Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Wanda Mc]

From one Wanda to another! A few questions on Elvis's closing night, September 2, 1974. I went to the Dennis Berry web site that someone posted here (can't find it now!) called Elvisconcertmyths.com and was fascinated to read just the teasers on his upcoming book. I've heard about Elvis ranting and raving about the drug rumors and was shocked to hear even some of his TCB band members (and of course, his "friends" in the MM ) saying Elvis was "strung out" even while he was denying it vehemently. I think it was Glen Hardin saying something in an interview to the effect of how would we notice that Elvis had a problem when we were all high ourselves! Good grief!

Anyway, Dennis B's web site has some audio from that concert and general comments on things Elvis said, and I have to say I was stunned to hear some of what he said and what Dennis says he said (a dialogue on oral sex to JD Sumner?! ) I can't say I would blame Elvis for having had about enough of some of this, but am surprised HOW angrily he would've responded on stage.

Did Elvis ever talk to you about that night, or did you hear any of the backlash at the time from what was said? Or is this a relatively newly created phenomenon?

Also, Dennis brings up (but doesn't thoroughly explain -- of course he wants to sell books!) rumors of things that happened in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Houston, and how the reports are totally unfounded. First of all, I hadn't heard any of this stuff. And second, what has been going on?! Is there someone or some group out there (then and/or now) that is so hell-bent on destroying Elvis's reputation that they are just making stuff up?! AND WHY?!

[Di]

The web site http://www.elvisconcertmyths.com has been saying for over a year that the book is being released by Darrin Lee. Suppoedly a second edition and his latest update was dated May 24, 2007.

I have a 2 CD set called Desert Storm that was sent to me and I sure did not hear anything about oral sex.

Di

[maia]

I was there at least ONE night when Elvis was mad about the drug rumors. The worst he said was that if he heard anyone say this he would "Whup their ass!" He stated that he took drugs only for "medical reasons."

[Wanda Mc]

Sorry I got the names mixed up. Dennis Berry is said to be a member of Elvis's fan club in Great Britain who was there at the closing show. He was interviewed for 5 hours for the book and his recollections are included in Darren Lee's book. The web site doesn't necessarily say that all the things they mentioned happened on the last night, but at some point during that month-long engagement, including some very "sexual" humor. They mention a number of specific topics, but as nothing is quoted, it's hard to say whether the comments were explicit or merely suggestive. I gather from things I've heard that Elvis had a fairly raunchy sense of humor. I just can't imagine he would be terribly explicit on-stage, even at a midnight show.

One of the pages on the site does have some audio dialogue that I have to assume is Elvis as I have no evidence it is not, and he is fairly hissing at whoever he believes started the rumors and telling the audience the comments are not intended for them. I won't go into details, but he is obviously not in a fun mood at that point.

Anyway, my question for Wanda JH is basically, did Elvis ever talk to you about that show (or that month, since apparently the movie mags were printing a lot of what Elvis described as "trash)? Any regrets for what he said, or had he just had enough? And is it only recent books like Peter Guralnick's (based on "research," hard to believe anything out of some people's mouths) that have really spread this stuff and given it credibility? I was only in my teens during this time, but all I remember is seeing some unflattering "overweight" pictures on the tabloid covers, and I remember when the "bodyguard book" came out. Even at 18, I had a hard time believing it. It just distresses me that so much of this garbage is generally considered "common knowledge."

[Wanda June Hill]

Hi, people are saying all kinds of things to sell their books-the more that comes out, the more they have to enlarge upon the so called "facts". I didn't hear Elvis say anything outrageous even when he was very angry and I was there a couple of times in Vegas when he was ticked off pretty good about the drug rumors. It is true that he was taking sleeping pills, pain pills and getting it all from his doctor-he had problems that required the medications but it is also true that like most normal and abnormal I might add, people Elvis became hooked on some of his meds-they had to keep changing them to help prevent that but he was a human being with a ton of pressure and stress on him and some large part of it wasn't do to what he did for a living for himself and some 100 plus other people not including all the road crew and so forth he had to haul around to do his job.
He was the business-the machine that made it all happen-he couldn't "break down" so he tried not to the best what he knew how and he trusted his doctors to keep him going. Albeit that trust was naive and he got took pretty good for that naivity. Elvis was a good guy, who tried to see good in everyone, unfortunately he was blinded by that effort and he didn't find out easily. He was really angry back then when things began to "get out" but he didn't realize that half or better than half of his crew and guys were truly as addicted or worse than he had been-and his were all for medical reasons just as he said. What were theirs for? Fun and games? Play time? Anyway, as long as there is a market for dirt and sallacious stuff there will be those who are willing to step up and say whatever is wanted, even if they have to make it up. I saw a lot of shows and I never ever heard or saw Elvis do anything about oral sex on stage-nor did he ever do anything to be ashamed of up there. He just wouldn't, not with kids and women present...it wasn't his thing. As for the guys and him, they joked among themselves alot and they weren't always clean about it, but it wasn't malicious and it wasn't to shock an audience or anything else. As for the people coming out with the "trashy stuff"-they are showing themselves for what they are- "garbage men". And I apologize to the waste management people who do a great job for us all doing the recovery of our real trash, etc;.

