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Careless Love : The Unmaking of Elvis Presley

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First and foremost, this is a depressing book. There is a warning in the author's note that the book is about a tragedy, and this is an understatement. Elvis Presely's "fall" was a hard and bitter one. This book outlines events starting in 1960 up to Presely's death in 1977. Things start out looking pretty good for Elvis as he leaves the army and begins his career almost anew, but as the 1970s emerge, things start to cloud over, and the book follows the downward spiraling vortex that Presley and his somewhat bizarre and almost constantly fluctuating entourage followed up to the end. Along the way, Guralnick allows readers to draw their own conclusions about Presley. Mostly the book outlines details of certain events - sometimes so detailed one wonders if Guralnick was there himself - interspersed with commentary from people who lived through these same events. It is not an uplifting read. One gets the impression that Presley's fame isolated him from pretty much the human race, made him untouchable (reprisals were feared by anyone is his immediate "gang", and it didn't help matters that most of them were on his payroll) and ultimately put him beyond the help of his own family and the people who he thought were his friends. Presely's fame turns horrendously destructive in the 1970s, and some of the stories and anecdotes may make the sensitive reader wince. Some of the stories are just downright strange: Presley's religious enlightenment from seeing an image in the clouds of the face of Stalin turn into the face of Jesus; Presley's determination to secure himself a position of Narcotics officer from President Nixon; the pranks Preseley and his retinue play on each other, on audiences, and on themselves; the fact that, as record sales declined, Presely's revenue actually increased. Other anecdotes have a more disturbing undertow: Presley's manipulation and abject objectification of the women in his life, and the fact that many of them kept coming back even after being brusquely brushed off; Presley's fascination with guns, and his sometime not so comforting habit of pointing them at people when angry; Presely's wild, erratic, and irresponsible spending; Presley's inability to take advice from his wife, girlfriends, business manager, and even his own father on dire personal matters (e.g., his finances, his marriage, his health). It is a tragedy to read about someone who both cared about people but also put himself above others in a way that put him beyond their help or aid.

The figure of "the Colonel" lurks behind the entire story. He has Presley's business needs in mind, and, due to his business acumen, makes Presley (and himself) multi-millionaires beyond imagination. It's amazing to read how the Colonel is able to make more and more money from Movie studios, even as movies starring Presley are on a sharp decline in revenue and popularity. The whole story is mind boggling. In the end, the Colonel thought he was taking care of Elvis in the best way he knew how, but insatiable greed and insular attention to the bottom line and almost nothing else probably hurt Presley more than it helped him in the long run. Guralnick does not say this anywhere in the book. Again, the reader must draw moral conclusions based on the evidence. Guralnick does not moralize apart from calling the story a tragedy, and this makes this biography doubly interesting, as different readers will likely draw different conclusions based on their own interpretations of the delineated events. Who is to blame in the end? Is it fair to blame one or a few people? Is it fair to blame Presley? These questions are not answered (as they shouldn't be) but much food for thought is presented. As usual in life, the answer is far more complicated than mere finger pointing can accommodate. Guralnick handles this subject with eloquence and a distance that pull the reader in and allow for reflection upon what happened. This is not the usual shoddy rock biography that typically clutters the "Music" section of bookstores. This is a story to sink one's cognitive teeth into and reflect upon. Warning: this book will make you think; it will make you moralize; it will make you angry and frustrated at what happened, and it will make you ask "Why?" Regardless if you are an Elvis Presley fan or not (I'm really not; I was very young when Presley passed on) this is a book worth reading. It is a thick book, but a quick read (keep your dictionary handy nonetheless). Once you're in fifty pages or so, you'll probably find yourself stuck on it.

Elvis Presley is one of those singular cultural figures who naturally and without defiance broke America apart and re-invented it. He didn't come as prophet or destroyer, not as a statesman or reformer, but as a guileless, unpretentious young man blessed with a talent and charisma and drive that leaves us mere mortals agape. In a way, he is like several other men of the era--Kennedy, Brando, Dean, later the Beatles--who created the "youth culture" to which we are (unfortunately) more enslaved to now than ever....

Wait a minute--did I just refer to Elvis as other than merely mortal? Not so, and Peter Guralnick's astonishing Careless Love finally makes it possible for us to grasp Elvis as human. While other books about him could fill a thousand mausoleums, let them, because Guralnick's two-volume set (the first is Last Train to Memphis (1994)), will stand as the definitive biography of this great American.

