Part 2 from Alanna's revealing interview

[presley31]

The Interview (Part 2)
read Part 1 of Alanna's revealing interview


From "Baby, Let's Play House The Women Who Loved Elvis"

Regis had a crush on Elvis, who she considered "a gentle soul, but all boy - he kind of had this swagger to him." She used to see him playing football in the Triangle, the grassy open field at the complex. But she'd never spoken to him, and never thought he'd paid any attention to her - he seemed too interested in Betty or Billie.

EIN: Gladys, Priscilla, Linda, Ginger. All four women were pivotal in Elvis’ life. How would you characterise the role and function of each woman in Elvis’ life?

AN: Gladys is the Rosetta Stone of the entire Elvis story. Once you really understand the enormity of their bond at the beginning—with baby Jessie at the centre of it—and the psychological ramifications of her tragic passing, absolutely all of Elvis’s behaviour falls into place. You talk about “Caught in a Trap.”

He was caught in two traps, of course…one of the Colonel’s making, which was impossible to escape, and then a psychological one with his mother, which was equally impossible to get out of. I feel so sorry for him. So terribly, terribly sorry for him.

One kept him from realizing all he could be professionally, and the other prohibited him from being all he could be personally. It’s amazing he could be in such good humor most of the time, and that he could harness his talent for as long as he did, especially when you add in his physical problems. But I digress…

Priscilla…aside from the fact that she was a very mature and arresting teenager, she was the right person at the right time in the right place. She was a stand-in both for Gladys and for Jessie.


Elvis had an awful case of survivor guilt, having lived when Jessie did not, and because Priscilla was young, and Elvis got emotionally “stuck” at a young age because of his trauma, Priscilla did not seem so much like a child to him, but more of a peer. He could talk to her, and she was a good listener, and she could share secrets with him, too, that she couldn’t share with others. In fact, they were bound by trauma, because of events in her young life, as well.
One of their most intrinsic problems, however, is that eventually she grew up and out of the role he had put her in. He mentored her, yes, but he also made her over in an image that appealed to him, and that was a very complicated sexual puzzle. He needed a union, or maybe I should say “reunion,” with his mother and his twin, and at first she was the perfect melding of those people, a woman-child. Then he tried to make her into other images, as well, including the seductress, a la Tura Satana. She even had Tura’s piled-high hair.

You know, when you look back at Priscilla and the spot she was in, you have to think that her head must have spun. Honestly. I don’t know how she kept her sanity, because the rules were always changing, and what he wanted from her continued to change, too. But though it took a long time, she finally became Priscilla, her own person. She didn’t want to be his child or his mother—she wanted to be his wife, and she wanted a normal mate, which he could never be in a million years.

I gained a whole new understanding of Priscilla in my research. A lot of people find her cold and distant. I can see why they would say that. But if that’s true, she didn’t choose it. The circumstances of her life made her that way. As I said, I got no responses from my attempts to interview her, and I have never officially met her, though I saw her at Colonel Parker’s memorial service. I was surprised at how truly tiny she is. But I have a lot of sympathy for her, even as I also understand how hurt Elvis was that she left. I could hardly blame her, though. There are no winners in this story. Not really.

Of all the women, Linda came closest to taming him, I think. She’s a smart gal, and she figured out very quickly that she had to be not just girlfriend, lover, mother, and nurse, but that she had to sass him back to keep him interested. As both a beauty queen and a local girl who knew all the peculiarities that a southern man takes for granted and rolls up in a big ball of chivalry and chauvinism, she had a lot to offer him, and she could go toe to toe with him in a lot of ways.

But he didn’t show her the proper respect after awhile, and that led to their downfall. A woman can be humiliated just so many times. She said they missed their time, in that she was young, and he was not yet divorced when they met. But other than Ann-Margret, who has certainly stayed with an ill husband all these years, I can’t think of anyone who would have stuck with Elvis 24 hours a day like Linda did through his hospitalisations and his many close calls and his cheating.

We know now why he cheated, or rather his psychological need for female companionship round the clock, but even if she’d known that at the time, it wouldn’t have made it any easier for her. He was very short-sighted to let her go—or to put her in a position where she needed a shoulder to cry on, depending on whose story you chose to believe about their split.


Ginger. Well, like Priscilla, Ginger deserves more sympathy than she’s received, I think. Again, like Priscilla, she doesn’t seem very warm. But she also had her own family dynamic that could not have been easy, and let’s face it, she was quite young—just barely 20--when she met Elvis. He was twice her age, and then some, and they were in very different places in their lives in every way. There are a lot of really sad elements in that relationship. I believe she cared about him, but I don’t think she was truly in love with him.

I don’t think she was mature enough to know what that was, and I doubt that the wedding would have ever taken place. She was there because he gave her the rush—she did look amazingly like the young Gladys, even to the down-turned mouth—and because her mother promoted the relationship. He was not easy to be around much of the time in his last year. He was sick, and he was lonely, and he was often out of control and miserable for a variety of reasons.

And though she has not said this to my knowledge, I think he scared the holy heck out of her—trying to force her to stay at Graceland when she wanted to leave, shooting off a gun over her head and letting the air out of her tires—and she wanted to be with someone her own age who was healthy and whole. He wanted her to mother him, and she wasn’t ready to mother him. She was too tied to her own mother, and she was the baby at home, and that was her role.

She has said she tried to keep him from taking so much medication, and that she thought that down the line that he would curtail his usage even more. But the irony of all this is that if Ginger herself had not been overly medicated for menstrual cramps on August 16, 1977, Elvis might not have died that day. Was that her fault? I don’t think so. The nurse sent the medication to her on Elvis’s request, as I understand it. And he would have died soon anyway. He had too many factors working against him, including his inability or unwillingness to get healthy in his body and his mind.

EIN: Did your research clarify which of these women, all of whom played major, albeit different roles in Elvis’ life, was best for him?

AN: He changed so much from era to era that I think you have to look at it that way. In the early/mid-‘50s, June Juanico was perfect for him. She has such heart, and was really fun-loving, and he could blow off steam with her. Gladys adored her, and June had a lot of wonderful wifely qualities. In the late ‘50s, Anita Wood was awfully good for him. She held him to a certain level of conduct, and there was a tremendous amount of strong emotion between them. In the ‘60s, it has to be Ann-Margret, who really was the love of his life. In the ‘70s, certainly Linda, but Ann Pennington, who I interviewed, was also really good for him.

Interestingly, she, Susan Henning, and Barbara Leigh all had a child. He never met the children of Susan or Barbara, I don’t believe, but he did meet Ann’s little girl, and he was good with her—helped bathe her, and gave him a glimpse into normal family life. That might have turned into a stable, healthy relationship, with a stepsister for Lisa Marie. Ann is a cool woman. Elvis fans don’t know a lot about her, but she’s high on my list of favourites of all the women I interviewed. You know, almost all of these women were really engaging, thoughtful, sensitive, and NICE. Celeste Yarnall is another one. And Regis Vaughn, Elvis’s prom date. Show me a lovelier, more sincere, down-to-earth woman in the universe, and I’ll eat that whole book, cover to cover.

EIN: Which other women would you include as being very important to Elvis?

AN: I think Sheila Ryan was extremely important to him. She made him laugh, and she’s affectionate and true and embodies a lot of fine qualities. But she arrived in his life in the early ‘70s just as so many things were starting to go bad. And he was really in the grips of destruction then, with his health failing and his spirit fading. You would have had to be Herculean to have made it through that period with him. And, of course, there were a myriad of women then, and Linda Thompson was very much on the scene. Moreover, I find it fascinating that Sheila and Ann Pennington were there simultaneously, and became exceedingly good friends and still care about each other today. Now, those are remarkable women! Except that there really ought to be a support group for the ‘70s ladies. So many of them are still grieving for and about him.

When you talk about women who were “very important” to him, let’s not forget those women who weren’t strictly girlfriends. Reeca Smith was important to him, because she was one of the last, if not the last, of the 14-year old girls he chose to mentor and shape. He thought she could have a career as a model, and he wanted to see her grow up with a chance for that. He really extended himself to her. Gave her a car, even though she wasn’t old enough to drive, for example, and bought her nice clothes.

Now, he was 39 or so at the time, and her father was a little uneasy with the relationship overall, which is understandable. Reeca, too, was troubled by it once Elvis got really sick and she felt powerless to help him. But again, Elvis also just loved talking with her, because he was comfortable being around young people, and they didn’t demand much of him, and he could be a hero. He would have been very proud of Reeca. She’s been through a lot, and has come out of it spectacularly. And she’s a poised beauty with impeccable manners who can still fit into the coat he bought for her!

EIN: Elvis and Sophia Loren. Did your research uncover much about their meeting?

AN: It didn’t, no. I wrote to her, but heard nothing back. But my impression is that it was really only a brief meeting at the studio, and that they charmed each other, and then went on their way, after the moment was preserved for posterity.


EIN: Mary Ann Mobley mentions that she felt Elvis had a Madonna complex regarding Priscilla. Did anyone else mention this theme and has any of your earlier research on Elvis pointed to this issue?

AN: Yes, as he told Joyce Bova, once a woman has a child, he saw her differently. She was a mother. In fact, that meant she was too much of a literal stand-in for Gladys, and hence it felt taboo for him to be with that woman sexually again. But I was surprised at what my research showed up. We’ve all read for years that Elvis wasn’t interested in having relations with a woman who had born a child. But as I mentioned, Susan Henning, Barbara Leigh, and Ann Pennington each had a child, and these were all sexual relationships. I know because I pressed the point home with them, in an effort to clear up this myth. So it turns out that Elvis was able to move past that hang-up with these women.

I eventually came to the conclusion that Elvis was more turned off or frightened by the idea of having relations with a woman who had born his child, not just a child. This goes back to when he and his mother were alone for months when Vernon was incarcerated, and then for months after his release when he had to go out into the state or beyond to find work. But Priscilla has changed her story a little bit about their marital life after she found out she was pregnant. I quote her about that in the book. Linda, by the way, said that hang-up of his was something they discussed, and it didn’t make her eager to have his child. She feared he would leave her if she had a child with him. And he probably would have done just that.

EIN: It was interesting to read that Sheila Ryan was Elvis’ only “hippie” girlfriend. Please tell us about this.

AN: Sheila was a really pretty girl, with a very winning personality and a sensitive heart. She’d also been on the cover of “Playboy.” So naturally, he was attracted to her. But she wasn’t the kind of glamour girl he usually liked. She wore jeans with holes in them before that was fashionable, and she wore pants in general, not dresses. I think one thing that attracted him to her is that she was rather like Goldie Hawn, who he met while doing the ’68 special. He was a fan of hers from “Laugh-In,” and he liked that kind of zany, kooky personality with the chicken’s head haircut. Of course, both Sheila and Goldie are sharp women underneath all that.

EIN: Priscilla was known to be worried about Nancy Sinatra. How serious was Nancy’s relationship with Elvis?

AN: I don’t think it was a serious romance at all. He found her attractive and they had a playful relationship with a strong sexual undertow. But they were ill-suited for each other overall. Of course, there was that whole back-story of her father and the Colonel, and the fact that Elvis and Frank captivated the girls of their generations, and Elvis’s “Welcome Home” appearance on Frank’s TV special, and Nancy presenting him with the lace shirts when he returned from Germany.

Add in the Tommy Sands connection and just lots of other stuff that put them in the same room, so to speak (including Frank’s criticism of Elvis when he started out), and Elvis and Nancy were bound to be more than curious about each other. But, of course, she was one of his co-stars, and he did have a tendency to romance his co-stars, and they were paired together on screen just as he was learning that he was going to be a father. He had very mixed reactions to that news—Priscilla intimates in her book that Elvis said he would support her if she wanted to abort—and a flirtation was a natural reaction for a man as immature as Elvis.

