabbed the majority of the loot.

[Diane]

Wow, wouldn't it be something if everyone who was fired from their job decided to write a book about their former employer's personal life?

Diane

[Johnny]

Good points rover, friends don't back stab eachtogther.

Eehh mmmhhh, writing that book was the Memphis Mafia's three members attempt to intervene; like was done with Johnny Cash by his friends

[ksimms2]

The MM has admitted they too had pill problems, they had to keep up with Elvis lifestyle...up all night...sleep all day. Some of them got into it pretty badly with the pills, while some were able to keep their distance. If you wanted to stay with Elvis and keep up - well - you basically did what he did. If you didn't, you'd be gone.

[presley31]

Eehh mmmhhh, writing that book was the Memphis Mafia's three members attempt to intervene; like was done with Johnny Cash by his friends

l don't buy that for one second:doh:

[Diane]

Me either Jen, like they say, with friends like that who need enemies? (y)

Diane

[Dovey]

Yep, with friends like that~~~ sure do not need any enemies~~ I will always believe the book was written to destroy Elvis and for $$$$$$ reasons. We all have our right to our opinions and that is mine and I am sticking to it. (y) They can sugar coat it any way they want to today because Elvis is gone. Dovey;)

[marijaep]

I really don't know what to think about these guys.Yes, they were with Elvis 24/7 and from this we can come to a conclusion that they and Elvis himself liked being together. So, they were friends. However...I don't know if Elvis had any "true" friends. Even the ones who knew him from High school weren't true friends and they proved it (not all of them). Red and Sonny West for an example.
Maybe he wanted to help him with writing that book, maybe it was a revenge...but I know one thing; That is not what a true friend would do.
They knew that Elvis adored his fans and he cared what they think of him. They knew that Elvis wasn't very good with his health and all..weight, drugs etc. They knew that he was worried about how he was accepted from the new generations with few pounds more...
So, they didn't have and shouldn't have said it all publicly...and they knew all of that!
They don't have an excuse.

Getlo..I don't agree with you there, because when you see it from Elvis' eyes, it's not a very pleasant view, you know. His whole career was in question, plus he felt VERY betrayed from his friends.

Charlie and Joe Esposito are the ones i like (y):D


Marija

[Burning_Love]

I like them !
My opinion.

They were Elvis' friends, i like the fact Elvis liked them. So i respect that.

[KPM]

Hmmm ... and what about the time Elvis nearly killed a young girl by giving her too much cough syrup? Or the time he almost shot Linda in the head?

The point is, there were mistakes on both sides.

As for the "horrible, nasty things" from the MM lawsuits ... I don't think getting rough with some of the fans can be called that. And, as far as I know, none of these lawsuits ever came to anything anyway. (?)According to the book "Elvis Up Close" Elvis settled with a guy named Ed Ashley for about $650,000 who sued Elvis. The guy filed the suit on Oct. 11, 1974 for 6.3 million dollars and the lawyers settled for about 10%.
The incident tool place May 20, 1974 in Lake Tahoe Ashley claimed Red and Sonny West beat him up while he was handcuffed as Elvis watched. This is the lawsuit which supposedly started the ball rolling for the firings. Ashley claimed He was being held in a room handcuffed and Elvis went to see why this guy had came up to Elvis's suite. Sonny had hit the guy in the hall and knocked him out, he was then handcuffed by security and put in a room till he came to, Elvis was just questioning him when Sonny entered and the guy kicked at him- Red then punched the "handcuffed man" so hard his teeth were busted and he was choking on his own blood Elvis reportedly said "Red you s** of a b****"
"Hes cufffed" Elvis was very very upset and mad at Red according to the book? Supposedly there were other suits also-which never made it to court.

[malc07]

I dont know how anybody can call themselves TRUE friends,if they turn on their friend like they did..
TRUE friends stick together and sort their differencies out behind closed doors..
It is my opinion they wanted to hurt Elvis and make a few bucks at the same time.I think they were just jealous.
I know Elvis wasnt always an angel,but to try and discredit him is totally wrong.
even now people are trying to bring him down,but loyal fans know THEY WILL NEVER SUCCEED.!!!

[Diane]

I've decided to keep my rose coloured glasses that I got from a very nice poster a while back - on the subject of the MM. They're comfortable, kinda flattering and they keep me out of the gutter...enough said.:)

Diane

[marijaep]

I've decided to keep my rose coloured glasses that I got from a very nice poster a while back - on the subject of the MM. They're comfortable, kinda flattering and they keep me out of the gutter...enough said.:)

Diane

hehe :P

People, you may disagree, but you have to admit....lol, Diane has some style! :lmfao::lmfao::lmfao:

[Burning_Love]

I am watching a hollywood story on Elvis by the MM, and it's really good. They talk about Elvis the way he was, not with those 'Rose coloured glasses'. So i don't understand...is this what you don't like about them ?

And Linda says that Elvis nearly shot her once, he was playing around and it missed her by 6 inches (wow she was lucky).

What i like about these guys is, that they say it how it was, and they are genuine, IMO.

They are not in if for the money, they are telling their story like Priscilla, like anyone who has written a book. They tell the other side to Elvis, the side of which, if they hadn't have told it, we would never know about it.

Danielle :D

[ksimms2]

I am watching a hollywood story on Elvis by the MM, and it's really good. They talk about Elvis the way he was, not with those 'Rose coloured glasses'. So i don't understand...is this what you don't like about them ?

And Linda says that Elvis nearly shot her once, he was playing around and it missed her by 6 inches (wow she was lucky).

What i like about these guys is, that they say it how it was, and they are genuine, IMO.

They are not in if for the money, they are telling their story like Priscilla, like anyone who has written a book. They tell the other side to Elvis, the side of which, if they hadn't have told it, we would never know about it.

Danielle :D

Exactly Danielle! If they didn't tell it, we'd never know......yes these are the guys that Jen and Diane and others are putting down. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means perfect.....but not everything that comes out of their mouth's is a lie either....they were with Elvis 24/7 - who better to tell us what he was really like? Girls, if I were to tell you some of the things they said about him and his "fetish's" you'd scream......okay.....so I won't...but if you read the book, well you know......but he was a man for goodness sake....he had hormones ya know? Difference between him and other men - he had his pick of women, so basically could do what he wanted with them.....(okay....won't say anymore....young ones in here and I respect that)

[Diane]

It's my new glasses Marija. :)

Diane

[Burning_Love]

Exactly Danielle! If they didn't tell it, we'd never know......yes these are the guys that Jen and Diane and others are putting down. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means perfect.....but not everything that comes out of their mouth's is a lie either....they were with Elvis 24/7 - who better to tell us what he was really like? Girls, if I were to tell you some of the things they said about him and his "fetish's" you'd scream......okay.....so I won't...but if you read the book, well you know......but he was a man for goodness sake....he had hormones ya know? Difference between him and other men - he had his pick of women, so basically could do what he wanted with them.....(okay....won't say anymore....young ones in here and I respect that)

Yes Kelly, I gave them a chance, i didn't like them first time i heard about them, i was very very against them, now, actually i like them. Because i read that book and they are very genuine people, they really tell you the real Elvis, i don't see how and why they would lie about things of which they said.

I have gave them a chance, Priscilla a chance, and when you get to knwo about them and their story..you start to like them.
We have no other sources, these are the ones we have, so i make the most of them on getting to know the man as well as the image.

But we all have our own opinions and i respect each and every one of yours and always look foward to reading them.:clap:(y)

[marijaep]

Exactly Danielle! If they didn't tell it, we'd never know......yes these are the guys that Jen and Diane and others are putting down. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means perfect.....but not everything that comes out of their mouth's is a lie either....they were with Elvis 24/7 - who better to tell us what he was really like? Girls, if I were to tell you some of the things they said about him and his "fetish's" you'd scream......okay.....so I won't...but if you read the book, well you know......but he was a man for goodness sake....he had hormones ya know? Difference between him and other men - he had his pick of women, so basically could do what he wanted with them.....(okay....won't say anymore....young ones in here and I respect that)

Kelly, say it, I won't read :lmfao: ((is that from the MM book? ))
--------------------------------------------

Ok, you are right....but I don't agree with all you said.
Or you are not referring to "Elvis What Happened".......is that what we have to know? ------ I mean, yes, true, I am curious about ALL of it, but look, the thing is that he was ALIVE then, when they published it.
His life was and still is so public, that I sometimes even feel guilty about reading stuff that are personal.........but, i can't help it , it bugs me lol

You and Danielle have made a good point there, but I think they have told TO O MUCH........too much information on some points...

That's what I think

[marijaep]

And what is wrong with telling the truth, drug addiction and all?

Elvis was a drug addict: why deny it?

It's nothing wrong with it.....
But if they were such friends , they wouldn't say it loud in the public!
Is it necessary ????------- A tell all book? :blink:
Just for a revenge (don't please tell me that It was a kind of help.....no way)

You know, even if he acted like a jerk for firing them, if they were FRIENDS, they wouldn't do a revenge. At least that's how i define friendship (particularly in this case )

[Merry]

We've been over this before.

Sonny and Red have admitted that What Happened was partly because they were so pissed off at how they were treated. And they had a right to be annoyed!

And, again as discussed before, the boys made very little from the book. Dunleavy and the publishers grabbed the majority of the loot.


Their intention would have been to make money though, wouldn't it have been?

[franny]

What about the horrible nasty things some of the MM did to people where Elvis had to pay some heavy fines to avoid law suits against them?

Diane

Good point, Diane! I don't think all the MM are bad and I think most were good friends' to Elvis! But, wasn't one of the reasons that Sonny and Red got fired is because Vernon got tired of all the lawsuits and fights they were getting into!

franny

[Diane]

No, I don't think the MM were all bad Franny but some shouldn't have told the personal things they knew about Elvis, that's my only complaint. I do believe some did care for him but they weren't the best kind of friends he could have had around him....enablers....I can't say that enough.

Ed Parker thought the world of Elvis so did many other people who tried to reason with him but did not help him in his addiction. It seemed none who actually lived with him could stand up for what was right for his sake or even their own. They were too busy enjoying the lifestyle he gave them.

I also read that Vernon fired the three because of the fines for the law suits and that was certainly a valid reason.

Diane

[ReGina_89]

Eehh mmmhhh, writing that book was the Memphis Mafia's three members attempt to intervene; like was done with Johnny Cash by his friends

Now that's just laughable!! because EXACTLY the opposite of what you said actually happened to Johnny.. number one his friends were not leeches they earned their living and didnt just sit on their lazy butts all day they were musicans.... number two when John fired Marshall Grant they did stop talking and actually went to court but Marshall NEVER EVER thought of writing a tell all book then or EVER when Johnny was in trouble he didnt earn his living off his friend's pain... naturally i read Marshall's book (since im a HUGE Cash fan) its a memoir and not a slap on the face like "Elvis: What Heppened" is and lastly Marshall wrote the book after asking Johnny's permision and getting his blessing on the issuse... you should see Marshall's interviews before you talk when he speaks of John even until this day he gets tears in his eyes...

[presley31]

Just something l found interesting.

This interview was conducted as an informal chat between Charlie Hodge and Nigel Patterson (from EIN, then known as the ACT Elvis Presley Appreciation Society) over a few drinks during Elvis Week in 1986. It was one of two chats between Charlie and Nigel. This interview first appeared in the monthly fan newsletter, 'The Man From Memphis' in 1986. It has not previously been published on the Interrnet.



EIN: Charlie, for those fans who don't know, when did you first meet Elvis?

CH: It was in Memphis in 1956. I was big with my Foggy River Boys and Elvis came backstage when we were touring on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee. Elvis came in with his cousin, Billy Smith. I talked to Elvis and Billy about the music scene and we swapped stories. Elvis told me he watched me every week on the Ozark Jubilee. It was a popular TV show broadcast on Saturday night's out of Springfield, Missouri. After that, the next time I'd see Elvis was in the Army.

EIN: Tell us about that..

CH: Elvis and I went into the Army at the same time but we weren't stationed together. When I found out where he was I went over and renewed my acquaintance. I said, "I'm Charlie Hodge. I was the lead singer with the Foggy River Boys".

And he said, "Hey, man, I used to watch you every Saturday night on TV". We had a natural friendship, because we were similar in a number of ways. We both loved music, we both wanted to be in a gospel quartet, we knew the same people in the gospel field. We knew the same people in the country field. And we sang gospel songs together on the way to Germany. I was the only trained musician of the guys and I guess Elvis needed someone he liked who was also a musician.



EIN: Elvis took up karate during his Army stint. What do you recall about his interest then in the martial arts?

CH: When we were in Germany Elvis heard about the karate champion, Jurgen Seydel, who was also in Germany. He arranged to meet Jurgen and they started training together. As I wrote in my book, Me 'n' Elvis, karate was a physical art that caught Elvis' passion. Elvis and Jurgen became very close and they'd work out together on weekends. Rex Mansfield, who was with us in Germany, also took lessons, and Elvis would work out with him whenever Jurgen wasn't around.

EIN: Elvis was a big fan of Mario Lanza?

CH: Elvis loved all types of music. He always wanted to know more about how the music came about, how particular singers and musicians did certain things. And he was a big, big fan of Mario Lanza. He watched movies like The Student Prince over and over again. Her especially liked how Lanza projected his powerful voice and the notes he could reach. I think Elvis would have loved to have been an opera singer. Just imagine how that could have changed music history!

EIN: Charlie, tell us about life at Graceland.

CH: Let me tell you, Elvis just loved Graceland. It was his island away from the world where he could unwind with his family and the boys. I was very fortunate to have lived there until after Elvis died. I remember that Elvis would wander around Graceland singing. I'd hear him and pick up the harmony. Sometimes we weren't even in the same room.


EIN: Elvis also loved Hawaii.

CH: You got that right. Elvis used to say the people of Hawaii were among the friendliest he ever met. He loved their customs and their peacefulness. And he could go there and they wouldn't mob him like they did everywhere else he went. We'd go to Hawaii for a holiday, to relax on the beach and play on the beach and in the water. Elvis didn't like to swim much but he sure liked to play around in the water.

And of course he did his world famous Aloha concert from Hawaii, the first ever satellite concert beamed right around the world. Over 1 billion people watched that show!



One of Elvis' favorite TV shows was filmed in Hawaii, Hawaii 5-0. He was a fan of its star, Jack Lord. Elvis got to meet Jack backstage after one of his shows in Vegas. Elvis also liked The Brian Keith Show which was also made in Hawaii. Anything that reminded him of one of his favorite places.
EIN: How much TV did Elvis watch?

CH: Elvis could be a TV junkie. He had a TV set in every room at Graceland and four in the TV Room so he could watch all channels. He liked watching sport and he liked a lot of the comedies like Lucy and The Beverly Hillbillies. He was big on war movies too. He admired John Wayne and Patton was one of his all-time favorite films. A lot of the time though if he was making a picture or out on the road we didn't get to see much TV.

EIN: Charlie...Elvis and Priscilla.

CH: You know I've read a lot of wrong things about Elvis and Priscilla. Elvis loved her, he told me that many times. And while he may not have wanted to get married when he did she was the love of his life. Initially, we all got along well with Priscilla but after a while I guess she wanted more time with Elvis and we were always around. You can understand that even if we didn't like it at times. It's only natural for her to want to be alone with her husband.

Priscilla was good with us. She could be tough when she wanted and that was usually when the rest of the guys all came over and would start putting in orders with the cook as if Graceland was a restaurant or hotel. She used to say "This isn't a short order restaurant!" (laughs) I lived at Graceland so I guess I knew her better than most.

EIN: The Colonel?

CH: The Colonel was a character. I got on well with himand he used to entertain us with stories of his days as a carny. He especially liked telling Elvis and the boys his stories around the dining table. He'd puff on a big cigar and tell us stories he'd told us a hundred times before. But he was a natural born entertainer and he could make you laugh. He wasn't the ogre many people make him out to be.

One of his favorite stories was the hot dog trick he pulled on customers during his carny days. The disappearing hot dog. The Colonel would drop a hot dog in the dust in front of the counter where the customers lined up to buy the hot dog. The carny would wipe a bit of mustard and catsup on an empty bun and give it to the customer. Of course the customer would complain there was no hot dog and the carny would look at the hot dog on the ground and say, "Look there, you must have dropped it." The Colonel could be a rogue, but he was also very likeable. And his stories kept us in stitches a lot of the time. He was such a colorful character.

