new sonny west book

[orwell1976]

I believe that they wrote the book as some kind of wake up call to Elvis. Not in the case of Dave Hebbler, but Sonny and Red West. Especially Red confronted Elvis with his drug problem and got fired for that. And they had to make money simply because to make a living for themselves and their families.

The book concentrates on all that negative stuff, but the stories are not untrue. Maybe they tried to make them more horrendous, but in their core they where true.

Most fans who are angry about them are just mad at them, because they shattered their picture of Elvis.

And it's not the worst intension to write another book to put the old stories into the right light (a little less horror).

[NEA]

The old part-timer that was Dave Hebler decided to take on the role of a 'Sheep' when Red & Sonny decided to rock 'n' shock the Elvis World with that book. I feel as though he just tagged along for the money-spinning venture that it was.

Hebler had only been employed by Elvis for approximately three or four years by the time they all got the 'heave-ho' in 1976. There was a possibility that Hebler knew Elvis wasn't too keen on him, and Elvis confirmed this in his telephone conversation with Red later that year. Elvis thought that Hebler had created some kind of negative atmosphere in the MM camp. So, naturally if anyone was going to be fired then Hebler would be the first to go. He was just fortunate enough that Red & Sonny were given their cards too in order for him to be involved in their bitter quest of telling 'their' truth. Well, if Hebler didn't realise Elvis wasn't keen on him back then, he certainly realises it now.

On another note, if Sonny remains true to his description of his new book this could possibly be the closest we're ever going to get to the truth about certain events in Elvis' life. This could also be the closest we'll ever get to knowing about the real Elvis - because Sonny was there for most of the time over nearly two decades. When you summarise other so-called 'Family' and 'Friends' books that have been published through the years, for example "Elvis & Me" by Priscilla - that is told from the 'wifey' point of view, and for the latter part of Elvis' life when she wasn't around then it is only based on her opinions of what she thought. Another example is Charlie Hodge's rather nice, but sugar-coated, account of his time with 'The King' in "Me 'n' Elvis". This book presents some nice heart-warming stories which are a nice change from the sensationalistic garb we have been treated to throughout the years since Elvis passed away. Charlie has always remained true to Elvis' memory, but I still can't grasp that Bone Cancer theory.

Will Sonny West's new book become the definitive 'Elvis the human being' type story??

[Scottishthistle]

This makes me sick. they are still at it, still trying to cash in...
Wish they'd stop it! suddenly all my respect for the MM is fadeing.. I will NEVER buy this new book or any other trash which trys to darken Elvis' name ... why can't they write a book about the good times???

[0349054]

It may very well be.

Revelations still stands out as the best ever Elvis book to me.

Guarnlicks books are ok, good to give an overview, but to get to see what Elvis was like as a person - not as a product, then books by people who spent years with him who are prepared to speak candidly are the best.

[0349054]

This makes me sick. they are still at it, still trying to cash in...
Wish they'd stop it! suddenly all my respect for the MM is fadeing.. I will NEVER buy this new book or any other trash which trys to darken Elvis' name ... why can't they write a book about the good times???

Elvis By The Presley's was the biggest cash in on Elvis in 2005.

We don't know what Sonny will include in the book yet, im sure it will be more balanced than What Happened.

Good times don't sell unfortunately.

[Dovey]

ALL I KNOW OUR MAN DIED WITH A BROKEN HEART, THEIR WORTHLESS,TASTELESS BOOK HURT THAT PRESCIOUS PERSON ,THIS IS WHAT I CONCERN..AND ELVIS NEVER SAID OR WROTE ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THOSE ..... DON'T LET ME SAY WHAT THEY ARE..I HATE THEM "perfect cousins" SO THAT I CAN HAVE A HEART ATTACK RIGHT NOW..APOLOGIZING??..MY ... NOOOOO WAY.. I WON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM..

