Linda

[graceland123]

I see that Linda Thompson is to be at the Elvis insiders in Memphis this August
Good to see her finally talking about elvis
she is to appear with her brother sam thompson
i hope this is the start of perhaps a book by linda as it is about time
she hasn t milked her relationship with elvis( unlike some) and deserves to gain recognition as elvis s serious girlfriend after all they lived together for years
i just wish i was going
i wonder how priscilla has allowed it after all we all know how she likes to be queen bee and likes to make it known that she was the only one that elvis loved at the exclusion of any other woman even removing every trace of linda from graceland when she opened it to the public
i know they met up at larry kings bash but i dont believe there is any love lost between them and priscilla has done some nasty things to linda over the years such as slagging her off when she was dating elvis saying that elvis still wanted her and was begging her to come back and not allowing her on the lisa marie plane after elvis died
she got lindas family thrown out of a house that elvis bought them and hasnt included linda in any programme about elvis.
i can understand her being angry at linda if elvis had been having an affair with her while they were married or he had ended the marriage for her but the fact is she supported and loved elvis after priscilla left him for another man and didnt deserve to be treated this way be priscilla .

[songs4u]

I was surprised to hear about Linda participating in the event. I wonder how this all came about. She never speaks a bad word about Priscilla but, I wonder what the true relationship is between them. It almost makes me think the Presleys are gaining in some way by having Linda there or they wouldn't have invited her.

[Diane]

Yup, there has to be a catch!

[songs4u]

There's gotta be Diane.

I read your whole post which told me some things I didn't know before about Priscilla and Linda. They go on television and talk civil about one another but, what do you expect.

When Linda says she's close to Lisa, do you believe that? Priscilla is Lisa's mother and it's only natural for Lisa to take her mother's side on things. I have to think Priscilla tells Lisa things about Linda. Maybe, I'm just letting my imagination and mouth run away with me here.

[Donut]

i hope this is the start of perhaps a book by linda as it is about time

Graceland123 I read an interview of Linda somewhere ( can?t remember the place ) where she told the interviewer that she is going to write a book about Elvis because she feels she didn?t do enough to defend him after his death and he deserves it.
For Linda in Elvis insiders i was surprised too reading she was going to attend

[Diane]

No, I don't think you're off base here Song4U. I think Lisa Marie was close to Linda while Linda was living at Graceland. Linda was the first person she called when Elvis died and she realized something bad had happened to her dad. If not, why didn't she call her mom first?

Again I'm rather prejudiced against Priscilla and that just really took a hold after she left him. Then the more I read about her and saw her on television in interviews etc. the more I began to dislike her because of her veiled digs at Elvis and trying to appear absolutely innocent and blameless. I began to take another look at the pictures of her young and scrutinazing her expressions, posture etc. and my opinion of her started to worsen. The book Child Bride was the kicker but even though it fit my impression of her you know a lot of things that were said in that book like all others had to be embellished. In the end I guess all you could say is that she and Elvis were definitely not soul mates. She wanted something from him he couldn't give and vice-versa.

No one can say for sure if she's talked against Linda to Lisa unless they were there but my guess would be she surely did as I believe she is a very jealous person - needs to be queen bee as somelse had said. I also think she exaggerated a lot of things Elvis did to have more control over her. And, Lisa could be damaging to her mother if she wanted to. I'm sure she remembers things Priscilla would not want talked about as well.

Most of us are speaking from the heart here and I believe none of us are experts at "knowing the whole truth". Read it all and as many books as you can get your hands on and draw your own conclusions. That's the closest any of us will ever get to what really happened.

I wish you had seen him perform though. Seeing him in person would have helped you a lot. He was a great performer and knew how to manipulate his audience like no one ever has before BUT he also couldn't hide the real Elvis.

I really believe he was one of the most complicated people there ever was. He was full of emotional scars from his upbringing, not because his parents abused him but being looked down on from others at school etc. for being from a very poor family and the problems that caused all three of them.

I think he became very needy especially after his mom died and he filled his house with familiar people in order to feel secure. Trouble was, very few if any understood how he thought or what he needed - his women included. I believe I even read somewhere that Joe laughed at him once when he was strongly into his quest to finds truths in all the religious books he read. And that bothered me about Joe. Did he secretly look down on this immature but brilliant person in his music or was that for effect in front of the other guys? In any case can you just imagine what living in that house was like with all the pushing and bickering about who was top guy in Elvis' eyes?


I'm getting too far afield here but I hope I helped answer some questions in your mind.

[Diane]

Oh by the way Songs4U, I think you were the one who mentioned you didn't know what Junior Smith Elvis' cousin looked like. He was apparently kind of strange and I think he was the one that was found dead in his room before Elvis died. He was an chronic alcoholic. You can see him in a couple of pictures of the train series with Elvis.

There are also some pictures of Elvis and his cousin Billy Smith. The one that comes to mind is a cute one (in colour) where Elvis has gotten Billy by the crook of his arm. There's another guy in the photo with them but I can't remember if it's Joe or not.

I wish I knew how to post pictures etc. I would have uploaded or downloaded all the others with the girlfriends. See, I don't even know the jargon.....

All these pictures can be found in the fifties section of the gallery under Candids. Sorry I couldn't help you more.

[songs4u]

Diane, I saw Elvis do a show in '72, '74, and '76.