EIN: A number of the Memphis Mafia have suggested Joyce Bova’s account of her relationship with Elvis is somewhat embellished to make out it was longer and deeper than it really was. What is your view on this suggestion?

AN: I had not read Joyce’s book before I began researching my own. \And I remember when I was writing the book with Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike, that Lamar also downplayed Joyce’s importance in Elvis’s life.

But Sonny West and Jerry Schilling know a little more about it, and Joe Esposito talked to me about it.

Also, it’s sort of funny, but Joyce got in touch with Joe to check me out before she agreed to speak with me. I have talked to Joyce a great deal now—we have become friends—and I am convinced that Elvis simply did not talk about her all that much to others, but that she was definitely an important presence in his life for a number of reasons.

First, she is a knockout with an absolutely captivating personality, and second, she is a twin.

He was very intrigued that she was a twin because of his desperate need to communicate with Jessie Garon, and his sense of not feeling “whole” because his twin had died.

So he wanted to be around both Joyce and her sister, Janice. It comforted him. It may have also titillated him, as in Germany, he liked to be around a set of dancers—the Orkowski twins—in one of the clubs.

You see them in those famous Rudolf Paulini photographs, as on the cover of the book Private Elvis.


Anyway, I found it fascinating that when Priscilla and Vernon ganged up on him, he got on a plane and went to find Joyce. That’s how he ended up seeing President Nixon. He went to Washington originally to find Joyce, not Nixon. He needed to escape his environment at home, where he felt pretty oppressed at the moment, and going to see a twin was, in a way, crawling back into the womb. Anyway, he couldn’t find Joyce, and then flew to L.A. and got Jerry Schilling and had him fly back to D.C. with him to help him track her down. On the plane, he got the idea to write the letter to Nixon. No, that relationship with Joyce went on for awhile. He wanted her to move to Graceland. He cared about her a lot.

EIN: In Baby, Let’s Play House, I was surprised to read Jo Smith saying Elvis did not pay much attention to Lisa Marie. Did anyone else confirm this?

AN: Billy Smith talked about it, as well. He said, “Lisa could be an irritating little girl, but I think she was just starved for his attention, really.” Check out pages 646-7 of the book we did together. The original edition is called “Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia,” but when the new edition came out, I argued for simply “Elvis and the Memphis Mafia,” which is what we wanted to call it to start with, and got overruled at the publishing house.

EIN: A number of the women you interviewed are well known celebrities but not so well known as part of the Elvis story, for instance singers Petula Clark, Tanya Tucker and the late Karen Carpenter. Please tell us about their relationships with Elvis.

AN: Well, I think the biggest name is Cher. I interviewed her about being in the audience at one of the Pan Pacific shows in 1957, and how that helped shape her destiny. And then I also talked with her about Elvis calling her for a weekend date after her divorce from Sonny. She was terrified, so she said no. She didn’t want her fantasy colliding with reality, because he’d been her hero. (I might also add that a lot of these big-name performers that we so admire aren’t always the most secure people in their private lives.) Often, they are just as shy and intimidated as the rest of us, and often more so! I also interviewed Tanya Tucker and Petula Clark, but the Karen Carpenter info comes directly from Petula, as Karen had already passed away.

These were not big relationships by any means. They were simply acquaintances. Petula had visited him backstage in Vegas twice, and the time she took Karen Carpenter with her, Elvis gave the signal for the guys to clear out, and as the conversation progressed, he flirted heavily with them and was “very seductive,” she said, and she got the clear idea that Elvis thought it might be fun to have a threesome. Petula told me she took Karen’s hand and got out of there, because, “I didn’t think that was a good idea, even though there was a bit of a spark there.”

Tanya’s story is funny, because she was so young and sassy. Her sister, LaCosta, told her Elvis was really checking her out when they went backstage in Vegas, and when he went to kiss her, she turned her face so he got her cheek, and he laughed because he wasn’t used to that. She was wild about him, but she had listened to her father’s advice and pretty much gave him the cold shoulder. Elvis kept tabs on her through Tony Brown, though. It’s a pretty cute story. She idolizes Elvis, and based much of her act on him in the early days. I’ve known Tanya for probably 20 years. She’s a ball of fire, and such a great pal to her women friends.

EIN: Baby, Let’s Play House also details how Elvis put women into one of two categories. Please tell us about this.

AN: You see a clear delineation of this more in the early part of Elvis’s life and career than in the latter, though the thread runs throughout. In the mid-‘50s, when his career was just taking off and his mother was alive, Elvis drew the line between girls on the road, with whom he might have intimate relations but never see again, and serious girlfriends such as June Juanico, Barbara Hearn, and Anita Wood, who he had romantic feelings for, but treated as ladies.

In other words, because these were women he might presumably marry, or certainly escorted in public, he respected their desire to hold on to their virginity and their reputations. Jackie Rowland, who was in her early teens when she met Elvis during this period, talks in the book about how Gladys sat her down and explained that Elvis had his “travelling girls,” as she called them, and that Elvis had not yet sewed his wild oats. But she also said that one day he would settle down.



And Jackie got the distinct feeling that Gladys was interviewing her for the position of serious girlfriend/wife, once Jackie was of age. Virginity was of great importance to both Elvis and Gladys, at least in a girl or woman Elvis would choose for a wife. Times have changed so radically since the ‘50s that this may seem a quaint notion now, but it was a serious matter then. A girl’s life could be ruined if she were even rumoured to be “loose.”

EIN: Did the interviews confirm or deny any of Elvis world lore about Elvis’ physical likes in a woman? For example, it is often reported that Elvis preferred petite women to more voluptuous women; and disliked women with big feet.

AN: This is absolutely true, but there were always exceptions. As time went on, he dated a number of taller women, including Linda Thompson, who was certainly important to him, and Mindi Miller. It’s interesting to me that Colonel Parker also had a fixation on “small things”—miniature ponies, and midgets, among them. But many men believe that petite women are more feminine, and Elvis certainly liked girls to look feminine. He wanted them to put on plenty of makeup, and he disliked their wearing pants, for example, and chastised a few for doing so, and not just Sheila Ryan. Sandy Ferra comes to mind.

EIN: Did you form a sense of whether or not Elvis was sexually satisfied in his relationships?

AN: That is a much bigger question than it appears to be, and while I think I just heard several fans fainting at the idea of such a thought, it’s actually an excellent question. I can think of several responses, both in a literal sense and a psychological one. Let’s start with the first one. Anne Helm told another interviewer that Elvis “really liked sex,” and he was certainly very sexually active in his twenties and early thirties.

However, others have said that he liked everything that led up to the act more than intercourse itself. A couple of women that I interviewed indicated that it was more important for him to please his partner than for him to receive that much enjoyment himself. I can’t say for certain, as the only time I can recall him being heard discussing this is in the posthumous theatrical release, This is Elvis, in which he resorts to crude language in talking about one-night stands. But in the psychological sense, there are several ways of defining "satisfied."


As time went on, and he had a number of physical problems, he was not always capable of enjoying sex, even as certain of the pills he took in the earlier days had the side effect of acting as an aphrodisiac. I think the closeness was almost always more important to him than the sex, once he got out of his hormonal stages as a youth. Barbara Leigh would tell you that. She said, “Truthfully he didn’t care much about sex, not when I knew him, even when he was young and healthy. His heart was very shy, and ‘sex’ when we were growing up was not a good word.”

Now, as a twinless twin, or someone who lost his twin, his partner in-utero, he had a heightened need for physical contact. There were many women who spoke of spending the night with him without having sex, and while it was romantic and exciting, neither of them needed it to be any more than that. Judy Geller, Larry’s delightful and hilariously funny sister, tells the best story about that. What a treasure that woman is, I’ll tell you.

EIN: An important theme in Baby, Let’s Play House is, for want of a better term, the “inner Elvis”. In exploring the psychological forces impacting Elvis, Baby, Let’s Play House also addresses the idea that Elvis experienced prolonged grief disorder. This first came to prominence in Dr Peter Whitmer’s fascinating book, The Inner Elvis. What are the essential elements of the disorder and how did those interviewed confirm the Whitmer theory?

AN: Nigel, you ask the most thoughtful questions. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate that. Yes, this is a central theme in the book, and as you say, Dr. Whitmer was the first person to write a detailed psychological study of Elvis and how the trauma of losing his brother and then his mother impacted him. Prolonged grief disorder, or complicated grief, used to be called “stuck grief,” and it’s just that---an inability to climb out of the depression of losing a loved one. It’s intense bereavement that hangs on and affects a person’s total ability to function.

People who suffer from this feel as if a part of themselves has died, and they aren’t able to fully move on in life. They fixate on their loss. They often have substance abuse issues, or sustained periods of suicidal thoughts or behavior, and they are open to all kinds of physical manifestations of their grief, from cancer, to immune dysfunction, to high blood pressure, to heart problems, and just a poorer quality of life in general.

Presley relatives Dr. Whitmer interviewed such as the late Annie Presley, whose transcript he shared with me, spoke about the fact that even as a small child Elvis would tell you “right quick” that he had had a brother. He brought it up frequently. So he keenly felt that loss then, and certainly people I interviewed, such as Joyce Bova, talked about how Elvis believed he could find hidden messages from his brother in the religious teachings he read. We all know that Elvis never got over Gladys’s death, and spoke of her all the time.

Almost every woman I interviewed talked about that, and said that he looked forward to being with her again one day. He wholeheartedly believed that would happen. Kathy Westmoreland spoke about that, I know, and Reeca Smith witnessed his attempt to “speak” to Gladys in a sort of séance. I think the fact that so many of the women he dated had some kind of physical resemblance to her tells you everything.

EIN: In contrast to the ‘male” views expressed in your earlier book, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia, the impact on Elvis of the death Jesse Garon is a recurring theme in Baby, Let’s Play House. Do you think the difference in views on the importance of Jesse Garon is a male-female thing, in that Elvis opened up to women about his twin brother but less so (or not at all) with men?

AN: I absolutely do. You hit the nail on the head. He did speak about his twin with men, but not nearly as much as with women. When he did bring him up with men, he’d say something like he did to J. D. Sumner, which was, “I wonder what the little son of a ***** would’ve been doing?” Which is pretty funny, and shows you another side of Elvis’s humour. But it also shows you that he thought of Jessie (and I spell it as Elvis’s grandfather did, since he inspired the name) as more than just as a stillborn baby.

With women, Elvis talked about him as a spiritual force, someone with whom he was still connected, felt in his daily life, and would see again in the great beyond. He also talked about having the qualities of two, and of living for two, which I believe gave him “license” for some of his excesses, as well as a spur for his quest for greatness.

The concluding part of EIN's insightful interview with Alanna Nash will be published later this month (Jan 2010)

source:http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_nash_2009_part2.htm

[SleepyJack]

Some interesting thoughts and ideas in there...certainly gives the brain a bit of a warm-up after the holidays!
I`ll have to think about all that now for the rest of the night!
Thanks for posting...enjoyed reading it.

[mislulu]

Thanks for posting Jen !!

[sasha]

Thanks, I read it. Not as bad as originally said ,huh?

Definitly not anything like Kleins. Good interview !
Everyone's always trying to psychoanalyze him though. ;)

[Sweet_One_E.]

yeah, it's interesting but I sure don't agree with most of it.

[Genie]

yeah, it's interesting but I sure don't agree with most of it.

This was my take on the story, but didn't read anything terrible. Which is nice.:cold:

[franny]

Thanks, for posting Jen. :)
Interesting read, for sure.
My book was shipped yesterday, I should get it soon.

franny

[cre]

Thanks for posting dear.
Enjoy the book when you get it.
xoxoxoxo

[mistymorning]

wow !!! thanks alot !!! interesting and informative !!:notworthy

[KPM]

Lots of avenues are touched in this interview-interesting.

