Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Blue Moon]

Anyone want to offer a review of this book? I haven't yet read it but would be interested in readers' opinions . We used to have a thread for this book but think it got deleted when Maia took away the duplicate book topic/section.

[Wanda June Hill]

I liked the book, he tells some very funny and interesting stories about meeting Elvis and also reveals his own personal life of growing up mostly on his own and how he was close to Elvis in many ways. He doesn't get into the sad times, or the heartache times and what he does say is very well done. He gives Elvis dignity and honor and I liked that alot. He skips over the marriage and breakup and that's understandable also-he is close with Lisa and Priscilla and that's a good thing too.
Someone who hasn't trashed every honorable and decent part of Elvis needs to be around and Jerry is the one left now who was there nearly from the beginning and from the time Elvis and Priscilla got together in the US...so I feel Jerry has done a terrific job of telling his story and Elvis' in this book. I reccomend it and I enjoyed reading about Jerry's antics and episodes with his good friend, who happened to be Elvis Presley...that is kind of the gist of the story...and done in a nice, understanding and honest way. I'm proud of Jerry-didn't know him but he seemed to be one of the good guys of what I knew about him-even though I know that Elvis was jealous of his and Priscilla's friendship a tad for a while though he got over it and he liked Jerry. The few times he mentioned him were all favorable and he seemed to trust him and enjoy his company somewhat more than some of the others. Jerry too, had a life-he didn't just let Elvis be his world...he was intelligent and normal and Elvis needed someone like that in his midst.
Jerry worked for Elvis, went to college, made something of himself in his own right and still maintained a regular kind of relaltionship and friendship with Elvis and was around much of the time. He might have been one of the few windows of normalacy that Elvis could observe and appreciate.
I have to add that Starla read the book before I did and she had one comment-"It was okay, but he rode the fence so much about certain things and people, he must have had chapped legs." I was happy that he did not go into certain things and did "ride the fence"-they've been gone over so much, it was refreshing not to have to go there. But she thought he didn't offer enough cause and affect by treading so lightly. To each their own opinion.
I am guility of "going over things and maybe could learn to "ride that fence" myself. Room for thought here.

[Amanda Viola]

Wanda,

I appreciate very much your comments on Jerry's book and himself. I have seen him in the docummentary "Elvis by the Presleys" and I like what comes from him as a person very much. His book is in my waiting list.

Of course you are a very brave "liones", defending your kin. I believe your role is different from Jerry's. I think his' is to smoothe.

[Lighthouseseeker]

I feel it's kinda limited what could come from him..yet it's good for him leaving some places blank than to fill them with (bs)..

[Bloom]

I feel it's kinda limited what could come from him..yet it's good for him leaving some places blank than to fill them with (bs)..

What do you mean?

Do rekon he was holding back?

Maybee so he can write another book for some more money perhaps?

[Lighthouseseeker]

no,no..didn't mean another book..it's his business..but not sure of his capacity of giving enough insight of Elvis or even knowing enough of him.. not trying to be a smart "a"...while strongly concerning Elvis's ex-wife's feelings and thoughts,hope he felt free enough,writing his book..in the documentary (EBTP)I get the opposite idea..hopefully I'm wrong..

[maia]

I enjoyed the book...I personally felt that Jerry WAS holding back, but then considering the good he has done and continues to do as a friend and often co-worker with Priscilla and Lisa (good influence and guidance on their Graceland / Elvis projects) I believe he was being WISE in "holding back" in some places.

Also, Jerry was not THERE ALL THE TIME, not even as much as Red, Sonny, etc. and they really know very little about was was really going on for Elvis, so Jerry could only speculate or believe was they told him about certain things.

As an example, he said that when Elvis was in Las Vegas and heard that Pris was having an affair with Mike Stone he got himself so worked up that he wanted to have Stone killed and Red called someone to do it and came back and told Elvis he had just made the deal. Elvis turned pale and immediatly told him to cancel it. Well, this is quite different from J.D.'s version. J.D. said Elvis was all worked up saying he wanted Stone dead, so J.D. told everyone to leave the room - just he and Elvis remaining and said, "OK Elvis, you want him dead, give me a gun and I will go and kill him for you." Elvis faltered and J.D. then said well if you don't really want to kill him, then will you pray with me for him? Elvis hesitated and then said yes, he would. Then J. D. said, "Can we call in the rest of the guys and have them pray with us"? Elvis agreed, so they all filed in and knelt down and Elvis prayed with them all for Mike Stone!

Now J.D. either lied (which I KNOW he would not do) or this is truth. I don't believe Jerry would lie either, but was he THERE? I may have missed it, but I don't think so. I personally think Red told him how it happened...Red placing himself at the center of the thing.

This is just an example of what I mean.