Opposite: Charlie with the legendary Gene Autry


The Colonel was not a person you messed with. He could be very, very tough when he was displeased about something, but usually he was a fair person.

EIN: The Memphis Mafia. How well did you guys get on?

CH: We got on real well. We laughed, we cried, we partied, we played practical jokes together. Like any group closely living and working together, there were times when tempers ran hot but they cooled off quickly. It was a fun time and there were a lot more good times than not so good times.

There were many members of the MM. Some of us were there from the start and others drifted in and out over the years or were there for only a short time. Elvis knew who he liked and who he wanted to be in the group.

EIN: Elvis used to give the Memphis Mafia guys nicknames. What was yours?

CH: Elvis called me a few names but the main one was "Slewfoot". It's a well known name in country music circles in the Southern statesof the US. Jerry Schilling was "Cougar", Joe was "Lion", sometimes "Diamond Joe", Lamar was "Buddha" or "Lardass" because of his size. Elvis always liked nicknames, I think for him they symbolised closeness between friends and also the secret nature of groups where only those inside know what it's all about. A lot of the nicknames Elvis gave out were influenced by his love of karate.

EIN: Did Elvis drink alcohol and smoke?

CH: Elvis rarely touched alcohol. It was not something he cared for. When he was younger he smoked occasionally. There are a few pictures of him with a cigarette. And he in the late 60s he liked smoking cigars. He'd go through phases like that where he had a passion for something, then before you knew it, it was something new he was trying.

EIN: Charlie, the pills?

CH: There have been so many nasty, misinformed things said and written about Elvis and so-called "drugs". So many people, especially the media, want to put him down. I never knew Elvis to take 'street drugs'. He despised them and the pushers behind them. Yes, Elvis took medications, but they were prescribed for him by Dr Nick. And they were for very real conditions Elvis suffered from.

Not only that, Elvis knew all about the interactions between the medications he was taking. He had a copy of The Desk Physician's Reference Guide with him all the time. If he'd wanted, he could have become a pharmacist, he knew that much about drugs and their interactions with each other. He was a walking pharmacy encyclopedia.

EIN: The Colonel is well known as a gambler. What about Elvis?

CH: Elvis didn't care for gambling. He might do it if he was bored to pass the time. But he never gambled much. I remember one time in Vegas he put a $ coin in a slot machine and he hit the $100.00 jackpot. Elvis went on playing the machine and every few coins he'd hit the jackpot again. It turned out the machine was faulty. The pit bosses got upset but they couldn't stop Elvis from playing the machine and he wasn't going to stop, he was having too much fun.

EIN: Do you think Elvis would have married Ginger Alden?

CH: Well, they were engaged. I can confirm that. But whether Elvis would have married her I don't know, but I doubt he would. There was some friction between them when Elvis died.


EIN: Elvis not touring overseas is one of the frustrating parts of the Elvis story. What can you tell us about it?

CH: Man, touring overseas was a real big issue for Elvis. He wanted to tour Europe badly and especially wanted to perform in Germany and France as he had such happy memories of being in both countries. He wanted to repay the people for their hospitality and of course his fans in other countries. There were so many big offers for Elvis to perform in other countries and we never really knew why the Colonel said no to them. We used to talk about why it never happened. Sometimes the Colonel would say it was security concerns or there weren't suitable auditoriums and other times the price of tickets would be too high. But it used to annoy the hell out of Elvis. He got very angry about it more than one time.


EIN: You appeared in several of Elvis' movies. What was that like?
CH: I had small parts in Clambake, Speedway and Stay Away, Joe. I cut Elvis' father hair in Clambake and he wouldn't sit still for me to do it. It's a funny scene. James Gregory played Elvis' father in the film. Most of the boys got to appear in one or two of the films. Elvis loved making pictures and even though he got tired of it towards the end it was usually a fun time on set. Some of the directors didn't like how we played up but most realised it helped us let of steam and the frustrations of a boring day on the set. And it was Elvis who would usually start it all. He was a real practical joker. It was his way of unwinding from the boredom and pressure.

It was the same when we were on the road. It was tiring and boredom could set in quickly. Spo the practical jokes kept everyone up. J.D. Sumner was just as bad as Elvis. He loved a good practical joke especially if it wasn't on him.

Elvis had an accident before filming started on Clambake and while it wasn't one of his favorite experiences we sure had fun. I remember coming out on set one morning and , splash, they got me with a bucket of water. And as I looked up, splash again, they threw a second bucket of water on me from high up in the catwalks.

My shirt was soaked through and I took it off and put it near a heater to dry. I got a new shirt from wardrobe and every so often I'd go back and check to see if my shirt had dried. Well it ghadn't and I couldn't work it out. Then one time I looked around the corner (laughs) and there was Elvis spraying it with a fire extinguisher.

Arthur Nadel was the director of Clambake and he got hit so many times by firecrackers he started coming to the set wearing a Nazi war helmet.

The crew got their own back on Elvis one time though. It was at the end of filming of That's The Way It Is. Arthur Nadel was the director of that one too. As soon as he yelled "WRAP" Elvis got hit, as did anyone around him, by hundreds of pies. It was mayhem and there were so many pies hitting the floor that it became very slippery. People were falling like 10 pins. Even though he was the victim of the practical joke this time, Elvis loved it.


EIN: Do you still get royalties for your role in Clambake, Speedway and Stay Away, Joe?
CH: (laughs) If only! The number of times Elvis' films are shown on TV I could be rich if I only got a $1 each time they are on.

EIN: Charlie, thanks so much for talking to us.

CH: You're most welcome.

[ReGina_89]

I dont know how anybody can call themselves TRUE friends,if they turn on their friend like they did..
TRUE friends stick together and sort their differencies out behind closed doors..
It is my opinion they wanted to hurt Elvis and make a few bucks at the same time.I think they were just jealous.
I know Elvis wasnt always an angel,but to try and discredit him is totally wrong.
even now people are trying to bring him down,but loyal fans know THEY WILL NEVER SUCCEED.!!!

I agree Malc:notworthy hehe

[Diane]

Thanks Jen for the nice interview with Charlie. (y)

Diane

[ksimms2]

Kelly, say it, I won't read :lmfao: ((is that from the MM book? ))
--------------------------------------------

Ok, you are right....but I don't agree with all you said.
Or you are not referring to "Elvis What Happened".......is that what we have to know? ------ I mean, yes, true, I am curious about ALL of it, but look, the thing is that he was ALIVE then, when they published it.
His life was and still is so public, that I sometimes even feel guilty about reading stuff that are personal.........but, i can't help it , it bugs me lol

You and Danielle have made a good point there, but I think they have told TO O MUCH........too much information on some points...

That's what I think

No Marija, talking about "Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" by Billy Smith (Elvis' Cousin) Marty Lacker and Lamar Fike....very good book, very interesting and lots of info. I havent read, "Elvis, What Happened" yet.

[Stryx]

I agree Malc:notworthy hehe

Elvis had a problem. He never faced up to it and that book made him face it. He told Billy how he was going to deal with the fans when they questioned him about it.

Problem is that book didn't come out a year or two earlier and maybe he'd still be alive.

[presley31]

Thanks Jen for the nice interview with Charlie. (y)

Diane

Thank you diane, thought it was good too.

[ksimms2]

EIN: Charlie, the pills?

CH: There have been so many nasty, misinformed things said and written about Elvis and so-called "drugs". So many people, especially the media, want to put him down. I never knew Elvis to take 'street drugs'. He despised them and the pushers behind them. Yes, Elvis took medications, but they were prescribed for him by Dr Nick. And they were for very real conditions Elvis suffered from.

Not only that, Elvis knew all about the interactions between the medications he was taking. He had a copy of The Desk Physician's Reference Guide with him all the time. If he'd wanted, he could have become a pharmacist, he knew that much about drugs and their interactions with each other. He was a walking pharmacy encyclopedia.

This is the only part I disagree with...Charlie was sugar coating it, making it sound as though it was no big deal - trust me - it was a big deal - Elvis had a real problem. I'm saying to those who have not read it - please read, "Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" it is a very good book and talks about all sorts of things....you may change your mind if you read it. Another thing I want to say, no matter what Elvis did in his life, he will always be my #1. Just because he wasn't perfect does not make me think any less of him........also.....those of you who don't agree with me - I certainly accept that and have no hard feelings......

[ReGina_89]

the thing is with Elvis and anyone for that matter you cant "judge" their actions by today's standards because these things happened 35-50 years ago and the times were ALOT different uppers and downers were not "drugs" so to Elvis he wasnt on "drugs"

[Stryx]

the thing is with Elvis and anyone for that matter you cant "judge" their actions by today's standards because these things happened 35-50 years ago and the times were ALOT different uppers and downers were not "drugs" so to Elvis he wasnt on "drugs"

Come off it.

He was told at Baptist Memorial to get off all he was on. He was told he had a serious problem and he ignored it.

Thats just bull pretending he didnt realise or that no one told him.

[Diane]

I agree that Charlie was "sugar coating" Elvis' addiction. So if most of us can agree on that, can we not also agree that some of the other MM might have been exaggerating, just a little? Sounds fair to me....

Diane

[ksimms2]

I agree that Charlie was "sugar coating" Elvis' addiction. So if most of us can agree on that, can we not also agree that some of the other MM might have been exaggerating, just a little? Sounds fair to me....

Diane

yes Diane, I'll give you that......lol......I personally think that NOBODY is telling 100% truth...and that includes Priscilla, Joe E., the other MM guys, etc. I think maybe they all have the best intentions and maybe are saying the way they remember it - but when you read the same story from someone else in the group it isn't exactly the same.....that's okay, that is why we have to try and read between the lines, although that is very hard to do because when you are reading it -it sounds to be the whole truth.

[ReGina_89]

thats right kelly they all have something lose by saying tha truth... they are all still in the "box" and cant just fully admit that they too did wrong thing or just arent as important as they really were

[Diane]

(y)(y)(y):) Thank you!


Diane

[presley31]

something else l came accoss.

Elvis Presley
All the superlatives have been exhausted; so many breathless and excited terms have been used about him that the words have almost ceased to have meaning. He was the most famous man in the world. He has sold more than half a billion records. In this freedom-loving country he was called the King. The fame of other people who are well-known enough to be identified by their first names will fade; who will remember exactly who "Monica" was in 25 years? But he will always be known simply as "Elvis."

Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He was one of twin sons born to Vernon and Gladys Presley; his brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn. The Presley family was not a wealthy one; Elvis was born in a two-room shack in a not-particularly good neighbourhood of Memphis. There was electricity service to the house, but only in the form of a single outlet on the ceiling in the middle of each of the two rooms. But although there was never a lot of money, the young Elvis' life was not one of grinding poverty: his mother always made sure he had enough, both of necessities like food and drink, and of little luxuries. There was no deprivation, but on the other hand there was no sybaritic extravagance either. Later the family would make several moves, eventually settling in Memphis, Tennessee.

Elvis' upbringing was in many ways quintessentially American and southern. He went to church and learned to love the Lord; Gladys taught him good manners and deference to his elders, which would serve him well all his life, especially after his celebrity ballooned to such an extent that he had no real need to be polite to anyone. And he began to make a hobby of music, singing in church, and playing guitar and piano. His musical taste was catholic, encompassing not just the country & western and white gospel that a nice young white boy might be expected to like, but also music from across the racial divide: blues, r&b, and black gospel. It was this broadranging interest in music which set the kindling down for the blaze Elvis would shortly ignite.

Elvis had been singing since he was a child, sometimes in public as well as in church. He had won a talent contest at a fair when he was ten, and also took first prize in his high school talent show in his senior year. In 1954, Elvis, who was gaining something of a reputation as a musician, decided to make a record. He entered a little studio in Memphis with guitarist Scotty Moore and standup bassist Bill Black. The little band played a few country & western and blues songs. The performance was adequate, although nothing special. But in a break in recording, Elvis started a version of "That's Alright Mama", an old song by septuagenarian bluesman Arther "Big Boy" Crudup. The original had been a slow and weary piece, and Elvis had played it like that himself on occasion, but this version was totally different. The chords and words were there, but instead of the loping rhythm of the blues, Elvis played it with a stuttering, driving, earthy beat. Black and Moore quickly joined in. The tape was not running; Elvis was just having some fun. But Sam Phillips, who owned the studio, was stunned. He rushed into the rehearsal room, and told the boys to keep playing.

Elvis' ascent into the stratosphere began there and then. Before the record had even been pressed, Phillips took a master to a local radio station. The deejay played the track more than 30 times that night. Elvis' records began selling, first in Memphis, and then, as the wave of popularity spread, across the country. He appeared on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and though his combo still consisted of only himself, Black and Moore (with no drummer, and about half the size of, say, Hank Williams' band) he still managed to make such a ruckus that the Opry managers decided never to invite him back. One made the famous comment that Elvis should go back to driving a truck.

But this setback was temporary at worst. Even if the respectable middle-aged, working- and middle-class patrons at the church of country music didn't understand Elvis, their children did. Along with other pioneers like Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Elvis was making music in a style that fused what had previously been two solitudes: white c&w and black blues and r&b. Even if the older generation disapproved, to the young people the records sold like hotcakes.

Elvis' career continued to shoot up almost vertically. He sold millions of records. At the instigation of his manager, a former carnival huckster calling himself Colonel Tom Parker, he began to star in movies as well. These creations were almost exclusively mediocre, but Elvis usually managed to exude a twinkling charm, and as a business move by Parker the movies amounted to genius. There were 31 of them over the years. They made a massive amount of money for Elvis, and, it must be said, for Parker too.

Elvis continued his string of hits until the end of 1957, when he was drafted. This could have been a calamity, the end of Elvis's career. An enforced two-year break in jail on trumped-up charged effectively stopped Chuck Berry's momentum in 1960. But Parker was nothing if not a master negotiator. Elvis made no movies and did no recording during the two years he served with the Army in Germany, but Parker kept his only client in the public eye, to such an extent that his fame was as great, if not greater, when he was discharged in March 1960, as it was when he entered the forces.

But this point may have been the high-water mark of his career. He continued to make records all his life, but through the first years of the 1960s, at Parker's behest, Elvis concentrated on making movies. Again, this was an unquestionably strong financial decision: the movies could be churned out at the rate of three or four a year, were reliable hits, and made a more money for Elvis and his manager than music would have. So Elvis continued to amiably assume the role of cowboy, soldier, roustabout or racecar driver, while letting his recording career languish.

By this point, Elvis had begun the slide into irrelevance. The reason he was famous in the first place, his music, had been neglected; no-one could call any of his films masterpieces. Even the best of them are merely serviceable. In five years, American music went from the cotton-candy pop of idol singers like Fabian and Frankie Avalon to the challenging sounds of the Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, the International Submarine Band. From Elvis there was nothing.

Personally, too, he was growing undynamic and flat. By the early sixties he literally had more money than he knew what to do with. He closeted himself with a bunch of friends from the early days, the "Memphis Mafia", and enjoyed the role of beneficent ruler and patron. He grew indulgent and fatter, fond of drugs and sweet things. He gorged himself on his favourite snack, deep-fired peanut butter sandwiches.

But all was not lost yet. In 1968 he planned a return to music, the Comeback Special. His performance, decked out in sexy leathers and flailing around just like the old days, was a revelation. Elvis proved that he still had the goods. The girls screamed and the men applauded. The Comeback Special was the beginning of a small revival of Elvis' recorded fortunes. He even had a number one hit in 1969 with Suspicious Minds, still a great song that has been covered by Fine Young Cannibals and Dwight Yoakam among others.

But this upturn was only temporary. In 1969 Elvis began to play shows in Las Vegas; eventually he would be able to earn $200,000 for a single night's work. He took to touring and playing Vegas more and more, and recording less and less. What he did record no longer had any pretension to be on the cutting edge. Slowly, he evolved into what came to be seen as a nostalgia act. Of course, to the fans who paid to see him, Elvis was not just nostalgia; he was the most exciting artist in the world then, just as he had always been. But to most commentators and most people, Elvis was past it.