Like the man said, "After a man dies people delight in holding up the cloth of his life so all the spots can show, but if their own were held up, they'd be just as spotted an' maybe more so." He said this after Martin Luther King was shot and then there began the ripping apart of his life by those who wanted to put out his "light". Elvis too, has a very bright light-and it is my firm belief that a ton of trash wouldn't dim it one iota! wjh

[Wanda Mc]

I appreciate your response. I guess I usually know in my heart what you are going to say. I just want to hear you say it.

I wonder if the audio they're playing is doctored or altered in any way. I mean, I'm not able to listen to that and say it's not him, so I don't know. I do appreciate your statement that he wouldn't be making obscene comments on stage with young people and ladies present. That doesn't sound like something he would do. Heavens, if you don't like what the tabloids are saying about you, why give them grist for the mill?!

I've read in a number of places that Elvis (in the mid-70s) had an undercover drug agent traveling with him as part of the tours, and that this person did uncover some significant drug activity as a result. I wonder if any of those were the people working for him.

Thanks again, Wanda JH!

I read an online interview with John Wilkinson recently (from 2002, though), and he says he's out trying to debunk some of the misconceptions about Elvis as well. He says that Elvis told him he was the only one in his band even that hadn't betrayed him as all the others had either left at some point (Glen Hardin, for one) or threatened to over whether they were being paid or not by the Colonel. Those guys are all famous now, because of Elvis. You'd think at least they could tell the truth about him, and if they don't know things because they were too spaced out to know, just keep their mouths shut! Reminds me of the story from the lady who sneaked up to his hotel room and found him out in the hallway reading to get away from the debauchery in the room. Seems they all want to make out that he was involved in everything they were to make themselves feel better. Or maybe they were too busy to even notice he wasn't there. It's like Lisa has said. They want to bring him down to their level. Too bad he didn't can the whole lot of them. I guess it was Larry Geller saying he planned to get rid of some people after the fall '77 tour. Wonder who that would've been? I hope Col. Parker was at the top of the list as Larry seemed to think that Elvis wanted Tom Hulett to handle his tours after that.

[Wanda June Hill]

Hi, there is an audio cd/tape of one of the guys pretending to be Elvis at a night club or someplace of that type. It is not a clean tape, and it's NOT Elvis. I have heard a little of that and I knew right away that it wasn't Elvis doing it. But they (many dj 's play it and let the fans think it's Elvis because they get a good audience number going". Anything for a rating you know when you're in some public kind of entertainment. I heard that about 3 weeks ago-it was on a link I think at another website and it's most certainly not our boy talking that way in a public place! He would with people he knew or if there were someone he wanted to shock and then he'd laugh about it. But it wasn't out for the public to hear or see! Not Elvis-he took pride in having a good public reputation for most of his life and that's what hurt him the most when his "friends" betrayed him by going to the public with their "d,d,t's" as he called it. Distractions, Distortions and Tales. He nailed that one for sure!

[Wanda Mc]

I guess that's the one I heard on the web site, and thank you for confirming that it is NOT Elvis. There were a couple of others that were just as direct but far less offensive in which he says that if he did 1/10 the things they said he did that he would not be allowed to wear his belts (karate), that he couldn't perform as he did, and he could not face his father, his daughter, or the fans. Nor would he be associated with the narcotics agencies he worked with. That I might believe to be Elvis. The others are much more vitriolic.

I would hope that, while Mr. Lee is trying to do some good with debunking the whole lie around that performance, he would be more careful what he includes in the same web site. It's like two steps forward, one step back.

Thanks again for the speedy reply and clearing that up for me!

[MaryInTheMorning]

Like the man said, "After a man dies people delight in holding up the cloth of his life so all the spots can show, but if their own were held up, they'd be just as spotted an' maybe more so." He said this after Martin Luther King was shot and then there began the ripping apart of his life by those who wanted to put out his "light". Elvis too, has a very bright light-and it is my firm belief that a ton of trash wouldn't dim it one iota! wjh

AMEN to what Elvis said above Wanda and I agree 500% with what you said about all that trash not dimming his beautiful bright light even one iota!! His LIGHT will ALWAYS shine!!!