I agree with you 100%.. they wrote that book to destroy Elvis and that is what they did. I read their book once and it made me sick... it starts out talking about Elvis and Mike Stone as I recall. They did not write that book to help Elvis... (If they did sure as "H" glad they are not my friends) I don't think you help a person by running him into the ground. They were nothing without Elvis and they knew it... No way would I pay for anything they write. Dovey

On a lighter note "Merry Christmas to all and Long Live the King"

[joanne]

I believe that they wrote the book as some kind of wake up call to Elvis. Not in the case of Dave Hebbler, but Sonny and Red West. Especially Red confronted Elvis with his drug problem and got fired for that. And they had to make money simply because to make a living for themselves and their families.

The book concentrates on all that negative stuff, but the stories are not untrue. Maybe they tried to make them more horrendous, but in their core they where true.

Most fans who are angry about them are just mad at them, because they shattered their picture of Elvis.

And it's not the worst intension to write another book to put the old stories into the right light (a little less horror).

First of all when you say they had to make money for themselves why didn`t they try going out and getting a job and working for a living like the rest of us?
They`d spent most of their lives sponging off Elvis up to that point.
As for the stories being true how the hell do you know?
When you put a book together you talk about the good and bad not ALL THE BAD and everything that Elvis was doing they were also doing i.e. the women, the pills etc so they`ve got some room to talk.
They didn`t shatter my picture of Elvis because I know he was a beautiful person and how many women he slept with or how many pills he took doesn`t change that. But there was more to him than that and we all know it i.e. his charity work, his generosity, his love for his family, his god-given talent, his religious beliefs, his love for his fans and the list goes on.
That is why the fans feel angry about the book because they focused completely on the negative aspects of his life which we all have because we`re human.
Elvis had it worse because he had more pressure than the average person.
Sonny is doing this new book once again to make some more money and perhaps ease the guilt which he feels about the first book. As I stated previously he knew it was distorted because he blamed Steve Dunleavy for it.
I`m sure we will read now about the whole Elvis and not the distorted view that we got the first time but I`m afraid for me its come too late.

[0349054]

First of all when you say they had to make money for themselves why didn`t they try going out and getting a job and working for a living like the rest of us?
They`d spent most of their lives sponging off Elvis up to that point.
As for the stories being true how the hell do you know?
When you put a book together you talk about the good and bad not ALL THE BAD and everything that Elvis was doing they were also doing i.e. the women, the pills etc so they`ve got some room to talk.
They didn`t shatter my picture of Elvis because I know he was a beautiful person and how many women he slept with or how many pills he took doesn`t change that. But there was more to him than that and we all know it i.e. his charity work, his generosity, his love for his family, his god-given talent, his religious beliefs, his love for his fans and the list goes on.
That is why the fans feel angry about the book because they focused completely on the negative aspects of his life which we all have because we`re human.
Elvis had it worse because he had more pressure than the average person.
Sonny is doing this new book once again to make some more money and perhaps ease the guilt which he feels about the first book. As I stated previously he knew it was distorted because he blamed Steve Dunleavy for it.
I`m sure we will read now about the whole Elvis and not the distorted view that we got the first time but I`m afraid for me its come too late.

The guys had no experience of working in the real world. They lived in the Elvis bubble for far too long, and quite frankly his dismissal of them, left them high and dry with families. You can sympathise with Elvis, but money makes the world go round and they were never well paid by Elvis to begin with, but to find themselves with no job is a different story.

Most of the guys admit they lived the same life as Elvis did. The drugs, the sex etc.., they actually are similar to Elvis. They lived with him for so long, they couldent but be a bit like him.

The stories are true. Elvis was alive when this book was published, if their was anything which wasnt true, he could have sued. At least they had the balls to write a book while he was alive.

Elvis was a brilliant entertainer and did many many wonderful things. Just some fans have this sugar coated angelic image of him, and some of them would even deny he had a prescription drug problem. He was human, and I hope Sonny shows some more aspects of Elvis' human side in his new book.