As the money piled up, Elvis increasingly removed himself from reality. The Memphis Mafia, originally his boyhood cronies, began to resemble a twisted pack of sycophants, eager to outdo each other in toadying and lickspittling. They got Elvis girls, they got him drugs, they kept the frightening wide world away from him. He put on weight and became increasingly dependent on drugs, mostly pills. He took pills to wake him up, pills to calm him down, pills to give him energy and pills to make him sleep. He had been a keen user of amphetamines since his army days, but his pharmaceutical intake now was astonishing. Most of the drugs were procured for him by his personal physician, Dr. George Nichopolous.

On August 16, 1977, Elvis was trouble sleeping after he tried to go to bed at 9 a.m. He took some pills and went into the bathroom; it was there that he was found five hours later, dead.

But although the events of his life give some idea of the kind of man he was, what was his character really like? A good clue to the man he became lies in the way he became a star. Elvis was a celebrity, a rich man, a rock-n-roll star, at the age of 19. From a fairly ordinary childhood, he was suddenly swept into a cocoon of fame, with enough money to buy whatever he wanted. Despite his good looks, he had never been a great success with the ladies in high school, but suddenly every girl in America wanted to be with him. He returned the favour: suddenly finding himself desired, it seems as though he wanted to be with every girl in America!

The people who had been his friends in Memphis suddenly found themselves paid for their services. Elvis' largesse meant that none of the Memphis Mafia ever wanted for anything, and Elvis frequently lavished gifts as well as cash on them. But this also meant that their friendship was guaranteed by the money he gave them. Even Elvis' family came to depend on him; indeed, he had them declared legal dependents so they could move with him to Germany when his army service began. This meant that, although Elvis' "friends" may have been fine companions, they were not especially good critics. Elvis never heard anything he didn't want to hear; his money made sure of it.

In short, Elvis was a kind of Peter-Pan figure: he never grew up. By the time he was 20 years old he had everything he wanted and more. His appetites were like those of a spoiled child. He took everything he wanted and wanted everything he didn't have.

There were positive aspects to his childlike character. The politeness and good manners that his mother Gladys had instilled in him were still present in him throughout his life. He called people "Sir" and "Ma'am" even after he could have bought them, their children, and all their possessions out of his pocket-change. In part this was a conscious effort to disarm those who disapproved of him-how could anyone not like such a nice, polite boy?-but in part it was genuine. His religious faith, too, retained a childlike strength until he died.

But he could also be petulant, unpleasant, and whingeing. He was an extremely jealous man, particularly of his many girlfriends. He could date and sleep with as many women as he wanted, but none of his girls were permitted to so much as look at another man. Perhaps due to the drugs, he was prone to violent mood swings. And within his fief at Graceland, he would not tolerate any opposition or contradiction; he was the absolute master.

But despite his flaws as a human being, Elvis remains astonishingly popular even today. Part of his fame and his importance rests on his skill as a performer. Despite the claims that he was a mediocre singer and poor guitar player, he remains an electrifying musician. It was the raw excitement and power of his early records that turned on millions of teenagers around the world. But his gifts as a rock'n'roll singer are only the reason for his popularity. His importance relates to a different aspect of his career; the fact that he, more than anyone else, can be said to have created rock'n'roll. For being the prime mover of the most important American art form of the last half of the 20th century, he surely deserves recognition.

There are other claims to being the originator of rock'n'roll; Chuck Berry's is probably the strongest. But although Berry's guitar paved the way for the sound of rock'n'roll, his records are often slick and anodyne. His lyrics have a sly way with a double entendre, but as a black man in 1950s America, singing to white youths, he could not afford to be too suggestive. It was left to Elvis to break open the barriers, to fuse the musics of black and white America, and give the mixture a healthy shot of shake, rattle and roll.

Elvis' music is important for the musical content: he was the first white to incorporate the spirits, as well as the notes, of blues, r&b, and country together. The sexuality he brought to his performances may well have laid the grounds for the liberated decades that followed. Everyone knows about the banning of his suggestively swivelling hips from the Ed Sullivan show; perhaps there was a deeper impact than is generally recognized.

Elvis Aaron Presley is important because of the role he played in inventing rock'n'roll, which in turn played a pivotal role in liberating America from the conformity and divisions that prevailed in the 1950s. The musical integration that began in 1955 was a precursor to the real integration and coming-together of the races of the 1960s. The sexual liberation that was shown in the big beats, suggestive lyrics, and swivelling pelvis of Elvis foreshadowed the sexual liberation that all of America would undergo in the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Rock'n'roll is important music. Elvis Presley is important rock'n'roll began when he speeded up an old Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup number, and fused in an instant the musics of America's two solitudes. To suggest that Elvis is singlehandedly responsible for integration and the sexual revolution is ridiculous. But the abandonment that rock'n'roll induced in its devotees was certainly responsible to some extent; for that, Elvis Presley shares some of the responsibility.

Bibliography

Peter Guralnick, Last Train To Memphis (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1994)
Peter Guralnick, Careless Love (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1999)
Patsy Guy Hammontree, Elvis Presley (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985)
Karal Ann Marling, Graceland (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996)
David Rubel, Elvis Presley (Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1991)
Timothy White, Rock Lives (New York: Henry Holt, 1990

[MissyM]

There are variations in the stories but part of that is due to the fact that everyone sees things differently. Even my sister and I may tell a family story differently, and much of what has been said is partly opinion.
If you understand Elvis and where he came from, I think you can better understand some of the MM Mafia. They could be a rowdy gang and many have admitted they were all wild. But hey, Elvis was wild and such even as a young man, did not fit the norm you know. That is why he kept some around, they provided familiarity to him when his life became unfamiliar to him in many ways.
I think Charlie sugar coats Pricilla, I say that because if I was to believe anyone about her it would be Billy Smith. (the one closest to Elvis-that is not disputed by anyone)
And Revelations did not make anyone rich. They were all effected by their time and life with Elvis, I think they had the right to tell their story and the truth. I think over-all, you walk away with knowing Elvis better and realize he had so many challenges in his rags to riches story. And you know that the good in him, far out-weighed his flaws. Elvis could hurt people at times, but he always felt remorse which to me says alot.

[ksimms2]

nice article Jen.....

[ReGina_89]

Billy also has his bais... everyone does... you should make up your mind about who is most objective because no1 is totally objective

[ksimms2]

I have read lots of others things kelly not just that book, and l don't believe for one min the MM were helping when they two were getting all high on pills and etc. LIsa saw alot kelly and she says alot of rotten names for them so there must be more to the story than what we are reading. To be frank the MM wouldn't want lisa to come out with a book, there little serects would be blown wide open. But that again is just my belief.

Jen I moved this over to the MM thread to stay on topic........I think Lisa doesn't like them because she blamed them as others do for Elvis' downfall, pure and simple.

[presley31]

I have read lots of others things kelly not just that book, and l don't believe for one min the MM were helping when they two were getting all high on pills and etc. LIsa saw alot kelly and she says alot of rotten names for them so there must be more to the story than what we are reading. To be frank the MM wouldn't want lisa to come out with a book, there little serects would be blown wide open. But that again is just my belief.

Jen I moved this over to the MM thread to stay on topic........I think Lisa doesn't like them because she blamed them as others do for Elvis' downfall, pure and simple.

maybe that its dunno really, but have read in interviews lisa talking about the stuff she seen by the MM that made her sick to watch.

[MissyM]

Well I tell ya what, I believe what Billy says over every last one of them. Ya want to know why, he has nothing to gain, nothing.

[ReGina_89]

actually i agree with Jen (y)

[ReGina_89]

Missy your right he has nothing to gain but he has respect to loose

[ksimms2]

maybe that its dunno really, but have read in interviews lisa talking about the stuff she seen by the MM that made her sick to watch.

I'm only speculating here, but perhaps she saw what they were doing, but being led by her Dad, but since she was so young, she doesn't remember her dad doing same thing? Elvis usually led the pack, that's for sure. But I don't know for sure what Lisa saw - other than the childishness of grown men, including her dad. I guess we'll never really know everything.......and we just have to decide who we believe......I have nothing against Lisa at all - I am only a few months older than her - and quite frankly at that age - I don't remember much.

[MissyM]

OMgosh, do you think Billy cares. No he doesn't. He respects himself just fine. He knows the truth. He loved Elvis and Elvis loved him with all his heart. That says alot to me. You all ought to just be glad that he spent his last days making Elvis laugh, taking care of him and being his friend.

[MissyM]

YOu ever hear Lisa talking about the funeral? Take a guess as to why? She wasn't there for much of it and the time she was there she doesn't remember. What does that tell you???

[presley31]

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_billysmith_part2.html

billy interview

[Getlo]

you should see Marshall's interviews before you talk when he speaks of John even until this day he gets tears in his eyes...


And so does Sonny when talking about Elvis. Love comes in all shapes and kinds.

As some wise person said on another thread (I think it was me!:lol:), all you "Walk a mile in his shoes" people are being hypocritical if you can't or won't apply the same rule to the MM and others who have written books.

And yes, even "true" friendships can eventually break down with both parties turning on each other.

[presley31]

And so does Sonny when talking about Elvis. Love comes in all shapes and kinds.

As some wise person said on another thread (I think it was me!:lol:), all you "Walk a mile in his shoes" people are being hypocritical if you can't or won't apply the same rule to the MM and others who have written books.

And yes, even "true" friendships can eventually break down with both parties turning on each other.

maybe in your world but not mine.

[ksimms2]

thanks for this article Jen - one thing in particular made sense sort of what we are talking about:

EIN: A lot of fans were upset because you weren’t involved in the ‘Elvis: By The Presleys’ project. I feel that it really should have been called ‘Elvis By The Beaulieus’. Was the project ever mentioned to you and what did you think of the actual show?

Billy: Well, as Marty Lacker and I talked about it, I guess everyone wants to be the most important, but you can't tell a true story of Elvis and Graceland without including everyone who was involved. Whether you like them or not! Fact is fact, and the fact is that many of us were left out. That's the same way it is when one of the guys tells something. I feel like everyone that was there and had a part in Elvis' world should be portrayed to make it accurate - or else something is missing. As we've talked about, there was a lot of jealously but I don't know why because everyone that was there had a special place. But each person tells it like they would have wanted it to be and maybe not how it was.

[presley31]

thanks for this article Jen - one thing in particular made sense sort of what we are talking about:

EIN: A lot of fans were upset because you weren?t involved in the ?Elvis: By The Presleys? project. I feel that it really should have been called ?Elvis By The Beaulieus?. Was the project ever mentioned to you and what did you think of the actual show?

Billy: Well, as Marty Lacker and I talked about it, I guess everyone wants to be the most important, but you can't tell a true story of Elvis and Graceland without including everyone who was involved. Whether you like them or not! Fact is fact, and the fact is that many of us were left out. That's the same way it is when one of the guys tells something. I feel like everyone that was there and had a part in Elvis' world should be portrayed to make it accurate - or else something is missing. As we've talked about, there was a lot of jealously but I don't know why because everyone that was there had a special place. But each person tells it like they would have wanted it to be and maybe not how it was.

Theres something that l can agree with, everyone has there own stories to tell.

[Getlo]

thats right kelly they all have something lose by saying tha truth... they are all still in the "box" and cant just fully admit that they too did wrong thing or just arent as important as they really were

Have you actually read What Happened, or Sonny's latest book, or some of the others - or have you just made an assumption?

None of the MM has ever said or believed they were as important as Elvis, either in terms of the group or the real world. And all of them have openly admited they too did drugs and had all sorts of problems. If anyone has overstretched their own importance via the written word ... it's Charlie and Joe, the biggest offenders. But no one puts crap on them because their books were nice'n'fluffy.

And if anyone is wondering why the MM haven't admitted to taking as many drugs as Elvis ... that's because none of them did. They have admitted their own wrongdoings; some fans refuse to acknowledge that.

[Getlo]

[LIsa saw alot kelly and she says alot of rotten names for them so there must be more to the story than what we are reading. To be frank the MM wouldn't want lisa to come out with a book, there little serects would be blown wide open. But that again is just my belief.

Lisa has exaggerated her own importance in the scheme of things. To say she saw "a lot" is one of her most ridiculous claims. She was, at maximum, nine years old.

By comparison to Elvis and the MM, she saw bugger all.

[MissyM]

Well said Getlo!

[presley31]

Lisa has exaggerated her own importance in the scheme of things. To say she saw "a lot" is one of her most ridiculous claims. She was, at maximum, nine years old.

By comparison to Elvis and the MM, she saw bugger all.

ok you know it all:doh:

[Getlo]

ok you know it all:doh:

Now that's the smartest and most accurate thing you've ever written on here! :lmfao:

No, I don't know it all. But I know way more than your good self.

[ReGina_89]

Have you actually read What Happened, or Sonny's latest book, or some of the others - or have you just made an assumption?

None of the MM has ever said or believed they were as important as Elvis, either in terms of the group or the real world. And all of them have openly admited they too did drugs and had all sorts of problems. If anyone has overstretched their own importance via the written word ... it's Charlie and Joe, the biggest offenders. But no one puts crap on them because their books were nice'n'fluffy.

And if anyone is wondering why the MM haven't admitted to taking as many drugs as Elvis ... that's because none of them did. They have admitted their own wrongdoings; some fans refuse to acknowledge that.

First of all i ment that they want people to believe that they are all Elvis' bestest friends in the world :P... not as important as Elvis in the world... Joe and Charile did REAL jobs and didnt cost Elvis lawsuite money like many (not all) the others...


OMgosh, do you think Billy cares. No he doesn't. He respects himself just fine. He knows the truth. He loved Elvis and Elvis loved him with all his heart. That says alot to me. You all ought to just be glad that he spent his last days making Elvis laugh, taking care of him and being his friend.
missy thats great i like billy but what im saying is that he too has bias its just human nature...


Lisa has exaggerated her own importance in the scheme of things. To say she saw "a lot" is one of her most ridiculous claims. She was, at maximum, nine years old.

By comparison to Elvis and the MM, she saw bugger all.

Personally as a child i was raised by my grandfather he was the only parent i knew (my mom and dad worked) he died when I was 6 and i remember everything that happened like it were yesterday.. i go over it when i forget and try to remember the best i can...i believe lisa feels the same and plus a child is very innocent and sees through all the BS grown ups try to show you cant lie to a child IMO

[presley31]

Now that's the smartest and most accurate thing you've ever written on here! :lmfao:

No, I don't know it all. But I know way more than your good self.

leave the personal stuff out of it and stick to the topic:!:

[Getlo]

Joe and Charile did REAL jobs

And what do you think Red, Sonny, Dave, Dick etc etc were doing ... just screwing around? All of the MM had their role, and each position was set up by Elvis himself. I'd suggest bodyguard and security detail is just as important as anything.

And what was Charlie's exact job within the MM? Yes, he helped Elvis on stage with some musical arrangements and harmonies. But, aside from that, he was the biggest leech of them all! What was he doing at Graceland as part of his "job" with the MM?

[Getlo]

leave the personal stuff out of it and stick to the topic:!:

Hmmm. So, it's okay for you to make smart cracks about my "knowing it all", but not okay for me to respond?

I'll have to remember that. Do have a nice day.

[presley31]

Hmmm. So, it's okay for you to make smart cracks about my "knowing it all", but not okay for me to respond?

I'll have to remember that. Do have a nice day.

your off topic again

[ReGina_89]

Charile's was a real job... he had a real job before Elvis as well and he gave it up for Elvis... for the Elvis world their jobs were "real" but in the real world they wouldnt have gotten these jobs... Elvis just loved to surround himself with familiar people and thats why they had jobs... but the cost him through law suites etc thats why they were fired

[Getlo]

Charile's was a real job...

And what was that job, exactly?

[ReGina_89]

he was a backup singer and guitarist and the last time i checked that was a real job
and before the Elvis years he has a bad "The Foggy River Boys" which got to the grand ole opry

[Getlo]

he was a backup singer and guitarist and the last time i checked that was a real job
and before the Elvis years he has a bad "The Foggy River Boys" which got to the grand ole opry


Yeah, I know all that.

What was Charlie's job as part of the MM at Graceland or in Elvis' other homes?

And if you believe backup singer was a real job, why don't you give Sonny, Red et al credit for their work as security guards?

