Revelations from the Memphis Mafia - too much information?
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Revelations from the Memphis Mafia - too much information?
Revelations from the Memphis Mafia by Lamar Fike, Billy Smith and Marty Lacker.
I am one of these Elvis collectors that is interested in the man as well as the music so was looking forward to reading this when it first came out. Although it is a facinating read for an Elvis follower i finished it wondering how much of it was true. Stories of Elvis throwing a butter knife at a girl which was caught in mid air by Sonny/ Elvis' communication with somebody he wanted to swap bodies with to fake his death / mutilating his body to get drugs........i dont know????? It also has a bit too much info for me with stories of Elvis having a fumble whilst watching pornos ect. We know that Fike had already done the dirty about Elvis previously but i was surprised at Billy Smith talking so personally about the guy he was so closely attached to. What do you think about the contents and truth of it all? I always get the feeling of bitterness from the Memphis Mafia that they were not left anything in Elvis' will after all the years 'protecting' him. All of them could have just walked away at any time and found a proper job elsewhere.
I am one of these Elvis collectors that is interested in the man as well as the music so was looking forward to reading this when it first came out. Although it is a facinating read for an Elvis follower i finished it wondering how much of it was true. Stories of Elvis throwing a butter knife at a girl which was caught in mid air by Sonny/ Elvis' communication with somebody he wanted to swap bodies with to fake his death / mutilating his body to get drugs........i dont know????? It also has a bit too much info for me with stories of Elvis having a fumble whilst watching pornos ect. We know that Fike had already done the dirty about Elvis previously but i was surprised at Billy Smith talking so personally about the guy he was so closely attached to. What do you think about the contents and truth of it all? I always get the feeling of bitterness from the Memphis Mafia that they were not left anything in Elvis' will after all the years 'protecting' him. All of them could have just walked away at any time and found a proper job elsewhere.
I havent read this Kelvin and judging by that I dont want to either
I cant believe how any of them can write a book anyway, like you rightly said they could have walked away but they didnt.
Perhaps if they were taking care of him properly Elvis may have got the help he needed...........I know someone has to want be helped but surely they could have done something
I cant believe how any of them can write a book anyway, like you rightly said they could have walked away but they didnt.
Perhaps if they were taking care of him properly Elvis may have got the help he needed...........I know someone has to want be helped but surely they could have done something
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Re: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia - too much informatio
EP was surrounded by southern country boys..Kelvin wrote:Revelations from the Memphis Mafia by Lamar Fike, Billy Smith and Marty Lacker.
I am one of these Elvis collectors that is interested in the man as well as the music so was looking forward to reading this when it first came out. Although it is a facinating read for an Elvis follower i finished it wondering how much of it was true. Stories of Elvis throwing a butter knife at a girl which was caught in mid air by Sonny/ Elvis' communication with somebody he wanted to swap bodies with to fake his death / mutilating his body to get drugs........i dont know????? It also has a bit too much info for me with stories of Elvis having a fumble whilst watching pornos ect. We know that Fike had already done the dirty about Elvis previously but i was surprised at Billy Smith talking so personally about the guy he was so closely attached to. What do you think about the contents and truth of it all? I always get the feeling of bitterness from the Memphis Mafia that they were not left anything in Elvis' will after all the years 'protecting' him. All of them could have just walked away at any time and found a proper job elsewhere.
Nowadays Elvis still dominated their lives.. I can't blame them.
I do not like the fact Lamar always gets into some unflattering details about Elvis though..
About Elvis' last will: keep in mind Vernon may have deleted some pages.
There's some evidence for that
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I thought it was a good book overall and there is occasionally a tendency to go into details we don't need. Some of the stories are illustrative though of certains points, like the knife story. These stories are important to hear because it gives us a sense of the distance between Elvis and reality and the rest of the world at times. The problem with recounting the incidents in a book is that they become isolated in time. Because they are unusual they are remembered but they give the mistaken impression that that's what life was like all the time.
I did think there was a little bit of an edge to the book and a nasty tone that disturbed me. What disturbed me even more was the speculation. For instance Marty Lacker tells a story about Elvis blowing off an opportunity to go out with Diana Ross. Elvis tells Marty that she was "too skinny" an opinion held by many fans. Yet Lacker basing it on nothing else besides his own speculation says it was a race issue.
Goldman though was the guy who went into stuff we didn't need. Do we really need to know that Elvis went to the bathroom in a stall? And if he did what exactly is that supposed to mean?
