Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Rainbow Light]

Question was: Did the opportunity to work with Elvis never come up again after the 68 Special?

The only communication ... it's funny 'cause I just had dinner with this guy and I'd not seen him for maybe ten years, I just had dinner with Billie Goldenburg (don't know?) the other night. Billy did 'Change of Habit" with Elvis after the Special, and he said that Elvis always wanted to communicate with me after the Special, but in reality I was persona non grata, I'm sure, with the Colonel, and I was not allowed to communicate with Elvis, and vice versa, after that. So I never got through. I even went to Vegas one year to see his show and I made an attempt to say hello to him and I was completely cut off, so the word was out not to put us together again, y'know? But Elvis was always telling Billy, "Make sure Steve knows that I said hello" and so forth.

[Barbara Lea]

I THINK THAT IS VERY, VERY DIRTY AND LOW DOWN. PARKER KNEW THAT ELVIS DEEP DOWN WAS FED UP WITH ALOT THAT PARKER WOULDN'T LET ELVIS DO AS FAR AS HIS CAREER WENT, SO THAT IS WHY PARKER HAD SO MANY THAT WERE AROUND ELVIS IN HIS HIP POCKET TO KEEP THESE PEOPLE AWAY THAT COULD OF LET ELVIS EXPLORE MORE THINGS TO DO, WITH HIS CAREER. BARB!

[Blue Moon]

I just don't understand why Elvis didn't insist on communicating with Steve again, inspite of the Colonel's selfish interests. The '68 Special was a smash & who knows what else the two of them (Elvis & Steve) could have cooked up? Parker I think felt threatened by Steve who encouraged Elvis to explore his creativity. Too much time with Steve and Elvis might come to understand he did not need Parker's kind of control over his life. It's hard for me to understand why Elvis didn't stand up to Tom, especially as he got older.

It's like Parker was holding something over his head. Just speculating, but I wonder if Parker knew of Vernon's prison record & threatened to expose it if Elvis didn't tow the line. Don't know, of course, but just trying to make sense of Parker's control & Elvis' inability to break free from the noose, and this even before Parker's gambling debts came into play.

[ALNA]

I read too that Parker kept something in the closet about the past. Heard some wild guessings ; I am not going to say what I read once and I really choose not to believe it either.

But I wonder why Elvis never stood up to him, Being Elvis Presley he didn't need Parker. I'm sure he would have find a more honnest manager and someone he really felt more happy with.

Why Elvis, why...

[Rainbow Light]

I certainly think Steve, more than anyone else, had the potential to bring Elvis round to the understanding and belief that he was able to do so much more with his career. Know he spoke to Elvis a fair bit as far as he was able to while the Special was going on but yes, I would say it was a fair comment that Parker felt threatened by Steve, that he might lose control over Elvis and all that stood for.

He certainly seemed able to bring Elvis down lower than, in Wanda's words, 'whale poop' on so many occasions and it's possible Parker knew some things Elvis wanted exposed such as Vernon's prison record and thus was able to use manipulation and blackmail in his own best interests?

But yes, if things had been allowed to progress on their natural, proper course of action, can see the sky would not have been the limit for the potential that was theirs, don't even want to imagine what the 'Special' would have been like with all those sentimental Christmas songs?! Oh boy! As it was, an amazing showcase of Elvis' immense talent that was to go down in rock history!

[Barbara Lea]

YES THAT SPECIAL WAS SOMETHING ELSE, I KNOW YOU HAD TO BE BLIND AS A BAT NOT TO SEE JUST HOW NERVEOUS ELVIS WAS. BEING AWAY FROM A LIVE AUDIENCE THOSE MANY YEARS, BUT HE PULLED IT OFF LIKE ONLY ELVIS COULD. HE WAS TRULY FATASIC AND AWESOME WHEWW!! I'M ALSO SO THANKSFUL FOR ONCE PARKER KEPT HIS BIG NOSE OUT OF IT, TO! BARB!!

[Blue Moon]

I'M ALSO SO THANKSFUL FOR ONCE PARKER KEPT HIS BIG NOSE OUT OF IT, TO! BARB!!

It's my understanding that Parker tried his best to get the Special done his way -- all Christmas songs if I recall. But he was out done. I bet that just put a bee in his cap & made him furious. He was always used to having things done his way. So Parker must have said something to Elvis to make sure he never did business again with Steve, even though one can tell Elvis had no animosity toward Steve.

[Sarena]

I think that Elvis and Col. Parker were together because of karmic reasons.
They just had to come together in this life-time. For Elvis there were many advantages through Parker, but also many bad things came to pass.

The same with Priscilla. It was a scene in the cosmic movie they had to play together.
Maia once quoted Elvis saying about Pricilla: "I owe her" (or something like that).
We all create our onw destiny by our own actions and thoughts ("You reap what you sow").