[ReGina_89]

i dont give them credit because instead of protecting elvis' image they ended up hurting it through all the law suites and tough guy mannerisms....
charlie didnt have a job in the house but he had on stage like some other members had jobs at home but not on stage... backup singer is a real job!!

[presley31]

i dont give them credit because instead of protecting elvis' image they ended up hurting it through all the law suites and tough guy mannerisms....
charlie didnt have a job in the house but he had on stage like some other members had jobs at home but not on stage... backup singer is a real job!!

l agree Regina 100%(y)(y)

[King_Creole]

maybe in your world but not mine.


Being a bit naive and unrealistic, aren't u ?

[ReGina_89]

And so does Sonny when talking about Elvis. Love comes in all shapes and kinds.

Getlo... the eyes are the mirror of the soul and with Marshal you can see sadness over the loss of his friend but IMO in Sonny's eyes its not sadness over Elvis... its regret over what he has done and thats VERY different from sadness over the loss of Elvis..

[Getlo]

A question to all those who unwaveringly bag the MM ...

What prescise allegations or suggestions from the MM detailed in What Happened and other books, or TV interviews etc do you know to be lies?

Not what you think or hope to be lies ... but what you know to be lies.

Some people like to put crap on the MM just for the sake of it ... and are just as guilty of spreading lies and innuendo as those they accuse of besmerching Elvis' reputation.

So, what exactly are the lies from the MM's mouths, and how can you prove otherwise?

[Getlo]

in Sonny's eyes its not sadness over Elvis... its regret over what he has done and thats VERY different from sadness over the loss of Elvis..

Without going into excessive details, I have met Sonny in person. Spent two days with him in fact.

I have looked into his eyes in person, as opposed to a TV screen.

I have listened to him speak, and watched every mannerism in response to my queries.

He loved Elvis then, he loves Elvis still. He is not that great an actor to have faked the sadness in front of me when he talked of What Happened and the other crap that went on.

Sonny West is a sincere, kind and decent man. One who - like all of us - has regrets about certain decisions he has made. I assume that those of you who are bagging him haven't met him. Well I have, and I know he is a sincere and good man. And Elvis would've been the first to forgive him for any perceived transgressions ... and the first to tell you all to either stop bagging Sonny, or get you-know-whated!

And, as I said previously, people are willing to bend over backwards on this forum to excuse Elvis, but are never willing to do the "Walk a mile" thing for anyone else.

[King_Creole]

Another thing that I find revolting and quite ironic is that for all those who constantly bag the "Memphis Mafia" for disgracing Elvis or betraying him, what about the Stanley brothers and the damage they helped put the nail in the coffin, ('scuse the pun), on Elvis' nasty drug habits ???

I can remember as far back as 1979 when the Geraldo Rivera "20/20" special on aired on ABC and those boys were slamming Elvis and admitting he was a degenerate Drug user.

I can also remember people jus raging on me about Elvis the day after ...

Not a great time to be an Elvis fan, that's fo sho ... :(

[Getlo]

I dont know how anybody can call themselves TRUE friends,if they turn on their friend like they did..
TRUE friends stick together and sort their differencies out behind closed doors...

Then, by your definition, Elvis Presley was not a true friend either as he did not want a full reproachment with the Wests and Hebler. He did not, as you suggest, want to work things out behind closed doors.

And true friends don't get their dads to fire people, then hide away like a coward. Which is precisely what Elvis did.

[ReGina_89]

Without going into excessive details, I have met Sonny in person. Spent two days with him in fact.

I have looked into his eyes in person, as opposed to a TV screen.

I have listened to him speak, and watched every mannerism in response to my queries.

He loved Elvis then, he loves Elvis still. He is not that great an actor to have faked the sadness in front of me when he talked of What Happened and the other crap that went on.

Sonny West is a sincere, kind and decent man. One who - like all of us - has regrets about certain decisions he has made.

And, as I said previously, people are willing to bend over backwards on this forum to excuse Elvis, but are never willing to do the "Walk a mile" thing for anyone else.


Yes Getlo... I was judging but what i have seen on TV ... and i believe that in reality it could be different...
About walking a mile thing... personally my first resort would be to write a book as well BUT after that friend asks me to stop the publication (like Elvis did) i will espically if that friend was such an icon and the book will damage the image this friend has been protecting...


Another thing that I find revolting and quite ironic is that for all those who constantly bag the "Memphis Mafia" for disgracing Elvis or betraying him, what about the Stanley brothers and the damage they helped put the nail in the coffin, ('scuse the pun), on Elvis' nasty drug habits ???

I can remember as far back as 1979 when the Geraldo Rivera "20/20" special on aired on ABC and those boys were slamming Elvis and admitting he was a degenerate Drug user.

I can also remember people jus raging on me about Elvis the day after ...

Not a great time to be an Elvis fan, that's fo sho ...

The Stanley's are the WORSE bunch(n)(n)

[Stryx]

YOu ever hear Lisa talking about the funeral? Take a guess as to why? She wasn't there for much of it and the time she was there she doesn't remember. What does that tell you???


I hold Lisa in contempt for some things.

But she was 9 and her dad the greatest entertainer on the planet had died suddenly.

You can not hold a kid responsible for their actions at 9 years of age when a parent has died....especially when the parent was Elvis and the circus that was his funeral.

[Stryx]

First of all i ment that they want people to believe that they are all Elvis' bestest friends in the world :P... not as important as Elvis in the world... Joe and Charile did REAL jobs and didnt cost Elvis lawsuite money like many (not all) the others...


missy thats great i like billy but what im saying is that he too has bias its just human nature...



Personally as a child i was raised by my grandfather he was the only parent i knew (my mom and dad worked) he died when I was 6 and i remember everything that happened like it were yesterday.. i go over it when i forget and try to remember the best i can...i believe lisa feels the same and plus a child is very innocent and sees through all the BS grown ups try to show you cant lie to a child IMO




Ah man.....

Don't you know about the Raquetball Courts and Joe?

Brush up on the Elvis knowledge before making sweeping statements!

[ksimms2]

as for Charlie and no disrespect for him, but in this book I'm reading it stated that Charlie was mainly Elvis' "scarf holder and water holder" and that him singing on stage - half the time the microphone wasn't even on. Whether this is true or not - I can't say - but they were saying this in "Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" and sort of joking about it. They also said Elvis would humiliate Charlie in front of everyone, including the audience....and I have him heard say on his albums, "Charlie Hodge, he gets my water, my scarves and is my all around flunky" That is what Charlie's "real job" was......

[Stryx]

as for Charlie and no disrespect for him, but in this book I'm reading it stated that Charlie was mainly Elvis' "scarf holder and water holder" and that him singing on stage - half the time the microphone wasn't even on. Whether this is true or not - I can't say - but they were saying this in "Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" and sort of joking about it. They also said Elvis would humiliate Charlie in front of everyone, including the audience....and I have him heard say on his albums, "Charlie Hodge, he gets my water, my scarves and is my all around flunky" That is what Charlie's "real job" was......


Yes Charlie didn't really have that much of a job.

But.......Elvis liked having him around a bit like Lamar to poke fun at and joke with.

[MissyM]

Weather you like or dislike the MM, the fact remains that they were chosen by Elvis himself, for whatever reason he saw fit. Friends go through tuff times. All in the group had a lot of pressure on them, it was a unique situation and unique relationships. Each one was picked for a reason, they not only did jobs but fullfilled a need that Elvis had. (such as Billy being family shared an intimate past and family bond)
And because of the fans and huge fame, Elvis needed people close to him or he would have been very lonely.
Pricilla wanted Elvis to be Mr. Hollywood, perhaps she was hoping for new found friendships for Elvis and them as a couple. But if you know Elvis, he was friendly but had a cautious and shy side when it came to those he got close to.
So when Pricilla or Lisa, say things about the MM, what are they saying about Elvis? He made those choices. Pricilla would have gotten rid of everyone but a few. I don't know about you all but I don't pick my husbands friends and he doesn't pick mine. Sometimes loving someone is allowing them to grow, learn, and see things for themselves. It doesn't mean they are stupid, they just have to experience things. And when she left him and took his child, it is a good thing he had friends close by. He may have died even earlier. No one should have to be alone during those times. Can you imagine, he lost his mother, Cousin Bobby (who he loved-to suicide) Travis Smith, and others. How many people deal with so much loss in such short a time? Yes, the MM could be a pain in the butt sometimes and hard on couple time, but why did she not get Elvis?????? Why did she want to change his live when he was holding on so tight to what was just familiar (security) when he was losing ppl left and right.
My opinion is that like some women, she thought she could change Elvis when she married him. She could change his circumstances, relationships, and finances. When she realized she couldn't she booked. She was ashamed of all of it. She wanted to live this charmed life and raise Elvis up to be something he was not. He was looking for unconditional love, like he had with his mother. No matter how many times the MM were fired, they always came back. That was Elvis's personal test of unconditional love for him. But, many stood the test of time. There were stresses and forgiveness, and much like any other family.
Now can we talk about the Hollywood bunch that Pricilla and Lisa choose to associate with?? Oh wait, bet they don't want to go there. They have no room to talk what-so-ever.

[Getlo]

Cousin Bobby


Sorry, who?

[ksimms2]

Sorry, who?

Bobby Smith is Billy Smith's brother. he was always in trouble and finally committed suicide by taken rat poison.....they got him to the hospital and pumped his stomach and when he came home....well he died anyway. He always drank too much, etc. getting into trouble all the time. Elvis tried helping him - but obviously nobody could.

[Getlo]

Bobby Smith is Billy Smith's brother. he was always in trouble and finally committed suicide by taken rat poison.....they got him to the hospital and pumped his stomach and when he came home....well he died anyway. He always drank too much, etc. getting into trouble all the time. Elvis tried helping him - but obviously nobody could.

Oh, him. Yeah.


Can you imagine, he lost his mother, Cousin Bobby (who he loved-to suicide) Travis Smith, and others. How many people deal with so much loss in such short a time?

Aside from his mother, I don't think the other two deaths would've had an overly huge impact on Elvis, long-term. As I said on another thread, the losses Elvis had to deal with were nothing compared to most people, and - as much as Gladys' death affected Elvis - it did not slowly kill him over the following 19 years. Thousands of people went through worse than what Elvis did. I think you're placing too much emphasis on these deaths as a factor in his later behaviour.

[MissyM]

All correct except for Bobby being known as a big drinker. I never heard a focus on that???? Bobby was wild and never adjusted to all the changes in the family when Elvis got famous. Fame and fortune can turn a family up side down at times. But Bobby also had a very sweet side to. Elvis knew that and had hope that Bobby would straighten out. He had gotten himself into a mess and couldn't figure a way out.

[ksimms2]

All correct except for Bobby being known as a big drinker. I never heard a focus on that???? Bobby was wild and never adjusted to all the changes in the family when Elvis got famous. Fame and fortune can turn a family up side down at times. But Bobby also had a very sweet side to. Elvis knew that and had hope that Bobby would straighten out. He had gotten himself into a mess and couldn't figure a way out.

Bobby's dad was also a big drinker and it eventually killed him - the ailments that come from it - liver, etc. I'd have to go back and read that part again though about Bobby - because I"m pretty sure he was a drinker.....but I will certainly reread - could be mistaken.

[MissyM]

Getlo, I think I'll have to disagree with you on this one, with all due respect. Unless you can tell me more. You seem to know a lot. I have been wondering if you have inside information???

[MissyM]

Yes, Travis drank alot too, that's a fact. But hmm, how can I put this, The drinkng Bobby did was not the biggest problem he had.

[ms_epblvd]

Well I think the MM at the time Elvis was alive was just a bunch of good ol guys around Elvis. Whatever he wanted they did for him even if it wasnt the best for Elvis.

But after Elvis died, honestly most of them were uneducated hillbillies who really had no where to go with there lives so OF COURSE they are going to write books etc to cashing in on the Elvis Money Train for the rest of their lives. They made sure they were still on his payroll.(n)

[ksimms2]

Yes, Travis drank alot too, that's a fact. But hmm, how can I put this, The drinkng Bobby did was not the biggest problem he had.

I agree. (y)

[jak]

Many of them were not "hillbillies".If the ones from the south were uneducated hillbillies as you call them,then Elvis was too.
Jak

[ReGina_89]

And Elvis had another couisn that died Junior Smith.. Gene's brother he died in a drunk driving accident after he came back from Korea

[MissyM]

Well, what can I say to that. Yep, most did not have a college education and yep, some were hillbillies, including Elvis. See, that's what gets to me, that is the attitude Pricilla had. Like it is something to be horribly ashamed of.

[Getlo]

Getlo, I think I'll have to disagree with you on this one, with all due respect. Unless you can tell me more. You seem to know a lot. I have been wondering if you have inside information???

Disagree with me on what one? To what are you referring here?

[MissyM]

Getlo, on the fact that Elvis was not impacted by the losses he suffered?? Was I not understanding you on that??

[poormansgold]

[QUOTE=Getlo;143645]Of course it is!

So long as it's the truth. Even if it turned out that Elvis liked to get his jollies by kicking puppies and kittens to death, then it should be out there.

What I been Ready On here it's got me not come back on this site , The
Quote up above is once them they are human, they make mistakes and Elvis did too[. and I did too today is ready this un used tread and getlo quote. I'm done read anothers tread on is stie. only tread I will read is alternate covers treads and pictures.
I'm so sorry I have too have that feelings about this tread, it's dumb how some people getting .
Tom

[Getlo]

Getlo, on the fact that Elvis was not impacted by the losses he suffered?? Was I not understanding you on that??

It's just an opinion, obviously.

The references to Bobby Smith in various biographies and the opinions from many, many people who knew Elvis are scant at best. I'm sure Bobby's death saddened Elvis, but you could hardly call him devastated over it.

And, while I'm sure Elvis was sad at the passing of his Uncle Travis, I can't see that it had any huge impact - especially long term.

Elvis only ever went to two funerals in his life - that of his mother and his former bassist Bill Black.

By coincidence, I have also lost my mother. And a cousin - also to suicide, like Billy. And several uncles and aunts and other relations over the years. Aside from my mother, I rarely if ever think of the others, even though their deaths at the time saddened me. And I believe Elvis would've been the same.

[ksimms2]

And Elvis had another couisn that died Junior Smith.. Gene's brother he died in a drunk driving accident after he came back from Korea

Yes Junior was a drunk too - he died in Billy's bed and Billy was unfortunate enough to find him.....all of this loss did have an impact on Elvis -this was his mom's side of the family. Whether it depressed him enough to go into the spiral downfall, don't know - I think him losing his mother is the main reason for that.

I don't understand why Lisa doesn't have more to do with Billy, he is her Grandmother's nephew - how many are left on Billy's side? You'd think Lisa would want to know that side - instead of just her mom's side. Not sure who is left from her dad's side either.

[ksimms2]

[QUOTE=Getlo;143645]Of course it is!

So long as it's the truth. Even if it turned out that Elvis liked to get his jollies by kicking puppies and kittens to death, then it should be out there.

What I been Ready On here it's got me not come back on this site , The
Quote up above is once them they are human, they make mistakes and Elvis did too[. and I did too today is ready this un used tread and getlo quote. I'm done read anothers tread on is stie. only tread I will read is alternate covers treads and pictures.
I'm so sorry I have too have that feelings about this tread, it's dumb how some people getting .
Tom

Tom are you misunderstanding? Getlo didn't say Elvis was that way - he was trying to point out that the truth, however hard it may be, needs to be known. Sorry if this thread offends you. This thread was started by Jen as for our feelings toward the Memphis Mafia......so you know that starts some heated discussions.....

[ksimms2]

Hey you guys (Getlo, Missy..) in "Revelations" they talk alot about Alan, another member of the MM. They talk about him being addicted to pills BIG TIME and how many times they've had to revive him, etc. He sounded pretty messed up. Does anyone know what happened to him? At the time, I can't even think of his last name....is it Al Astrada?

[Getlo]

Hey you guys (Getlo, Missy..) in "Revelations" they talk alot about Alan, another member of the MM. They talk about him being addicted to pills BIG TIME and how many times they've had to revive him, etc. He sounded pretty messed up. Does anyone know what happened to him? At the time, I can't even think of his last name....is it Al Astrada?

Alan Fortas. He's been dead for some years.