I did think there was a little bit of an edge to the book and a nasty tone that disturbed me. What disturbed me even more was the speculation. For instance Marty Lacker tells a story about Elvis blowing off an opportunity to go out with Diana Ross. Elvis tells Marty that she was "too skinny" an opinion held by many fans. Yet Lacker basing it on nothing else besides his own speculation says it was a race issue.
Goldman though was the guy who went into stuff we didn't need. Do we really need to know that Elvis went to the bathroom in a stall? And if he did what exactly is that supposed to mean?
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I think it implies that Elvis was self-conscious and not self-assured, and Goldman felt the need to say it the way that he did. Maybe Elvis couldn't/wouldn't go to the bathroom the way the rest of us do, for whatever reasons. You're right--it's more than we need to know. Most fans already gathered that Elvis had those character traits, anyway, from other observations made over the years. Besides, being self-conscious and not always self-assured only added to Elvis's charm and appeal, in my opinion. But Goldman, in his sick, twisted mind, had to ensure that the point was made in the most-cruel way.
Your analysis of "Revelations...." was right on, LTB. I enjoyed reading the book, and learned a lot from it. Sure, the guys tended to sometimes over-glorify their positions and value to the group, but that's human nature. And, I would rather have too much information than too little. When you spend years reading, watching and observing the life of Elvis Presley--or anyone else, for that matter--you should be able to sift through the rumble and determine what the truth is. At the least, you can come pretty close.
Your analysis of "Revelations...." was right on, LTB. I enjoyed reading the book, and learned a lot from it. Sure, the guys tended to sometimes over-glorify their positions and value to the group, but that's human nature. And, I would rather have too much information than too little. When you spend years reading, watching and observing the life of Elvis Presley--or anyone else, for that matter--you should be able to sift through the rumble and determine what the truth is. At the least, you can come pretty close.
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Although I doubt that all these stories are correctly told (not simply because that guys are mean, but because of the years that have passed) I think they are much closer to the truth than a lot of the stuff that is written about our man. In the essence I believe these stories and I think by reading the book I learned a lot about the real Elvis Presley. It may not be nice what I read and I seriously doubt that I wanted to be Elvis' friend, but neverthenless I got to know something about Elvis - The Human Being. I must say, that I clearly prefer Elvis - The King Of Entertainment.
So there is not too much information, but I guess it is too much of truth for one fan or another.
So there is not too much information, but I guess it is too much of truth for one fan or another.
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Along with the Sullivan DVD and the MDQ disc, I received two books yesterday...the Jerry Schilling book and the Alanna Nash reprint of the Revelations book (it IS the same book, no? I never read the original "Revelations" one).
I find that with most Elvis books, I have to read them with a grain of salt. In the case of the Nash book, I already know I don't trust Marty or Lamar very much...especially Marty, who always seems to be self-important and arrogant. In fact he was arrogant to me once on a MB, simply because I mentioned I preferred Elvis' later work in undubbed format.
In the case of Jerry's new book, I am prbably going to have to filter what I read in the opposite direction...Jerry's maybe a little too diplomatic, and may tend to whitewash things a bit...it'll be interesting to see how my thoughts change once I've read them.
I don't have a problem reading about the darker side of Elvis...even the best of us have a darker side...and Elvis was one of the best! But I would just like to hear the truth...not distortions, not "out of context" tales.
Of course many years have passed since events have taken place, so memories can't always be accurate. Not to mention that a lot of the MM were as bad as Elvis in terms of drug use in the later years anyway...
I wonder if Elvis had ever written his autobiography, how accurate and truthful would he have been?
Axe
I find that with most Elvis books, I have to read them with a grain of salt. In the case of the Nash book, I already know I don't trust Marty or Lamar very much...especially Marty, who always seems to be self-important and arrogant. In fact he was arrogant to me once on a MB, simply because I mentioned I preferred Elvis' later work in undubbed format.
In the case of Jerry's new book, I am prbably going to have to filter what I read in the opposite direction...Jerry's maybe a little too diplomatic, and may tend to whitewash things a bit...it'll be interesting to see how my thoughts change once I've read them.
I don't have a problem reading about the darker side of Elvis...even the best of us have a darker side...and Elvis was one of the best! But I would just like to hear the truth...not distortions, not "out of context" tales.
Of course many years have passed since events have taken place, so memories can't always be accurate. Not to mention that a lot of the MM were as bad as Elvis in terms of drug use in the later years anyway...