Christine

[Rainbow Light]

Elvis was certainly amazing in that special! Also so nervous before the show, I'm sure but went out there and did his thing for all to see - Wow and Phew!!!

Just for interest, Steve also said that in response to Colonel Parker trying to get Steve to realise just what he wanted Elvis to do, ie an all Christmas song special, Steve had said that it

went in one ear and out the other

!!

Do understand what you're saying though, Christine, I really do about Colonel Parker and Priscilla and Karma etc.

[Wanda June Hill]

If I think anything about why Steve and Elvis didn't work together it is that yes, the word was out that Elvis was not to speak with or see Steve again...it would be bad for "the Col.'s reputation". And that if Steve tried to call or reach Elvis, he would be told something else, and Elvis would NEVER know he'd tried...and if Elvis wanted to call him, they'd make sure his call never got done. It was that way all of Elvis' career-no one got to be around long if they said or did anything to make Elvis think he could do something without the Col.'s two cents. And Elvis having no other way of knowing differently, believed what he was told-up until the last couple of years-then he was wising up but he wasn't well enough to fight them all. Plus he was being "kept" in a hazy condition most of the time...The public doesn't have a clue really as to just how manipulated and cocooned Elvis Presley's life was after l972-he was like a pet being kept in a confinement and let out once in a while to stretch his legs and get a breath of fresh air. I know other entertainers have even tried to see him-song wiriters who wanted to get songs to him and they were not able to do it. If one did get a tape or demo to one of the guys like as not Elvis would NEVER see it. Unless it was to the Col's advantage which was not likely. Elvis had the hardest time finding good material and he was getting bored with singing or trying to find any-you notice he didn't record much of anything those last two years-all we have is one album that wasn't released as he wanted to to be-that came out after his death. The rest are outtakes, concerts, etc:. Elvis was looking for material...Some of the last songs he got hold of were written by Tony Joe White who knew Felton Jarvis and when Elvis asked about getting with Tony to see if he had some new songs because Polk Salad Annie was such a hit for both men, Jarvis got Tony to bring some songs over-but Tony didn't get to see Elvis at first-and when he did he was shocked at how isolated and out of touch with the world and things in music he was. Elvis recorded some of those songs, one being For Old Times Sake and that was written with Elvis in mind by Tony Joe.
It was one of the best Pris/Elvis songs that Elvis did and
Elvis liked it though he had already done the one used in On Tour...Tony's song touched his heart, plucked a few strings he didn't know were still intact, Elvis said. In case any one might be interested, Tony Joe has websites where you can get his CDs -he has several good ones and it's great music to "clean the house and do chores" while listening-it's got that rhythm and beat to get it done. Just go to his name and they pop up. The information about Tony's observation of Elvis when last he saw him, was in an interview on one of the sites. wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thanks for sharing this with us! I can totally believe what you say about Elvis being cocooned and isolated away, being "hazy" etc - that this wonderful, talented man was kept like a pet in the last 5 or so years of his life is just so .... probably a word to describe it and could well it may be unprintable here for all that!

All the mm guys now make it sound like Elvis was a so-called 'monster' - however THEY know what really happened and it may all come back on them later - what they did sow they will reap at a later day still yet!

Strange you mentioned "For Old Times Sake" and about Elvis/Pris song, heard it the other day and had tears streaming down my cheeks by the end of listening to it! You can hear him singing about Priscilla in every word, still carrying a torch for her BIG-TIME! but just almost too heartbreaking!

Will check out TJW's website, great of you to mention it!

Sue

[Barbara Lea]

THANKS SUE SO MUCH FOR SAYING WHAT I WANTED TO SAY AND FEEL, THE REASON I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING IS BECAUSE I'M REALLY TRING TO DO AS " I WAS TOLD" "TO KEEP MY ANGER AT THE DOOR" AND FORGIVE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH! BARB!

[Rainbow Light]

YOU'RE WELCOME, BARB - ANYTIME! I WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO TRULY FORGIVE BUT FORGETTING IS ANOTHER MATTER ENTIRELY, RIGHT?!

[Wanda Mc]

If you don't have the complete set of the '68 Special with all the material taped for the show, outtakes and all, you don't know what you're missing! Someone described it as "the mother lode" for Elvis fans, and he was right! You can tell how hard he worked to get everything just perfect, and the effort paid off.

[Rainbow Light]

The most I have of the 68 Special (released by EPE) is the 3 disc deluxe set but there are a few glitches in that. However, Wanda Mc, got the feeling you're going to tell me there's a lot more out there to get?!

If so, please could you let me have a link to where I could get some more material from 68 Special? Would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance if you wouldn't mind? ...