He was there with Elvis on stage during '68 comeback sit down shows.

[Getlo]

Tom are you misunderstanding? Getlo didn't say Elvis was that way - he was trying to point out that the truth, however hard it may be, needs to be known. Sorry if this thread offends you. This thread was started by Jen as for our feelings toward the Memphis Mafia......so you know that starts some heated discussions.....

Yes, thank you. I couldn't make head nor tail of poormansgold's comment.

[MissyM]

Getlo, I'm thinking about in the grand picture, causing Elvis to think alot about life and death.
There are family members left but some were sort of on the outs before Elvis died. Billy's mom (Lorraine)died after Elvis of a heart attack. (in "88") She lived off of Graceland shortly after Travis died but right across the street in an apartment building. She was really close to Elvis. Although she even took care of Lisa at times, Lisa did not attend her funeral.

[poormansgold]

I got know one from MM alot and there few I don't liked and I don't tell whole world about it.
And I'm not best writer whole world. i will say that.

[Johnny]

Elvis only ever went to two funerals in his life - that of his mother and his former bassist Bill Black.


I thought that he only went to the funeral of his mother and Ginger Alden's grandfather ??

[Getlo]

I thought that he only went to the funeral of his mother and Ginger Alden's grandfather ??

Whoops.

Sorry, make that three funerals then. Forgot about Ginger's grandma ...

[franny]

Didn't one of Elvis' friends lose their mother the same day Elvis lost Gladys? I can't remember who, but I recall this somewhere...:hmm:

franny

[Getlo]

Didn't one of Elvis' friends lose their mother the same day Elvis lost Gladys? I can't remember who, but I recall this somewhere...:hmm:

It was Red West, and it was his dad from memory.

[Getlo]

Another point ...

Elvis' private investigator offered the boys a substantial amount of money not to go through with What Happened - more than they were originally offered to write the book.

They unanimously refused.

So money was not a factor in the writing of the book. Revenge may have played a part - a part, mind you - but money was not the issue!

[franny]

Thanks, Getlo! (y)

franny

[KPM]

Many of them were not "hillbillies".If the ones from the south were uneducated hillbillies as you call them,then Elvis was too.
Jak
I would not call them "hillbillies" but I don't think any of them were worried about the mysteries of life-some of them thought Elvis and his books were just a bunch of crap. But none of them carried the burden of "why me"
And believe me the burden of "why me" if you carry it (for what ever reason) is a hard one to overcome. Others carry the burden "why not me" which is just as bad if it takes you over.

[ksimms2]

I would not call them "hillbillies" but I don't think any of them were worried about the mysteries of life-some of them thought Elvis and his books were just a bunch of crap. But none of them carried the burden of "why me"
And believe me the burden of "why me" if you carry it (for what ever reason) is a hard one to overcome. Others carry the burden "why not me" which is just as bad if it takes you over.

That's pretty deep KPM.....lol. :notworthy

[Tony Trout]

Whoops.

Sorry, make that three funerals then. Forgot about Ginger's grandma ...

He also attended Dewey Phillips' funeral as well....

[Diane]

I wouldn't call the MM "hillbillies" either. They just didn't care for serious discussions and Elvis did.

I agree on the "why me", Elvis had that big time.

Diane

[jak]

I would not call them "hillbillies" but I don't think any of them were worried about the mysteries of life-some of them thought Elvis and his books were just a bunch of crap. But none of them carried the burden of "why me"
And believe me the burden of "why me" if you carry it (for what ever reason) is a hard one to overcome. Others carry the burden "why not me" which is just as bad if it takes you over.

I made my comment because my family is all from the south originally.To call somebody an "uneducated hillbilly" is an offense in my opinion.Elvis actually had a worse background than many of his boys.He certainly had the edge talent wise but his intellectual prowess was no greater than the others.You might even say he was prone to be even more "flighty" than the rest of them.
Jak

[KPM]

I made my comment because my family is all from the south originally.To call somebody an "uneducated hillbilly" is an offense in my opinion.Elvis actually had a worse background than many of his boys.He certainly had the edge talent wise but his intellectual prowess was no greater than the others.You might even say he was prone to be even more "flighty" than the rest of them.
Jak
I'm not from the south but my familys background is a mini Peyton Place -o I can see where you would not like stereotypes.
Well if you go by school grades Elvis was average-but if you go by how inquisative a mind he had-I think he was very into wanting to understand and know things. From the comments made by some MM they just were not interested in a lot of it.
Take for example liking "Dr. Strangelove" and watching it over and over-he was amazed at the levels of Peter Sellers performances and he wanted to not miss a thing and catch it all. They were bored after the first couple viewings. He was not. I don't see that as them being oddthey just did need to go beyond the fun of the movie-he wanted to understand and absorb how Sellers played such varied people.

[Merry]

[quote=Getlo;143645]Of course it is!

So long as it's the truth. Even if it turned out that Elvis liked to get his jollies by kicking puppies and kittens to death, then it should be out there.

What I been Ready On here it's got me not come back on this site , The
Quote up above is once them they are human, they make mistakes and Elvis did too[. and I did too today is ready this un used tread and getlo quote. I'm done read anothers tread on is stie. only tread I will read is alternate covers treads and pictures.
I'm so sorry I have too have that feelings about this tread, it's dumb how some people getting .
Tom


You are right Tom.

Getlo and Stryx are alluding to the fact, accusing me of being a lier, and Stryx informed me that I may post!

Excuse me, but I AM NOT!

Running down Elvis, some threads are stupid, this place is horrible again.

Oh Jak, you know we get on, but Elvis' background, well, he was beautifully raised to be a gentleman. Old fashioned values and upbringing. I beg to differ, just read how Marty speaks to anyone, women, or anyone who disagrees with him, publicly, privately. Horrible.

I've been here for Elvis,b, but heck :'(

Kim

[jak]

"Oh Jak, you know we get on, but Elvis' background, well, he was beautifully raised to be a gentleman. Old fashioned values and upbringing. I beg to differ, just read how Marty speaks to anyone women, anyone. Horrible.

I've been here for Elvis,b, but heck

Kim

You may have misunderstood me.I wasnt putting down his background.My folks grew up just 100 miles from tupelo.Many similarities between the two families.My folks could relate to the way the Presley's lived.I just didnt like the term used to describe his friends.It was meant to be deragotory when Elvis in fact came from what some people would call "uneducated hillbillies".That applies to my family as well.I meant nothing bad about Elvis in my comment.
Jak

[Diane]

Hey Jak, I understand your point about being called a hillbilly when you're from the south as being offensive..I married into a southern family so I do have some insight about that term and you are right. I get offended being called a "Canuck" or "Frenchie"....same deal.

I do believe that Elvis and his friends were pretty much on a par intelligence wise, the difference being Elvis was more of a dreamer and more inquisitive as KPM mentioned and maybe that was why he wasn't the "doer" he should have been later on in the 70's...the two never seem to mix. Elvis loved discussions on quite a few subjects and didn't have too many around him that were interested in sharing that with him. I think that was one of his big frustrations.

Diane

[jak]

Hey Jak, I understand your point about being called a hillbilly when you're from the south as being offensive..I married into a southern family so I do have some insight about that term and you are right. I get offended being called a "Canuck" or "Frenchie"....same deal.

I do believe that Elvis and his friends were pretty much on a par intelligence wise, the difference being Elvis was more of a dreamer and more inquisitive as KPM mentioned and maybe that was why he wasn't the "doer" he should have been later on in the 70's...the two never seem to mix. Elvis loved discussions on quite a few subjects and didn't have too many around him that were interested in sharing that with him. I think that was one of his big frustrations.

Diane

Well said Diane.
Jak

[Burning_Love]

And what do you think Red, Sonny, Dave, Dick etc etc were doing ... just screwing around? All of the MM had their role, and each position was set up by Elvis himself. I'd suggest bodyguard and security detail is just as important as anything.

And what was Charlie's exact job within the MM? Yes, he helped Elvis on stage with some musical arrangements and harmonies. But, aside from that, he was the biggest leech of them all! What was he doing at Graceland as part of his "job" with the MM?

I, personally, agree with you here. They put Elvis' life before their own, someone with that coreouge deserve respect IMHO.

[marijaep]

I, personally, agree with you here. They put Elvis' life before their own, someone with that coreouge deserve respect IMHO.

True, but you can't blame Charlie because he was not a part from the security, He was helping him on stage.......that's a big thing too.

[Donut]

True, but you can't blame Charlie because he was not a part from the security
True, he was too short to stop a bullet aimed at Elvis. Nah ;) I liked Charlie.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have any of you ever thought how Elvis life would have been without his guys around? Imagine him almost like a recluse at Graceland living with his grandmother, his monkey Scatter and his aunt Delta...
Or while doing those awful movies only with the company of his old carnival manager playing cards and making the extras bark.
Or praying all night long with JD Sumner at the Hilton after his shows... I shiver just imagining this. What a sad life it would have been. He was lucky having them around and not everyone can say their friends would have risk their own life if the ocasion would have arised just to save his.
I can?t say I agree with them about sharing private details of the man that everyone has the right to keep for theirselves, ie bathing or sexual habits but some of them specially the bad ones stayed with him untill the end in a time when Elvis wasn?t much fun to be around... for lack of better words.
If they had gone when things became rough we would be blaming them for abandoning him when he needed them most. That?s what a true friend does and that?s what they did indeed. I wonder where those other Elvis friends were then. Now they all come out from the woodwork.

[poormansgold]

Thanks Jess
I needed Hear that , some one stands me, I'm not worlds greatest writer.
Tom

[KPM]

True, he was too short to stop a bullet aimed at Elvis. Nah ;) I liked Charlie.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have any of you ever thought how Elvis life would have been without his guys around? Imagine him almost like a recluse at Graceland living with his grandmother, his monkey Scatter and his aunt Delta...
Or while doing those awful movies only with the company of his old carnival manager playing cards and making the extras bark.
Or praying all night long with JD Sumner at the Hilton after his shows... I shiver just imagining this. What a sad life it would have been. He was lucky having them around and not everyone can say their friends would have risk their own life if the ocasion would have arised just to save his.
I can?t say I agree with them about sharing private details of the man that everyone has the right to keep for theirselves, ie bathing or sexual habits but some of them specially the bad ones stayed with him untill the end in a time when Elvis wasn?t much fun to be around... for lack of better words.
If they had gone when things became rough we would be blaming them for abandoning him when he needed them most. That?s what a true friend does and that?s what they did indeed. I wonder where those other Elvis friends were then. Now they all come from the woodwork.
I would hope he could find other friends if he chose to ditch all the MM. Perhaps without them to laugh at his jokes and cater to him he would have found friends-who did not always do that. (that might have been a good thing)
Or perhaps if he had hired others people to do their jobs -then they could have truely (with no ifs ands or buts) just been friends. Were they not lucky-he was around? For all the controversy did they not do things which they never in a million years would have done if not for Elvis-good and bad? I will put it this way-any friend Elvis ever had could have done what the MM did. But no friend Elvis ever had in his whole life-could have been Elvis. Hes the center of the story-not the other way around.

[Donut]

I would hope he could find other friends if he chose to ditch all the MM. Perhaps without them to laugh at his jokes and cater to him he would have found friends-who did not always do that. (that might have been a good thing)
Or perhaps if he had hired others people to do their jobs -then they could have truely (with no ifs ands or buts) just been friends. Were they not lucky-he was around? For all the controversy did they not do things which they never in a million years would have done if not for Elvis-good and bad? I will put it this way-any friend Elvis ever had could have done what the MM did. But no friend Elvis ever had in his whole life-could have been Elvis. Hes the center of the story-not the other way around.

Never said they were the center of the story or that they wasn?t lucky to have him as friend. My point is he needed them and liked to have them around, he had his reasons to do so and the right to choose his own friends and that?s exactly what he did, so I say good for him. I think some fans forget that Elvis liked the life he lead and that he knew who he brefriended better than us. He was an inteligent man in my eyes and I find offensive to him thinking that everyone he trusted stabbed him in the back like he was a dummy.

[jak]

Never said they were the center of the story or that they wasn?t lucky to have him as friend. My point is he needed them and liked to have them around, he had his reasons to do so and the right to choose his own friends and that?s exactly what he did, so I say good for him. I think some fans forget that Elvis liked the life he lead and that he knew who he brefriended better than us. He was an inteligent man in my eyes and I find offensive to him thinking that everyone he trusted stabbed him in the back like he was a dummy.

Great post Donut.Im with you 100% on your comment.
Jak

[KPM]

Never said they were the center of the story or that they wasn?t lucky to have him as friend. My point is he needed them and liked to have them around, he had his reasons to do so and the right to choose his own friends and that?s exactly what he did, so I say good for him. I think some fans forget that Elvis liked the life he lead and that he knew who he brefriended better than us. He was an inteligent man in my eyes and I find offensive to him thinking that everyone he trusted stabbed him in the back like he was a dummy.
The point about he is the center of the story is we would not even know these guys names if it wasn't for Elvis. The storm of his life revolved around him. The pressure of that storm had to be harder on him IMO. You could have had all of them quit at once and he would have had a dozen possible replacements in a heatbeat for each and every one.
I do not see Elvis as a dummy because he was human. Humans make misjudgments and IMO it would have been better to keep friends-friends and employees-employees. When you mix the two it changes things between all involved. Resentment can enter the relationships on both sides. I've seen it happen. He was insecure and wanted familiar faces-understandable. He was human and you can be the biggest superstar in the world and still have human problems. I do not see him as unintelligent because he is capable of making mistakes. They were also capable of making mistakes (however we want to look at that) and their dealings with Elvis.

[KPM]

Great post Donut.Im with you 100% on your comment.
Jak
Gee Jak how quickly the tide turns-ha ha;)

[jak]

Gee Jak how quickly the tide turns-ha ha;)

Hey we cant agree on everything!We need some stuff to debate every now and then.
Jak

[KPM]

Hey we cant agree on everything!We need some stuff to debate every now and then.
Jak
So true(y)

[Getlo]

He also attended Dewey Phillips' funeral as well....

Four maybe ... do I hear five ... ?

[Getlo]

Getlo and Stryx are alluding to the fact, accusing me of being a lier, and Stryx informed me that I may post!


The part obtaining to me is in itself a lie, Jess.

Take the time to check my posts once again, Jess. Not once have I called you a liar (sp). Not once. If you like, go back and find these supposed posts from me, and post them here.

What Stryx, myself and others have called you and others out on is when you post stuff as facts without a source, then refuse to back it up when we ask where you got your information from.

So, for the record, the only time I've accused you of being a liar is this particular post.

Ah, but again, we are off topic. And I notice no one has said anything about that - it's only when myself and others who feel the same way do it that people feel the need to remind us!

I'm waiting for
leave the personal stuff out of it and stick to the topic:!: about your posts .. but it won't happen.

[marina]

I think Elvis needed these guys around, they weren't showbiz they were just normal people that he could be himself around and obviously feel superior to. The MM needed him too for the lifestyle he was giving them, they were hanging around a huge star and with that came the perks, the girls, the parties, the five star treatment a life that they could only ever dream about. I think that (this is my opinion) that Red West was probably the only one out of them all that really cared about Elvis, he protected him at school, I could never understand why he wasn't Elvis's best man? I think as time went on they all became victims of the showbiz lifestyle, they rode the wave with Elvis, if it was the bad of a lifestyle for the MM they would have left, but they didn't and if Elvis didn't want them around he would've fired them like he did so many times. But there should have been a limit to them being around, example when Elvis got married, you don't take your friends on your honeymoon, or have them live with you 24/7. For some reason these guys were his security blanket even when he was with his wife. I think they all lost perspective of the real world and reality and they lived for Elvis and his lifestyle and became "YES" men.

[Donut]

The point about he is the center of the story is we would not even know these guys names if it wasn't for Elvis. The storm of his life revolved around him. The pressure of that storm had to be harder on him IMO. You could have had all of them quit at once and he would have had a dozen possible replacements in a heatbeat for each and every one.
I do not see Elvis as a dummy because he was human. Humans make misjudgments and IMO it would have been better to keep friends-friends and employees-employees. When you mix the two it changes things between all involved. Resentment can enter the relationships on both sides. I've seen it happen. He was insecure and wanted familiar faces-understandable. He was human and you can be the biggest superstar in the world and still have human problems. I do not see him as unintelligent because he is capable of making mistakes. They were also capable of making mistakes (however we want to look at that) and their dealings with Elvis.