I wonder if Elvis had ever written his autobiography, how accurate and truthful would he have been?
Axe
People write shocking stuff to shock, to sell books and up their own worth. I wouldn't trust a word of what they say. If they were honourable people they would respect Elvis' memory. They obviously have issues with Elvis and are still using/crawling over him to get money.
Weird how such insignificants think they are so entitled. Wonder why Elvis surrounded himself with these creeps
Weird how such insignificants think they are so entitled. Wonder why Elvis surrounded himself with these creeps
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no sh*t.Elton wrote:Elvis took dumps??
This is turning into a crappy thread...
really, though. poor elvis has us knowing probably things only he should've known about him. i won't go into some of the specific odd facts, but i'm certain we all have embarassingly well-known voyeuristic factoids that he'd have crawled into a cave if he'd known we would find out.
"Thank you very much. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the big, freaky International Hotel. Those little weirdo dolls on the walls. And those little funky angels on the ceiling. Uh, this is my first live appearance in 9 years. H-uhh! Thank you. I've appeared dead a few times, but this is my first live appearance. Before the evening is up, I will have made a complete and total fool of myself, and I hope you get a kick out of watching it." --EP
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Re: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia - too much informatio
Did you actually read it?Kelvin wrote:Revelations from the Memphis Mafia by Lamar Fike, Billy Smith and Marty Lacker.
The correct title and credits are "Elvis Aaron Presley - Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" by Alanna Nash, with Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike (HarperCollins, 1995).
It's one of the essential Presley tomes.
One might say pretty much all of it.Kelvin wrote:i finished it wondering how much of it was true.
You need to step back and put yourself in Billy's shoes.Kelvin wrote:i was surprised at Billy Smith talking so personally about the guy he was so closely attached to.
Elvis died in 1977. Billy kept his mouth shut for eighteen years, passing up a lot of money from a lot of less compassionate publishers for his story, especially in the first five years after Elvis died.
After numerous letdowns from Vernon, Priscilla and the estate, he finally decided in 1995 the time was right to accept the offer from Nash and HarperCollins. And every word from Billy is honest and compassionate, two qualities missing from most Presley biographies.
See above.Kelvin wrote:What do you think about the contents and truth of it all?
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Re: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia - too much informatio
drjohncarpenter wrote:Did you actually read it?Kelvin wrote:Revelations from the Memphis Mafia by Lamar Fike, Billy Smith and Marty Lacker.
Of course and it is a very in depth read. Just wondering how these guys remembered so much that happened up to 40 yrs before???
The correct title and credits are "Elvis Aaron Presley - Revelations From The Memphis Mafia" by Alanna Nash, with Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike (HarperCollins, 1995).
Well spotted! Of course Alanna Nash already knew a lot of inside gossip and the other guys were there just in case she forgot anything!
It's one of the essential Presley tomes.
Agreed
One might say pretty much all of it.Kelvin wrote:i finished it wondering how much of it was true.
Wow! Even the story of Elvis being in contact with a cosmetic dying Elvis double with the plan of doing a swap?
You need to step back and put yourself in Billy's shoes.Kelvin wrote:
i was surprised at Billy Smith talking so personally about the guy he was so closely attached to.
Elvis died in 1977. Billy kept his mouth shut for eighteen years, passing up a lot of money from a lot of less compassionate publishers for his story, especially in the first five years after Elvis died.
After numerous letdowns from Vernon, Priscilla and the estate, he finally decided in 1995 the time was right to accept the offer from Nash and HarperCollins. And every word from Billy is honest and compassionate, two qualities missing from most Presley biographies.
I would say partly true as it was not Elvis who let him down was it? So was Billy right to spill the beans on a guy who in the end was like a close brother? By the way i thought Jo's account was very honest and candid. I truly believe out of all the guys Billy and Jo would have been in the original will that i think Vernon swapped over
See above.Kelvin wrote:What do you think about the contents and truth of it all?
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GET A CLUE ...
So this isn't something I "wondered" about a-tall.Kelvin wrote:Just wondering how these guys remembered so much that happened up to 40 yrs before???
Billy knew Elvis since birth, when Elvis was eight, so that would most likely put Billy's earliest memories at the 45 year mark (circa 1950). They grew up together.
Lamar began associating with Elvis in 1956, and although Marty sort of knew Presley in high school, they didn't really got acquainted until Elvis left the army, putting their recall of being with the most famous man on the planet to about 35 years.
