Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[maia]

date: 1975
subject: A Personal Question

Elvis: You usually tell the truth-could I ask you a personal question?

Wanda: About what?

Elvis: Me.

Wanda: Sure.

Elvis: Do-do-eh-if you were just to meet me somewhere-like-eh-not know anything about what I do-this is hard to imagine-just a guy-can you do that?

Wanda: Picture you as a man and not an entertainer-sure, I think of you that way more anyway.

Elvis: I know-but would you like me-if I wasn't-wasn't him? I mean, I do have other traits, don't I?

Wanda: I think so-you'd always be good looking-I like that.

Elvis: Oh, come on-don't do that to me!

Wanda: Okay Elvis-I think so, you'd still be sweet and have a nice personality, and be understanding even if you drove a truck, and I think you'd still be funny and I'd like you even if you didn't use eyeliner and mascarra.

Elvis: Oh hell! (laughs) I'd be a blonde though.

Wanda: That would be a minus.

Elvis: (laughs) See-it was smart to dye my hair-more women like it black.

[Rainbow Light]

It's so nice to read about conversations he shared with Wanda like that and to get to know better the real man Elvis was beyond the whole SUPERSTAR thing. Would say I've always tried to look for and search for who he truly was you know but can be tricky sometimes with THE LEGEND and ELVIS PRESLEY image always being at the forefront.

I will always love the singer, actor and entertainer - please don't ever get me wrong on that score BUT to see and discover the man he REALLY was behind and beyond that is truly fascinating and wonderful for me and I'm hoping I speak for others on the ELC Forum when I say this too?

[renenutet]

I have no problem at all not to see him as the superstar he was. Maybe I never had this problem because I started to love him already before I had any idea of what a big star he was. I saw him on TV and from the first time I saw him I a strong feeling of familiarity. I didn't understand the words of his songs as I did not yet understand English. I just loved the sweetness and gentleness in his voice. His voice was like a caress. My parents told me what a 'big star' he was, but to me he was simply my friend.

The first book I read about him was Albert Goldman's biography. I was shocked. Clearly he was not talking about this wonderful man I loved so much? I never believed a word I read. I just knew these were lies.

My mother, who knows how much I love Elvis, sometimes tells me : 'You don't know this person (Elvis), you don't know what he was like.'
But I do know. I can feel it. I know. I have always known. Can't explain why.

[Barbara Lea]

Wanda how very Lucky you were to have had the Chance to just simply listen to Elvis talk about what ever was on his mind, I to Love The Singer, The Actor, and The Most Good Looking Man that ever Walked. But I from the very Moment I knew Elvis I wanted to know the Man! not The Image. Barb

[Rainbow Light]

That goes for me too, Barb and we've all had a great chance to be able to know him better through being on this Forum and for all of us to be able to talk over thoughts and feelings about Elvis too!

[Rainbow Light]

[quote]The first book I read about him was Albert Goldman's biography. I was shocked. Clearly he was not talking about this wonderful man I loved so much? I never believed a word I read. I just knew these were lies. [quote]


I only read of this in small excerpts and that was more than enough for me, no way did this guy even have an idea of what Elvis was like, ever. Just did his "research" either with folks like the Stanleys (no comment!) or said he'd talked to other people when he clearly hadn't - one big lie from the word go!

I believe we have more of the same to come pre August 07 but thank the Lord we also have the precious memories of such as Wanda and the few people who truly did love and care for Elvis as a man, as the human being he truly was - who saw behind and beyond what many chose to ignore, their loss I say!

[juliepresleyfan]

hi sue i can honestly say ive never read Albert goldmans book.
my friend keith has it but he ripped his up, i have 2 books that naomal gave me as a gift and i read a little they are by the same author.
but to my way of thinking they are totally anti Elvis and i cant even bear to put them with my collection of well loved books.
i tried to give them back to naomal once in a nice way, but he said he knew they were like that but that he would keep them for collectable reasons apparently they are rarish.

but i disagree with naomal totally, i dont give a flying fig how collectable they are , i dont want them anywhere near my other books, i care about Elvis the man as we all do on here, and i think these books insult the memory of a wonderfull man, no one seems to want them as they feel the same.
what you all suggest i do with them ?, if i give to a charity then someone just starting to think about elvis might get the wrong first impressions ,but naomal wont take them back.
not a big problem granted but i dont want them, julie

[juliepresleyfan]

thank god for wandas books and maia too, those writings about elvis are a perfect antidote for the nasty books about elvis so thank the heavens for that.
and i believe the lighted candle site is really a beacon of truth in the Elvis world.
and i too have learned more about elvis through reading the posts and writings on here, like sue said aptly we are looking towards finding out about Elvis the man the human being, not just the superstar.
when im feeling down i just read a funny recolllection about Elvis on this site and im smiling again, so it really is food for the soul.
anyway i mean every word i say its not just flattery.

hope maia will recover from her illness with time and love, and maybe hope to see her on chat with us all someday i hope.
julie

[Amanda Viola]

I really agree with you, Ladies!

To me, Elvis was born with an inner quality, an energy, that simply displayed all around. He found his way of expressing it through music, of course, but also in everyhing he did, thought or said. Or by only his presence, because he could not help expressing who he was, in every sense, because HE WAS.

[Barbara Lea]

HEY JULIE I WOULDN'T EVEN THINK TWICE IN WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THEM BOOKS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH, IF YOU HAVE A FIRE PLACE OR A WOOD STOVE START A FIRE WITH THEM! BARB!

[Rainbow Light]

I WOULDN'T EVEN THINK TWICE IN WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THEM BOOKS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH, IF YOU HAVE A FIRE PLACE OR A WOOD STOVE START A FIRE WITH THEM!

GREAT IDEA WHICH I BACK COMPLETELY!!!! NO, DON'T GIVE TO CHARITY PLEASE, DON'T WANT SOME PERSON GETTING THE WRONG IDEA/IMPRESSION OF OUR ELVIS. MY ADVICE: IF NAOMAL WON'T TAKE BACK EITHER JUST BURN THE WHOLE LOT OR TAKE IT DOWN THE RECYCLING TIP, IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT SO MANY OF THE WORLD'S TREES HAD TO BE DESTROYED FOR THIS TRASH, AT LEAST BY PUTTING THEM IN A RECYCLING BIN YOU WOULD BE REDRESSING SOME OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE ENVIRONMENT!!!?

[Amanda Viola]

That's a beautiful idea, Sue!

But before, it's better to tear them into pieces, to make sure nobody is going to take them back.

[Rainbow Light]

Thank you and my advice to Julie would be to do just this with those wretched books: tear up in a pieces and take them down the recycling tip, also, it seems to me, to vent our feelings in a perfectly harmless manner against the rubbish and those who wrote it in the first place?!

[Amanda Viola]

Thank you, Sue!

Just "hearing" Elvis asking Wanda, one can tell he was really serious about what he was asking. It was in 1975. I wonder what was going in his mind at the time.

Maybe he was realizing how many people around him pretended to love and care for him, like he was nobody worthy by himself. Possibly it made doubt himself in that stage of his life. (We all have times in our life when that kind of doubts appear and I think they are turning points for us. The next step from there is to hold on Faith and go on, no matter what, no matter who. It reinforces our trust in God as we surrender to Him.)

Wanda was light and fresh in her responses, inadvertly helping him to go back to himself to find the answers. Fortunately, she did not mother him at that point. That's my opinion.

[Rainbow Light]

Yes, so very true! It does make one wonder what was going through his mind at this time and good that Wanda chose to bring such responses back to Elvis without mothering him which would perhaps have not challenged him to find his own answers! Good point!