I can see we see things diferently and that we won?t agree but I want to give my opinion on some things you said.

"You could have had all of them quit at once and he would have had a dozen possible replacements in a heatbeat for each and every one"
Friendship doesn?t work that way, you don?t have FRIEND replacements in a heartbeat whoever you are.

"Humans make misjudgments and IMO it would have been better to keep friends-friends and employees-employees"
My point is it could seem a misjudgement to you but it worked for Elvis for many years so I think he made a good choice.

[cameron]

Ok, Elvis took drugs, I'm not denying that! It's just that, when you're the friend of someone, you don't tell about his secrets. Even if it's drug or whatever, you don't tell to anybody unless you think it could help him fix this problem. If they wrote this book, it is because they wanted the money these revelations would gross, they didn't want to help Elvis...

I don't like any of the so called MM. They scream the loudest if anyone says anything bad about them. Yet it's ok for them to "tell all"?
Old men making a living off of their "friend."
Too bad Elvis didn't live long enough to tell his stories about them.

Part of that Elvis fans{?} deserve the blame for. IF no one buys their books; they'll quit writing them. ;)

Thing is , none if them were around EP 24/7 .
They've just sold that idea to the fans .
Trash sells . (n)

[MissyM]

Let's try to get some perspective. Fans see the "lifestyle" as glamourous. Well, once the glamour and facination wears off, it becomes just hard work. And it doesn't take long. These men were basically isolated with Elvis. Half the times they didn't need or want some of the luxuries Elvis gave them. Some couldn't even afford the insurance on the expensive cars. They traded time with their wifes, children and family for these so called luxuries that people seem to put such an importance on. Many didn't even own their own homes. It ruined marriages and estranged other family relationships. And like Elvis, outside relationships became almost impossible. They had no time for them and then they never knew if someone wanted a relationship because of who they worked for or for themselves. Family members questioned their loyality to Elvis and were concerned about why they would deal with the whole situation. (just like one might question staying in a marriage that could at times be so stressful)
The aftermath: None had a retirement plan and most still have to work. They left with things they could sell which years ago surely didn't add up to any kind of retirement plan. They worked "overtime" which they didn't get paid for. They had a boss who was often difficult and they had little security. Some didn't even own a home of their own. (for an asset) And by the time Elvis died, the only friends they had were each other.
So you tell me, would you have done it? Would you have sacrificed what they did, to live in the lap of luxury (as so many invision it)? If you were the wife of one of them, would you have stayed in the marriage for the perks????

[jak]

Let's try to get some perspective. Fans see the "lifestyle" as glamourous. Well, once the glamour and facination wears off, it becomes just hard work. And it doesn't take long. These men were basically isolated with Elvis. Half the times they didn't need or want some of the luxuries Elvis gave them. Some couldn't even afford the insurance on the expensive cars. They traded time with their wifes, children and family for these so called luxuries that people seem to put such an importance on. Many didn't even own their own homes. It ruined marriages and estranged other family relationships. And like Elvis, outside relationships became almost impossible. They had no time for them and then they never knew if someone wanted a relationship because of who they worked for or for themselves. Family members questioned their loyality to Elvis and were concerned about why they would deal with the whole situation. (just like one might question staying in a marriage that could at times be so stressful)
The aftermath: None had a retirement plan and most still have to work. They left with things they could sell which years ago surely didn't add up to any kind of retirement plan. They worked "overtime" which they didn't get paid for. They had a boss who was often difficult and they had little security. Some didn't even own a home of their own. (for an asset) And by the time Elvis died, the only friends they had were each other.
So you tell me, would you have done it? Would you have sacrificed what they did, to live in the lap of luxury (as so many invision it)? If you were the wife of one of them, would you have stayed in the marriage for the perks????

What a refreshing post.Im not saying those guys were roughing it,but they didnt make hardly any money at all.As you said it wasnt as glamorous as some think it was.Particulary during the later years.
Jak

[Getlo]

You've made some excellent points, MissyM.

[cameron]

They've had 30 years "to get a job."
And, some have .

I don't think their lives were glamerous at all. Maybe "fun" in the beginning , but that would soon grow old.
Every one of them made their own choices too.
IF I had a boss I couldn't get along with, I'd quit.

Nothing & no one could have made me stay if I didn't like it.
the "perks" wouldn't have tempted me in any way.
But, that's just my opinion....:)

[Getlo]

The MM were more than employees, so it's an entirely different scenario!

They were his best friends ... virtually his family ... so there are different rules.

[cameron]

People make their own rules....and excuses.

[ksimms2]

Let's try to get some perspective. Fans see the "lifestyle" as glamourous. Well, once the glamour and facination wears off, it becomes just hard work. And it doesn't take long. These men were basically isolated with Elvis. Half the times they didn't need or want some of the luxuries Elvis gave them. Some couldn't even afford the insurance on the expensive cars. They traded time with their wifes, children and family for these so called luxuries that people seem to put such an importance on. Many didn't even own their own homes. It ruined marriages and estranged other family relationships. And like Elvis, outside relationships became almost impossible. They had no time for them and then they never knew if someone wanted a relationship because of who they worked for or for themselves. Family members questioned their loyality to Elvis and were concerned about why they would deal with the whole situation. (just like one might question staying in a marriage that could at times be so stressful)
The aftermath: None had a retirement plan and most still have to work. They left with things they could sell which years ago surely didn't add up to any kind of retirement plan. They worked "overtime" which they didn't get paid for. They had a boss who was often difficult and they had little security. Some didn't even own a home of their own. (for an asset) And by the time Elvis died, the only friends they had were each other.
So you tell me, would you have done it? Would you have sacrificed what they did, to live in the lap of luxury (as so many invision it)? If you were the wife of one of them, would you have stayed in the marriage for the perks????

Missy, I love your posts. I'm toward the end of my book now "Revelations of MM" and I just can't believe how bad Elvis had gotten and according to MM those who had legal power (i.e. his wife, maybe the Col. and most certainly his Dad) did nothing about his problem. The guys tried to talk sense into him, Elvis would just get pissed off. Dr. Nick even tried cutting him off, Elvis just fired him (a bunch of times).....Missy...have you heard this too - maybe from Billy? Because it's in his book that I am reading this. I just can't comprehend how Elvis let himself get that way.....and how nothing was done. Had he been my son, husband, etc. you can bet that I would have had him baker acted into detox. But back then, did they even have that?

[MissyM]

Not sure what you mean by that statement Cameron. (make their own rules and excuses)

Yes, they could have gotten other jobs and some periodically did. But Elvis would ask them back, and they would be torn. Once imbedded into such a unique situation, often times, things become confusing. I am not excusing anyone. I simply try very hard to walk in others shoes. (in a very objective way) I am an out of the box thinker.

[cameron]

Do not believe everything you read.
The Rev.of MM ; not one of them told the same story .

As to detox: there wasn't such a thing then.
And I just discovered it's not so easy to get anyone in there.
I tried with my own child. The doctors wouldn't do it. :'(

[MissyM]

Yes, they so wanted Elvis to get help. But you know, take a look at the times: going into rehab was not like it is now. It is almost a badge of honor now????? And Elvis was very much like his mother in soo many ways. He was sometimes just as hard headed as you can get.Love meant letting him do what he wanted. That was instilled in him at a young age. Through no fault of hers Gladys let him get away with so much. I think if people look furthur to the clues, they will see that certain things were ingrained in Elvis very early on. Billy was fired so many times that aren't even mentioned. His mother loved Elvis but would beg him not to even talk to Elvis. She knew Elvis had this way about him that would draw Billy back in. Elvis was hard to say no to.

Oh and I don't believe everything I read. Far from it.

[Getlo]

The Rev.of MM ; not one of them told the same story

Examples of how they didn't tell the same story in the book please ... ?

And as for detox ... no, there were no formal centres like Betty Ford then. But there was the option for Elvis to cleanse himself. He chose not to.

[MissyM]

We are all unique and see things through different eyes. Opinion taints our view. But you will find that the basic truths run through each ones story.

[cameron]

I guess I'm wondering just what any of us think we know about any of their private lives. We can only tell our stories of how we see & remember things...and to make us look better sometimes.
Even my children remember things differently than I do.
And, believe me ..you can't make them "see differently." :)

All I'm saying is; give them a break....especially Elvis. He's not here to tell it the way he saw it. He thought they were his friends. Big mistake on his part .

[ksimms2]

Do not believe everything you read.
The Rev.of MM ; not one of them told the same story .

As to detox: there wasn't such a thing then.
And I just discovered it's not so easy to get anyone in there.
I tried with my own child. The doctors wouldn't do it. :'(

I really like this book and I know they don't tell the "same" story - they each weren't there 100% of the time - so the one that was there would tell the story, and the others would tell what they'd heard about the incident....so there is a difference with telling it that way vs. just lying.

And as for Billy, heck, Elvis begged him to come back so many times, and eventually even put a trailer behind Graceland for him and his wife to live in and promised he wouldn't have to go out on the road with him so much, or if they did, Jo (his wife) could go with them......so Billy finally caved and came back......Elvis would entice them with promises to get them to come back to him.....I have great respect for Billy Smith.

[ksimms2]

I guess I'm wondering just what any of us think we know about any of their private lives. We can only tell our stories of how we see & remember things...and to make us look better sometimes.
Even my children remember things differently than I do.
And, believe me ..you can't make them "see differently." :)

All I'm saying is; give them a break....especially Elvis. He's not here to tell it the way he saw it. He thought they were his friends. Big mistake on his part .

Cameron, I disagree with this..the last part of your statement. "Big mistake on his part"....I just want you to know - Elvis would have been dead long before 1977 if it weren't for those "big mistakes" as you call them......seriously. Missy knows Billy Smith....so even if you don't believe what you read - how about him telling her in person? (or via phone or whatever..)

[cameron]

Examples of how they didn't tell the same story in the book ... ?

And as for detox ... no, there were no formal centres like Betty Ford then. But there was the option for Elvis to cleanse himself. He chose not to.


I've read some of your opinions.
How do you know what Elvis did or didn't do?

I've seen no one even trying to find out what really was going in his life in the '70's . Too bad; you miss a lot.

[Getlo]

He thought they were his friends. Big mistake on his part .

And if the MM weren't his friends ... who were?

Just because some of them had a falling out with Elvis does not mean they were not his friends.

The MM were his best friends ... like it or not.

[MissyM]

K- I am used to this but thanks for gettin my back. You're sweet.

[Getlo]

I've read some of your opinions.
How do you know what Elvis did or didn't do?

I've seen no one even trying to find out what really was going in his life in the '70's . Too bad; you miss a lot.

And here we go with the unwarranted personal attacks ... again.

"How do you know what Elvis did or didn't do?" - and how do you know?

Welcome back again, memphis77! :lol:

[cameron]

It's unfortunate some make everything appear as "personal attacks"....except when they do it.

I just gave my opinion; same as everyone else.
Have a great day.....:!:

[ksimms2]

Here's the thing that bothers me - we read books, books from everyone, and when we post our opinions on things based on these books - we get called out saying it's not the truth. Okay then - what are everyone's sources that are telling us it's not the truth? How do YOU know (I'm not pointing at one person here) what you are saying is the truth? That is all Getlo is ever trying to ask you guys......if you are going to dispute what we say - and we list our sources why can't you list yours for disputing?

[presley31]

good points everyone.

[Getlo]

Have a great day.....:!:

I will, thanks memphis77! (y):lol:

Oh, and I defy you to find one single post where I have "attacked" anyone first like you just did. I merely respond when people ark up at me ... first.

[poormansgold]

Well went you work for King Of Rock And Roll, It's more job it's one is 24 hrs and 7 days around clock and you do you was told do his way, liked Sonny West say how you can help one from themself, you can't, I know from fact.
Tom

[ksimms2]

Well went you work for King Of Rock And Roll, It's more job it's one is 24 hrs and 7 days around clock and you do you was told do his way, liked Sonny West say how you can help one from themself, you can't, I know from fact.
Tom

absolutely right Tom!

[elvis himselvis]

Of course it is!

So long as it's the truth. Even if it turned out that Elvis liked to get his jollies by kicking puppies and kittens to death, then it should be out there.

For too long, EPE and Graceland have provided only a sanitised version of Elvis' life, rarely if ever touching on the negatives.

I think, overall, the good outweighs the bad in Elvis' life and his behaviour. But the negatives are just as important as the positives, and just as relevant.

There are fans out ther who believe that everything written by the MM is just lies and fabrications. These fans are fooling themselves.

The vast majority of the info from the MM is true, whether fans like to believe it or not. The method of delivery (ie tell-all books, TV shows etc) may not be everyone's cup of tea though.

Man,did he really liked to kick little puppies and kittens to dead?:mad:
Never knew that,can you tell me some more about this???

[Getlo]

Well went you work for King Of Rock And Roll, It's more job it's one is 24 hrs and 7 days

Yes, it wasn't a job ... it was a lifestyle.

[ksimms2]

Man,did he really liked to kick little puppies and kittens to dead?:mad:
Never knew that,can you tell me some more about this???

no it's not true, Getlo was just making a point about us wanting the truth, no matter how bad it might be....;)

[Getlo]

Man,did he really liked to kick little puppies and kittens to dead?:mad:
Never knew that,can you tell me some more about this???

You're joking ... right? ;)

[Diane]

Lol, no I don't think it's a joke. It just goes to show how we all misread each other's posts at times.:lol:

Diane

[poormansgold]

Yes, it wasn't a job ... it was a lifestyle.

Yup, It's Still Job To them what is change is they not getting pay by EPE.
Few Them did good after Elvis death , Red West, he was in TV Series about WW2 Planes and in few movies .
know what who is making money of Elvis, himself . The Name Elvis alone is money maker since 1954
We can go on about this next 50 years and the my awnser will be same as now
The job is part of Job, If You work for McD, That Lifestyle is same, you have to work 4 times harder for it.
Tom

[marijaep]

Lol, no I don't think it's a joke. It just goes to show how we all misread each other's posts at times.:lol:

Diane

lol, well that happens to everyone sometimes :lmfao:

I like the Getlo's example though lol :lol:

[cameron]

It all can be found on the Net. But, nobody talks about that ...
I doubt there's few that could handle all he had to. Not only from so called friends, but even his doctor....They all used him. :sad:


August 1970 paternity suit filed against Elvis

Late 1971.....Cilla takes Lisa & leaves Elvis.....
July 1972 Cilla & Elvis files for a divorce
Oct.1973 EP & Cilla divorced

in an October 1974 lawsuit Edward L. Ashley was claiming that on Monday May 20th 1974 he was beaten by Elvis's Bodyguards' Sonny' West, David Stanley, and Dick Grob, outside of Elvis's penthouse suite at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. He claimed he had been invited to an after show party (paying $60) but was refused addmitance. He had a $6.3 million lawsuit filed against the Hotel & Elvis-claiming they were insane!

February 5, 1975 - Vernon Presley suffers a major heart attack and is admitted to the same hospital as his son.

money problems that, in 1976, prompted his father to succumb to a scam involving the leasing of the singer's jet--a scam that soon came to the attention of the Bureau. Moreover, this scam allegedly was only a small part of a multimillion-dollar mob operation that was threatened when it became ``likely that Elvis and Vernon Presley...would be required to give testimony at [an] eventual trial.'

In 1976 : Joe Esposito & Dr Nick had borrowed money to build racquetball courts . They used Elvis' name to put on them.
Attorney fees & court fees again to stop it.
http://jordans-elvis-world.com/audio/red/redphone.htm

March 4, 1977 - With over 30 people in tow, Elvis heads to Hawaii. The trip is cut short after a week when Vernon suffers a heart attack.

http://www.preslaw.net/index.html

[ksimms2]

It all can be found on the Net. But, nobody talks about that ...
I doubt there's few that could handle all he had to. Not only from so called friends, but even his doctor....They all used him. :sad:


August 1970 paternity suit filed against Elvis

Late 1971.....Cilla takes Lisa & leaves Elvis.....
July 1972 Cilla & Elvis files for a divorce
Oct.1973 EP & Cilla divorced

in an October 1974 lawsuit Edward L. Ashley was claiming that on Monday May 20th 1974 he was beaten by Elvis's Bodyguards' Sonny' West, David Stanley, and Dick Grob, outside of Elvis's penthouse suite at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. He claimed he had been invited to an after show party (paying $60) but was refused addmitance. He had a $6.3 million lawsuit filed against the Hotel & Elvis-claiming they were insane!