[GIORGIA]

I don't liked Alanna!Sincerely I don't believe what she said!My personal opinion,of course.

[Brian]

I don't liked Alanna!Sincerely I don't believe what she said!My personal opinion,of course.

Don't be so modest

You are right not to believe what Alanna says because some of it is wrong.

This book will probably be like the Colonel book some stuff will be true and some stuff will be incorrect.

[KPM]

Even the best researched books (such as her previous books) end up with some things not quite correct its not peculiar to her.
She does a good job of researching.

[Brian]

Lots of avenues are touched in this interview-interesting.

judging from the interview it appears that I was correct

Alanna Nash is saying that Elvis had emotional and psychological problems because of the grief and sadness he felt over his stillborn twin brothers Jessie's death and that is the reason his relationships ultimately didn't last.

Just as I originally predicted Alanna probably got all this from Dr.Peter Whitmer.

Doesn't Alanna Nash know that ever since the 1979 Kurt Russell biopic came out (it depicted Elvis being sad over his stillborn brothers death and even had him talking to him through his own shadow on the wall) that several of Elvis' associates have said that it was B.S. and that Elvis only ever specifically spoke about him was when he was asked about him which was rare.

The Petula Clark, Karen Carpenter story has also been disputed but Alanna writes it down as fact.

Since several people have denied this she should view this with skepticism but she doesn't
A lot of people will read this book and take it as absolute fact that's how lots of myths and false information have started about Elvis.

[KPM]

judging from the interview it appears that I was correct

Alanna Nash is saying that Elvis had emotional and psychological problems because of the grief and sadness he felt over his stillborn twin brothers Jessie's death and that is the reason his relationships ultimately didn't last.

Just as I originally predicted Alanna probably got all this from Dr.Peter Whitmer.

Doesn't Alanna Nash know that ever since the 1979 Kurt Russell biopic came out (it depicted Elvis being sad over his stillborn brothers death and even had him talking to him through his own shadow on the wall) that several of Elvis' associates have said that it was B.S. and that Elvis only ever specifically spoke about him was when he was asked about him which was rare.

The Petula Clark, Karen Carpenter story has also been disputed but Alanna writes it down as fact.

Since several people have denied this she should view this with skepticism but she doesn't
A lot of people will read this book and take it as absolute fact that's how lots of myths and false information have started about Elvis.
Thats not her fault, nor any authors fault-its the readers who "quickly find an answer" without looking further. All subjects not just Elvis have people who jump at the explainations which suit their slant.;)
Once again-Elvis did have issues in his life, some are easy to come to a conclusion on and others are not-this is just her attempt at decoding who Elvis was and why.
But isn't that what all books on someone else are?
Anyone can give firsthand accounts of actions and situations involving Elvis (or anyone)that they have seen-but any explaination of those actions and situations "from that persons point of view"-are just someones elses assessment of what happened and why it happened.

As far as the Russell scene from the bio-pic, its called poetic license where they try to convey something in a way which is more dramatic-I do not always agree with its use-but it also is not peculiar to Elvis.

[sasha]

People handles grief in different ways.
I've no doubt we all handle grief & our own doubts & insecurities in our own way. I agree Alanna should have done more "investigating" in some matters.
However, this was just done from the ladies POV. She did the same with Rev. of the MM. IMO, her best book {Elvis related} was the one she did on Tom Parker . She worked for that one.
As far as Elvis' "associates" , I sure find it hard to believe anything they say.
Their stories change ,depending on what sells.

Grief affects us all, one way or another.
http://www.peoples-health.com/grief_mind.htm

[KPM]

People handles grief in different ways.
I've no doubt we all handle grief & our own doubts & insecurities in our own way. I agree Alanna should have done more "investigating" in some matters.
However, this was just done from the ladies POV. She did the same with Rev. of the MM. IMO, her best book {Elvis related} was the one she did on Tom Parker . She worked for that one.
As far as Elvis' "associates" , I sure find it hard to believe anything they say.
Their stories change ,depending on what sells.

Grief affects us all, one way or another.
http://www.peoples-health.com/grief_mind.htm
So so true, and there is evidence in research about the death at birth of a twin and its affect on the surviving twin. Some feel they must over achieve to compensate for the death of the twin, some feel they were chosen for some purpose to live-while the other twin died, some feel they should not have survived that in surviving they robbed the dead twins life all legit feelings which some surviving twins have.
Same with the death of a mother or father...... its not one size fits all explaination for these situations.

[Brian]

Thats not her fault, nor any authors fault-its the readers who "quickly find an answer" without looking further. All subjects not just Elvis have people who jump at the explainations which suit their slant.;)
Once again-Elvis did have issues in his life, some are easy to come to a conclusion on and others are not-this is just her attempt at decoding who Elvis was and why.
But isn't that what all books on someone else are?
Anyone can give firsthand accounts of actions and situations involving Elvis (or anyone)that they have seen-but any explaination of those actions and situations "from that persons point of view"-are just someones elses assessment of what happened and why it happened.

As far as the Russell scene from the bio-pic, its called poetic license where they try to convey something in a way which is more dramatic-I do not always agree with its use-but it also is not peculiar to Elvis.

You don't think it's the authors fault when they put out a book with false or suspicious information written as fact?
in this case Alanna Nash.
granted I agree people shouldn't just quickly find the answer but authors like Nash put it out there and peddle it.

Most fans of someone will get their information from written sources whether it be books, magazine articles etc.
People do believe what they read even when they shouldn't.

Yes, I know it was dramatic or poetic liscence in a movie that does stuff like that and I hate it when they do that.
Because of the Kurt Russell movie a lot of people think Elvis actually talked to his dead twin and was obsessed with him.
Like the Johnny Cash movie that falsely portrayed Elvis introducing Cash to pills a lot of people think that is actually the truth now.
Those things have hurt Elvis' image.

[KPM]

You don't think it's the authors fault when they put out a book with false or suspicious information written as fact?in this case Alanna Nash.
granted I agree people shouldn't just quickly find the answer but authors like Nash put it out there and peddle it.

Most fans of someone will get their information from written sources whether it be books, magazine articles etc.
People do believe what they read even when they shouldn't.

Yes, I know it was dramatic or poetic liscence in a movie that does stuff like that and I hate it when they do that.
Because of the Kurt Russell movie a lot of people think Elvis actually talked to his dead twin and was obsessed with him.
Like the Johnny Cash movie that falsely portrayed Elvis introducing Cash to pills a lot of people think that is actually the truth now.
Those things have hurt Elvis' image.
She has interviews to back up her claims-of the information told to her by people who had relationships with Elvis-now the information told to her may be suspect because it does not jive to our way thinking from what we have heard previous. You can not fault her-for information she acquires in her interviews-and she mentions who and where the info came from with no hesitation. All these women know they will be under the microscope for talking intimately about Elvis. But her research is extensive-and conclusions are drawn from the info she acquires-like all books of this nature.
Can it all be 100% true with no doubt-no-but that goes for all books like this-not just because it is Nash.
When you reseach you have to include the things which do not fit the expected-because if you do not, aren't you supressings information, if you do that..... aren't you shaping your book to a certain conclusion?

[Brian]

People handles grief in different ways.
I've no doubt we all handle grief & our own doubts & insecurities in our own way. I agree Alanna should have done more "investigating" in some matters.
However, this was just done from the ladies POV. She did the same with Rev. of the MM. IMO, her best book {Elvis related} was the one she did on Tom Parker . She worked for that one.
As far as Elvis' "associates" , I sure find it hard to believe anything they say.
Their stories change ,depending on what sells.

Grief affects us all, one way or another.
http://www.peoples-health.com/grief_mind.htm

I believe them when they say Elvis didn't really think about his dead twin.
If everyone around Elvis says it's B.S. than it likely it is Alanna Nash is taking the word of a man (Peter Whitmer) who never knew Elvis.

Alanna Nash just writes this stuff down to make her books more scandalous or appealing.

Several things in the book about Parker were wrong.

[sasha]

I believe them when they say Elvis didn't really think about his dead twin.
If everyone around Elvis says it's B.S. than it likely it is Alanna Nash is taking the word of a man (Peter Whitmer) who never knew Elvis.

Alanna Nash just writes this stuff down to make her books more scandalous or appealing.

Several things in the book about Parker were wrong.

Thar's what I like about you, Brian. You're so compassionate . :lol:
Good thing there's room for more than one view .
I don't argue, unproductive. Just voice my opinion, like you. :P

[Brian]

She has interviews to back up her claims-of the information told to her by people who had relationships with Elvis-now the information told to her may be suspect because it does not jive to our way thinking from what we have heard previous. You can not fault her-for information she acquires in her interviews-and she mentions who and where the info came from with no hesitation. All these women know they will be under the microscope for talking intimately about Elvis. But her research is extensive-and conclusions are drawn from the info she acquires-like all books of this nature.
Can it all be 100% true with no doubt-no-but that goes for all books like this-not just because it is Nash.
When you reseach you have to include the things which do not fit the expected-because if you do not, aren't you supressings information, if you do that..... aren't you shaping your book to a certain conclusion?

I know that but the thing is she writes all these things down as if they happened without doing more extensive investigating.

I think the thing with Tanya Tucker was she met him backstage and he talked to her and then when she was leaving was going to give her a short peck of a kiss as a goodbye but now she's writing it down as Elvis was hitting on her.
Alanna got that from an interview from Tanya Tucker who needs publicity and is making it out to a romantic thing when it really wasn't.

I think Alanna Nash should've done more investigating to determine who really had a relationship with Elvis and who didn't instead of just interviewing everyone that has ever claimed to have had a relationship or romantic encounter with Elvis and writing it down as fact.
This way she could've devoted more time to the women that were actually 100% factually with Elvis and it would've been a better book but she devotes space to these women who's stories have been dispusted.

[Brian]

Thar's what I like about you, Brian. You're so compassionate . :lol:
Good thing there's room for more than one view .
I don't argue, unproductive. Just voice my opinion, like you. :P

What I said is fact Alanna Nash is getting her views from Peter Whitmer she admits that. he never knew Elvis

Several things about her book about Parker are false
that's been proven already.

I'm not arguing with anyone it's just a debate

[KPM]

I know that but the thing is she writes all these things down as if they happened without doing more extensive investigating.

I think the thing with Tanya Tucker was she met him backstage and he talked to her and then when she was leaving was going to give her a short peck of a kiss as a goodbye but now she's writing it down as Elvis was hitting on her.
Alanna got that from an interview from Tanya Tucker who needs publicity and is making it out to a romantic thing when it really wasn't.

I think Alanna Nash should've done more investigating to determine who really had a relationship with Elvis and who didn't instead of just interviewing everyone that has ever claimed to have had a relationship or romantic encounter with Elvis and writing it down as fact.
This way she could've devoted more time to the women that were actually 100% factually with Elvis and it would've been a better book but she devotes space to these women who's stories have been dispusted.
But Brian lets be realistic-some things are just between "2 people" such as the Tucker situation, even if others were close by its hard to make out what is going on when two people are close enough to get a kiss on the cheek.
Lets also remember Elvis did like young women-and it would not really be out of character for him to flirt with a young woman.
Its not like she is saying he tried to throw me down and have his way:D

[sasha]

Brian: Haven't you heard about Tiger Woods ?
Now all those ladies are "stars." :D

I don't take all this stuff seriously. Just read the stuff I want.
To each their own. Have a good night .

[KPM]

What I said is fact Alanna Nash is getting her views from Peter Whitmer she admits that. he never knew Elvis

Several things about her book about Parker are false
that's been proven already.
I'm not arguing with anyone it's just a debate
I would have to hear what the several things are which have been proven as false-before I agreed to that.
Since we have discussed her Parker book before I just do not recall points proven as totally false.

