Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Regina- Jewel]

From the site of his new book Elvis Straight Up Diamond Joe talks about the first of MANY Elvis books...the infamous Elvis What Happened?

Weeks prior to Elvis's death in August of 1977, a paperback book titled Elvis: What Happened? was released by Random House publishers. It was authored by a tabloid journalist named Steve Dunleavy based on interviews with former fellow "Memphis Mafia" members Red West, his younger cousin Sonny West and one of Elvis's karate instructors, Dave Hebler. The three bodyguards were unceremoniously fired in mid-1976, but instead of lying low until the situation resolved itself, they made a terrible, drastic decision that shattered Elvis's world and created the greatest devastating upheaval in his personal life since the passing of his beloved mother.

The book would become a blockbuster, one of the best-selling paperbacks of all time. It's timing couldn't have been better, or worse, depending on which end of the gun barrel you were on.

Red West and Elvis were very, very close. They were from the same part of Memphis and went to the same school together. The incident that cemented them forever happened during their days at Humes High School, when Red thwarted a group of bullies from beating up on Elvis. From then on, they were thick as thieves. Red eventually took on the role of protecting Elvis with his life until the day they parted company, over twenty years later. Red was there from the beginning, his sincerity proven by the fact that he befriended Elvis long before he was a star. Red was one of the few of us who knew his mother, Gladys. Elvis and Red were very tight. There's no question about it. In a way, they were brothers. They loved each other like brothers, and on more than one occasion, they clashed like brothers.

Personally, I had no problem with Red. In those days we all basically put aside whatever personality differences we may have had with one another for the sake of getting along and enjoying the exclusive bond we shared as members of Elvis's entourage. Actually, Red had some showbiz talents of his own. At the time he was gaining exposure as a stuntman, actor, and later, acting coach (He eventually opened his own school.), a field he has excelled in over the years. Red was also an unlikely but very apt songwriter. He wrote some very fine tunes that Elvis recorded including "If You Think I Don't Need You", "Separate Ways", "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" and "Seeing Is Believing". Red was somewhat of a paradox; tough as nails but with the heart of a poet. To the outside world, he was tough. But he had to be in order to shoulder the responsibilities he had to shoulder for Elvis. And let's face it, if he hadn't kicked the hell out of those bullies that day at Humes, he might never have bonded with Elvis the way he had in the first place! Overall, I would say Red was a good guy during the years I worked with him, despite his short fuse.

The first time I became aware of this "short fuse" of his was the day I met him in Bad Nauheim, Germany, near where Elvis and I were stationed in the Army. Elvis flew him over from Memphis to be around and have fun with during his time off duty. I was sitting at a table in the local pub talking with some of my fellow servicemen when all of a sudden this fight breaks out behind me. Before I knew what was happening, Red West is beatin' the hell out of some guy at the bar. To this day, I don't know what that poor guy said or did, but Red knocked the hell out of him!

Perhaps it was an omen. Red eventually had to return home to Memphis. One of the factors being because the Army was giving him hell about the skirmishes he was having with the locals. Ironically, history would repeat itself about eighteen years later when Elvis's father, Vernon, actually fired Red and his cousin, Sonny, claiming it was because of some costly lawsuits leveled against Elvis that involved fights they had instigated.

Now, every one of us who had ever worked for Elvis had been fired at least once. It was something that was inevitable if you were around him for any period of time. But we also knew, one way or the other, sooner or later you would be asked to come back. So for the life of me I could never understand, until this day, why Red and Sonny turned against Elvis the way they did. Scorned, they retaliated by aligning themselves with a sensationalist writer and began work on an explosive "tell all" expose of Elvis's personal life, his faults, bad habits and temper tantrums. To be fair, they also covered a lot of the good times as well: Elvis's generosity, his immense talent, his love affair with his fans, etc. The main purpose of the book however, was to return fire and blow the lid off the Presley myth. But why was this even happening? Didn't they realize their being fired was likely only temporary? They were let go in July of 1976, and within six months we were reading sample chapters of this book eventually known as Elvis, What Happened?

Well, I'll tell you "what happened". As Elvis poured over the pages, reading the most salacious things he could ever imagine anyone saying about him, he became ashen. He was devastated. He was convinced this book would destroy his whole life. And in a way, I really believe it did.