But before you dive in, let me say that Careless Love, while beautifully and carefully written, and extra-carefully researched--Guralnick had access to unorganized files in Graceland unlike anyone prior to him--it is dense with factual trivia insterspersed with the dramatic events of Elvis' life (and the lives of those around him). This book is not for the casual reader; in its intimate details, vast narrative, and utter lack of superhero worship glitter, this book will probably appeal less to traditional Elvis fanatics than to those seriously interested in this man who became a 20th century phenomenon.

Again and again, Elvis is described as "humble, shy, respectful, hard-working." This seems true, right, but what is most effective in Guralnick's portrait is what's shown and not told--Elvis' misplaced affections, his desire to keep family and friends around him at all times (but then, you can't blame him). These people, from his father Vernon, to Priscilla, to old friends like Red West, had to put up with his mood swings, his anger, his jet-setting on a whim, the covert operations of smuggling girls in and out of his bedroom. Seemingly without concern for finances he gave away Cadillacs, motorcycles, TVs, homes, jewellry, to those around him, testing loyalty, wanting only their dedication to his perverse lifestyle.

Guralnick makes it clear that one of the young men in Elvis' employ became one of his most trusted friends--and one who was hounded out of the circle by Elvis' "good ol' boy" cronies. Larry Geller was a hairstylist when he met Elvis in April 1964. Immediately there was a rapport, for Geller filled a gap in Elvis' life--a hunger for spiritual, even intellectual pursuits. Geller listened while E poured his heart out about his mother--and if you know anything about Elvis, you know he loved his mother and when she died, well, he was never the same.

Elvis became quite the reader--one of the many revelations here. I won't comment on the types of religious books he read--well, suffice to say today they'd probably be shelved in the dreaded "New Age" section of bookstores, but who am I to say? Sometimes the critic in my head won't shut up--but it's obvious that E had found a bedrock for his life that he had not found in Col. Parker, in Priscilla, perhaps not even in his music. You really feel it when Guralnick describes how Elvis' friends (and let's not forget, they were his employees as well) start to openly mock Geller and his interests, and, by proxy, Elvis' interests as well, although they would never do so to his face. This part of Elvis they could never understand, a part that required a depth of feeling--and perhaps an ego--that these guys didn't have.

Some of my favorite parts of the book were when Elvis was in Vegas. Contrary to popular belief, Elvis turned in many great performances in Las Vegas. After spending years away from the stage, preoccupied with Priscilla, the baby, bad movies, etc., he was glad to concentrate on the music once again. He handpicked his backup band, and the performances highlighted his freewheeling, energetic, off-the-cuff personality that had been stifled. Guralnick excels in revealing how Elvis' confidence and enthusiasm returned at this point, and how he spent less and less time with Col. Parker. In these pages, Elvis comes across as simply wonderful.

The best thing about this work is that it is simply about Elvis' life--indeed, it ends a mere page after detailing the funeral (50,000+ outside Graceland); James Brown gets a moment alone with the body; and Col. Parker tells a grieving Vernon Presley that even now they must think of the future (ooh, that conniving huckster bastard!) There is very little moralizing, even when it could be so easy: such as when Elvis wanted to have contracts put out on Mike Stone, whom Priscilla had had an affair with,and on his close friends Red and Sonny, who wrote the 1977 tell-all Elvis: What Happened?

No, what Guralnick gives us here is the portrait of a great man, a man whose legacy today is encrusted with gold and lacquer, a man who should be rediscovered and remembered as he is here: without myth, without ceremony, but with every respect and honor due him.

Taken together with Last Train to Memphis, Peter Guralnik's excellent first volume on the life of Elvis Presley, Careless Love provides -- cloaked in the form of a very entertaining read -- a graphic roadmap of the perils of fame and the destructive power of the baser side of each and every one of us. For as Guralnik shows, the "King of Rock 'N' Roll" started out no different from any of us -- which helps explain his meteoric rise and broad appeal. But Careless Love shows how Presley's penchant for isolation and his habit of surrounding himself with sycophants -- aided by a decades-long addiction to drugs that started because of his naivete -- allowed his selfish side to grow unchecked by the healthy opposition most of us encounter every day of our lives. As a result, the sweet, innocent, gentle boy we met in Volume One becomes, in Careless Love, transformed before our eyes into a self-centered, lost, miserable creature whose tragic death at an early age seems a predictable conclusion to the sad years that preceded it. Guralnik's research was prodigious, and at times he goes a bit overboard on minute details that seem peripheral to the story. Nevertheless, I found Careless Love to be not only entertaining, but actually profound, with implications far beyond the narrow confines of pop culture.