[Blue Moon]

I am posting this new record release because I can't believe how a few of the monologue titles are listed. No wonder the false image of a stoned Elvis keeps getting repeated. See the hi-lighted sections below. It is automatically assumed he is high/strung out. So much for objectivity!!!

The brandnew Rainbow Records label will release a double CD set entitled "Vegas Variety". This release contains a complete and nearly 90 minutes long performance of Elvis Presley´s September 1st, 1974 Dinner Show recorded from the audience in Las Vegas.

From the pressrelease:

The recording of this show has been taken from the original first generation (audience recorded) Cassette-Tape and it has been carefully worked on in a professional studio. So the Producers are able to present exactly what their aim for this project stands for: one of the best performances of Elvis´ August/September 74 concert series at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel in best possible sound-quality, rounded off by a great 16 page booklet containing all necessary information regarding the show – and lots of pictures.

We truly believe that this is a great show with an extremly talkative Elvis (including a nearly 10 minutes long monologue about the difference between kung fu and karate) who delivers a bunch of his later classics (the only 50´s throwaway-style-sung title in this show is "Hound Dog", no more „timekillers“!). Hear Elvis, who is clearly in a relaxed mood, doing classy versions of songs like „It´s Midnight“, „Big Boss Man“, „I´m Leavin´“, „If You Talk In Your Sleep“ (introducing a series of karate moves) and „Bridge Over Troubled Water“.

As a bonus you can hear recordings from the September 2, 1974 „Closing Night“, taken from the soundboard – including some rare dialogue of Elvis while „Voice“ Pete Hallin is preparing himself before singing „I Couldn´t Live Without You“. The „Strung Out Mix“ is a nice and funny gem and finally, you can hear Ed Parker talking about the King in an excerpt from a late 70´s radio show called „The Elvis Hour“.


Disc 1 (Running Time: 59:18)

[00:51] 01 - Also Sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)
[03:24] 02 - See See Rider ( Traditional )
[08:01] 03 - I Got A Woman / Amen (Charles / Traditional)
[03:13] 04 - Talking About GI BLues (Elvis talks)
[01:52] 05 - Love Me ( Leiber / Stoller)
[02:50] 06 - If You Love Me (Rostill)
[03:20] 07 - It's Midnight (Wheeler - Chesnut)
[02:37] 08 - Big Boss Man (Reed)
[03:37] 09 - Fever (Porter)
[03:17] 10 - I'm Leavin' (Jarrett - Charles)
[03:03] 11 - Softly As I Leave You (deVita - Sharper)
[02:34] 12 - Hound Dog (Leiber - Stoller)
[04:05] 13 - Polk Salad Annie (White)
[09:06] 14 - Band Introductions (traditional)
[02:46] 15 - Monologue (Elvis talks)
[04:42] 16 - If You Talk In Your Sleep (West - Christopher)



Disc 2 (Running Time: 52:29)

[09:42] 01 - Karate Monologe (Elvis talks)
[02:47] 02 - Help Me (Gatlin)
[02:40] 03 - Why Me Lord (Kristofferson)
[03:33] 04 - Let Me Be There (Rostill)
[04:35] 05 - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon)
[03:23] 06 - Hawaiian Wedding Song (King - Hoffman - Manning)
[01:41] 07 - Can't help Falling In Love (Weiss - Peretti - Creatore)
[00:45] 08 - Closing Vamp (Traditional)
[06:25] 09 - I Couldn't Live Without You (Hallin)
[02:57] 10 - Bringin' It Back (Gordon)
[03:43] 11 - Aubrey (Gates - Griffin)
[04:59] 12 - Strung Out Monologue (Elvis Talks)
[02:11] 13 - Strung Out Mix (Elvis Talks)
[00:34] 14 - Karate Monologue (Elvis Talks)
[02:34] 15 - Ed Parker (Ed Parker Talks)

Source: Elvisnews

[Wanda June Hill]