[Brian]

Brian: Haven't you heard about Tiger Woods ?
Now all those ladies are "stars." :D

I don't take all this stuff seriously. Just read the stuff I want.
To each their own. Have a good night .

I'm not specifically talking about you or the die hard fans we've learned to take things about Elvis as skeptisicm.

Wait and see more false information about Elvis will be put out there that a lot of people will take as fact and then Elvis will be further damaged.
non Elvis fans, casual fans etc.
that's what i'm concerned about.

[Brian]

I would have to hear what the several things are which have been proven as false-before I agreed to that.
Since we have discussed her Parker book before I just do not recall points proven as totally false.

Well, if you would like some examples i'll give them to you

But this thread is not about Parker so i'll wait for another Parker thread.
i'll mention them then.

[KPM]

I'm not specifically talking about you or the die hard fans we've learned to take things about Elvis as skeptisicm.

Wait and see more false information about Elvis will be put out there that a lot of people will take as fact and then Elvis will be further damaged.
that's what i'm concerned about.
You are totally assuming that all this info-is false-that it has no basis in some fact or some situation. I am also a skeptical person about one sided story telling-but this is not one person telling one side-this is many many woman telling their knowledge of Elvis as he related to women. The reason for talking to as many of these women as possible is to try to see what is similar in the relationships Elvis had. If 9 out of 10 said he liked the color black-that would be a pretty good sign Elvis liked black. If 8 out of 10 said he liked to talk in baby talk-that would be a good indication he did etc....
Sure you can still say-but that does not make it fact-but conclusions have to be drawn when you compare the stories.

[Brian]

But Brian lets be realistic-some things are just between "2 people" such as the Tucker situation, even if others were close by its hard to make out what is going on when two people are close enough to get a kiss on the cheek.
Lets also remember Elvis did like young women-and it would not really be out of character for him to flirt with a young woman.
Its not like she is saying he tried to throw me down and have his way:D



In the past Tanya has said several times on shows like Larry King that she met him and he was very nice but nothing romantic was going on.
But now it's Elvis was hitting on her.
When Elvis met Tanya Tucker she was 16 and he was 40.
Elvis might come across as a pervert in this book.

[KPM]

Well, if you would like some examples i'll give them to you

But this thread is not about Parker so i'll wait for another Parker thread.
i'll mention them then.
Well you are correct but you brought up the Parker book.
If the examples are the same examples we have already discussed ad nauseum before-then you do not have to mention them we have covered that ground before;)

[sasha]

I'm not specifically talking about you or the die hard fans we've learned to take things about Elvis as skeptisicm.

Wait and see more false information about Elvis will be put out there that a lot of people will take as fact and then Elvis will be further damaged.
non Elvis fans, casual fans etc.
that's what i'm concerned about.

I've been trying to stop all the BS for about 10 years now.
People will say & believe what they want.
Save yourself some stress & heartache .
Some of EP's "friends" say much worse. And they weren't even there.
Just take it with a grain of salt.

I've no doubt Elvis can take care of himself.
Plus, Karma is hell. They'll get their due ,sooner or later.:D

Would need to see thoughts on Parker before agreeing on false statements there.
Pull up the thread. Gotta go now though. Slow down.;)

[Brian]

You are totally assuming that all this info-is false-that it has no basis in some fact or some situation. I am also a skeptical person about one sided story telling-but this is not one person telling one side-this is many many woman telling their knowledge of Elvis as he related to women. The reason for talking to as many of these women as possible is to try to see what is similar in the relationships Elvis had. If 9 out of 10 said he liked the color black-that would be a pretty good sign Elvis liked black. If 8 out of 10 said he liked to talk in baby talk-that would be a good indication he did etc....
Sure you can still say-but that does not make it fact-but conclusions have to be drawn when you compare the stories.

For example I don't believe the stories of Tura Santana she says that they dated and Elvis kept in touch with him and was an advisor in all his relationships.
I know she has claimed for years to have been a girlfriend of Elvis she says that he actually proposed to her and that he modeled Priscilla's hair after her.
I've heard her say all this before but I believe it's all B.S. and that Elvis never dated and probably never even met her but Alanna Nash interviews her and writes down as fact.

The Petula Clark story that she tells about her and Karen Carpenter sounds likr B.S. and has been dispusted but Alanna Nash interviews Petula and writes it as it actually happened.

If Alanna Nash wants to interview Barbara Hearn, June Juniaco, Anita Wood, Dixie Locke, Sandy Martindale, Connie Stevens, Sheila Ryan, Barbara Leigh, Ginger Alden, Linda Thompson, Ann Pennington and Joyce Bova and compare notes that way fine, but why devote space to people like Tura Santana who's story is suspect and Petula Clarks threesome story from a few years ago that doesn't sound true and has been disputed?

[Brian]

I've been trying to stop all the BS for about 10 years now.
People will say & believe what they want.
Save yourself some stress & heartache .
Some of EP's "friends" say much worse. And they weren't even there.
Just take it with a grain of salt.

I've no doubt Elvis can take care of himself.
Plus, Karma is hell. They'll get their due ,sooner or later.:D

Would need to see thoughts on Parker before agreeing on false statements there.
Pull up the thread. Gotta go now though. Slow down.;)

I know all this it never changes but it doesn't make it right.

I'm not stressed out i am just predicting this will happen again.

[KPM]

For example I don't believe the stories of Tura Santana she says that they dated and Elvis kept in touch with him and was an advisor in all his relationships.
I know she has claimed for years to have been a girlfriend of Elvis she says that he actually proposed to her and that he modeled Priscilla's hair after her.
I've heard her say all this before but I believe it's all B.S. and that Elvis never dated and probably never even met her but Alanna Nash interviews her and writes down as fact.

The Petula Clark story that she tells about her and Karen Carpenter sounds likr B.S. and has been dispusted but Alanna Nash interviews Petula and writes it as it actually happened.

If Alanna Nash wants to interview Barbara Hearn, June Juniaco, Anita Wood, Dixie Locke, Sandy Martindale, Connie Stevens, Sheila Ryan, Barbara Leigh, Ginger Alden, Linda Thompson, Ann Pennington and Joyce Bova and compare notes that way fine, but why devote space to people like Tura Santana who's story is suspect and Petula Clarks threesome story from a few years ago that doesn't sound true and has been disputed?
And when she includes these 2 things in her book (Tura and Petula) she is giving their account of what they say happened from their memory-she is not necessarily saying it is 100% fact she is reporting what they say happened-thats what she should do.
If she excluded them-someone would say she is not giving all the info she came across.
I think its up to us to see thru the BS which comes out in all books like this across the board.

[KPM]

In the past Tanya has said several times on shows like Larry King that she met him and he was very nice but nothing romantic was going on.
But now it's Elvis was hitting on her.
When Elvis met Tanya Tucker she was 16 and he was 40.
Elvis might come across as a pervert in this book.
Well maybe looking back TT sees it now... that he was hitting on her.... its her observation with hindsight-he could still have treated her nicely, still been friendly to her whether he hit on her or flirted with her innocently etc.
If he did-so what-he would not be the first 40 year old to hit on a teenager in a playful way.
Elvis we all know was much more comfortable with younger women.

[Brian]

And when she includes these 2 things in her book (Tura and Petula) she is giving their account of what they say happened from their memory-she is not necessarily saying it is 100% fact she is reporting what they say happened-thats what she should do.
If she excluded them-someone would say she is not giving all the info she came across.
I think its up to us to see thru the BS which comes out in all books like this across the board.

Well, i've read other books from her and her writing style the way it comes across is to write down what other people tell her as fact.
She may not be actually saying it is but that's the way it's written.
The Byron Raphael playboy articles which were very much dispusted after they were printed and released come to mind as an example of that.
Judging be part 1 of her interview she believed what Tura Santana told her.

I just don't see the point in including Tura Santana's and Petula Clark stories since I don't believe Elvis had relationships with either of them or pursued them and if you are going to write a book about the women Elvis loved or dated it be best to make absolutely sure he had relationships with them.
But as I said Alanna Nash has been wrong before so it's nothing knew.

[Merry]

Well, i've read other books from her and her writing style the way it comes across is to write down what other people tell her as fact.
She may not be actually saying it is but that's the way it's written.




I agree with you, Brian.

[Donut]

I eventually came to the conclusion that Elvis was more turned off or frightened by the idea of having relations with a woman who had born his child, not just a child. This goes back to when he and his mother were alone for months when Vernon was incarcerated, and then for months after his release when he had to go out into the state or beyond to find work.

Come on... :rolleyes:

I don't know why she felt she had to add all this boring psychological stuff to the book. I think it would have been better to simply read what those women had to tell about their time with Elvis. Analyzing Elvis mind through things that could or could not have happened exactly the way they tell them is ridiculous.

Having said this, I can't wait to get this book :lol:

[KPM]

Well, i've read other books from her and her writing style the way it comes across is to write down what other people tell her as fact.
She may not be actually saying it is but that's the way it's written.
The Byron Raphael playboy articles which were very much dispusted after they were printed and released come to mind as an example of that.
Judging be part 1 of her interview she believed what Tura Santana told her.

I just don't see the point in including Tura Santana's and Petula Clark stories since I don't believe Elvis had relationships with either of them or pursued them and if you are going to write a book about the women Elvis loved or dated it be best to make absolutely sure he had relationships with them.
But as I said Alanna Nash has been wrong before so it's nothing knew.
I see what you are saying-but in reading her other books I do not see it as her making is seem as gospel fact-she often says,
"according to #*%^"
or "in my interview with &#*^....." or " A*N^ says....."
or any of many phrases which tell you that the information you are reading is from a certain individual and it is their claim their story.
What you do not like is her coming to any conclusions about all the information she gets from all these women. When certain similar points and situations keep popping up in her interviews that does point a way to possible reasons for Elvis's actions and reactions with woman-but once again her conclusions are not gospel fact..................just like Martys are not gospel fact.....or Charlies are not gospel fact etc.......when it comes to certain things about Elvis which are hard to understand and figure out.
I give her credit that she works hard at trying to get as much information together as possible when she takes on these books-she does not spend 6-8 months getting together her books it is years in the making much of it tedious work of tracking down leads on things which many times end up nowhere.

[KPM]

Come on... :rolleyes:

I don't know why she felt she had to add all this boring psychological stuff to the book. I think it would have been better to simply read what those women had to tell about their time with Elvis. Analyzing Elvis mind through things that could or could not have happened exactly the way they tell them is ridiculous.

Having said this, I can't wait to get this book :lol:
I do not see it as boring psychological stuff-one of the reasons I have always loved biographys is to find out what made each person special and what made them "tick"
People are strange creations, and what floats someones boat-is a boat sinker for someone else... the boring psychological stuff points the way to find out, why we humans are like this.
John Wayne was deathly afraid of snakes in reading his biography I found out why. Richard Burton was an alcoholic-and his bios gave me some possible reasons, Bobby Darin had a mixed up life and his bio gave me a lot of information about why he wanted to live so fast, and to try and achieve so much...................the reasons people are who they are is fascinating to me. IMO

[sasha]

I do not see it as boring psychological stuff-one of the reasons I have always loved biographys is to find out what made each person special and what made them "tick"
People are strange creations, and what floats someones boat-is a boat sinker for someone else... the boring psychological stuff points the way to find out, why we humans are like this. John Wayne was deathly afraid of snakes in reading his biography I found out why. Richard Burton was an alcoholic-and his bios gave me some possible reasons, Bobby Darin had a mixed up life and his bio gave me a lot of information about why he wanted to live so fast, and to try and achieve so much...................the reasons people are who they are is fascinating to me. IMO

Me too. I've always tried to figure out why people say & do the things they do. Including myself. :P It can be an eye opener, to say the least.
If knowledge is applied with resources, it can help us all a great deal.
Make the world a lot better place & hopefully ,get along better.

