Elvis

by Albert Goldman

More than five hundred interviews and three years of research underlie an in-depth examination of Elvis Presley's life and career, providing information on his sexuality, his hit records, his army years, and his drug dependence. Not a pretty picture...

Genres: Biography, Music, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir

598 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real slow motion car crash of a book, very enjoyable, this is a splurt of coffee all down your shirt book, this is a wander through the house looking for someone to say "hey you GOT to hear this" to, even if it turns out to be the dog - they have to hear it! Goldman was some brave soul, putting the big boot into Elvis and then turning round and doing the same for Lennon. Respect to Albert, this guy liked to live dangerously. Or maybe he had a death wish. Goldman's research is such that Elvis has a new interesting sexual predilection every 50 pages or so, and clearly the fixed principle Albert adhered to throughout was "always believe the worst thing anyone tells you". Now that's what I call entertainment.

[Russell Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grew up in Memphis and in some of the same cultural environs as Elvis. Goldman, a talented writer, managed to capture a lot of the culture in this place at that time. Sadly, he uses this book to show "what was wrong" with Elvis.

From a long story about the time Elvis showed up in the studio with his feet smelling bad to comments about Elvis's penis, Goldman can't find anything good to say about anyone. That's precisely the reason he could not get an interview with any of the Beatles when he set his sites on John Lennon.

[Rex McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget your Garulnicks and your punknicks, you may learn more about how to write an english masters thesis elsewhere, but you'll never learn more about the man than here. Yeah, it's unforgiving and sordid, and, even if every little bit isn't cited, you can't help but suspect that it's all true. To me, the man is always more fascinating than the myth (but not as fascinating as the making of the myth), and this will always be the Rosetta Stone of Elvis.

[Troy Soos · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's poorly written and Goldman's contempt for his subject is off-putting. I have no idea why an author would want to write a biography of a man he so obviously detests. Yet parts of it are entertaining in a salacious sort of way. Skim this as a guilty pleasure, but for a more objective biography read Peter Guralnick's "Last Train to Memphis."

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The accuracy of this book has been debated but its very entertaining. If your one of these nutters that want to turn Elvis into some sort of holy figure then you will hate this book. If you want to be entertained with tales of the "wacky Elvis" then this is the book for you. Some of the stuff that gets into this is depressing, like Elvis' drug use and penchant for young girls, but some of it is funny as hell, like Elvis' bizarre eating habits, (the story about flying all the way to Denver from Memphis for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is classic!) his idea that he was an enlightened new age spiritual master, or the meeting between Elvis and Nixon where Elvis proposed to Nixon that he would be some sort of undercover agent and infiltrate the hippies for the FBI because he believed pot smoking was destroying the youth of America. Now keep in mind Elvis was high as a kite on drugs prescribed by his Doctor that are many times more harmful than Marijuana while proposing this to Nixon!

Like I said if Elvis is your religion you will be offended by this book, if your a casual Elvis fan or could care less about him one way or another you will be entertained.

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of those books that makes you think why was this written? Well, concerning Elvis answer is easy; to make money and subject not being able to correct anything written about him (being dead). No matter do you love or hate Elvis (or any other target for this kind of nonsense); these are tough ones to even finish when author clearly hates their subject and there's no way of telling where the lie ends where the truth starts. Die-hard Elvis fans only who won't be offended by the world.

If you're new to Elvis it's Peter Guralnick's books for you and if you've read everything about Elvis already but not this one then reconsider - and put this on the very end on your to-read list. A bit same vibe as in Mick Wall's Axl Rose book but wayyyy worse, hey.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike Goldman's nauseating "The Lives Of John Lennon", this one is actually fun to read, and is actually remotely believable most of the time, as Elvis was known to be, at least some of the time, somewhat out to lunch. But as soon as Goldman starts in with his attempts at psychoanalysis, he reveals more about himself than about his subject.