I was in the audience for 7 of those 74 performances, including the kungfu and karate talks, the demonstration during the song and other parts of that cd. Elvis was NOT "strung out" on or through any of those 7 shows that I was there-we had front seats-on the right side of facing the stage and we had center seating in a booth during most of the 7 shows we saw. He came out did knock out shows, he was thrilled to be showing his karate skills, did a beautiful Kata and did some demonstrations of other forms (stances) (positions) used in Karate. The audience all most as a whole during all 7 of those shows-were happy to hear him talking, thrilled to see him performing karate and if anyone was complaining it was only those who didn't have two brain cells connecting at the same time! I think the persons who are now "relating" what went on during his shows can't possiblly know because they were not there, they have it on hearsay and God knows, that isn't true memories talking! Only those persons who were there and sitting in the audience, not on guard working for him, not back there recording him, not kicking him along for every minute of the Hilton's precious time limits etc: could understood where Elvis was at at the time, those being his fans who paid small fortunes for tickets, drove or flew for miles, waited in line for hours and probably did without food to get there-and see the those truly great performances given by a super star like no other, have the right to make "judgements" on what happened during those shows. I can say from experience, I was there, I saw dinner shows, midnight shows too, and he was never strung out...he was in top form most of the time, except when he had the flu, was running 104 fever during the day, couldn't eat a thing, barely kept water down and there he was, out on stage, singing his heart out and performing for his fans whom he couldn't disappoint by taking a day off...or a show off. Remember, this guy performed twice a night for a solid month, not one day off, at no time during his stay at the Hilton was the show room "dark" as most all entertainers have time off-NO ONE works straight through a solid month with no day off! Only Elvis did that. Why? Because he knew so many fans were trying to come see him, spending money on him, driving miles, planning for months, saving, working extra etc: and he just couldn't spoil it for them-so he did 2 shows a day, 30 or 31 days straight, and even when he did have to cancel in that last year, he made the shows up doing 3 shows for 2 nights in a row, just so people could use their tickets and see him. This is a "strung out" man? I don't think so! Any strung out person I've ever known couldn't be counted on for anything or keep his word or even remember he was supposed to be somewere or do something. Sorry, Elvis wasn't strung out-he was being himself and showing people what he was "into"-Karate, God and spiritual love for all human kind.
Don't believe what you read about any one unless you have the facts yourself-if you don't have them, then look into your heart and ask for the truth...then listen to Elvis talk, listen to him singing and if your heart can't show you the truth... then maybe your "radio" is busted.
Elvis said the human heart is like a radio, but very few people tune it in...and they let other stuff interfeer so they "lose track of their heart frequency an' can't hear it so good". That's why he liked to meditate-he listened to his heart instead of so much of what was told into his brain by so many. He liked to be alone, to think and listen to his heart he said, " It knows what you need...and the heart doesn't lie."

[Wanda June Hill]

It's too bad I'm not wealthy or even a lawyer-I would sue the holy crap out of those writers in Elvis' behalf if it took every dime I had -and it would be worth it even if I had to live on the street afterward! Okay, so I'm a "hot head" after all... by damn I'm sick of the stupidity and lack of concern for anyone or anything in this period of time here on earth. It's glory them up one day then rip them apart in every way, shape and form the next-with no regard or thought of the results. Elvis was a human being, he had faults, he had personal problems and that was BECAUSE he was a human being. He was so right when he said, "Soon as a man dies, they rush to hold his cloak up and gleefully point out every spot an' blemish for all to see. They don't think about their own, but one day it's gonna be their turn, an' they'll have spots an' blemishes held up to the spotlight of the world too!" He went on to say the "saddest part of all that- it is the family left behind who has to see, hear and carry the hurt in their hearts and for what reason? Greed, damn it, greed!"

[Lighthouseseeker]

what I want to be at the moment is,to turn into a honorable giant size Samurai sword and chase them to their dark holes where they still carry on their miserable lives and try to talk BS..

[MaryInTheMorning]

It's too bad I'm not wealthy or even a lawyer-I would sue the holy crap out of those writers in Elvis' behalf if it took every dime I had -and it would be worth it even if I had to live on the street afterward! Okay, so I'm a "hot head" after all... by damn I'm sick of the stupidity and lack of concern for anyone or anything in this period of time here on earth. It's glory them up one day then rip them apart in every way, shape and form the next-with no regard or thought of the results. Elvis was a human being, he had faults, he had personal problems and that was BECAUSE he was a human being. He was so right when he said, "Soon as a man dies, they rush to hold his cloak up and gleefully point out every spot an' blemish for all to see. They don't think about their own, but one day it's gonna be their turn, an' they'll have spots an' blemishes held up to the spotlight of the world too!" He went on to say the "saddest part of all that- it is the family left behind who has to see, hear and carry the hurt in their hearts and for what reason? Greed, damn it, greed!"

AMEN Wanda!! You said it all PERFECTLY here!!!

[Rainbow Light]

Right on, Mari!

Many thanks Wanda for putting the record straight in such an open, honest and sincerely straight out way!! It's always great to read your take on things specially as you attended some of these concerts as you mentioned and know so much what was truly and really going on with Elvis in his life including so many medical conditions as he had and what you witnessed at the concerts you'd actually attended - some of these people who have the nerve, apparently and audacity to tear Elvis down didn't even go to the concerts at anytime let alone these shows depending on second, third or multiple nasty rumors and reports and I can understand you saying what you do about wanting to sue the holy crap out of 'em all!

In fact, we never mind you being a "hothead", it's real well justified and we sure are right there beside you in support!!