I've never been much into the gossip or tabloids. But, everyone can like what they please. I agree in that Alanna just wrote what the women had to say.
To get "facts" one would need to be an investigative reporter, not necessarilly an author. It's fun & entertaining for some. Guess that's all that matters to sell a book.There's many entertaining books just written on what people say. Never mind, one could prove they were no where around. ;)

[Donut]

I do not see it as boring psychological stuff-one of the reasons I have always loved biographys is to find out what made each person special and what made them "tick"
People are strange creations, and what floats someones boat-is a boat sinker for someone else... the boring psychological stuff points the way to find out, why we humans are like this.


There's no way their psychoanalysis could point anyone the way to find out why he did the things he did, since she and the other guy never treated or talked to Elvis in person. To me it's boring and useless because they are giving a "diagnosis" based just on the stories those women have told. How she or they come to the conclussion (for instance) that the time Vernon spent in prison, lead Elvis to not wanting to have sex with Priscilla after Lisa was born is beyond me. Since she found out that he in fact did have sex with other women who had children it seems she had to find a new "trauma" to explain why he acted that way. It's like they have to find a strange reason to explain everything in Elvis' life...

I'm interested to know what those woman have to tell, after all they were really there. The opinion of the writer and a shrink who was a complete stranger to Elvis, don't interest me in the least.

[Merry]

There's no way their psychoanalysis could point anyone the way to find out why he did the things he did, since she and the other guy never treated or talked to Elvis in person. To me it's boring and useless because they are giving a "diagnosis" based just on the stories those women have told. How she or they come to the conclussion (for instance) that the time Vernon spent in prison, lead Elvis to not wanting to have sex with Priscilla after Lisa was born is beyond me. Since she found out that he in fact did have sex with other women who had children it seems she had to find a new "trauma" to explain why he acted that way. It's like they have to find a strange reason to explain everything in Elvis' life...

I'm interested to know what those woman have to tell, after all they were really there. The opinion of the writer and a shrink who was a complete stranger to Elvis, don't interest me in the least.


Beautifully stated, honey :hug: :D

You know, I would have thought these psychologists would be professionally embarrassed at "diagnosing" on their third or fourth hand "information" or really, all supposition. $ $ $ $ $ :blink:

[Donut]

You know, I would have thought these psychologists would be professionally embarrassed at "diagnosing" on their third or fourth hand "information"

(y) And on completely different statements from the same person ;)

[May]

-one of the reasons I have always loved biographys is to find out what made each person special and what made them "tick"
People are strange creations, and what floats someones boat-is a boat sinker for someone else... the boring psychological stuff points the way to find out, why we humans are like this.
John Wayne was deathly afraid of snakes in reading his biography I found out why. Richard Burton was an alcoholic-and his bios gave me some possible reasons, Bobby Darin had a mixed up life and his bio gave me a lot of information about why he wanted to live so fast, and to try and achieve so much...................the reasons people are who they are is fascinating to me. IMO

Oh me too. I love reading true stories, or biographies. I am so interested in working out how and why people think or say certain things. A lot of people wonder why I bother, but I just find it interesting. Sometimes even predicting how a certain someone will react. Its quite satisfying when you are right and have read the situation correctly. ;)

Its like "people watching". I love sitting outside a cafe in the summer, just watching people going about their own business. If I happen to be with someone at the time, we make up little stories about them. Such as "is it their first date?" "What is that person thinking about? Why do they look nervous, are they about to have an interview?" etc.

I know that probably makes me sound a bit psycho, but I just find people fascinating. ;)(y)

[sasha]

Got to agree with Merry & Donut too though.
No psychologist should, could or would {normally ;)} risk their reputation on
just a few stories from other people.

Now, if they had his mom, Gladys to talk to and/or Elvis himself.
That's a different story. All of the "tell all" books are just someone elses
opinion & perception of what happend & who Elvis was.

Afraid that's all we're going to get. Just love him for what he means to us.
That should be quite enough.
{I did love the book Elvis & Gladys though (y)}

[Brian]

There's no way their psychoanalysis could point anyone the way to find out why he did the things he did, since she and the other guy never treated or talked to Elvis in person. To me it's boring and useless because they are giving a "diagnosis" based just on the stories those women have told. How she or they come to the conclussion (for instance) that the time Vernon spent in prison, lead Elvis to not wanting to have sex with Priscilla after Lisa was born is beyond me. Since she found out that he in fact did have sex with other women who had children it seems she had to find a new "trauma" to explain why he acted that way. It's like they have to find a strange reason to explain everything in Elvis' life...

I'm interested to know what those woman have to tell, after all they were really there. The opinion of the writer and a shrink who was a complete stranger to Elvis, don't interest me in the least.

Yes, all that's true

very well said.

I've gotta also ask what the hell does Vernon spending 6 months in prison once have to do with Elvis not being attracted to Priscilla after she had Lisa?

I said Peter Whitmer's ''opinions'' would be way off base.

assuming it's true that Elvis really wasn't attracted to her.

[Merry]

(y) And on completely different statements from the same person ;)



http://blog.cleanenergy.org/files/2009/04/head-in-sand.jpg



They should be hiding.

[Merry]

Elvis was so far above all of this c**p that was written.

Our whole world is about $$$. Man did what he did to our people, our land, (war) our animals our whales, the list goes on, all for $$$, land, whatever. (n)

Honestly.........

[Donut]

Yes, all that's true
assuming it's true that Elvis really wasn't attracted to her.

And yet they ignore the obvious, which could be very well be he got tired of Priscilla...

[Donut]

http://blog.cleanenergy.org/files/2009/04/head-in-sand.jpg



They should be hiding.

That's the perfect pose to kick a rear-end. He is asking for it :lol:

[Merry]

That's the perfect pose to kick a rear-end. He is asking for it :lol:



We can take that joke out of "Flying High".

Everyone lines up and has a go!

:mad:

[Brian]

And yet they ignore the obvious, which could be very well be he got tired of Priscilla...

I've thought of that

Elvis was with Priscilla for 5 years before she had Lisa so it could very well be that he just lost interest in her.
This might sound bad but he might've had a been there done that attitude towards Priscilla.
He could've told Priscilla he was unattracted to anyone who had a child as a way of sparing her feelings because telling her he couldn't be intimate with anyone who was a mother was better than saying I've just lost interest in you.

I think it's more logical than Vernon spending time in Prison back in 1938.

[Brian]

Has anyone read this book yet?

[Teddy]

Losing interest in Priscilla must surely indicate Elvis's initial separation from requisite health.

[Donut]

I've thought of that

Elvis was with Priscilla for 5 years before she had Lisa so it could very well be that he just lost interest in her.
This might sound bad but he might've had a been there done that attitude towards Priscilla.


That's what I think too. But Priscilla changes her story depending on the weather so you never know when she is lying and when she is not, and this is one of the stories she has changed along the years. He could have really told her he didn't like women who had children or she made this up to justify her own affairs.

[Teddy]

He could have really told her he didn't like women who had children or she made this up to justify her own affairs.

As usual, we're clutching at straws in our determination to vilify her here. :closedeye
Priscilla is only one of the numerous sources who readily attest to Elvis's inability to become aroused by women who had reproduced.
This is not something which she has created to make herself feel better about his neglect.

[Donut]

As usual, we're clutching at straws in our determination to vilify her here. :closedeye
Priscilla is only one of the numerous sources who readily attest to Elvis's inability to become aroused by women who had reproduced.
This is not something which she has created to make herself feel better about his neglect.

As usual, you believe everything that's said about Elvis and take offense when you read something that you don't consider nice about Priscilla :closedeye

Who are those numerous sources and why did he slept with those other women who had children is that was true?

[Teddy]

As usual, you believe everything that's said about Elvis and take offense when you read something that you don't consider nice about Priscilla :closedeye

Who are those numerous sources and why did he slept with those other women who had children is that was true?

I certainly do not believe everything that's said about Elvis! :supriced:

It seems like every one of his principal male or female cohorts has mentioned this at one time or another! I'm not about to start trawling for quotes, but I even recall an anecdote from someone who became romantically involved with Elvis and felt obliged to conceal the fact that she was a mother from him, in an effort to prolong the acquaintance.
I don't think any of these people were feeling especially protective of Priscilla's dignity when they repeated this widely-accepted information!

[Donut]

I don't think any of these people were feeling especially protective of Priscilla's dignity when they repeated this widely-accepted information!

I know it must be difficult for you but, could we forget Priscilla for a few minutes? :closedeye

I have never believed that information since I was aware of the fact that he had romantic relationships with at least 3 women who had been mothers. But as you can see, and even though it's well documented, the same nonsense is repeated and even "diagnosed" as a trauma Elvis had from his childhood.
My guess is he prefered single and free woman. I don't believe it was giving birth what put him off...

[Teddy]

I know it must be difficult for you but, could we forget Priscilla for a few minutes? :closedeye


Hey! I didn't bring her up! :mad:

[Donut]

Hey! I didn't bring her up! :mad:

Well, I didn't either. It's been Alanna Nash's fault :mad:

[Teddy]

Fortunately, it's extremely difficult to write a comprehensive account of Elvis's relations with women which excludes Priscilla Presley :closedeye

[May]

If Priscilla was so 'hot', why have you put her head on someone elses body here? :lol:

[Teddy]

Couldn't find one of her in a Goldilocks outfit and holding a bear! :whistling:

[May]

But surely (in your eyes at least) Priscilla doesnt need to wear a goldilocks outfit and hold a bear to be lusted after ... :hmm:

Interesting. :hmm::hmm::hmm:

:closedeye

[Teddy]

But surely (in your eyes at least) Priscilla doesnt need to wear a goldilocks outfit and hold a bear to be lusted after ... :hmm:


You're right.
But isn't it wonderful when she does? :wub:

[Junebug]

In her book Don't Ask Forever, Joyce Bova relays what Elvis' told her about his feelings on being involved with women who were mothers. It was the same as being discussed here. IIRC, his views played a big part in Joyce deciding to abort Elvis' child.

Again, I guess it depends on what people what to believe is true or not.


So far, to me, ANash's book seems to be a chronological consolidation of information and stories we already know about with her thoughts and opinions thrown on top. And like others have stated, I don't necessarily agree with her opinions or the conclusions she seems to draw. In many instances, it prompts further questions.


If interested, the Table of Contents, Introduction, and a couple of pages from the first chapter on Gladys can be found here:


http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061699849



:king:

[Sweet_One_E.]

It's not like Elvis and Priscilla never had a sexual relationship again, they did, she said it. so I think it was just a matter of a temporary hang up he had and got over it. and I also think Elvis preferrred to be in a relationship were his women could give him her undivided attention. let's face it, when one couldn't be around-he found someone who would.

[KPM]

There's no way their psychoanalysis could point anyone the way to find out why he did the things he did, since she and the other guy never treated or talked to Elvis in person. To me it's boring and useless because they are giving a "diagnosis" based just on the stories those women have told. How she or they come to the conclussion (for instance) that the time Vernon spent in prison, lead Elvis to not wanting to have sex with Priscilla after Lisa was born is beyond me. Since she found out that he in fact did have sex with other women who had children it seems she had to find a new "trauma" to explain why he acted that way. It's like they have to find a strange reason to explain everything in Elvis' life...

I'm interested to know what those woman have to tell, after all they were really there. The opinion of the writer and a shrink who was a complete stranger to Elvis, don't interest me in the least.
I on the other hand am interested-but am not saying that this is somehow a total mental expose of Elvis's actions and life.
But patterns show up, in the lifestyles of us all, they point a way to look-that may or may not have some basis to similar situations in others.
Having not read the book and only seeing bits and pieces leaves much to find out about it.