[Bob Box · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 1988. The definitive biography of Elvis Presley. Full of facts, speculation and history. Fascinating and informative. One of my favorites that year.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly compelling biography of Elvis. If anyone thought the King of Pop was wacko, it's more likely the King of Rock was completely insane. He spent his last years wrapped in diapers because the opiates caused him to lose control over his rectrum and bladder. The biography also doesn't spare the details of his bizarre women affairs, there is a whole series of 13-14 year old girls spending time in Elvis' bedroom while he could be very violent towards other women; both drugging and rape are covered.

Yet the book is not a smear of the star, it is more that the author wants to humanize the man behind the myth. There are so many untrue legends about Elvis that people still believe today.

Sometimes the quasi-psychological analyses go a bit too far as the author is hardly a licensed psychologist. At the same time, it is very entertaining to apply psychological theories about Oedipus syndrome, narcissism and abuse of power to Elvis.

One might think that the book is an anti-biography for people who hate Elvis. I don't think so; I myself admire the work of Michael Jackson, Bowie and Prince. However, I believe that these men should not be celebrated for their humanitarian efforts but for the art they managed to create. It is tragic to see that the same fate still befalls stars today, such as Johnny Depp or Justin Bieber. There are so many examples of the "great male genius" reaching godlike status and thereby gaining so much influence that they almost get away with everything.

Next, I look forward to reading Goldman's biography of John Lennon.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldman schreef een ontluisterend boek over Elvis, een talentrijke zanger en artiest die niet was opgewassen tegen zijn louche manager, de zich colonel Parker noemende Dries van Kuijk , die uit Breda afkomstig was en een crimineel verleden had. Elvis wordt beschreven als een labiele drugsverslaafde die bij voorkeur sex had met jonge meisjes. Hij at onmatig junkfood en stierf op zijn 42e aan medicijnvergiftiging en obesitas. Nadeel van deze genadeloze biografie is dat het unieke talent van Elvis ondersneeuwt door het harde, negatieve beeld dat Goldman neerzet. Wel komt een scherp beeld van ‘de Colonel’ naar voren, die vooral ‘het merk’ Elvis exploiteerde. Zo maakt Goldman
duidelijk dat Elvis behoudens zijn dienstplicht in Duitsland nooit buiten de VS optrad, omdat van Kuijk vanwege zijn strafblad niet buiten de VS kon reizen. Het is inderdaad raar dat alle andere beroemde artiesten wel wereldtournees maakten en Elvis niet. Zijn laatste creatieve hoogtepunt vormden de come back sessies in 1968, na zijn eerdere creatieve periode in de jaren vijftig. De King of rock en roll is inmiddels al weer langer dood dan hij heeft geleefd, maar zijn zang en zijn timing blijven aanspreken.

[Frederick]

One of the parts I skimmed shows Goldman trying to get us to hate Elvis by defining the term "whore's bath." He explains that few people know the meaning of this phrase and then tells us it means the type of self-cleaning in which one takes a towel and, say, wipes under one's arms, thus avoiding having to take the time to shower. Goldman tells us Elvis took "whore's baths."
Shame on Elvis.
Vomit on Goldman.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Left me wondering what poor Elvis ever did to Goldman! A real hatchet job!

[Sandi Mann · Rating 2 out of 5]

BRUTAL hatchet job... and I hate the pic they chose for the cover also!

[William Rozell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a hit job by an admitted snob. There's nothing wrong with being a snob -- it's a discipline that prevents a lot of wasted time -- but it's no basis for scholarship.

[Zachary Taylor]

I found Goldman's book at a Goodwill in New Jersey. Being an Elvis fan, I decided to pick it up. Goldman's portrait of Elvis is unflattering, to say the least. But what he's getting at is that here in America, we worship celebrities. They are literal "gods." And Elvis was the king--the king of the gods, the sacrificial lamb, a Christ-figure who died the laughingstock of the world. While I found his characterization distasteful, Goldman's thesis is spot on, and I recommend it if you're interested in American pop culture and "fluff" pieces.