I don't think so. This kind of statement is why I asked if you read Elvis Aaron Presley.Kelvin wrote:Of course Alanna Nash already knew a lot of inside gossip and the other guys were there just in case she forgot anything!
The book is an oral history, and the most salient portions comes from what they have to say, not what Nash writes.
"Spill the beans" ... oh please, like Elvis would gave a damn?Kelvin wrote:So was Billy right to spill the beans on a guy who in the end was like a close brother?
The man made history, and at the time of the book's publication had been dead nearly a generation. It was almost incumbent on Smith to set his thoughts to print before he was no longer with us.
Do you get it now?
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 5:45 am Post subject: GET A CLUE ...
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Kelvin wrote:
Just wondering how these guys remembered so much that happened up to 40 yrs before???
So this isn't something I "wondered" about a-tall.
Billy knew Elvis since birth, when Elvis was eight, so that would most likely put Billy's earliest memories at the 45 year mark (circa 1950). They grew up together.
Lamar began associating with Elvis in 1956, and although Marty sort of knew Presley in high school, they didn't really got acquainted until Elvis left the army, putting their recall of being with the most famous man on the planet to about 35 years.
Yes but my point was how come these guys can remember events that took place 40+ years ago. I cant even remember things i did 10 yrs ago!
Kelvin wrote:
Of course Alanna Nash already knew a lot of inside gossip and the other guys were there just in case she forgot anything!
I don't think so. This kind of statement is why I asked if you read Elvis Aaron Presley.
The book is an oral history, and the most salient portions comes from what they have to say, not what Nash writes.
Dr John....i was being sarcastic after you pulled me up for not getting the actual title and full authors correct......loosen up pal
Kelvin wrote:
So was Billy right to spill the beans on a guy who in the end was like a close brother?
"Spill the beans" ... oh please, like Elvis would gave a damn?
The man made history, and at the time of the book's publication had been dead nearly a generation. It was almost incumbent on Smith to set his thoughts to print before he was no longer with us.
Do you get it now?
So my old mate......if you had a friend who was famous and was as close as a brother you would have no problem 18 years later telling the world about his sexual habits and other very personal info? I think Elvis would have given more than a dam if he knew what details had been written about him by certain 'friends'
By the way i take it that you do believe stories like Elvis in communication with a terminal ill Elvis lookalike to swap places with?
Just for the record i think its one of the most interesting Elvis books but my original questions were a) were some revelations a bit too near the mark and b) do other fans out there believe everthing thats in it?
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Kelvin wrote:
Just wondering how these guys remembered so much that happened up to 40 yrs before???
So this isn't something I "wondered" about a-tall.
Billy knew Elvis since birth, when Elvis was eight, so that would most likely put Billy's earliest memories at the 45 year mark (circa 1950). They grew up together.
Lamar began associating with Elvis in 1956, and although Marty sort of knew Presley in high school, they didn't really got acquainted until Elvis left the army, putting their recall of being with the most famous man on the planet to about 35 years.
Yes but my point was how come these guys can remember events that took place 40+ years ago. I cant even remember things i did 10 yrs ago!
Kelvin wrote:
Of course Alanna Nash already knew a lot of inside gossip and the other guys were there just in case she forgot anything!
I don't think so. This kind of statement is why I asked if you read Elvis Aaron Presley.
The book is an oral history, and the most salient portions comes from what they have to say, not what Nash writes.
Dr John....i was being sarcastic after you pulled me up for not getting the actual title and full authors correct......loosen up pal
Kelvin wrote:
So was Billy right to spill the beans on a guy who in the end was like a close brother?
"Spill the beans" ... oh please, like Elvis would gave a damn?
The man made history, and at the time of the book's publication had been dead nearly a generation. It was almost incumbent on Smith to set his thoughts to print before he was no longer with us.
Do you get it now?
So my old mate......if you had a friend who was famous and was as close as a brother you would have no problem 18 years later telling the world about his sexual habits and other very personal info? I think Elvis would have given more than a dam if he knew what details had been written about him by certain 'friends'
By the way i take it that you do believe stories like Elvis in communication with a terminal ill Elvis lookalike to swap places with?
Just for the record i think its one of the most interesting Elvis books but my original questions were a) were some revelations a bit too near the mark and b) do other fans out there believe everthing thats in it?
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I'm in the middle of this book now...actually up to his return from the Army.