After the contents of that book were revealed to Elvis, I believe a large part of his spirit just gave up. He lost his will to fight. Onstage, he was always singing the lyric, "Lord, this time you gave me a mountain...I may never climb." Although I never voiced my fears to a soul at the time, inside, I had a terrible feeling this might be that mountain...

[Wanda June Hill]

Yes, Elvis would have given Red his job back when the "fire" died down about the lawsuits...the lawyers told his father it would look as "if Elvis condoned the guys actions" if they continued to be on the payroll so his dad fired them. Elvis didn't want them fired, he wanted them to have time off with pay and when it cooled off, hire them back. But the guys and Vernon didn't hit it off that well I guess, whatever happened they were angry, no money to live on, no job and nothing they could do-and when they got offered a big bunch of money for stuff about Elvis (which had never been done) they took it...not realizing the extent things would go. I don't think that Red realized what was going to be said though it wasn't that awful compared to what has come out since-it was a blow to Elvis-his friends/brothers turning on him, not trusting him, betraying him and where it would hurt him the most-with his fans. That's all he could think about-and betrayal, disloyalty was something he treasured more than anything. You just didn't betray your family and friends. Unless you were lower than skunks... Anyway, when he spoke to me about that book, it was only Red whose name he mentioned...it was only him he spoke of as forgiving and said he had called him and he wished things could be like they used to be, wanted to talk with him about the old days like before but guesed it could never be. And to my knowledge it is only Red who has not gone around the country spouting ugly things about his friend/boss Elvis.
The other two...well...may the weight of their words fall on their feet-from 12 stories up! Elvis was difficult at times, he was spoiled, he was rotten to the core about some things, he was vain and he did like to be the center of attention and he loved getting the best girls etc:...and he loved buddying with his pals. He had a bad temper, but usually there was a good reason for it-he didn't like slackers and he knew he had a house full at times...he wanted things done right and in order and when they were supposed to be-he didn't like to wait and he expected them to be ready to go when he was. And yeah he was sharp tongued at times when riled up enough. But he also knew he was a perfectionest and he tried to make it up to them if he thought he had been "bad"... they say he couldn't say he was sorry-well I've heard him say it many times...he didn't seem to have a problem but maybe he did when dealing with the guys he lived with. I don't know, wasn't there, Thank God!
I don't like Sonny West, don't trust him, never did and have good reasons. I wittnessed things and heard things from him that were disloyal, stupid and downright criminal but he wasn't the only one in that pot. Most of those things pertained to drugs and not prescription ones either. The music business and those who work in it and around it seem to be very involved in such things-especially in those late 60's and through the 79's and 80's and I don't know about any thing after those years.
It was everywhere, and hard to find musicians who were not using something.... Sonny probably is cleaner than some of them, but he got caught and that hopefully helped him out. That and his wife stood by him...he's one of the lucky ones and Elvis would be happy about that. In fact, Elvis probably spends time being his "angel" when Sonny doesn't even realize it. He would do that, Elvis was loyal even to those who abused him and his generosity-he forgave and understood. Elvis was all heart most of the time-and the heart knows many things that are hidden from sight...Elvis' heart was tuned to other people's pain and joys...he wouldn't walk away from Sonny... And probably would have hired him back-but he didn't care for Dave because he "whinned" too much. What ever that meant. wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thanks, Wanda, for your comments, thoughts and insightful post here!

And to my knowledge it is only Red who has not gone around the country spouting ugly things about his friend/boss Elvis.

I must say I've heard nothing from Red and so feel he may have had regrets and maybe a change of heart about what he wrote back then, who knows? The last I heard of Dave Hebler was in a program with a British comedian, Frank Skinner, who was trying to get to the bottom of an enquiry if a shirt he owned had actually belonged to Elvis or not - Dave said yes and Skinner was trying to bring him out on it and say for sure if he definitely knew it was Elvis' shirt - Hebler was starting to get threatening assuring he knew it was and Skinner had better not disbelieve him - quite good Frank Skinner had the TV cameras on him really I think being as Dave Hebler has a black belt in Karate!

Yes, it would be like Elvis to be a guardian angel for Sonny West even though many would say he didn't deserve it - I'm sitting on the fence and issuing no comment in the matter, sorry, but let's just say I ain't Sonny's fan in any sense of the word and Elvis is a far better person than me!! 'Nuff said!
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