BTW: According to a letter Wanda received from a woman who claimed to be there at the time, Elvis found out because little Lisa told him! This is was made him so furious! Bad enough to find out your wife is unfaithful, but to hear it from your child...

This of course, may not be true.

[Blue Moon]

Maia, I'm so glad you shared JD's version of what happened as well. I don't recall that he ever did a book on Elvis, so it must have come from an interview.
This is first time I have heard of JD's telling of what happened. Oh how I wish Jerry had used JD's version. It makes sense, sounds like Elvis, and JD had a good understanding and appreciation of the spiritual side of Elvis

And I agree with you, JD would not have lied and was one of Elvis' closest friends -- he would likely know. And and as you say Jerry does not seem like the lying type either, so it would make sense that Jerry likely got his story from Red.

[Sarena]

Jerry's book will be one of my Christmas presents , so I am looking forward to read it!

I remember reading the version of J.D. somewhere, but I can't recall where, maybe in Ed Parker's book "Inside Elvis" ?!

[Amanda Viola]

Maia,

I think it's so positive to have here related the two versions of the same circunstance, so whoever might come to the forum could have a righted point of view. I have very few books on Elvis, so I'm not the one to help doing that, but all together could find more cases like this and post them.
It could be a section on the forum, maybe.

I don't like the idea of putting anybody down with criticism, so this is not my suggestion, but to expose without judgement the "two" faces of Truth. And all related to Elvis basic morals and sprirituality, like in the case we are discusing now.

[Lighthouseseeker]

though I don't know both JD nd Mr Schilling,JD has a special place in my heart.. I believe he is a dear and mature soul..and if there's two words, I'd choose to trust JD's ..one other thing I find wrong is diggin' Elvis's feelings of that moment toward Mike Stone man,which was too personal..there can't be an easy and certain explanation such as black or white in times like this..and starting with West cousin's lousy book,Elvis was blamed almost as a potential killer who planned it..and if Schilling brought back that subject in his new book,without even being sure of it or having not a little idea what sort of feelings Elvis been through in seconds when he learned about the affair, he did the same mistake as Wests.. why this is so urgent to put this in a book about him..he had many more other heartbreaking moments and hurts that no one cared and investigated..

[Blue Moon]

I did a little searching and I do see where there is an out of print book on JD entitled "The Life and Times of JD Sumner" by Bob Terrell. I wonder if his version of the Elvis' reaction to Mike Stone is in there.

[Amanda Viola]

there is an out of print book on JD entitled "The Life and Times of JD Sumner" by Bob Terrell.

This one could be a quite interesting book to read, indeed.

[maia]

As I remember, J.D.'s version was in an interview with him years ago...but can't be certain.

[Rainbow Light]

Why I Wrote Me And A Guy Named Elvis

Elvis still matters. His music lives on, and, almost 30 years after his death, his life and achievements continue to have deep emotional impact on all of us. The fact that my friend's artistic legacy remains so strong makes me proud, but I did not write my book simply to celebrate that legacy. Frankly, you don't need me to tell you that Elvis was a great performer, that Heartbreak Hotel can still give you chills, or that If I Can Dream can still make you cry. But, I think that over the years, as Elvis's music and image have become more and more iconic, the very important human side of his story has been lost. That's what I wanted to capture in my book, because the Elvis I knew was not a legend – he was a man. A man of great talents, but also a man who struggled mightily to find a balance in his life between his creative passions and the real-world challenges he constantly faced. Elvis worked incredibly hard to achieve what he did, and if my book accomplishes anything, I want it to remind people what a revolutionary force he was in kicking down barriers – between different kinds of music and between people of different races – and in opening up a whole new world of possibilities for us with the gift of rock and roll. Beyond the music, I want to let people know what a deep person Elvis was, what an intelligent seeker of knowledge he was, and, most personally, what a real friend he was.

I've come to feel that my friend gave me his blessing for this book long ago when he was on a drive across the desert with karate instructor Ed Parker. Elvis told Ed he was considering writing his autobiography, to be titled Through My Eyes. He told Ed that he did not want many people around him involved in this project, but he mentioned only one by name that he did want to be a part of it: me. He was ready to trust me with his story back then, and I kept that very much in mind as I wrote my book.

In the fall of 1964, when I first went to work for Elvis after a decade of friendship with him, I was a few practice teaching credits shy of becoming a history teacher. Now after half a century of living through all kinds of experiences with this man and his family and friends, I've come full circle – I'm now ready to share some history. It just so happens that my subject of expertise is Elvis Presley, one of the most important figures of the 20th century and certainly the most remarkable man I've ever known. If I can get you to feel – really feel – a bit of what our times together were like, and give you a fresh appreciation of Elvis's life and work, then I will have accomplished in Me And A Guy Named Elvis what I set out to do.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans around the world who have always been so kind to me - Jerry Schilling