Lisa Marie interview in HUMO magazine

In Belgium the most succesful and well known rock/pop/tv magazine is called Humo. Each week they feature different interesting interviews with worldartists like Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, you name it.

This week: Lisa Marie Presley. She says some interesting things. Some of you may already have this info, but for those among you who haven't, here are some brief excerpts (translated into English to the best of my possibillities ):

"My father used to grab me sometimes and then he put me on the living table and let me sing a song for everybody. I can't remember what people thought of that. I did it for him in the first place. To make him proud. He really beamed then [glowed with pride]."

question: did you love your father's music?
"I loved his music. I found it very exciting to be on tour with him. When he entered the stage, I went completely crazy."

"But I also liked David and Shaun Cassidy and also Elton John.
Once I had asked for a few Elton John albums for Christmas. My father was there when I opened the package, and he didn't really like it. "Who the hell is this son of a bitch?", and he stormed out of the room. Thereupon he personally got himself some Elton John records. He was determined to know in whose music - next to his own music - his daughter could be interested in. I even think he went to a concert [of Elton John] , just to check out what kind of man Elton John was (laughs)."

question: do you ever put on a record of your father?
"I have to be in the mood for it. I have a fondness for his work from the seventies, because I experienced this period myself. You know I especially like the sad songs, the dark things that weren't particularly radio-hits: Mary in the Morning. In The Ghetto. Just Pretend. Solitaire.
These are my favorites."

question: do you still visit Graceland?
"Sometimes, yes. My father's cooks also come then, and make the soul food that they used to eat there: fried chicken, peas, mashed potatoes and cornbread. I also always go upstairs then. Nothing has changed there, nothing has been touched since his death. It's a very painful but also a very comforting surrounding. On the top floor, which isn't available for the public, is my room next to his. It's pretty scary. Like a shrine. Usually I go upstairs on my own. I get a lot of comfort out of that surrounding. The books, the video's, everything is still there: The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Pink Panther, Bruce Lee. All his video's are still there. Also all his records."


This was abrief excerpt from this interview. I will provide a link to Humo's website here very soon.

taken from: Humo, onafhankelijk weekblad voor Radio en TV - 13 mei 2003 nr. 21/3271, pp. 18-24.

link: http://www.humo.be/index.asp

Yes James,

The article is pretty revealing,i'd like the Elton John thing a lot,it made me laugh,a funny situation to imagine.

The things she said about herself as a kid where not so nice,what she did to fans at Graceland...

Humo is a great magazine with a lot of respect for Elvis' legacy(mostly praised for his early years)

Thanks for letting it know to foreign fans.

Thanks Johan D, I hope some of the excerpts provided something new to Elvis fans worldwide. As you probably know the legendary chief editor, now retired but still in an advising position, is an absolute Elvis fan. Guy Mortier, the man with the moustache and more women than an Arab sheik , even personally compiled the excellent Humo Elvis-compilation "Meer dan het beste van..." (More than the best from...), although some critics argued it leaned a bit too much on 50s material...
It's still a pretty good 2cd bang for the buck.

Yes james,that is a great compilation,and HUMO and Guy Mortier have honnest views about Elvis' music,even tough the 70's is always connected to the "fat 70's Vegas burger"(their quote not mine!)
I still have the excellent review of "Elvis sings the blues"from the 80's,it's one of the best pieces of writing ever on an Elvis album.