February 5, 1975 - Vernon Presley suffers a major heart attack and is admitted to the same hospital as his son.

money problems that, in 1976, prompted his father to succumb to a scam involving the leasing of the singer's jet--a scam that soon came to the attention of the Bureau. Moreover, this scam allegedly was only a small part of a multimillion-dollar mob operation that was threatened when it became ``likely that Elvis and Vernon Presley...would be required to give testimony at [an] eventual trial.'

In 1976 : Joe Esposito & Dr Nick had borrowed money to build racquetball courts . They used Elvis' name to put on them.
Attorney fees & court fees again to stop it.
http://jordans-elvis-world.com/audio/red/redphone.htm

March 4, 1977 - With over 30 people in tow, Elvis heads to Hawaii. The trip is cut short after a week when Vernon suffers a heart attack.

http://www.preslaw.net/index.html

I understand his stress, but he made it worse by taking so many pills that most times he was incoherent...by early 70's he was going downhill fast.....getting worse and worse. I just wish he could have realized and gotten some desperately needed help.

[ksimms2]

oh and p.s. this is all mentioned in "Revelations From The Memphis Mafia Book" so yes...it is mentioned....

[Getlo]

It all can be found on the Net. But, nobody talks about that ...

So, you're saying nobody has talked about the paternity suit ... Elvis' divorce ... the lawsuits caused by the bodyguards ... Vernon's heart attack ... the jet scam ... the racquetball fiasco ... and the truncated Hawaii vacation in '77?

I beg to differ. All of these things and more are discussed regularly here and on other forums, between fans, and can be found in most authoritative biographies.

And if you're saying these things aren't talked about by the general public ... why would they be?

And thank you for taking the time and effort to put references and sources with your claims! (y)

[elvis himselvis]

You're joking ... right? ;)

Sorry Getlo:blush:

but as Diane said,we all misread sometimes,and now it was my turn:P

I do agree with you Getlo,we must accept all the things Elvis did,and not deny the things he did but we rather not want to know!!!
He was who he was,and everybody has his own bad habbits...even Elvis.
And if you don't like his bad habbits,you have to stop being a fan,because you have to accept it.

[ksimms2]

yea, but knowing Elvis' faults, I'm pretty sure we all still love him greatly and are still fans of course. I know that I do....it's very frustrating seeing all the pain he was in, the problems he was having and not seeing anything done about it.......the whole "what if...."

[presley31]

Sorry Getlo:blush:

but as Diane said,we all misread sometimes,and now it was my turn:P

I do agree with you Getlo,we must accept all the things Elvis did,and not deny the things he did but we rather not want to know!!!
He was who he was,and everybody has his own bad habbits...even Elvis.
And if you don't like his bad habbits,you have to stop being a fan,because you have to accept it.

l agree, elvis did have faults and so did the mm but l suppose we can't judge cause weren't there to see what really happend back than:hmm:I do wish someone could of saved elvis though, but l can't keep hating the mm either cause that won't being elvis back.

[Diane]

I can't say I hate the MM, I don't hate anyone and I do agree that some did love Elvis but weren't the best friends he could have had...even though Elvis chose them himself...we also get to be friends with people who aren't the best influence on us either. But he had to have them for his own emotional support. Most were "from home" and others he just clicked with and so the rest is history....I would have done the same thing, just not have them live in my house on top of my family.

Diane

[ksimms2]

I can't say I hate the MM, I don't hate anyone and I do agree that some did love Elvis but weren't the best friends he could have had...even though Elvis chose them himself...we also get to be friends with people who aren't the best influence on us either. But he had to have them for his own emotional support. Most were "from home" and others he just clicked with and so the rest is history....I would have done the same thing, just not have them live in my house on top of my family.

Diane

that's the biggest thing I don't understand Diane. Having them live with him pretty much 24/7. I don't understand why he'd rather have grown men as companions instead of his wife or girlfriend or whatever....sort of strange to me....was it for emotional support? Missy - can Billy answer this question? What was the reason Elvis had to have the MM around 24/7 for? Why didn't he want that job to be his wife's or his girlfriend at the time or whatever......if he really craved his peace and quiet.....why all the people around? Kind of confusing....:hmm:

[poormansgold]

l agree, elvis did have faults and so did the mm but l suppose we can't judge cause weren't there to see what really happend back than:hmm:I do wish someone could of saved elvis though, but l can't keep hating the mm either cause that won't being elvis back.

You are right on this, we need stop blame on MM for everything going wrong
for Elvis ,with his bad habits and what state in mind he is that time. he made bad choces on his own way, I see things drugs did to person, few my cousins and my famly it's drinking , I got lucky, I didn't that jeans , I got Something is little better, I had A stroke at brith, my speech is not good, because of the stroke.
I'm not go into my life story have someone say it's a lie. So I'm Stop here
Tom

[Getlo]

l suppose we can't judge (the MM) cause weren't there to see what really happend back than

-- Wha-- ???

[presley31]

-- Wha-- ???

sorry gelto l thought l did ok that time, guess not.

[ksimms2]

sorry gelto l thought l did ok that time, guess not.

you did good Jen!! (y)

[ksimms2]

-- Wha-- ???

Getlo, she is saying, we can't judge MM because "we" weren't there to see what happened back then.......did you misunderstand?

[presley31]

you did good Jen!! (y)

Thanks kelly,:hug:

[Getlo]

Getlo, she is saying, we can't judge MM because "we" weren't there to see what happened back then.......did you misunderstand?

Yeah, I understood that comment perfectly ...

... I just couldn't believe presley31 was the one saying it! :lmfao:

[presley31]

Yeah, I understood that comment perfectly ...

... I just couldn't believe presley31 was the one saying it! :lmfao:

We all make mistakes, why would the MM would any differen't, l bet they wish sometimes they could of done different when it come to elvis, but you can't turn back time and make it alright. I may not like some of the things that happend, but theres no sense putting blame in peope that were there and saw things l never did, so like many have said give them a break and thats what l intend to do.

[Diane]

Kelly, I will never understand why Elvis had to have the MM around all the time in his house and then the last few years when it seemed to bother him that he closeted himself in his room for peace and quiet....it doesn't add up does it?

Diane

[TurnpikeTaylor]

I think Elvis had the MM around partly through his lack of confidence when dealing with the outside world, so he created his own little world inside the gates of Graceland.

And he closeted himself away in his last years because of the drugs, and because of the pressure of being "Elvis".

[MissyM]

Thanks for posting that Presley31, it made me smile!

Diane,
Let me try to shed some light here. Elvis was a people person. All his life he had people doting on him and spoiling him. It wasn't what I consider his fault, it just was. He still remained somewhat childlike because of that. I call it forever young. But he also didn't really know how to do for himself because of this as well.
Everyone in this world deserves companionship. Everyone deserves to feel loved. Why do people think those friends would be so easy to replace? We may see them as untrustable but Elvis did not (although he had the tendency to mistrust at times) But he knew what he was getting with them. Elvis was grasping for security in his life.
But towards the end he was more reclusive yes. Wanted more time to himself. This is because he was introspective and wanted to spend time in his spiritual search. He was tired, and worn from the world, solitude brought him peace at times too.
But he still loved to be around people and have fun. Why do you think he wanted to play racketball the night he died. He just wanted to have fun.
The MM weather you want to admit it stood the test of time with him. Through thick and thin, fights and firing, they went through it all with him. How would he, could he let someone in and not know if they wanted a job to spy, on him or just to say they worked for him??? If you understand Elvis at all you will understand that that kind of change, at that point in his life would have been impossible.

[Diane]

I do agree with you MissyM about Elvis being a people person and being doted on while growing up, never fully having had the chance to mature emotionally, he did need those friends around - that I understand. I don't understand it in my point of view is all.

But I do wonder whether it wasn't just the drugs that made him stay in his room much of the time later on and not also that he was tired of the fast life with his friends. As we know, it wasn't easy for him to tell anyone to go away...he did that several times but asked them to come back.

There was no way he could have known whether someone wanted to get in the inner circle for reasons of spying or being known to have worked for him. He couldn't even know that for certain about his long-time friends. It was said that Joe and Lamar spied on him for the colonel and very possibly, actually very probable, some of the short-term people he had went on to brag about having worked for him. Everyone since he died, long and short-term have done that for sure.

I don't know if it was possible for him for make a big change at the end but I do believe he was seriously thinking about it. It would have been very very hard for him if not impossible for him as you said to have been able to pull it off.

Diane

[ksimms2]

Diane, at the end, he was more strung out on drugs, he became more paranoid because of them, I think that's why he closeted himself away in his room so much. What a sad, sad ending to such a beautiful person.....too bad he didn't realize his worth while he was still alive.....do you think that would have made a difference?

[Diane]

That is the most likely explanation I admit but we all like to speculate instead of taking everything we read from the MM as gospel don't we? It's that "what if" thing.

Yes I do agree that maybe just maybe though that if he had had any real inkling of what his worth was, not just as a performer but as a person too, it might have made a difference.

Diane

[MissyM]

I agree that this once young man, who's only hearts desire was to sing and play, to enjoy it himself and give that pleasure to others, found it came with such a huge price. I don't think he ever meant for it to get the way it did. When he was poor it was hard on his mom, I think that motived him a lot to make money. Seems like everything that originally motivated him ended up gone or twisted.
I've told this story before. The men would be sitting around playing guitar and singing after dinner on the porch. Well, you couldn't do it without Elvis running to get his to sit and learn. They had to teach him because if not he'd have bugged the heck out of them-so they did. No one thought anything of it at the time.
I think of the innocence of it all, in those stories and then think of the end. Then I just shake my head.

[Diane]

I think you're absolutely right MissyM and it is so sad the way his life turned out for him. He went into the whole deal so innocently with the intention of taking good care of his parents and it all got away from him. He had no background in the lifestyle to turn to for help and he was a pioneer from whom all others that came after to learn from his mistakes (or should have).

Diane

[poormansgold]

I'm most misunderstand person, because who Iam

[KPM]

People tire- the well can only be gone to so many times before its dry, even Elvis.

[Diane]

I think you're right KPM. He did need that challenge that he never got for a refreshment.

Diane

[BrianK]

Elvis took some of the MM and his grandmother with him when he joined the Army & went to Germany. I think that shows a certain insecurity on Elvis' part!

[ksimms2]

People tire- the well can only be gone to so many times before its dry, even Elvis.

you know, I'm still reading (I know..roll your eyes....) but man...Elvis was very insecure and his feelings got hurt very easily. There are a couple of references from Billy and Jo Smith about people who have hurt his feelings and he'd just break down and cry.....how sad......this man....who seemingly has it all....can be hurt by one cross word. It is so sad reading that......:'(

[cameron]

To be on an Elvis site and talk about him in such a way is pretty unbelievable.

Of course ,everyone was there & knows all these wild tales really happened . What a sad day for Elvis .

As Lisa sings ; "Nobody Noticed."
It seems nobody cares either.

One can believe what is said ; but, proving it is another matter.
No wonder those *****s keep writing books....& some
swallow it, hook, line & sinker & think they're having "an intelligent conversation." .:(

[Getlo]

To be on an Elvis site and talk about him in such a way is pretty unbelievable.

In what way is that exactly? If you want a forum where all they talk about is how cute Elvis was, go to Topix!


No wonder those *****s keep writing books....& some swallow it, hook, line & sinker & think they're having "an intelligent conversation." .:(

Well, if you don't like it, don't bother posting at all or go to another forum. Simple really.

The fact that - even though we all differ from time to times, and sometimes very heatedly - we can talk about all sorts of aspects to Elvis' life on here, means this is easily the most dynamic and interesting Elvis forum.

No one on here runs down Elvis. If they did, they wouldn't last long. It's just that most of us on here (most, but not all!) can discuss things rationally and without elevating Elvis to the status of God.

If you don't like this particular intelligent conversation, instead of running it and us down ... do not respond.

[Merry]

To be on an Elvis site and talk about him in such a way is pretty unbelievable.

Of course ,everyone was there & knows all these wild tales really happened . What a sad day for Elvis .

As Lisa sings ; "Nobody Noticed."
It seems nobody cares either.

One can believe what is said ; but, proving it is another matter.
No wonder those *****s keep writing books....& some
swallow it, hook, line & sinker & think they're having "an intelligent conversation." .:(




I care Cameron, I care.

You know, I agree with all you say. As if the MM books are proven correct! :angry: People need to THINK!

You are a good person, you phrase things well, I hope you stick around.

Take care,
Kim

[Getlo]

As if the MM books are proven correct! :angry:

And as if they are proven to be total lies! ;)

There is more truth to the claims made by the MM and others. But many fans refuse to admit it.

[Merry]

And as if they are proven to be total lies! ;)

There is more truth to the claims made by the MM and others. But many fans refuse to admit it.


Your source?

[Getlo]

Your source?


My own assessments, having actually taken the time to read the book/s and read the interviews ... unlike some fans.

[Merry]

My own assessments, having actually taken the time to read the book/s and read the interviews ... unlike some fans.


I don't know to whom you are referring; however, if you are talking about me, (or others) what is your source?

How do you know the books and interviews are accurate? What is your source?

I've had enough, let's just ignore, huh!

[Stryx]

I don't know to whom you are referring; however, if you are talking about me, (or others) what is your source?

How do you know the books and interviews are accurate? What is your source?

I've had enough, let's just ignore, huh!


Well since they are from people who knew Elvis there is a good chance they are accurate.

Besides if your so naive to ask for proof about them it's not worth an intelligent and informed Elvis fan like Getlo wasting his time on you.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Elvis did choose the MM as his friends, he knew them better than we ever will! I don't think for one minute he would be happy with the way things have played out over the years :supriced:

However the book "Elvis What Happened" was written when Elvis was alive, they had no way of knowing how long Elvis would live and would have been fearful of making libellous comments? What was written in that book has proved to be true and backed up by many SOURCES, the book was sensational at the time but pails compared to the revelations that have come out since.......

I'm pretty sure that EWH would have been a totally different book had Elvis died before its release :hmm:

The MM have over the years probably released a lot of information about Elvis that some are not able to believe, this is now being backed up by Priscilla!! Some of the revelations made by Priscilla are far worse than some of the tails revealed by the MM but good old Priscilla seems to be spared the rod so to speak by certain elements of the Elvis fandom.

I have heard several comments about the MM (some shocking and uncorroborated) I get the feeling that certain posters have already made a conclusion without having read any of the material that the MM have released?

These guys will always court controversy, there will always be two sides to the story, unfortunately in my experience if your sexual organs are on the outside (as with the MM) you will be pilloried in the Elvis World

[Merry]

Well since they are from people who knew Elvis there is a good chance they are accurate.

Besides if your so naive to ask for proof about them it's not worth an intelligent and informed Elvis fan like Getlo wasting his time on you.




This is a place for fans, not for people who like to be insulting to other fans, as you are doing, now.

What are you implying? Are you implying I am unintelligent? (I'm not into informed or uninformed, lol). :lmfao: :lmfao:

Getlo is the one that asks for proof from people constantly, so I'm doing the same, or it is different rules for him, because he is a friend of yours, or you want to be friends? Pretty obvious from your reaction.

Moderators, Getlo has told a new poster (Cameron) that they shouldn't post here, if they don't like what is said, (how welcoming :mad:) now Stryx is imsulting by implication, after I said I know some friends of Elvis', which was in the context, of trying to explain something, no other context.

Jumpsuit Junkie?

Kim

[jak]

"However the book "Elvis What Happened" was written when Elvis was alive, they had no way of knowing how long Elvis would live and would have been fearful of making libellous comments? What was written in that book has proved to be true and backed up by many SOURCES, the book was sensational at the time but pails compared to the revelations that have come out since......."

