cutiepie
06-26-2005, 04:32 PM
Hello! I've been reading one Elvis book after another! It is amazing how each book offers up a different point of view. It is quite a fun and immersive experience to read about a performance or recording session, and then listen to that song. Doing this gives the song a lot more depth and nuance.
I read "Elvis and Me" where Priscilla often complained about Elvis' lifestyle. In my opinion, I think she could have clued into what life would be like, as Elvis' wife, but I digress. Anyway, I ran across the following passage, that may justify/vindicate/condone (??? I can't think of the right word) why Elvis could get whatever he wanted, despite criticism, etc.
It is a quote from Alexander VI's speeech to Lucrezia Borgia, from Arthur de Gobineau's Scenes historiques de la Renaissance (1877), as quoted in The Borgias by Ivan Cloulas (1989) by way of Gregory Maguire's novel, "Mirror Mirror" (yes, I do have eclectic tastes!)
Here it is--it might be a stretch, but it reminds me of the way Elvis lived--with "the guys" and everything else...let me know what you think!
"...You must know that for those destined to dominate others, the ordinary rules of life are turned upside down and duty acquires an entirely new meaning. Good and evil are carried off to a higher different plane...
Remember this. Walk straight ahead. Do only what you like, as long as it is of some use to you. Leave hesitation and scruples to small minds, to plebeians and subordinates. One consideration alone is worthy of you--the elevation of the House of Borgia, the elevation of youself."
I read "Elvis and Me" where Priscilla often complained about Elvis' lifestyle. In my opinion, I think she could have clued into what life would be like, as Elvis' wife, but I digress. Anyway, I ran across the following passage, that may justify/vindicate/condone (??? I can't think of the right word) why Elvis could get whatever he wanted, despite criticism, etc.
It is a quote from Alexander VI's speeech to Lucrezia Borgia, from Arthur de Gobineau's Scenes historiques de la Renaissance (1877), as quoted in The Borgias by Ivan Cloulas (1989) by way of Gregory Maguire's novel, "Mirror Mirror" (yes, I do have eclectic tastes!)
Here it is--it might be a stretch, but it reminds me of the way Elvis lived--with "the guys" and everything else...let me know what you think!
"...You must know that for those destined to dominate others, the ordinary rules of life are turned upside down and duty acquires an entirely new meaning. Good and evil are carried off to a higher different plane...
Remember this. Walk straight ahead. Do only what you like, as long as it is of some use to you. Leave hesitation and scruples to small minds, to plebeians and subordinates. One consideration alone is worthy of you--the elevation of the House of Borgia, the elevation of youself."