[KPM]

I know its easy to dump on Priscilla-shes a target, shes still here, Elvis is gone. I know when they divorced every female fan I knew wondered
"How can she divorce our Elvis":D
I have said this before many times in the past... most women I am around who see a divorce between friends.... 9 out of 10 times side with the woman-but its funny how charisma, talent and looks seem to shade that feeling:lmfao:
Priscilla is no saint, neither was Elvis and they married and divorced.
I do not think Elvis treated her badly after the divorce, nor wanted her treated badly, nor wanted harm to come to her. That is my guide.

[KPM]

Yes, all that's true

very well said.

I've gotta also ask what the hell does Vernon spending 6 months in prison once have to do with Elvis not being attracted to Priscilla after she had Lisa?

I said Peter Whitmer's ''opinions'' would be way off base.

assuming it's true that Elvis really wasn't attracted to her.
Exactly-some are confusing his "opinions" with an out and out psychological diagnosis.
But on the idea of opinions from medical people who have never treated an individual.........You know in court many times shrinks are called in to give their "learned opinions" on defendants in trials and they have never treated that individual in their life. As are many other individuals from varying fields who are experts on some aspect of a case-they may have never met nor have any connection to the person on trial.
Their opinions are allowed based on their schooling and training in their field. Shrinks give opinions on actions and reactions of an individual as to sanity, motive, mental stability-frame of mind at the time of the ....etc..
They look at the history of the individual, his background, and his actions/reactions in general during his life from the prosecutions gathering of information. My point is unless the shrink goes overboard his testimony is allowed as evidence in rebuttal to the defense(and visa versa). The courts see the worth of testimony from experts on any given subject-and the jury hears it to make their judgement.....................same here. IMO

[Donut]

I know its easy to dump on Priscilla-shes a target, shes still here, Elvis is gone. I know when they divorced every female fan I knew wondered
"How can she divorce our Elvis":D
I have said this before many times in the past... most women I am around who see a divorce between friends.... 9 out of 10 times side with the woman-but its funny how charisma, talent and looks seem to shade that feeling:lmfao:


Is this directed at me because I mentioned her? :blink: In case it is I want to tell you you are wrong. I don't think she shouldn't have divorced Elvis or that it was her fault that their marriage didn't work. Would you believe me if I were a man? :doh:

[KPM]

Is this directed at me because I mentioned her? :blink: In case it is I want to tell you you are wrong. I don't think she shouldn't have divorced Elvis or that it was her fault that their marriage didn't work. Would you believe me if I were a man? :doh:
No not at all directed at you-its just something funny I noticed years ago-when they divorced. I listened to my mother and her sisters talk about divorce many times and they "never" took the mans side. But when it came to Elvis-the one time I heard them discussing it-they were down on Pris and taking Elvis's side-peculiar indeed:D

[Donut]

Their opinions are allowed based on their schooling and training in their field. Shrinks give opinions on actions and reactions of an individual as to sanity, motive, mental stability-frame of mind at the time of the ....etc..
They look at the history of the individual, his background, and his actions/reactions in general during his life from the prosecutions gathering of information.

Yes, but how can anyone give a professional opinion when they have completely different statements from the same subject? That was my point when I mentioned his supposed "dislike" for girls that were mothers.

I'm sure you will like this :laughing:

YouTube- Dick & Woody on psychoanalysis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss8fYIKlRdo)

[Donut]

No not at all directed at you-its just something funny I noticed years ago-when they divorced. I listened to my mother and her sisters talk about divorce many times and they "never" took the mans side. But when it came to Elvis-the one time I heard them discussing it-they were down on Pris and taking Elvis's side-peculiar indeed:D

Good, I feel better now http://smiley.net.ru/emowin026.gif

[May]

No not at all directed at you-its just something funny I noticed years ago-when they divorced. I listened to my mother and her sisters talk about divorce many times and they "never" took the mans side. But when it came to Elvis-the one time I heard them discussing it-they were down on Pris and taking Elvis's side-peculiar indeed:D

Talking in more general terms; not Elvis and Priscilla.

What I find peculiar is that when married men have affairs, the wife blames the mistress.

The 'mistress' could be a single person. Ok, its not right to sleep with a married man, but why does the wife (and everyone else) blame the other woman (or man for that matter). Why not blame the married man who took vows.:doh: He was the one cheating on the wife. The other woman didnt cheat on anyone.

In actual fact, what has just come into my head is Posh & Becks. He "allegedly" had an affair a few years ago. the tabloids were treating it as fact. They blamed the other woman AND the wife. David Beckham NEVER got any blame. How does THAT work!!!!! ???

Back to Elvis and Priscilla now. What made Priscilla change her story? It was always (until EBTP came out in 2005) Elvis and her didnt have sex after Lisa was born. Then suddenly its more along the lines, "of course we had sex after our daughter was born. I dont know where this issue comes from??"

Well, actually, YOU Priscilla!:doh::doh:

[KPM]

Talking in more general terms; not Elvis and Priscilla.

What I find peculiar is that when married men have affairs, the wife blames the mistress.

The 'mistress' could be a single person. Ok, its not right to sleep with a married man, but why does the wife (and everyone else) blame the other woman (or man for that matter). Why not blame the married man who took vows.:doh: He was the one cheating on the wife. The other woman didnt cheat on anyone.

In actual fact, what has just come into my head is Posh & Becks. He "allegedly" had an affair a few years ago. the tabloids were treating it as fact. They blamed the other woman AND the wife. David Beckham NEVER got any blame. How does THAT work!!!!! ???

Back to Elvis and Priscilla now. What made Priscilla change her story? It was always (until EBTP came out in 2005) Elvis and her didnt have sex after Lisa was born. Then suddenly its more along the lines, "of course we had sex after our daughter was born. I dont know where this issue comes from??"

Well, actually, YOU Priscilla!:doh::doh:
I agree the married man is the one who is most at fault-especially if the other women is led to think he is single.
But as far as Elvis and Priscilla-I would have to reread her book about the after Lisa was born and their sex life-but i was thinking she said something along the lines of they rarely had sex after Lisa was born not never had sex?
Anyone recall her exact quotes on this in her book??

[KPM]

Good, I feel better now http://smiley.net.ru/emowin026.gif
Good- glad you do(y)

[Donut]

Talking in more general terms; not Elvis and Priscilla.

What I find peculiar is that when married men have affairs, the wife blames the mistress.

The 'mistress' could be a single person. Ok, its not right to sleep with a married man, but why does the wife (and everyone else) blame the other woman (or man for that matter). Why not blame the married man who took vows.:doh: He was the one cheating on the wife. The other woman didnt cheat on anyone.

In actual fact, what has just come into my head is Posh & Becks. He "allegedly" had an affair a few years ago. the tabloids were treating it as fact. They blamed the other woman AND the wife. David Beckham NEVER got any blame. How does THAT work!!!!! ???

Back to Elvis and Priscilla now. What made Priscilla change her story? It was always (until EBTP came out in 2005) Elvis and her didnt have sex after Lisa was born. Then suddenly its more along the lines, "of course we had sex after our daughter was born. I dont know where this issue comes from??"

Well, actually, YOU Priscilla!:doh::doh:

You have mentioned the forbidden word 4 times, May :nono:, but I agree with you, in both matters ;)

[presley31]

In a particularly revealing diary entry, Priscilla wrote of her feelings of rejection and disappointment: "I embarrassed myself last night. I wore a black negligee, laid as close to Elvis as I could while he read. I kissed his hand, then each finger, then his neck, and face," she wrote. "But I waited too long. His sleeping pills had taken effect. Another lonely night."

Finally, the loneliness was too much for her. She decided to leave Elvis. The couple divorced in 1973.

source:http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123860&page=2

[KPM]

In a particularly revealing diary entry, Priscilla wrote of her feelings of rejection and disappointment: "I embarrassed myself last night. I wore a black negligee, laid as close to Elvis as I could while he read. I kissed his hand, then each finger, then his neck, and face," she wrote. "But I waited too long. His sleeping pills had taken effect. Another lonely night."

Finally, the loneliness was too much for her. She decided to leave Elvis. The couple divorced in 1973.

source:http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123860&page=2
I do recall that passage, but does she actually say anywhere that they never had sex after Lisa was born-or is that an implication taken from passages such as this?

[sasha]

In a particularly revealing diary entry, Priscilla wrote of her feelings of rejection and disappointment: "I embarrassed myself last night. I wore a black negligee, laid as close to Elvis as I could while he read. I kissed his hand, then each finger, then his neck, and face," she wrote. "But I waited too long. His sleeping pills had taken effect. Another lonely night."

Finally, the loneliness was too much for her. She decided to leave Elvis. The couple divorced in 1973.

source:http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123860&page=2

Taken fron the same article :http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123860&page=2
In spite of her often-torturous relationship with Elvis, Priscilla said she still loves him and wants him to be remembered as he was in his early years.

"I look at that and I think, that's Elvis," she said. "He was having fun. You can see it in his films. He was a very humble man … and his biggest joy was being on stage."

I think they did still love each other. In many ways, I think she still tries to protect him. Like her I would have tried to keep Graceland for Lisa.
I couldn't/wouldn't have lived with him either.
Most times,it takes two to make or break a marriage . Plus, we wouldn't have Graceland either, had she not stepped up & made it all happen.
It's possible to love someone & not be able to live with them.
I think Elvis said something to that effect.

[Teddy]

You have mentioned the forbidden word 4 times, May :nono:, but I agree with you, in both matters ;)

I only enjoyed the parts where she mentioned the forbidden word.
The rest was just blah blah blah ... http://smiley.net.ru/misanm0169.gif

[Junebug]

I do recall that passage, but does she actually say anywhere that they never had sex after Lisa was born-or is that an implication taken from passages such as this?

At the least, it appears to be an implication.

The next paragraph notes the continuation of their sexual relationship after Lisa was born.


:king:

[KPM]

At the least, it appears to be an implication.

The next paragraph notes the continuation of their sexual relationship after Lisa was born.

:king:
Thank you for that info(y)

[May]

You have mentioned the forbidden word 4 times, May :nono:, but I agree with you, in both matters ;)

Sorry Donut :blush:

[Donut]

In case it was true that they later resumed their sexual life, what is the point in looking for reasons why he supposedly didn't sleep with mothers?

[Teddy]

... what is the point in looking for reasons why he supposedly didn't sleep with mothers?

You could say 'what's the point in studying anything about Elvis?' People are just interested in Elvis! :king:

The fact that he is one of history's most acknowledged sex-symbols definitely increases the focus on his intercourse habits, too. For some fans, this is as relevant as his decision to use so much reverb on Heartbreak Hotel.

[Donut]

You could say 'what's the point in studying anything about Elvis?' People are just interested in Elvis! :king:

The fact that he is one of history's most acknowledged sex-symbols definitely increases the focus on his intercourse habits, too. For some fans, this is as relevant as his decision to use so much reverb on Heartbreak Hotel.

I know, I'm interested in everything Elvis too! That's not what I meant. What is the point in colaborating with a psychologist to write a book and get his professional opinion on things that could or could not have happened?

This thread makes me dizzy :doh:

[Teddy]

What is the point in colaborating with a psychologist to write a book and get his professional opinion on things that could or could not have happened?


Because it's entertaining :lol:

And it's probably no worse than any other academic hypothesizing, really. Half the text books in universities are founded in studies as haphazard as this. The idea is that you soak it all up and draw your own conclusion.
There's always a risk that your sources are unreliable or that your 'experts' are inadequately qualified. I don't think that means we ought to just forget it and resume whittling on the porch.

[Donut]

... I give up http://smiley.net.ru/emomel072.gif

[Sweet_One_E.]

why do people always assume it was all Elvis who didn't want Priscilla. I guess people just can't imagine that there ever came a time that she didn't want him. that's what I don't get. she has affairs but all the while still wanting her husband, whom she says is too frequently drugged out, to make love to her as well.
yes, I know yet another huge can of worms I open

[May]

why do people always assume it was all Elvis who didn't want Priscilla.

