Book Review: Elvis by the Presleys

Elvis by the Presleys. Edited by David Ritz. Crown Publishers. 2005. 240 pages. No index. ISBN: 0307237419. Available from Amazon.com.

In May, 2005, the documentary Elvis by the Presleys made its debut on CBS. This oversized, glossy hardback is a companion piece to that documentary.

The life of Elvis Presley has all the elements of an epic tragedy. At the time of his death in 1977 he was on top of his profession - selling more records than anyone except Bing Crosby. But his personal life was not so rosy. As a result he was addicted to, and overused, prescription barbiturates, which likely precipitated his death from a heart attack at the early age of 42.

Many biographies tell the story, some sincere, some full of salacious gossip: Careless Love: The Unmasking of Elvis Presley; Elvis Presley: The Man, The Life, the Legend; Last Train to Memphis: The Elvis Presley Story, along with many others.

And now there is Elvis by the Presleys. Contained here, in amongst dozens of never-before-seen photos, are intimate stories from ex-wife Priscilla Presley, daughter Lisa Marie, Patsy Presley Geranen (Elvis's double first cousin), Ann Beaulieu (Priscilla's mother), Paul Beaulieu (Priscilla's father), and Michelle Beulieu Hovey (Priscilla's sister), as well as quotes from Elvis Presley himself (taken from what sources, we are not told - but presumably interviews as shown in the documentary.)

I have an ambivalent feeling towards this book. On the one hand, of course, it is nice to read these anecdotes about Presley from his own family. They round out the man and his private life, and provide an excellent counterpoint to the many full-length biographies. This book doesn't pretend to be a biography - it's a memoir, and it fulfills that purpose.

On the other hand...I don't care for the design of the book. There's no index and no bibliography.

The book has 240 pages, but you don't get 240 pages of information. Scattered throughout the book are pull quotes from the text, not off-set to draw attention to them, but rather printed in a gigantic font- which take up an entire over-sized page and are almost illegible.

Then there are the photographs. This book is mostly a photographic essay, after all. Several of the photographs are great. Photos of a young Elvis and his family, his costumes, the interior of Graceland, Elvis on stage, things like that.

But then there are other photos, taken in an 'arty' style'. If I were to go into an Elvis museum, the subjects are the things I'd expect to see - car keys, wardrobe receipts, inscribed bibles, a Disney plate that Lisa Marie presumably used as a baby. Yes...in a museum I wouldn't mind seeing these things - the minutiae of Elvis' life.

But to see them turned into 'art' in a book (the item is photographed from overhead, on a white background, with a dark shadow to one side or the other) strikes the wrong note. Especially since most of these "artsy" types of photos are given a full page, leaving less room for the stories from family members.

For example, there are full page photos of Elvis' black comb, the record player from his bedroom and the album that was on it the day he passed away (The Stamps), his car keys, a TV remote control from 1957, the gun Delta carried with her, the eyeglasses Delta wore.

Does a photo of Delta's eyeglasses need an entire page? How about one of Elvis's boots, complete with the original mud? How about a pink feather, a "promotional gimmick conceived by the Colonel for Elvis' film, Tickle Me. A full page photo of three Roi-tan cigars "from Elvis personal collection". A full page for a Colt. 45 bullet, which fit, presumably, into the .45 Colt with the turquoise grips (called a handle in the caption), which is full size on the facing page.

And of course, for the memorable photographs that really need it, we get a two page spread. There's the TV from Elvis' house in Palm Springs, which has a bullet hole through the screen (if there was an explanation for that, I couldn't find it in the text), the original mailbox at Graceland, and a case of Mountain Valley spring water (Elvis favorite when he toured in the Seventies).

The stories from Elvis's family are fascinating. From Elvis's long courtship of Priscilla Presley, to the self-destructive relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to Lisa Marie's childhood memories, to the day he died, these are indeed Intimate stories, illuminating the inner workings of Elvis' life seen from those closest to him up until his final years. Although the chapters go in chronological order (from Priscilla's first meeting with him up until his death), there are stories from all time periods interspersed throughout each chapter).

Unless you're a die-hard Elvis fan, however, I'd suggest getting this book only from the library...or forego the book entirely and just pick up the DVD of the documentary (4 hours instead of the 2 hours broadcast on TV).

Chapter One: Elvis is in the House
Priscilla: "Who can think of Elvis without thinking of Graceland?"

Chapter Two: Delta and Dodger in the House that Never Slept
Patsy: "Elvis was king of the castle - no doubt- but his rule did not extend to my grandmother and my aunt."

Chapter Three: Fate.
Paul Beulieu: "I suppose it all started at the PX in Austin, Texas. As a career Air Force officer, I was doing a little shopping when I noticed a long line of people buying a record album. I went over and saw the name, - Elvis Presley - and wasn't even sure how to pronounce it. Anyway, I thought it might be something my daughter Priscilla would like, so I bought it for her. It seemed like music for her generation.

Chapter Four: I'll Take Good Care of You
Paul: "It was a tough period for Cilla. I know she felt abandoned, and there was nothing we could do. For long periods of time she heard nothing from the States. [She was in Germany with her family]. And then, out of nowhere, Elvis would call and they'd literally talk all night..."

Chapter Five: Irresistible Elvis.
Ann: "You hear about people with magnetic personalities. Well, I really didn't understand the meaning of the word until I met Elvis."

Chapter Six: I'm a Movie Star, I'm a Som Bitch
Elvis: "...they sent me to Hollywood to make movies. It was all new to me. I was twenty-one, twenty-two years old. And they yelled "Action" and I didn't know what to do. I said, "Memphis!" They said, "That's all we can get out of him..."

Chapter Seven: The Seeker
Lisa Marie: "My father's library of spiritual books is amazing. I've gone through those books. They're covered with his notes. He wrote on the top of the page, on the bottom of the page, in the margins - everywhere. You can hear him thinking when you read those notes. He was open to new ideas."

Chapter Eight: Fire Eyes
Ann: "Naturally we were overjoyed when Priscilla told us that Elvis had proposed. It was 1966, and by this then she had been part of his life for many years."

Chapter Nine: Soul Man
Elvis: "I don't roll my pelvic gyrations. My pelvis has nothing to do with what I do. I just kind of rhythm to the music. I jump around because I enjoy what I do."

Chapter Ten: Daddy
Michelle: "When it came to Lisa Marie, it was unusual for Elvis to even raise his voice. Lisa Marie could try your patience, and one time he raised his voice to her. Lisa started crying and Elvis was horrified at what he'd done. His scolding was far more traumatic for him than for her."

Chapter Eleven: The Lawman and the Action Hero
"At the start of the Seventies, my story and Elvis' story began to movie in different directions. From the moment I met him at age fourteen, I was captivated by his extraordinary world. ..When Lisa Marie was born, though, my agenda shifted...I was a mother with the awesome responsibility of a new life...I remembered him telling me some time in the past that he just couldn't have sex with a woman who'd had a child."

Chapter Twelve: Inspirations
Lisa Marie: "When I think of my father touring those last years of his life, when he was playing Vegas and stadiums all over the country, I think of the Sweet Inspirations. They were the black female background singers he started using about that time. They brought out his soul."

Chapter Thirteen: Elvis's Hands
Lisa Marie: "After my parent's separation and divorce, I felt no animosity between them. He was always over the house talking to Mom all hours of the night. He conferred with her about everything."

Chapter Fourteen: Still
Lisa Marie: "It's hard to be in that place that my father was in. I think of Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison. I think of great artists who lost touch with reality. Artists who, for whatever reason, surround themselves with people who help suck the life out of them."