Thursday, March 26, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen...Elvis has Left the Building.

Today I finished Careless Love by Peter Guralnick. Heartbreaking.

Elvis was really before my time, but I can tell you that he was a handsome young man oozing with charisma and sex appeal.

He was a complicated character. He had all the money you could imagine, but no one around him he could really trust. He hated the movies he made, they embarrassed him. But they made him money, so he did them anyway and his eccentric manager, The Colonel Tom Parker (the ultimate deal maker) kept signing him up for more.

Here is one of his early movies...where he actually looks like he was enjoying himself.




In his private life, Elvis was searching for answers and peace, but really only found solace with drugs. Nobody around him had the guts to tell him to stop. Elvis' career eventually moved from movies to concert performances, which brought him closer to the fans he loved. Here's a clip from his famous 1968 Comeback Special.




In the end, his addition to drugs made him bloated and sick and affected his performances. Here is one of his last concerts before his death at Graceland in August 1977.



As I read Elvis' story, I couldn't help of think of the stars of today, who find themselves in a similar hell: from Anna Nicole to Brittany Spears. I really feel for these celebs even more now, having read Elvis' story.

This book was written in 1999, but I am so glad it fell into my hands today. I was able to give it another dimension with videos from YouTube. Its a tragic story well told by author Guralnick. Today, I give it 4 of 5 stars.



What's next on my list...? Honestly, I don't know I have quite a few books waiting for my attention. I'll let you know in my next post.

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