It isnt an assumption. That is what Priscilla said.

[Teddy]

Wasn't it the people's favorite Jerry Schilling who said "Priscilla never left Elvis; Elvis had been leaving Priscilla for years"?

[SleepyJack]

Because it's entertaining :lol:

And it's probably no worse than any other academic hypothesizing, really. Half the text books in universities are founded in studies as haphazard as this. The idea is that you soak it all up and draw your own conclusion.
There's always a risk that your sources are unreliable or that your 'experts' are inadequately qualified. I don't think that means we ought to just forget it and resume whittling on the porch.

Hey, steady on there now for a minute...what`s wrong with whittling on the back porch? I`ve been a-whittlin` for years...and it`s helped me become the man that I will be yesterday.
I don`t have much time for the big-thinkin`-all-analysin`-over-cookin` that goes on with them big-brained people...but some of it can be amusin`...some of it just makes me dizzy an` I fall over. I like to keep it simple as far being an Elvis fan goes... I love listening to him and watching him on film...and it makes me happy. Most intellectual stuff is written to glorify the brain of the writer anyway...the subject takes second place. If any of them people come a-knockin` on Jack`s door...I`ll..well...listen for a while...but then I`ll put on "Barefoot ballad" and just start a-hollerin` an a- stompin`......usually gets rid of `em. Then afterwards I chill out by listenin` to "A whittlin` tune".

[Sweet_One_E.]

It isnt an assumption. That is what Priscilla said.

Pricilla's word-gospel just saying there is a possiblity that the tables were turned at times

[May]

Oh Im sure they were, as in all relationships. I can only base my thoughts on what Priscilla said about the time after Lisa was born, as Elvis never spoke of it. Not to me anyway:lol:

[May]

Hey, steady on there now for a minute...what`s wrong with whittling on the back porch? I`ve been a-whittlin` for years...and it`s helped me become the man that I will be yesterday.
I don`t have much time for the big-thinkin`-all-analysin`-over-cookin` that goes on with them big-brained people...but some of it can be amusin`...some of it just makes me dizzy an` I fall over. I like to keep it simple as far being an Elvis fan goes... I love listening to him and watching him on film...and it makes me happy. Most intellectual stuff is written to glorify the brain of the writer anyway...the subject takes second place. If any of them people come a-knockin` on Jack`s door...I`ll..well...listen for a while...but then I`ll put on "Barefoot ballad" and just start a-hollerin` an a- stompin`......usually gets rid of `em. Then afterwards I chill out by listenin` to "A whittlin` tune".

I must say Jack, you do have a point. We do get very deep on here sometimes and I guess forget why we are fans.

Simply put, I love Elvis because of his music, :notworthy his looks (y) and personality --- what I hear about him as a person, I like; and some of his films. Also appreciate his sense of humour.

Like the bit about the "intellectual stuff is written to glorify the brain of the writer" - in fact, THATS rather intellectual!!! :D:lol:

[KPM]

I know, I'm interested in everything Elvis too! That's not what I meant. What is the point in colaborating with a psychologist to write a book and get his professional opinion on things that could or could not have happened?
This thread makes me dizzy :doh:
It is just an "attempt" to unravel some of the points about Elvis which seem to attract the most print and attention in his personal life. Sure some of the claims by women interviewed may not be all fact-but every book on Elvis carries the same risk when reading stories told by others.
Lets face it sex is a subject which draws the attention of almost everyone in one way or another-and Elvis since his explosion on the music scene has been called instrumental in the sexual revolution by his physical way of singing which was pretty unheard of before him.
To try and understand his ideas on sex and romance is really just another way of trying to understand him-it was a part of his life.
Of course the idea of making money from the book is a factor, like all books and especially books on Elvis.
I have always found the differences between the stage performing, sexual unabandoned Elvis of 1955 and the one on one shy, fairly quiet, private, respectful to elders Elvis of 1955 part of the fascination and mystery of Elvis.
I think in a way his sexual attitudes are part of that mystery.

[May]

I think there is a lot of mystery to Elvis, which is why we discuss him so much - each and every part of his life.

when you think about it, we are like a load of gossips, over a garden fence!!! :lol::lol::lol:

[May]

Wasn't it the people's favorite Jerry Schilling who said "Priscilla never left Elvis; Elvis had been leaving Priscilla for years"?

Yeah, always found that Jerry slightly odd. :lol: People are just strange.;):lol:

[Donut]

It is just an "attempt" to unravel some of the points about Elvis which seem to attract the most print and attention in his personal life. Sure some of the claims by women interviewed may not be all fact-but every book on Elvis carries the same risk when reading stories told by others.
Lets face it sex is a subject which draws the attention of almost everyone in one way or another-and Elvis since his explosion on the music scene has been called instrumental in the sexual revolution by his physical way of singing which was pretty unheard of before him.
To try and understand his ideas on sex and romance is really just another way of trying to understand him-it was a part of his life.
Of course the idea of making money from the book is a factor, like all books and especially books on Elvis.
I have always found the differences between the stage performing, sexual unabandoned Elvis of 1955 and the one on one shy, fairly quiet, private, respectful to elders Elvis of 1955 part of the fascination and mystery of Elvis.
I think in a way his sexual attitudes are part of that mystery.

I don't have any problem about the book talking about his sex life, or with the author making money off the book. What I don't like is that they look for psychological traumas for everything he did or disliked making him look "weird".
I guess I'll have more to say about it once I get to read the book ;)

[Brian]

I don't have any problem about the book talking about his sex life, or with the author making money off the book. What I don't like is that they look for psychological traumas for everything he did or disliked making him look "weird".
I guess I'll have more to say about it once I get to read the book ;)

You are so right Donut

The reason Alanna Nash is even writing this book is because the Ladies home journal interviews she did was well received so that got some interest.
Alanna Nash should've kept that format for this book but she goes off the deep end and starts interviewing Peter Whitmer about Elvis' psychlogical behavior which is based on second, third and fourth hand information of events that may or may not have happened. Also Peter Whitmer never treated Elvis or met him and from his last book and judging from the information from the EIN interviews with Alanna his assertions look to be very wrong.
Basically Peter Whitmer is not needed for a book like this if anyone wants to read his thoughts about Elvis they could read his book the Inner Elvis.


Also it should be noted that when Alanna Nash covers Elvis' relationship with Natalie Wood she quotes Byron Raphael and his stories again as well as mentions his stories about Elvis having a fling with Marilyn Monroe.

Both are false and are going to upset people with this crap again.

Does Alanna Nash ever learn?

[GIORGIA]

But Priscilla changes her story depending on the weather so you never know when she is lying and when she is not, and this is one of the stories she has changed along the years. He could have really told her he didn't like women who had children or she made this up to justify her own affairs.You read in my mind,my friend(y)(y)(y)(y)!

[Donut]

You read in my mind,my friend(y)(y)(y)(y)!



Thanks, Giorgia :)

[Donut]

Also it should be noted that when Alanna Nash covers Elvis' relationship with Natalie Wood she quotes Byron Raphael and his stories again as well as mentions his stories about Elvis having a fling with Marilyn Monroe.

Both are false and are going to upset people with this crap again.



I wonder if the shrink had something to say about this too :hmm:

[KPM]

I don't have any problem about the book talking about his sex life, or with the author making money off the book. What I don't like is that they look for psychological traumas for everything he did or disliked making him look "weird". I guess I'll have more to say about it once I get to read the book ;)
It is only weird-if you look at it like that-I don not.
I do not want to get into fears, phobias, childhood traumas, etc...and all that intails.... which do have roots somewhere in the life of every single person who has them. No one wants these things, no one asks to have the aftermath of them-Elvis included.
I just recently went to a new doctor-been having some health issues and after running thru some of the things in my 54 years and the problems I have had I told him,
"I know you think I'm being silly...."
He stopped me and smiled as he told my,
"You want to hear some of my problems-you may think I'm silly"
Why its looked at as "weird" to have problems in life related to fears, phobias, sex etc..... which most people have no clue as to why they have them is..... beyond me. It only seems odd or weird to people who may be lucky enough to have few problems in those areas.
No one thinks its odd to have fears of snakes, heights, enclosed places, whitecoatitis (which I have a horrid fear of) all have their roots in something in the past-same with sexual phobias, and preferences.
Why do some like full figures, others model thin?
Why do some like large bosums and others more in preportion?
Why do some women like Elvis types and others Charles Bronson types?
Why do some women like a loud boisterous man, others the shy type guy?
It all starts somewhere-maybe abig thing maybe just a small thing.IMO

[KPM]

You are so right Donut

The reason Alanna Nash is even writing this book is because the Ladies home journal interviews she did was well received so that got some interest.
Alanna Nash should've kept that format for this book but she goes off the deep end and starts interviewing Peter Whitmer about Elvis' psychlogical behavior which is based on second, third and fourth hand information of events that may or may not have happened. Also Peter Whitmer never treated Elvis or met him and from his last book and judging from the information from the EIN interviews with Alanna his assertions look to be very wrong.
Basically Peter Whitmer is not needed for a book like this if anyone wants to read his thoughts about Elvis they could read his book the Inner Elvis.


Also it should be noted that when Alanna Nash covers Elvis' relationship with Natalie Wood she quotes Byron Raphael and his stories again as well as mentions his stories about Elvis having a fling with Marilyn Monroe.

Both are false and are going to upset people with this crap again.

Does Alanna Nash ever learn?

That may be-but only Elvis and Natalie can truely say they are false in their case. Elvis and Marilyn in the other. The only true way to brand something as false or true is if both parties make statements in public which are on record on the subject-and even then if the statements are conflicting you end up with a 50/50.
Elvis has had everything under the sun claimed about him from anyone and everyone who had some connection to him-I do not think it will ever stop and what more of consequence can be said which has not already been said or implied many times before in other books. This book is already branded as a crock and its not even in our hands yet?

[sasha]

It is only weird-if you look at it like that-I don not.
I do not want to get into fears, phobias, childhood traumas, etc...and all that intails.... which do have roots somewhere in the life of every single person who has them. No one wants these things, no one asks to have the aftermath of them-Elvis included.
I just recently went to a new doctor-been having some health issues and after running thru some of the things in my 54 years and the problems I have had I told him,
"I know you think I'm being silly...."
He stopped me and smiled as he told my,
"You want to hear some of my problems-you may think I'm silly"
Why its looked at as "weird" to have problems in life related to fears, phobias, sex etc..... which most people have no clue as to why they have them is..... beyond me. It only seems odd or weird to people who may be lucky enough to have few problems in those areas.
No one thinks its odd to have fears of snakes, heights, enclosed places, whitecoatitis (which I have a horrid fear of) all have their roots in something in the past-same with sexual phobias, and preferences.
Why do some like full figures, others model thin?
Why do some like large bosums and others more in preportion?
Why do some women like Elvis types and others Charles Bronson types?
Why do some women like a loud boisterous man, others the shy type guy?
It all starts somewhere-maybe abig thing maybe just a small thing.IMO

Exactly !! Everyone has their own "devils" & has to learn to live with them.
Life makes us what we are today . Our past especially. To deny our past is to deny a part of ourselves. More people have "problems" than we're aware of. Some just try to hide them, which IMO, only makes things worse.
Great insight !!

[sasha]

Also it should be noted that when Alanna Nash covers Elvis' relationship with Natalie Wood she quotes Byron Raphael and his stories again as well as mentions his stories about Elvis having a fling with Marilyn Monroe.

Both are false and are going to upset people with this crap again.