In his long awaited sequel to "Last Train To Memphis" Peter Guralnick has proven that he is (in MY mind) the "Premier Rock n' Roll Biographer" of our time. After reading "Last Train" nearly four years ago, I immediately began the search for a date of the release of the promised "second half" of Elvis' life. (It was THAT good.)

Guralnick does not let his readers down. He once again portrays Elvis in an honest light. Without pulling a single punch this book takes us on the sad and wasted path of the undoing of The King. We are shown an Elvis that is NOT the tabloid joke that he has been reduced to since his death. Mr. Guralnick has done what many thought could not have been done: He has allowed us to SEE Elvis for the first time.

Guralnick never loses sight of what the Elvis story was originally all about: The Music.

He lovingly presents the facts of a talented young man's glorious rise to super-stardom then he carefully constructs the details of Elvis' deconstruction.

The attention to detail is immediately impressive as he succeeds in getting the reader to "see the chipped paint on the door knob". Never dull, this biography is the perfect example of how some stories are best told (and read) in multiple volumes.

My advice for any aspiring Elvis biographers out there: Give up. The job is DONE.

My thanks to Peter Guralnick.

One has to hand it to Peter Guralnick. He's a master of prose and tries hard to be fair to his subject. CARELESS LOVE...picks up where LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS leaves off. Elvis triumphantly returns to the U.S. after his stint in the army. And even with
the sadness of his mother's untimely passing, the future looks bright for the young man, both professionally and personally.

Soon after his return, Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker puts "his boy" on the road to on going commercial success. But
unlike the 50's, this time, there is little regard for Elvis'artistry. And here is where Elvis' career problems begin.
While Elvis generates a lot of cash for both himself and the show business industry, the artist in him begins to feel stifled and disappointed because he has few opportunities to express his creativity. But when he does get the odd chance to show his stuff, the results are inevitably good on both celluloid and especially vinyl.

You can see it in movies like "Flaming Star" and "Follow That Dream". And you can hear it in beautiful recordings like Bob
Dylan's composition "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" or in the more raucus numbers like "High Heel Sneakers", "Down In the Alley",
"Big Boss Man" among many others.It makes you think, "What could Elvis have achieved during the 60's had he been given more and better opportunities?"

Heaven must have glimpsed his sorrow and graced Elvis with the opportunity to shine brightly again in both the 1968 Comeback Special and the recording sessions at Chip Moman's American Studios in 1969. The results were stellar and continue to stand the test of time.

The 1970's should have been a continuation of Elvis' creative renaissance and for a while they were. Elvis put on some extraordinary concerts and made more good records. But again,
his creativity was stifled, this time with bad financial decisions made on his behalf, to boot. All this combined with the pressures of his enormous fame, a low boredom level and a restlessness that would not allow him to enjoy a stabilizing, conventional family life, contributed to his unmaking.

There is much tragedy in Elvis' story to be sure. But inside this frequently troubled man was an emormous charisma and humanity that continues to draw fans from every walk of life. While this is wondrous to observe; his fame was too much for a
mortal man to shoulder. At times, Elvis must have felt like Atlas out of Greek Mythology.

I guess it was Socrates, who said, "know thy self". Elvis certainly tried but never seemed to come up with a satisfactory answer as to why HE was chosen to be Elvis Presley and what HE
thought about the part he had to play. You keep hoping Guralnick
will answer these questions for you but he can't.He does however take you along for the ride with Elvis so you can ponder the price of fame and extreme adulation for yourself. A worthwhile read.

Painstakingly researched and lovingly constructed, Guralnick's book presents an honest insight into the life of the Twentieth Century's greatest icon. This book succeeds because Guralnick does not seek explicitly to judge Elvis, the colonel nor any of the other main protagonists actions- he sticks to a simple, elegant yet prosaic narrative. In doing so, Guralnick avoids the major pitfall of the biographer by not writing himself into the book. When I read this book, I felt myself slipping into Elvis' environs- I wasn't aware of Guralnick's presence as author. Perhaps one of the greatest pop music biographies written.

