Posted by PaulB on January 1, 2002, at 17:39:06
In reply to Re: Elvis Presleys Depression » PaulB, posted by kazoo on September 18, 2001, at 23:13:43
> > I wanted to post a message about Elvis because I just finished the much hailed and raved about second part biography of Elvis life by Peter Guralnick called 'Careless Love-The Unmaking of Elvis Presley'.
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> I read the same book (in fact, I've read quite a few books on Elvis). Though I found Mr. Presley's life interesting, I couldn't stand his music.
>
> Unfortunately, Mr. Guralnick is ten years behind the times. The late Albert Goldman via a sequel to his original Elvis biography came to the same conclusion in 1991, but nobody listened or believed Goldman at the time.
>
> Get a copy of "Elvis: The last 24 hours" and determine for yourself if Elvis was depressed and intentionally over-dosed himself.
>
> Re. the things that could have made Presley depressed: this is self-evident by the way he lived and the people who leeched off of him starting with that carny Colonel Parker.
>
> Personally, I couldn't draw any conclusion from either work since the main component of the argument is very much dead, which is circular reasoning, but it's the best I can do for now.
>
> By the way, the very best book I've read on Elvis is the original Goldman work entitled "Elvis." This was out-of-print for a while, but it may be back. I have autographed copies of both Goldman books. He was a friend of mine.
>
> kazoo
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HeartbreakhotelAlwaysOnMyMindHounddogJailHouseRock
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Finally, I have managed to get hold of a copy of the original Goldman work you mentioned entitled 'Elvis' It wasnt easy because, as you stated it has been out of print for a while. 'Elvis: the Last 24 hours' is still available so Im in no hurry to get that one at the moment. Actually I read the sequel to Mr. Guralnick book 'The Last Train To Memphis', 'The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley' first. They are just so well written with great structure. Another good book is 'The Psychology Of Elvis'.
I think each of these books takes a look into a man who was far more complex than some people might have guessed. In a book club I went to someone stated that 'Elvis was America and epitomised American culture'. If anyone reads this message what do you think defines American culture and sets it apart from other cultures in the Western world and beyond and the remark the person at the book club I went to meant.
This is a message that has its roots in psychiatry so I hope its fitting here at PSB Dr-Bob. If you think overwise, I apologise.
PaulB
poster:PaulB
thread:11539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011216/msgs/16114.html