Does Alanna Nash ever learn?
I don't get upset about how many women claim to have "known" Elvis.
Personally, I could care less. Seldom read these kind of books.
I've only been interested in Elvis, not his women. ;)

[KPM]

Now I will give my own laymans take on Elvis and Priscilla's change in sexual habits after she had Lisa.
I think Elvis was insecure about older women... he liked young women who he could feel he was the teacher and they were the student. I think older women in a sexual situation threatened him, he was after all a huge sex symbol and expected to be the king in all areas including the bedroom.
So more experienced women would naturally make him a little more hesitant, he liked submissive situations where he was the aggressor and in charge.
When Priscilla began to make the first moves, she became the aggressor, she was trying to become the person in charge in the bedroom and I think this turned Elvis off- I think any women who would come on too strong in the bedroom would turn him off and threaten his masculinity all at the same time.
So he avoided sex with Priscilla-not because she was a mom, but because she was no longer the submissive partner, she was the instigator and it was not to Elvis's liking. I do not think being a mother for any woman Elvis was with had much to do with it-how aggressive was the woman made the difference.
Now thats just my opinion.
I was raised with the whole "good girls you marry and they probably will not like sex"-"bad girls you did not marry and they loved sex"-so that is another mental image in many guys heads into the early 70s which can mess with a mans head.
Women do not reach sexual peak until the late 20s early 30s and when they do-you might suddenly ask-where did the good girl go, how do I understand this change???
No wonder people have such problems with misunformation such as this drilled into the heads of each generation.:blush::blush:

[Donut]

Why its looked at as "weird" to have problems in life related to fears, phobias, sex etc..... which most people have no clue as to why they have them is..... beyond me. It only seems odd or weird to people who may be lucky enough to have few problems in those areas.


Everyone has fears and problems, KPM. The difference is that some people spend their life trying to find out why they have them and worrying about it while others learn to live with them and to enjoy the things that really make them feel good. I'm not against psychologists or people going to them if they think they need it, but I think all this searching for Elvis' psychological traumas, that he could or could not really have, is pointless.

[KPM]

Everyone has fears and problems, KPM. The difference is that some people spend their life trying to find out why they have them and worrying about it while others learn to live with them and to enjoy the things that really make them feel good. I'm not against psychologists or people going to them if they think they need it, but I think all this searching for Elvis' psychological traumas, that he could or could not really have, is pointless.
Learning to live with problems such as phobias, traumas and fears- instead of trying to conquer them and understand them to reduce the problems they cause is just coasting IMO
I watched people in my own family-ignore their problems to very tragic ends which cause even more trauma in the aftermath for all involved.
But thats just me.
Elvis was a complicated, at times at odds with himself individual-his personality conflicts were many and we will probably never know the 100% truth about the who, what, and why of it-but its a point of interest to many-the conflicts add to his story. If people would not think of his problems as so unusual-perhaps he would be considered a little more human instead of the King. IMO

[May]

I think Elvis was insecure about older women... he liked young women who he could feel he was the teacher and they were the student. I think older women in a sexual situation threatened him, he was after all a huge sex symbol and expected to be the king in all areas including the bedroom.
So more experienced women would naturally make him a little more hesitant, he liked submissive situations where he was the aggressor and in charge.
When Priscilla began to make the first moves, she became the aggressor, she was trying to become the person in charge in the bedroom and I think this turned Elvis off- I think any women who would come on too strong in the bedroom would turn him off and threaten his masculinity all at the same time.
So he avoided sex with Priscilla-not because she was a mom, but because she was no longer the submissive partner, she was the instigator and it was not to Elvis's liking. .:blush::blush:

Great post and I agree. (y) I think Elvis may have been quite insecure with women when it came down to it. He was very shy at school and didnt fit in. You dont suddenly become outgoing and secure just because you get older. and whilst Priscilla was still young and inexperienced (i.e. when they first lived together) he felt like the grown up, as it were. then obviously she got older (yeh I know, state the obvious, but..) and had a child he no longer could think of her like that, and maybe felt threatened.:'(

Basically what you're saying, I agree with. Maybe I should have just stuck with that! :blush: (y)(y)

[Donut]

Learning to live with problems such as phobias, traumas and fears- instead of trying to conquer them and understand them to reduce the problems they cause is just coasting IMO
I watched people in my own family-ignore their problems to very tragic ends which cause even more trauma in the aftermath for all involved.
But thats just me.
Elvis was a complicated, at times at odds with himself individual-his personality conflicts were many and we will probably never know the 100% truth about the who, what, and why of it-but its a point of interest to many-the conflicts add to his story. If people would not think of his problems as so unusual-perhaps he would be considered a little more human instead of the King. IMO

In many instances they stop being a problem once you learn to not worry about them and concentrate yourself on more positive things.

I think we are not going to have anything else to say when we finally read the book :lol:. Are you going to read it?

[Brian]

That may be-but only Elvis and Natalie can truely say they are false in their case. Elvis and Marilyn in the other. The only true way to brand something as false or true is if both parties make statements in public which are on record on the subject-and even then if the statements are conflicting you end up with a 50/50.
Elvis has had everything under the sun claimed about him from anyone and everyone who had some connection to him-I do not think it will ever stop and what more of consequence can be said which has not already been said or implied many times before in other books. This book is already branded as a crock and its not even in our hands yet?

I know for a fact Byron Raphael's stories are false.

He comes up with these stories to make money knowing that Natalie Wood, Elvis or Marilyn Monroe can call him the liar that he is because they are dead.

Alanna Nash just shouldn't of opened these can of worms again and should check on the reliability of her sources.

The most common way to confirm a story is to get at least two independent sources but Byron Raphael is the only one that has ever said anything about Elvis and Marilyn Monroe or him and Natalie Wood.

[Junebug]

Has anyone read this yet?

I'm in the middle of the Sheila Ryan relationship.

So far I would give the book a C.

Not so sure about Ms. Nash though.

It will be interesting to discuss.

Actually, I'm thinking the whole thing is a little squirrelly!!!

:king:

[KPM]

I know for a fact Byron Raphael's stories are false.

He comes up with these stories to make money knowing that Natalie Wood, Elvis or Marilyn Monroe can call him the liar that he is because they are dead.

Alanna Nash just shouldn't of opened these can of worms again and should check on the reliability of her sources.

The most common way to confirm a story is to get at least two independent sources but Byron Raphael is the only one that has ever said anything about Elvis and Marilyn Monroe or him and Natalie Wood.
Once again Brian try to remember..... she is not claiming anything the women say is gospel-she is reporting what they have told her and including
"according to Byron,...: (or whoever the story comes from) that is a far cry from claiming out and out total unreproachable fact!
If you overlook this point you are missing an important part of her reporting the info.

[Genie]

I don't get upset about how many women claim to have "known" Elvis.
Personally, I could care less. Seldom read these kind of books.
I've only been interested in Elvis, not his women. ;)


I usually don't agree with Brian about much,
However, Alanna Nash is a go between writer..meaning she goes between hear say, rumors and stories from dead beats...
I wouldn't bother to waste my money on her stupid book.:hmm:

[debtdbruno]

I'm just over 1/2 way through this.........and to be honest it's all getting a bit repetative.

It's all about the movie co-stars at the min......they're all blending into one.........

[Brian]

Once again Brian try to remember..... she is not claiming anything the women say is gospel-she is reporting what they have told her and including
"according to Byron,...: (or whoever the story comes from) that is a far cry from claiming out and out total unreproachable fact!
If you overlook this point you are missing an important part of her reporting the info.

Alanna Nash is the type of writer that if she were writing a book about the history of rock n' roll she'd include Bo Diddley's claims that Elvis stole his stage act when he went to see him at the Apollo theatre in 1955 and that Bo Diddley started doing rock n' roll in 1955 before Elvis!

Both are false but Alanna Nash would write them down anyway and my point is why bother quoting people when you know what they say is false.
or you can find out what they say is false through checking.

Since Elvis died a lot of people have come out of the woodwork claiming all sorts of wild things and false things and Alanna Nash is always putting these myths or dubious people's stories in her books that were proven false years ago.

I know she'll say according to Byron Raphael but just by including what he says gives his stories more credibilty and a platform and a lot people will read it and think it's the truth.

[KPM]

Alanna Nash is the type of writer that if she were writing a book about the history of rock n' roll she'd include Bo Diddley's claims that Elvis stole his stage act when he went to see him at the Apollo theatre in 1955 and that Bo Diddley started doing rock n' roll in 1955 before Elvis!

Both are false but Alanna Nash would write them down anyway and my point is why bother quoting people when you know what they say is false.
or you can find out what they say is false through checking.

Since Elvis died a lot of people have come out of the woodwork claiming all sorts of wild things and false things and Alanna Nash is always putting these myths or dubious people's stories in her books that were proven false years ago.

I know she'll say according to Byron Raphael but just by including what he says gives his stories more credibilty and a platform and a lot people will read it and think it's the truth.

People who do a good job of reporting and writing-have to include the odd information even if questionable-otherwise they are censoring the story as told to them-as long as they always make it clear-this is as told not necessarily fact. I think she does this pretty well.
Most authors will know that information which is questionable will be seen thru by most discerning readers...............
One on one encounters or things which were suppose to be just between a few people may not be able to check satisfactorilly-so they get included because it is one persons story of a situation they claimed happened-unfair perhaps-but thats life.
As far as Bo Diddleys claim about Elvis being in New York in 1955 and seeing him at the Apollo theater Elvis did travel to New York in 1955 to try out for the Arther Godfreys Talent Scouts here is a tidbit about this from a history of the show:
.....Two notable acts rejected for the show were Elvis Presley and Sonny Till & The Orioles. Following his appearances on the Louisiana Hayride, Presley traveled to New York for an unsuccessful Talent Scouts audition in April 1955; after the Talent Scouts staff rejected The Orioles, they went on to have a hit record with "Crying in the Chapel" and kicked off the "bird group" trend of early rock 'n' roll.

Now that does not prove Elvis saw Diddley, but it does leave the door open to that. So there is the Catch 22-report what Diddley said and you say it gives creedance to the story-but if you do not report it-you censor Diddleys thought and story.
Diddley was playing guitar long before Elvis-but Elvis did not steal anything from Bo, although Bo may honestly believe he did.
Bo hit in 1955-so from then on Elvis had to be aware of Bo-before 1955 is questionable but possible.
So thats Bo's opinion of the situation.... he has the right to say it-but that does not make it 100% fact. I think he may have said it so long that he believed it until the day he died

[Sweet_One_E.]

Now I will give my own laymans take on Elvis and Priscilla's change in sexual habits after she had Lisa.
I think Elvis was insecure about older women... he liked young women who he could feel he was the teacher and they were the student. I think older women in a sexual situation threatened him, he was after all a huge sex symbol and expected to be the king in all areas including the bedroom.
So more experienced women would naturally make him a little more hesitant, he liked submissive situations where he was the aggressor and in charge.
When Priscilla began to make the first moves, she became the aggressor, she was trying to become the person in charge in the bedroom and I think this turned Elvis off- I think any women who would come on too strong in the bedroom would turn him off and threaten his masculinity all at the same time.
So he avoided sex with Priscilla-not because she was a mom, but because she was no longer the submissive partner, she was the instigator and it was not to Elvis's liking. I do not think being a mother for any woman Elvis was with had much to do with it-how aggressive was the woman made the difference.
Now thats just my opinion.
I was raised with the whole "good girls you marry and they probably will not like sex"-"bad girls you did not marry and they loved sex"-so that is another mental image in many guys heads into the early 70s which can mess with a mans head.
Women do not reach sexual peak until the late 20s early 30s and when they do-you might suddenly ask-where did the good girl go, how do I understand this change???
No wonder people have such problems with misunformation such as this drilled into the heads of each generation.:blush::blush:

That my take as well.

[Elizasong]

I'm 1/2 way through the Alannah book too and I'm losing the excitement I had when I first started reading it. It's a good Harlequin Romance novel to some extent. Sensationalism at it's best. I'll read to the end though. Curiosity I guess.