[joanne]

I`m very surprised that you feel that way but we all have an opinion honey.

[0349054]

Very true. I just prefer to get my info from people who were with Elvis over an extended period of time, rather than authors who wern't around the man himself!

[IM4Elvis]

I have absolutley no desire to read or purchase this book. Many of those so-called "friends" of Elvis were part of the problem. Many of them, according to one "friends" testimoney which I heard, even partied so-to-speak with Elvis. And now that Elvis cannot defend himself, or at the very least, cannot offer justification for some of his behavior, a "truthful" book comes out. Why 28 years later?
Beside this, I do not really care what the writer thinks of Lisa of Priscilla. I think both women are very talented in their own right and are doing their best to preserve Elvis' legacy. I have great respect for both.

[joanne]

I have absolutley no desire to read or purchase this book. Many of those so-called "friends" of Elvis were part of the problem. Many of them, according to one "friends" testimoney which I heard, even partied so-to-speak with Elvis. And now that Elvis cannot defend himself, or at the very least, cannot offer justification for some of his behavior, a "truthful" book comes out. Why 28 years later?
Beside this, I do not really care what the writer thinks of Lisa of Priscilla. I think both women are very talented in their own right and are doing their best to preserve Elvis' legacy. I have great respect for both.

What talent?

[KPM]

A good point was made about the opening of "E-What Happened" and the straight to the juggular Stone story told in the most "Star exploitive" way by Steve Dunleavy whos claim to fame at this point was writer for the Star rag. The cover itself was a lesson in yellow journalism and how to sell. The reason for the book was later revised after he died, to be "we wanted to wake him up" They wanted to make as many bucks as they could and hurt Elvis(as they felt hurt by him).
How could they clean him up when they were messing with everything and more than he was?(by most of their own admissions) The bad stories were up front and the good- filler here and there. Now, Red and Sonny claim the book was written badly in a exploitive way and way too much emphasised the bad which they say the good outweighs by far. The errors in the book are many, but when you rush to get to press it happens. Now they are not as hurt as time heals, and Elvis is dead. The good comes forth probably to ease guilt.(and once again make a handful of cash)The first book had truth in it but was presented to sell big and hurt the man who had been their meal ticket. MO

[IM4Elvis]

Hi Joanne, thanks for your question.

As far as the "talent" I mentioned in a previous post I would suggest the following. Lisa has produced a couple of nice CD's recently ("nice" IMHO). I have enjoyed Lisa's first two CD's even though it is not my type of music so-to-speak. As I become "grayer" I find I am drawn to music from when I was growing up, yet I find a liking to her CD's.

I give Priscilla a great deal of credit for being one of the people behind saving Graceland when it was facing serious financial problems and possible bankruptcy in the early 80s. Additionally, I thought both she and Lisa did a very nice job with the recent release of "Elvis by the Presley's." I enjoyed and have purchased both the audio CD and the DVD.

Hope this helps.

IM

[joanne]

Hi Joanne, thanks for your question.

As far as the "talent" I mentioned in a previous post I would suggest the following. Lisa has produced a couple of nice CD's recently ("nice" IMHO). I have enjoyed Lisa's first two CD's even though it is not my type of music so-to-speak. As I become "grayer" I find I am drawn to music from when I was growing up, yet I find a liking to her CD's.

I give Priscilla a great deal of credit for being one of the people behind saving Graceland when it was facing serious financial problems and possible bankruptcy in the early 80s. Additionally, I thought both she and Lisa did a very nice job with the recent release of "Elvis by the Presley's." I enjoyed and have purchased both the audio CD and the DVD.

Hope this helps.

IM

It doesn`t help me darlin because Lisa can`t sing for toffee and as for priscilla saving Graceland I know she likes to take all the credit but the fact is she hired the most savvy people around and it was only done to line her pockets anyway.
As for Elvis By The Presleys it was the most one-sided programme that I have ever had the misfortune to see. She really did a hatchet job on Elvis and once again increased her bank balance.