I picked up the book Careless Love. At the time the title puzzled me. Who was guilty of Careless Love? Elvis? Umm. Go figure. But upon completion of the book, I now realize no other title would have suited. Elvis was guilty of careless love as was the people whom he surrounded himself with daily and most importantly the fans.
Now, I find no joy in his music and it is painful for me to look at smiling happy picture's of him when he was at the height of his career. Why? Because I know how it all ends. The man, who would burst on the scene and shred American culture, all the while rebuilding it, fascinates me. He was a pioneer, a rebel. Everyone knows the story. Poor boy makes good. But the trajectory his life took is painful to follow. How could a man whose vision changed the music world not have had enough foresight to see his own destructive and erratic behavior?
Paul Guralnick writes the only account of Elvis that I trust implicitly. Why? Because his regard for Elvis as an artist is woven between even the most heart wrenching accounts of his life. Mr. Guralnick does not try to persuade you to like or dislike Elvis. He merely gives Elvis life and places him in front of you saying, "Here he is...you make the decision on how you feel about him."
The book is a disturbing but respectful look at a man who was gifted beyond reason. Mr. Guralnick clearly demonstrates that the fame Elvis endured was even beyond him.

I struggled through the first few chapters of this book and wondered for a while why I was reading it. Then it gripped me and I could not put it down. The author masterly captures the era, the highs and the lows as if he was living it himself. As an Elvis fan, this book broke my heart but also helped me understand the man better...A must-read, well-balanced book, not just for the fan but also the casual music lover...

Careless Love, The Unmaking of Elvis Presley is a fascinating book full of information only those closest to Elvis knew. I could not put this book down. The information amazed me and touched my heart. The remembered
times with Elvis sometimes bring laughter for the reader and sometimes a
sense of sadness that such a talented man, a performer that will never be
equaled,could have had such lonely, unhappy days. He reached the pinnacle of fame only to often feel despair.Having read a number of books about Elvis, I think this one the absolute best!

This richly detailed biography of arguably the most important figure that popular music has known will entertain more than the die-hard Elvis fanatic; Guralnick offers a text that will captivate any follower of American music history, be it country, blues, folk, gospel or good old rock and roll. Simply put, you don't need to be an Elvis devotee to enjoy this book. We begin our look at Elvis where Gurlanick left off with his last look at the King, The Last Train To Memphis. The author spares no detail in following the path of young Elvis as he served his time for the Army in Germany, where he would meet his future wife Priscilla, work hard to prove he was just another soldier, and still manage to enjoy the outrageous perks that fame brought his way. From there we follow Elvis back to the states and witness first hand the insecurities that plagued him as he sought to reestablish himself as the rightful ruler of the American music world. Things only get more interesting as we travel along with Elvis through the 60's and ride the rollercoaster of fame that never seemed to stay on an even keel for any length of time. The reader gets access to all the information of Elvis' life here: his at-first attractive movie career, his immediate attraction to Anne Margaret (and her's to him), his increasing value as an entertainer (and increasing need to spend his money in an reckless manner), the unrivaled successes of the '68 Comeback Special and the Live From Hawaii broadcast (and the volatile dealings that accompanied these events). From there we move on to the 70's and witness an Elvis that was still very much on top of his game but soon to be rocked by the breakup of his marriage, the ever-present search for spiritual guidance, his dealings with middle-age and his increasing dependance upon prescribed medications. Guralnick does not offer a trashy biography that seeks to portray the King in an unfavorable light. At the same time, this magnetic book does not in any way resort to hyperbole or make Elvis into something more than he indeed was. We are presented with a look at Elvis from both sides of the curtain. On one hand we have the public vision of Elvis: swaggering, the man all the ladies love and all the guys want to be like. The other vision of Elvis is the man as mortal: painfully shy, a mama's boy to an almost Freudian degree, vain at times, not motivated by money but by the constant need for friendship and true understanding. Guralnick must be commended for this piece of work, the amount of time he has devoted to his subject is impressive and it shows in his precise attention to the details of Elivs' life and it is to his credit that he doesn't let his obvious respect for the performer taint or weigh down the clarity and objectivity of his prose. I would, once again, recommend this work to any person who is a fan of music and of performance art. Although I can't claim my allegiance as an Elvis fanatic I was captivated by the life of this legendary performer, the unreal elements that made up his daily existence and the tragic element of the cultural icon at odds with the man who sought to simply live a normal life.