You talk about Elvis' cousin being an alcoholic. Am I wrong in saying that was a problem a lot of his family had. I'm not judging them because I'm the last one to judge anyone. I was just wondering.

[riley]

songs4u, you saw him perform in different years?

did you see him change healthwise.

And if yes did the shows suffer from that given.

[songs4u]

riley

When I saw him in '72 they were filming the movie "Elvis, On Tour". He was wearing that Red suit in the beginning of the movie. He was in Richmond, Virginia then. That's where I saw him. They had huge movie cameras following him all over stage. He looked great. I can't hardly find fault with Elvis because he's so beautiful but, his face looked pale against that red suit. He was happy and energetic. He even laid down on stage. He was having fun I think.

in '74 I don't remember a lot about that show. I was young when I saw him. He was wearing one of those eagle suits I think. You know the ones like he wore in Aloha in Hawaii. He didn't look heavy but, there was a difference in his weight from '72. But, nothing that would make you really call him heavy.

in '76 it was obvious he was heavier if you had seen him in '72. It looked like he had some puffiness. He was wearing one of the suits with the puffy sleeves. I had never seen him wear one of those before. He was pale this time, also but it seemed like you noticed it more. He wasn't wearing as much eye make up that night so that might be why I noticed the paleness so much. He wasn't at all as heavy as he was in '77. I have a thread here talking about him singing the song "America" in '76. I thought his voice was in great form that night. His movements slowed down from '72 to '76. He was getting older, of course, but, I think his health or weight gain probably had something to do with it.

I don't think his voice ever failed him.

And, I might add, the fans treated him the same all 3 times I saw him do shows. They went crazy screaming and trying to get to the stage. After all he was still Elvis.

[Diane]

Gayle,

I'm sorry I misread a thread thinking it was you who hadn't seen Elvis in person. I'm glad you had that experience. Thank you for your impressions of the years you saw him.

Yes, the alcoholism was in his family on his mother's side, actually both sides of the family as his aunt Delta also had the problem. They say that's why Elvis didn't drink.

[geordie]

i read an interview that linda gave in one of the elvis mags i get
it was taken from ESSENTIAL ELVIS (THE ELVIS MAG )issue 45 march/april 2006
www.essentialelvis.com

[ForeverTheKing]

I was surprised to hear about Linda participating in the event. I wonder how this all came about. She never speaks a bad word about Priscilla but, I wonder what the true relationship is between them. It almost makes me think the Presleys are gaining in some way by having Linda there or they wouldn't have invited her.

This can be considered a very surprise...strange picture!
Are they friends now or they just pose for the camera?

[Awickedreigndrop]

This can be considered a very surprise...strange picture!
Are they friends now or they just pose for the camera?

This is a weird picture. Maybe it was just for show, I don't know. But I don't think "Exes and Nextes" get along that well. Well most of the time they don't. Too bad none of us was a fly on the wall when this picture was taken. Then we would know it's true meaning.

[songs4u]

Diane,

The reason I was curious about the alcoholism in Elvis' family is because an addictive personality is supposed to be hereditary. I wonder if Elvis had one. I do, I got it from my father. I don't know the word moderation in anything.

About that picture of Linda and Miss Priss, you know for sure it was for publicity purposes. I bet they can't stand each other.

Someone was saying that maybe Linda was invited to particiate in this year's event was because Sillerman has 85 percent control and he's calling the shots with EPE. He wants to make money and he probably thinks it's a good idea to get some people in there that the fans like.

Miss Priss won't have the spotlight all to herself, anymore. Boo Hoo! Boo Hoo! Poor Miss Priss.

[Donut]

Miss Priss won't have the spotlight all to herself, anymore. Boo Hoo! Boo Hoo! Poor Miss Priss.
LOLOL YOU ARE RIGHT GAYLE IT WAS TIME

[MISSCLAWDY]

too true!!!!!

[Diane]

Gayle,

My dad was an alcoholic too but he was a binger - it wasn't constant and the only abuse we had from him was worrying about what it would do to his health. I'm sure it was similar with you as you said you loved your dad. So did I, my dad was a great dad (in my eyes anyway).

My sister and I luckily didn't inherit the tendency for alcoholism. It doesn't always happen but from what I understand, it passes down more to a son from the father than to a daughter but of course can go to either. Maybe Elvis was one of the lucky ones too but then he didn't chance it enough to find out.

[Diane]

Oops, I forgot about Priscilla having Linda at Graceland. I don't want to miss that. I hope they televise it. She may not have all the spotlight to herself but she sure is going to try. Watch out to see if Linda suddenly grabs her foot from a heel wound.

[songs4u]

Diane

Do you think they might televise it? I saw it one year on HBO way back when Lisa had Michael Jackson there.

I'm sort of on our personal subject here, sorry. My father wasn't an alcoholic nor do I drink. Thank goodness because if I drank I'd be the worse drunk out there. I can't do anything in moderation. That means, eating, shopping, sleeping, not sleeping, taking medications (do you get my drift a little here?). My father was very successful and left me a business he built. It just might be psyco-babble bullcrap but, I've been told I inherited it. I'm by far worse than my father. Nothing he did interferred with his life. My life is affected by my extremes. That's why I was wondering if Elvis could have had this type personality. Alcohol might not have been his substance of choice. It's not mine, either.

If anyone hears about any of the events this year in Memphis being televised please post it here. Thanks.