Elvis what happened?

[Ms_moodyblue]

Hi
I'm currently reading this, it seems to be quite a rare book as I spend what felt like age searching for a decent copy.
Just wondering has anyone else read this .. what do you think of it?

[drjohncarpenter]

Hi
I'm currently reading this, it seems to be quite a rare book as I spend what felt like age searching for a decent copy.
Just wondering has anyone else read this .. what do you think of it?

Welcome to FECC!

There are many heated, often lengthy, debates about Elvis: What Happened?, usually coming up when one of the authors is mentioned in a topic, or when one of the "Memphis Mafia" is the subject of a topic.

Below are three examples from the past year:
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81935
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81621
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75452

Here's something I posted in December about some of the "insider" books printed in the first few years after Elvis' death, and how they were perceived at the time:

1977
Elvis: What Happened? - seemed sensationalistic, but Elvis' death a month after publication gave the drug abuse allegations undeniable credence. There was a bitter tone to most of the anecdotes, but many great stories and truths remained to be read, between the lines. Co-author Steve Dunleavy clearly wrote this with zero regard for Presley, and was not much of a biographer in any circumstance.

1979
Elvis: Portrait of a Friend - actually three stories in one (Marty, Patsy, and Leslie S. Smith), this was an honest, compassionate, insightful and essential look at the man and his music. It was the kind of book Red, Sonny and Dave should have put together. Because it was a smaller publishing house, it did not get much attention outside of the Presley fan base.

Elvis, We Love You Tender - Written with an eye towards the gutter, this biography was meant to be sensationalistic. Even "as told to" writer Martin Torgoff would later tell of the pitfalls of collaborating with Dee Stanley and her three sons. The book he wanted to help shape was not the book that went to print. But Torgoff's general prose was the only thing that made it worth reading. It didn't really affect the status quo as much as the 1977 bodyguard book, and the drug abuse investigations that aired on ABC-TV's "20/20" that same year.

1981
Elvis - Made most fans ashamed they ever liked, followed or cared about Elvis Presley, which was its sole purpose. Ultimately, the hatred and lies which underpinned the author's prose was exposed, but it took years to heal the acceptance of so many falsehoods. See:

Albert Goldman --> The Evil That Men Do
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76177
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=76283

[Ms_moodyblue]

Thank you for the welcome and the reply:)
Fascinating links , as for the book,I'm undecided as I haven't finished yet ...

[drjohncarpenter]

Thank you for the welcome and the reply:)
Fascinating links , as for the book,I'm undecided as I haven't finished yet ...

You are welcome.

I can tell you, I read the book with far less upset today, than I did when I paged through it in the local market as a kid.

[denilson carreiro]

Hi, I don't know if someone got the book, but here it is ! Enjoy !

[Gitchops83]

Hi I had to buy it from amazon after calling all the obscure book shops around with no luck, quite a hard book to find It's both interesting and a bit disturbing at times aswell as hard to know whats true and what isn't.
Some cheap shots at him in there as well overall a good read was his ego realy as out of control by 76 as they suggest ?

[Ms_moodyblue]

I found a copy on ebay.. can't say as I was overly impressed with the book.

[elvisjock]

Welcome to the board, nice to have you here.

I was 12 the summer Elvis died, and I steadfastly refused to believe the book was true. The next few books chipped away at that faith, but I tried to chalk it up to disloyal people just wanting to make money. The 20/20 expose, in 1979, and the subsequent prosecution of Dr. Nick made it real. And real sad.

I was 15 when the Goldman book came out. While I knew there was at least a germ of truth in most of what he wrote, the hatred and name-calling was just so over-the-top. That book did more damage than everything combined, to that point. While Elvis was certainly no O.J. Simpson or Bill Cosby, his image over the next couple of years took an absolute beating. The 1982 opening of Graceland, along with the mid-80s genesis of the restoration of the RCA catalog, sparked a slow but steady rehabilitation that continues today.

EWH played a central role in the last year of Elvis' life. His seemingly careless treatment of two of his closest and most loyal friends and employees boomeranged on him, and frankly, seems to have been the tipping point to the final stage of his demise. While he managed to get his act together for brief periods that fall and winter, he was an absolute mess during his final year, as he worried about the book. With his death, we were presented with cliffhangers that will never be revealed. What was going to happen on that August tour? Was he going to get heckled, or booed, and how would he respond? Would there be more media in attendance looking for signs of confirmation, especially when he played in Uniondale? Would he, as some suggested, announce his engagement to Ginger, if only as a distraction? And, might he hit bottom, short of dying, and commit to getting well?

[EPA4368]

Welcome!

Former MM guys with Dunleavy…

[GWEN647]

worst and wicked books is that of GOLDMAN

[Ms_moodyblue]

Thanks for the replies and the welcome

I have to admit I was disappointed with the book. Everyone has a 'dark side' but I found it focused to much on this and not too much on the positives. I think it could have been written better all in all...

[JimmyCool]

Hi, I don't know if someone got the book, but here it is ! Enjoy !

Yeah, I made that digital version.

[James27]

Thank you, Jimmy, I never owned the book. But have read so much about it since I got into Elvis in the early 90s. I am glad I now thx to you have a chance to read and judge it for myself. It is indeed an historical publication, for better or worse.