August 16, 2002
- New DVD reveals very personal side of Elvis
By Miriam Di Nunzio
(Chicago Sun-times, August 16, 2002)
For nearly 20 years, he was Elvis Presley's best friend and road manager. Now, Joe Esposito is paying tribute on a new DVD to the memory of the man who became the king of rock 'n' roll. "Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers," (Universal Home Video,$14.95) is Esposito's recollection of his life with Presley, via never-before-seen home movies, film clips, personal photos and newsreel footage "It covers my 18 years with Elvis starting with how we first met in the Army until his passing in 1977," Esposito said during a phone conversation from New York. "There's some great old home movies that my partner in the project Terry Moloney found, and lots of still pictures that I took over the years behind the scenes, on vacations with Elvis and at various movie set locations. ... I just wanted to do this project because so much stuff has been written about Elvis that's just not true. So here it is, from someone who was there." The DVD offers an insider's glimpse into life with Elvis on a daily basis. Candid photos and movies capture Presley completely off-guard -- at work and play.
- Global tribute for Elvis
(BBC, August 16, 2002)
Elvis Presley fans across the world are commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of the singing legend, bringing together generations of devoted followers. Braving heavy rain, about 40,000 people, many in Elvis costumes attended a candle-lit vigil at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, before filing past thesinger's grave. In Malaysia, impersonators gathered in Kuala Lumpur for an Elvis contest, while Japanese admirers visited a bronze statue of the singer built with cash raised by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi - a member of the Japanese Elvis fan club. And in the UK, Elvis impersonators and lookalikes are attending The Elvis Experience, a three-day convention taking place atthe Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
- Elvis fans to mark the spot where he landed in the UK
(Ananova, August 16, 2002)
Thousands of Elvis fans are expected to flock to the west coast of Scotland to pay tribute to the King at the only spot in Britain where he ever set foot. The then 25-year-old Sergeant Elvis Presley made his only appearance in the UK when he stepped off a US military plane at Prestwick Airport in North Ayrshire, on March 2, 1960. Elvis was heading back to the States after serving with the US Army in Germany. The one-hour refuelling stopover was supposed to be top secret, but news leaked out and about 1,000 screaming fans turned up to greet the King. A tribute concert to Elvis is scheduled to take place at the airport at 9pm tonight to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death.
- 'On the anniversary of his death, I'll probably be crying'
By Brigid Delaney
(Sydney Morning Herald, August 16, 2002, p. 3)
How can you tell the difference between a real fake Elvis and a fake, fake Elvis? On the anniversary of the King's death, Greg Quail, promoter of the successful Elvis Impersonator Competition at the Cat and Fiddle Hotel in Balmain, said August brings out "a lot of backyard Elvises", but "sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between the two".
- The King's up there on his own
By Julian Lewis
(Australian, August 16, 2002, p. 13)
Elvis is the 20th century's leading icon. ... Elvis is so saleable and media-friendly that it's hard to beat him as the universal icon. ... In the decade or so since I first stumbled into the ever-growing Elvis industry, I've had to reappraise my initial apathy towards the man and give him credit as a true rock 'n' roll pioneer. Equally, I never cease to marvel at the farytale side to his rise, the cocooned lifestyle of indulgence and excess, the before-and-after-army Elvis, the wheeling and dealing of Colonel Parker, Prsicilla the bride and later divorced instigator of the Graceland theme park, as well as the never-ending stream of mass-produced souvenirs, TV specials and tours - all perpetuated by a continuing fascination from believers and non-believers alike.
- Life With Elvis
(ABC News, August 16, 2002)
Even a quarter-century after his death, Elvis Presley remains such an icon that many of us feel we know him personally. But in a 1985 interview, Barbara Walters spoke with the woman who may have known him best: Priscilla Presley. In their conversation, the King's former wife revealed a side of Elvis that most of us never knew. Throughout the preceding years, Priscilla had remained silent about their life together. In her 1985 book, Elvis & Me, however, she recounted intimate details about their marriage and Elvis' private side. When Priscilla moved in with Elvis, she was just a teenager; he was 24. Priscilla said the man she knew then was a gentle, fun-loving young man. He was also "insecure" and "vulnerable," she said. She was mad about him, but their relationship was very different from a typical love affair, she said. "It was a very protective relationship from the very beginning," she said. "He was a father to me. He was my mentor."
Elvis was more than a mentor. He controlled her looks, her clothes, her hair, even her makeup, Priscilla said. "I was definitely under a spell of what I thought was love," she explained. The couple lived together for six years before they married. During those years, Elvis and Priscilla slept together every night, but they never had intercourse, she said. He refused to have sex with her until they wed, she said, because "somewhere, he, along in his past, said that he wanted a virgin."
- Elvis biographer on following the King's life
(CNN, August 16, 2002)
We've heard a lot of kidding around this week about Elvis, but there is a very serious side to Elvis and his place in popular culture. Peter Guralnick is the Elvis biographer whose two-volume work has been called "a triumph of biographical art" by the The New York Times. Guralnick talked to CNN anchor Martin Savidge from Graceland about his books "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley" and "Last Train to Memphis."
- Elvis: King of the tribute acts
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, August 16, 2002)
Elvis Presley has been named king of the tribute acts with a survey finding him the most imitated star in the UK. He is the number one most copied act on the club and concert circuit, ahead of the Beatles and Abba. ... The findings come from research by the Performing Rights Society - which monitors live performances to collect royalty payments. John Cooter, who commissioned the survey, said: "The less famous names who wrote songs for Elvis continue to benefit from their songs being introduced to new audiences." The most popular Presley classic performed by any live act in the UK was Wonder Of You, with Can't Help Falling In Love the runner-up.
- Everyone's Elvis
(ABC, August 16, 2002)
Today is the anniversary no one can quite believe. Elvis Aaron Presley 'passed' on August 16, 25 years ago! After an extraordinary life spanning just 42 years, he died a solitary, befuddled death in a bathroom at his beloved 'Graceland'. One of the world's most astonishing performers was worn-away by years of prescription drug abuse and a strange isolation that cast a frightening shadow over the fervent adulation that engulfed him since his earliest recordings, those famous 'Sun sessions'. Now, 25 years after his death, Elvis Presley's estate is worth $250 million. He's just topped Forbes magazine's list of dead celebrity 'earners' and he sells at least 5 million albums a year. 'Graceland', his mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, named after his mother, is the real gem in This Kingdom, luring 600,000 visitors through its ornate 'guitar gates' annually. But why? What gives 'Elvis-mania' its contemporary resonance? Greg Noble, a senior lecturer in cultural studies at the University of Western Sydney, believes it's due to the many 'Elvises' we have to choose from: The Innocent versus The Sinful, Social Progressive versus Political Conservative, The Beautiful Boy versus Bloated Betrayer. We also speak to Sheila James from the always-busy media centre at Graceland, in Memphis.
- Presley's income makes him King of the Crypt
(Canberra Times, August 16, 2002, p. 10)
The king of rock 'n' roll was no businessman. When Elvis Presely died, his finances were in such sad shape that the mamagers of his estate considered selling Graceland, his white-columned, Georgian-style home, as just too expensive to maintain. Instead, the house was opened to tourists, and 25 years after his death on August 16, 1977, Graceland attracts 600,000 visitors a year and has made his sole heir, daughter Lisa Marie, a very wealthy woman.
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