I brought this point up many times on here.I think some fans do forget that book came out while Elvis was alive.Please dont forget Elvis tried to bribe them not to publish it.Not the actions of an innocent man so to speak.Obviously they would not have fabricated the stories while Elvis was around to defend himself and take legal action.If that doesnt validate that particular book,then I dont know what does.The simple truth is that no matter what anybody thinks of the MM,their depictions of life on the inside with Elvis are true.What gets people upset is that they strip away the glossy facade that always surrounded Elvis.It's hard to accept that somebody like Elvis ended up the way he did.So they just "shoot the messenger".
Jak

[Merry]

I have heard several comments about the MM (some shocking and uncorroborated) I get the feeling that certain posters have already made a conclusion without having read any of the material that the MM have released?

These guys will always court controversy, there will always be two sides to the story, unfortunately in my experience if your sexual organs are on the outside (as with the MM) you will be pilloried in the Elvis World


Yes, JJ, and as you know, some know people personally, who were there for many occasions, and their version of events, was different to what the MM claim. For instance, Sonny wasn't in the room, for one story, the Cough Mixture Story, for one.

You know, I had it out with Lacker, with help from a friend of Elvis' (who was anonymous) publicly on AEK. You know, Lacker had no answer to a lot of the things that were said re honesty, lieing, etc.

Well, I've had enough, this place is down the gurgler. I won't be insulted.

Kim

[ksimms2]

"However the book "Elvis What Happened" was written when Elvis was alive, they had no way of knowing how long Elvis would live and would have been fearful of making libellous comments? What was written in that book has proved to be true and backed up by many SOURCES, the book was sensational at the time but pails compared to the revelations that have come out since......."

I brought this point up many times on here.I think some fans do forget that book came out while Elvis was alive.Please dont forget Elvis tried to bribe them not to publish it.Not the actions of an innocent man so to speak.Obviously they would not have fabricated the stories while Elvis was around to defend himself and take legal action.If that doesnt validate that particular book,then I dont know what does.The simple truth is that no matter what anybody thinks of the MM,their depictions of life on the inside with Elvis are true.What gets people upset is that they strip away the glossy facade that always surrounded Elvis.It's hard to accept that somebody like Elvis up the way he did.So they just "shoot the messenger".
Jak

very well said! (y)

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Yes, JJ, and as you know, some know people personally, who were there for many occasions, and their version of events, was different to what the MM claim. For instance, Sonny wasn't in the room, for one story, the Cough Mixture Story, for one.

You know, I had it out with Lacker, with help from a friend of Elvis' (who was anonymous) publicly on AEK. You know, Lacker had no answer to a lot of the things that were said re honesty, lieing, etc.

Well, I've had enough, this place is down the gurgler. I won't be insulted.

Kim

Kim, I am not directly aiming at your comments, I'm sure that you know people and they may have been in certain situations and that can be corroborated, However, there are many comments made about the MM that seem to been aimed as an all inclusive, the guys seem to be lumped together and stoned for the lifestyle they ALL lived together including ELVIS.

There are those from the MM who have not lived a wholesome lifestyle and deserve all the derision they get, my point is there are many fans that make uninformed decisions without doing any background work, they simply follow what others have said without any basis in fact! I don't want to sound like a sexist, because I am far from it, but the majority of guilty people who have this polarised view is females (apologies to those who are subjective) they see Elvis as some sort of demi god who has few faults and all those nasty MM lead Elvis astray and committed the most horrendous crimes known to man! I'm sorry but these guys receive the thin end of the wedge in many cases, many of these stories have gathered mythic status and have been added too by Chinese whispers. Give them and Elvis a break!

[jak]

"I don't want to sound like a sexist, because I am far from it, but the majority of guilty people who have this polarised view is females (apologies to those who are subjective) they see Elvis as some sort of demi god who has few faults and all those nasty MM lead Elvis astray and committed the most horrendous crimes known to man!"

Comment of the year.People have always said Elvis had this quality that made women want to mother and protect him.Im not trying to offend anyone either but I have always been amazed how so many female fans fit this profile.Elvis was the poor innocent babe surrounded by evil devils like the MM,Priscilla and the Col.Elvis played no part in anything and should be excused from any guilt because the poor guy had so many problems.It's always been that way.I would say 90% of the people like that are women.You made an excellent obervation.Just dont brand me a male chauvanist for my comments.
Jak

[ReGina_89]

I agree with you Jak... Elvis was the one that intoduced the drugs... he was the one that put the no wives and babies on tour rule... he is also the one that picked the lifestyle... he was a full grown man that made choices in life and others should NOT be blamed for the results of his choices... he also picked his friends to be around him like that.. he closed his world and nobody else did

[Stryx]

Yes, JJ, and as you know, some know people personally, who were there for many occasions, and their version of events, was different to what the MM claim. For instance, Sonny wasn't in the room, for one story, the Cough Mixture Story, for one.

You know, I had it out with Lacker, with help from a friend of Elvis' (who was anonymous) publicly on AEK. You know, Lacker had no answer to a lot of the things that were said re honesty, lieing, etc.

Well, I've had enough, this place is down the gurgler. I won't be insulted.

Kim

Someone who remains anonymous is not worth their salt. For what you say about Lacker he was best man at Elvis's wedding chosen before Esposito was made co-bestman.

Your anonymous friend is not worth quoting as they are too spineless to publicy defend Elvis if that is what you are saying that they are defending him against malicious rumours.

[Merry]

Someone who remains anonymous is not worth their salt. For what you say about Lacker he was best man at Elvis's wedding chosen before Esposito was made co-bestman.

Your anonymous friend is not worth quoting as they are too spineless to publicy defend Elvis if that is what you are saying that they are defending him against malicious rumours.


Perhaps if you stop calling people names, others may have more respect for you.

1. There are a very few nasty fans around, who say horrible things about others, so through experience, they can't be bothered being in that position anymore, as they have been in that position. It is a great loss, that the few have ruined it, for the many. These people were available for questions, buy why bother with the attitudes that are around by the few?

2. The Elvis World is so political, because some people hold grudges still, and/or don't want their stories discredited, or are justifying, so they lash out, nastily. Some of these people make it very unpleasant for others, because of these motives.

3. Yeah, Lacker was Best Man. Co-Best Man. He wasn't around as much as he says, either.

[Merry]

"However the book "Elvis What Happened" was written when Elvis was alive, they had no way of knowing how long Elvis would live and would have been fearful of making libellous comments? What was written in that book has proved to be true and backed up by many SOURCES, the book was sensational at the time but pails compared to the revelations that have come out since......."

I brought this point up many times on here.I think some fans do forget that book came out while Elvis was alive.Please dont forget Elvis tried to bribe them not to publish it.Not the actions of an innocent man so to speak.Obviously they would not have fabricated the stories while Elvis was around to defend himself and take legal action.If that doesnt validate that particular book,then I dont know what does.The simple truth is that no matter what anybody thinks of the MM,their depictions of life on the inside with Elvis are true.What gets people upset is that they strip away the glossy facade that always surrounded Elvis.It's hard to accept that somebody like Elvis ended up the way he did.So they just "shoot the messenger".
Jak


Twisted true, (taking some facts and adding their perception onto it) and betraying their friendship, for money.

Great friends, huh! (This is getting boring, going over the same things).

[Merry]

I agree with you Jak... Elvis was the one that intoduced the drugs... he was the one that put the no wives and babies on tour rule... he is also the one that picked the lifestyle... he was a full grown man that made choices in life and others should NOT be blamed for the results of his choices... he also picked his friends to be around him like that.. he closed his world and nobody else did


Whoaa, lol.

Yes, Elvis took drugs, he was addicted, yes. Yes he picked his friends, but they betrayed him. Would your friends share your life history? Would they be your friends, still?

I'm speaking broadly, saying "they". I'm not referring to all.

[Merry]

"I don't want to sound like a sexist, because I am far from it, but the majority of guilty people who have this polarised view is females (apologies to those who are subjective) they see Elvis as some sort of demi god who has few faults and all those nasty MM lead Elvis astray and committed the most horrendous crimes known to man!"

Comment of the year.People have always said Elvis had this quality that made women want to mother and protect him.Im not trying to offend anyone either but I have always been amazed how so many female fans fit this profile.Elvis was the poor innocent babe surrounded by evil devils like the MM,Priscilla and the Col.Elvis played no part in anything and should be excused from any guilt because the poor guy had so many problems.It's always been that way.I would say 90% of the people like that are women.You made an excellent obervation.Just dont brand me a male chauvanist for my comments.
Jak


Huh, huh. Elvis made mistakes, like all of us.

I have observed that a lot of men are jealous of Elvis, and the attention he receives.

The "Evil Devils" liked to party, they liked Elvis with the partying. When he tried to share his thoughts on religion, no-one liked that, now, did they?

[ReGina_89]

Whoaa, lol.

Yes, Elvis took drugs, he was addicted, yes. Yes he picked his friends, but they betrayed him. Would your friends share your life history? Would they be your friends, still?

I'm speaking broadly, saying "they". I'm not referring to all.

Jess,

I agree with you but i was answering Jak that some of the female fans do acknowledge that Elvis also wasnt an innocent angel in all of this....
Many members of the MM picked the easy way in their life with Elvis they went with the flow and by doing that all what happened to them was totally by their choosing...
When they wrote that book they betrayed his trust in them ( even if what was in the book was true) they broke the code of honor between friends..

[Merry]

Kim, I am not directly aiming at your comments, I'm sure that you know people and they may have been in certain situations and that can be corroborated, However, there are many comments made about the MM that seem to been aimed as an all inclusive, the guys seem to be lumped together and stoned for the lifestyle they ALL lived together including ELVIS.

There are those from the MM who have not lived a wholesome lifestyle and deserve all the derision they get, my point is there are many fans that make uninformed decisions without doing any background work, they simply follow what others have said without any basis in fact! I don't want to sound like a sexist, because I am far from it, but the majority of guilty people who have this polarised view is females (apologies to those who are subjective) they see Elvis as some sort of demi god who has few faults and all those nasty MM lead Elvis astray and committed the most horrendous crimes known to man! I'm sorry but these guys receive the thin end of the wedge in many cases, many of these stories have gathered mythic status and have been added too by Chinese whispers. Give them and Elvis a break!


JJ, when these subjects came up, as we've chatted about, I would ask, then post the other side of the story.

Some people don't want to hear the whole story, they want to hear the dirt, only. It is like they have their fingers in their ears, because they've read some books, and taken that point of view, blindly. I've been howled down, insulted by people who like to boost their egos, rubbing themselves on the back, calling themselves knowledgable "Elvis Experts". :doh:

You know, these stories, the books written, are edited by people who write for a living, when told. I'm just an Aussie mum, who happens to have fallen into the fringes of the Elvis World, who was contacted out of the blue by some friend/s of Elvis'. I only want to do what is right, after things were explained to me. I was horrified at the first story I was told, how it had been twisted. Shocked, angered, felt impotent, grrrr!

I've never said, or pretended to know anything, I just repeat what I've been filled in with. I've been filled in, with a lot.

I would also like to add that so many things that KPM has posted, have been ignored (including a great post re the Drug addiction, from ages ago, a year?). KPM expresses himself so much better than I.

We seem to go around in circles, harping on the same subjects.

Kim

[Merry]

Jess,

I agree with you but i was answering Jak that some of the female fans do acknowledge that Elvis also wasnt an innocent angel in all of this....
Many members of the MM picked the easy way in their life with Elvis they went with the flow and by doing that all what happened to them was totally by their choosing...
When they wrote that book they betrayed his trust in them ( even if what was in the book was true) they broke the code of honor between friends..


Yes, sorry, Regina, if I took you the wrong way, I'm a bit upset, I don't like the name calling towards me, that has happened.

Kim

[jak]

Huh, huh. Elvis made mistakes, like all of us.

I have observed that a lot of men are jealous of Elvis, and the attention he receives.

The "Evil Devils" liked to party, they liked Elvis with the partying. When he tried to share his thoughts on religion, no-one liked that, now, did they?

That's your response?I dont know the extent to which people were turned off by Elvis' religous musings.Im not sure how that fits into this discussion either.If Im not mistaken Elvis personally attempted faith healing and moved clouds in the sky or at least tried.That may have been enough to convince people it was not wise to encourage him.Didnt your response to my comment validate the point of how some female fans have a one sided view?You attack the MM again and bring up something that had nothing to do with my comment like Elvis' religous beliefs and how nobody would listen.
Jak

[ksimms2]

If Im not mistaken Elvis personally attempted faith healing and moved clouds in the sky or at least tried.That may have been enough to convince people it was not wise to encourage him.

yes JAK you are correct in this.

[Burning_Love]

You can argue and argue and argue : Fact is, Elvis chose them as his friends. He liked them, he needed them there, so he had them there. On his own account.

Danielle.

[ksimms2]

You can argue and argue and argue : Fact is, Elvis chose them as his friends. He liked them, he needed them there, so he had them there. On his own account.

Danielle.

you are wise beyond your young years Danielle, very well said and you certainly summed it up nicely.....(y)

[Getlo]

Well since they are from people who knew Elvis there is a good chance they are accurate.

Yep!! Exactly.

[Getlo]

I have heard several comments about the MM (some shocking and uncorroborated) I get the feeling that certain posters have already made a conclusion without having read any of the material that the MM have released?
These guys will always court controversy, there will always be two sides to the story, unfortunately in my experience if your sexual organs are on the outside (as with the MM) you will be pilloried in the Elvis World

Nicely put. And thanks for the sexual organ imagery! ;)

I also wonder how many of the people condemning the MM to hell have actually read their books, or taken the time to read / listen to their interviews.

"Walk a mile" for Elvis - "Won't even put my shoes on" for anyone else.

[Getlo]

Moderators, Getlo has told a new poster (Cameron) that they shouldn't post here, if they don't like what is said, (how welcoming :mad:)

Cameron is no new poster! :blush: He knows the rules.

And yes, if he's going to come out with an attack saying he "can't believe" how we "treat" Elvis on here, then yes ... I'll tell him not to post if he doesn't like what others say.

I think we treat Elvis very well here on the forum! (y)

[cameron]

My own assessments, having actually taken the time to read the book/s and read the interviews ... unlike some fans.

I've read all the books written about Elvis.
I just went further ,instead of believing all that was in print.

As to assessments : why should yours be any better than mine?
IF I talked about you in the same way you talk about Elvis, I'm sure you might find cause to disagree.

There was nothing God -like about Elvis. He was just a man.
A nice man to most. Unlike others I've met.

As to his religious searching; it might help if we all did the same.
Read the Bible; in there you will find many references to amazing occurances,. Of course, one might not choose to believe that either .;)

[Getlo]

I think some fans do forget that book came out while Elvis was alive.Please dont forget Elvis tried to bribe them not to publish it.Not the actions of an innocent man so to speak.Obviously they would not have fabricated the stories while Elvis was around to defend himself and take legal action.If that doesnt validate that particular book,then I dont know what does.

Well said.

I think it's possibly the way it was all said (ie tell-all book) rather than what was actually divulged than gets some fans.

And yes, many fans forget it was written while Elvis still walked among us. The potential for a libel suit if any of it was intrinsically untrue is mindboggling.

[Getlo]

There are those from the MM who have not lived a wholesome lifestyle and deserve all the derision they get, my point is there are many fans that make uninformed decisions without doing any background work, they simply follow what others have said without any basis in fact!

Precisely.


I don't want to sound like a sexist, because I am far from it, but the majority of guilty people who have this polarised view is females

Mate, would you like a glass of wine with that can of worms? :lmfao:

[ksimms2]

Nicely put. And thanks for the sexual organ imagery! ;)

I also wonder how many of the people condemning the MM to hell have actually read their books, or taken the time to read / listen to their interviews.

"Walk a mile" for Elvis - "Won't even put my shoes on" for anyone else.

Getlo, I'm down to the last chapter or so on the "Revelations" book....man....what a sad decline to a beautiful life.....and it could have been prevented. Do you remember when Billy talks about Elvis passing out in his bathroom because of his sleeping pills and he'd find him and have to literally drag him back to bed? I just wonder now - if that is what actually killed him? him passing out like that and this time falling face first into that thick carpet and he just smothered? Is that far off thinking?

Either way....it's all so sad.

[Burning_Love]

Thank you Kelly, i had to say it :D