[Erik Hermeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

De schrijver is totaal geen Elvis fan wat ervoor zorgt dat hij Elvis erg negatief naar voren laat komen. Toch is dat niet perse vervelend want hierdoor krijg je wel veel te weten over zijn donkere kant. In het boek wordt veel verteld over zn drugsverslaving en hoe Elvis aan zn einde is gekomen. De hoofdstukken zijn soms rommelig waardoor het niet lekker leest.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get the controversy over this book. The author definitely took some cheap shots at Elvis. But overall I thought it provided some great insights and was loaded with information. It was well written, interesting, and entertaining.

[Chris C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge Elvis fan but I don't mind Goldman's writing style and tendency to find faults in his subjects, so when I saw this in a secondhand bookshop it was a no-brainer. I enjoyed this. I wonder which book is considered objectively as the definitive Elvis book.

[Linda Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great insight on elvis and puts u right there with him as his life unfolds

[Lee]

Mind Blowing!

[Bradthad Codgeroger · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to experience a rhetorical assassination, this book is for you. The thing is, I believe most of it.

[Vincenzo Ridente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading Elvis and though it was critized when it was released I found it an interesting read and it was the first book to reveal Colonel Tom Parker's background and his Dutch origins

[Ed Zaremba · Rating 1 out of 5]

People who don't like Elvis shouldn't write books about him!

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious!

[Cosmic Dwellings · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had so much potential to be the oft-misquoted "Definitive" or "Ultimate" Presley biog. of its time, but Goldman let himself and his narrative down by allowing his own opinionated short-comings to 'poison' the 'plot'. However, his findings through his research in some cases were quite revelatory, even though the amount of people interviewed is somewhat dubious. It is undoubtedly an entertaining read (in a silly kind of way), and Goldman exercised his skill as quite a good fiction writer in parts of the biog. which called for a reenactment of those situations not generally regarded as factual. In some instances, while Goldman was preoccupied with trying to debunk the 'Elvis myths', he actually manufactured several of his very own 'Elvis myths' in the process! Nevertheless, you may want to consult this tome for future reference concerning the origins of Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker - it's quite valid in that respect. However, in general, you may find it difficult to get past Goldman's considerable dislike not only of Elvis, but also of the genre of Rock 'n' Roll music along with his disliking for the majority of people from the Southern regions of the United States. Incidentally, Goldman was a racist. Throughout his life and career, Elvis Presley had many black friends and colleagues such as Fats Domino, Roy Hamilton, Jackie Wilson, Sammy Davis jr., Muhammad Ali, and The Sweet Inspirations: Fact. Perhaps another reason for Goldman's malicious approach toward his subject's life and career was because of that fact??? Food...for your thoughts...

[Jim Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldman got most of his inside dirt from Lamar Fike, Elvis’ longtime friend. Fike has admitted that he was deep in debt from a gambling addiction when he met Goldman, and pretty much told Goldman what he wanted to hear. Furthermore, Fike was grossly overweight for his whole life, and often the butt of Elvis’ jokes. One can’t help but wonder if he wasn’t exacting some revenge on his famous boss/friend by dishing lots of dirt.

That’s not to say the stories aren’t somewhat true, but Goldman gets many details wrong. The opening chapter alone is filled with historical inaccuracies. Goldman describes an obese Elvis in a Graceland decorated in red. However, as part of the same chapter he describes a Las Vegas concert that happened several years earlier than the existence of the aforementioned Graceland decor. These may seem like irrelevant details, but they do give one the impression that Goldman played a little loose with the facts for maximum dramatic effect.

[Denis Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could superimpose, copy my review of Mr. Goldman's study of John Lennon here, change the names and it would suffice. Especially interesting was the look at Colonel Tom Parker, aka, Andreas Cornelis ("Dries") van Kuijk, Elvis's manager.

I'll probably read his study of Lenny Bruce, working backwards through his oeuvre.

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one has some of my favorite photos in the center of the book. Elvis in 1968 was in his prime in black leather! That costume is on display in the "Sincerely Elvis" museum at Graceland.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...

[C'lestial · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just started reading this huge book. I know Goldman has a tendency to overindulge in his story telling and I have read many Elvis books to know to take several embellishments the author writes about with a grain of sand, but so far, it's a good read.

[Ramona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fuelled by the author’s intense dislike of Elvis, this so-called biography is extremely biased.