Even though the Prologue kinda aggravated me ("we kept him alive, literally"), so far this book has not been much of a mudslinging event. Billy's the guy I'd trust the most, and it doesn't seem like any of their stories are contrived. Just feels like they're telling a story.
So far the only real "revelations" are that Vernon got violent with Gladys a few times...and Elvis threatened to kill him if he ever did it again. And I believe he would have.
A few of his sexual preferences might be revealed in the book, but so far nothing horrifying, disgusting or shocking. And the guys also address, and shoot down, a few nasty rumors that have been around for a while.
I'm actually enjoying the book much more than I expected to.
The Schilling book I just finished the other day, and that was a nicer read than expcted as well, not as much of a whitewash as I'd thought. The only problem is that Elvis bios always have a sad ending. To see Elvis and friends having relatively innocent fun in the 60's, getting married, etc is great but then as the 70's come in it gets darker...more struggles, divorces etc...and then of course the inevitable...
Still, a good read.
Axe
Even though the Prologue kinda aggravated me ("we kept him alive, literally"), so far this book has not been much of a mudslinging event. Billy's the guy I'd trust the most, and it doesn't seem like any of their stories are contrived. Just feels like they're telling a story.
So far the only real "revelations" are that Vernon got violent with Gladys a few times...and Elvis threatened to kill him if he ever did it again. And I believe he would have.
A few of his sexual preferences might be revealed in the book, but so far nothing horrifying, disgusting or shocking. And the guys also address, and shoot down, a few nasty rumors that have been around for a while.
I'm actually enjoying the book much more than I expected to.
The Schilling book I just finished the other day, and that was a nicer read than expcted as well, not as much of a whitewash as I'd thought. The only problem is that Elvis bios always have a sad ending. To see Elvis and friends having relatively innocent fun in the 60's, getting married, etc is great but then as the 70's come in it gets darker...more struggles, divorces etc...and then of course the inevitable...
Still, a good read.
Axe
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I agree. Too much has been told and how much is true as I think most of them fight among themselves anyway on who was Elvis's best friend or buddy or who knew him best. Like my mother and grandmother said, why didn't they all get out and get jobs after Elvis died instead of writing these tell all books to make a quick buck.ritchie valens wrote:they talk about everything else it's a wonder they don't talk about how long it took him to take a dump.
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Also interesting to note that the likes of Charlie Hodge, Richard Parker, Joe Esposito, Jerry Shilling ect never dished the dirt (even though most of them had to find work after Elvis' death). As i said before im not condeming the book as its content is very interesting and we do get a closer insight into Elvis and how he ticked. It just annoys me when 'so called close friends' have to go that one step to far and get too personal. Lamar makes reference about the tight inner circle and the bond they had never to let anything out. Well he certainly made up for that after Elvis death! Elvis did what he wanted to do and the 'Memphis Mafia' had a lifestyle nobody could dream of.......Vegas, Movie sets and stars and being part Elvis' rollercoaster lifestyle. Yes Elvis has been dead a long time but does that give you the right to reveal very personal info on a man that provided all that he did for you?
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Charlie Hodge was a super nice guy but his book was a waste of paper. Here was a guy who lived with Elvis, made music with him and shared the stage with him but managed to write book that is totally useless. If we would have to rely on Charlies's book to know what kind of a man Elvis was we'd be totally lost. Also, one must remember that Charlie made his living after Elvis died solely by performing to Elvis fans. He certainly wasn't going to jeopardise his gravy train.
Joe Esposito did say some pretty revealing things in his book Good Rockin' Tonight. I believe he wroted it after he fell out of Priscilla's grace (EPE sued Joe for releasing his home movies). However, he was close to Colonel Tom Parker untill he died and continues to defend him to this day.
Jerry Schilling was on EPE's payroll for a long time. He didn't have to write a book.
Like others have said before The Revalations From MM is essential book to know the personal side of Elvis.
Joe Esposito did say some pretty revealing things in his book Good Rockin' Tonight. I believe he wroted it after he fell out of Priscilla's grace (EPE sued Joe for releasing his home movies). However, he was close to Colonel Tom Parker untill he died and continues to defend him to this day.
Jerry Schilling was on EPE's payroll for a long time. He didn't have to write a book.
Like others have said before The Revalations From MM is essential book to know the personal side of Elvis.
"I've learned very early in life, without a song, the day would never end. Without a song, a man ain't got a friend. Without a song, the road would never bend, without a song. So I'll keep on singing the song."