[Dovey]

Joanne You Go
Girl!! You are right. Long live the King!!

[NEA]

We're getting off the mark here guys - Lisa is now an acclaimed singer (and song-writer) maybe not to everbody's liking, but she is a singer. I feel her Dad would be very proud of her today and I think he would disagree with the folk who write her voice off, because he was once in that position too.

"Elvis By The Presleys" was/is a very good project - the DVD is outstanding, and I feel that the girls done him proud. There is always going to be an element of selfishness where Priscilla is involved, but it doesn't take it away from the overall production.

Guys, I would rather read an updated, fresh story from Sonny West (Who did do wrong - he retalliated!) which puts aside his bitterness and revengefulness of Steve Dunleavy's comic book portrayal in "EWH". Put it this way, I would rather purchase this than anything from David 'Headhunter' Stanley or Donna 'let's rip his fans off with some jewellery' Pritchett-Early. At least Sonny doesn't have to fill in the gaps in his story - he was always there.

NEA.

[0349054]

Well said NEA.

Its always good to hear from people who were around Elvis for a long long time.

[joanne]

We're getting off the mark here guys - Lisa is now an acclaimed singer (and song-writer) maybe not to everbody's liking, but she is a singer. I feel her Dad would be very proud of her today and I think he would disagree with the folk who write her voice off, because he was once in that position too.

"Elvis By The Presleys" was/is a very good project - the DVD is outstanding, and I feel that the girls done him proud. There is always going to be an element of selfishness where Priscilla is involved, but it doesn't take it away from the overall production.

Guys, I would rather read an updated, fresh story from Sonny West (Who did do wrong - he retalliated!) which puts aside his bitterness and revengefulness of Steve Dunleavy's comic book portrayal in "EWH". Put it this way, I would rather purchase this than anything from David 'Headhunter' Stanley or Donna 'let's rip his fans off with some jewellery' Pritchett-Early. At least Sonny doesn't have to fill in the gaps in his story - he was always there.

NEA.

Elvis may have once been in that position but the difference between the two is that he could sing.
You say she is a singer well so is kermit the frog but it doesn`t make him good.
I don`t know how anyone can watch Elvis By The Presleys and not see how bad Priscilla is portraying Elvis. Shes got all her family in to basically show her in a good light.
Where are the Presleys?

[NEA]

Well Joanne, it's your opinion against mine. Lisa is an acclaimed Singer, but obviously a big element of what she does doesn't satisfy your taste. Anyway, Kermit couldn't really sing - he's a PUPPET...er...sorry MUPPET!!! (lol)...Or...is it the fact you just don't like LMP full stop?

Well Joanne, there is a heck of a lot of people out there who rate, and have bought, the "EBTP" project and once again it's your opinion against mine, and once again, if it boils down to Kermit and Co - it's only our opinions that we are expressing on this thread. For the most part, Lisa and Patsy are the original 'Presleys' in the TV Special, and obviously Priscilla is the former-Presley - through her previous marriage only...a tag that she relishes as we all know.

I can't see how Priscilla has portrayed Elvis in such a bad light in "EBTP", especially compared to her 'opinionated' view via the "Elvis & Me" book from 20 years ago....Or...is it the fact that you just can't stand Priscilla either? Naturally, I don't agree with some of her money-making tactics i.e. keeping the 'Presley' name. And, I feel that her Parents were quite objective when it came to talking about Elvis in the special, so even if she did set-out to make herself out as 'Miss Goody Two-Shoes' it didn't really come across that way e.g. The Engelbert Humperdinck 'wolf-whistle' story. You really need to back-up your opinions for you to sell us on these statements that you're making...there are two sides to an argument but just because somebody doesn't like a person it doesn't mean to say that the disliked person can't sing or has portrayed somebody in a bad light. But, once again, that is only my opinion from what I have read in some of your posts on this thread.