Customer Reviews

The Colonel : The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The title including the word "Extraordinary" is fully justified. I thought this book would be a "dishing the dirt" epic on Parker but it turns out to be a very well researched lifetime biography of the Colonel's life and not just his involvement with Elvis.

The well told story is of a man who from poor beginnings in Holland was involved in a murder there and forced to flee to the USA at an early age. He then spent his life as an illegal immigrant with that dark secret.

His early struggles with poverty in the 1930s and 1940s including being discharged from the army with mental illness, sets the scene for a man who revitalised his childhood fascination with fairs and carnivals, which were a major circus in the Americas of that period. All the man's later business cunning and marketing skills were learnt in that "carny" environment of deceit, overstatement, advance promotion and getting the cash in any deal as soon as possible to survive. He clearly retained a soft spot for this teaching ground all his life.

His first major music involvement came with country star Eddy Arnold who he fell out with when Arnold found him doing personal side deals. With no real appreciation of music ever, he became aware of the early Elvis and the storm he was creating in the South and took control under an initial contract that fully reflected Parker's approach all his time in managing Elvis of keeping it simple and balanced in his favour.

The view established by the book is that while the Colonel (a title obtained by politial hucksterism and not from his army days) always looked after Number One and was continually doing side deals that personally benefitted him not his client, the usual Elvis fan's view of the Colonel being a parasite is certainly challenged-

- the fan mania developed across 1956 and subsequent years including manipulation of the RCA label and TV was unprecedented and owed a lot to the flair of Parker to do things differently in the face of others historic approach to how to promote pop stars;

- Elvis's enlisting into army service and his "protected" life in Germany plus a controlled keeping in the public eye across those years may owe more to the manipulation of Parker;

- the much derided series of Elvis movies in the 1960s together with their hit singles and dross LPs may in retrospect have actually protected Elvis from live performance and a decline in popularity esp. with the advent of the Beatles plus given his lifelong poor approach to financial matters kept him earning a steady stream of income in that period;

- the return to live performance while driven by Elvis was taken to a new level by Parkers' approach to concert promotion, both in Las Vegas and across the USA.

However, the book does not flinch from the downsides of the man's personality and approach to business, especially his endless paranioa, bullying and control by fear over all those who worked with him; his ensuring limited access and opportunities being shown to Elvis by others (notably his failing to allow his development as an actor in serious roles); his Las Vegas deals fuelled by his increasing addiction to gambling and not Elvis's best interests at the hands of the casinos, and due to his illegal immigrant status his unwillingness to ever allow foreign tours by Elvis which in the later years could have been major revenue earners for him.

The sad conclusion is that Parker given his personality always saw himself as the person in charge and Elvis his instrument and that Elvis's success and earnings were down to the Colonel's skills and negotiations not Elvis's talents. The reality demonstrated endlessly is that Elvis and his family (especially his father) were never going to challenge Parker, given their lack of financial acumen and extravangant spending laid them open to continual manipulation. Parker in turn given his personality was unable to help as Elvis's deline under drugs gathered pace and the inevitable happened.

The post Elvis years show a man who was still driven by the self benefitting deal and his manipulation of the Elvis estate, with the sad endgame as he gambled ceaslessly of a man who earned an estimated $100 million plus from his relationship with Elvis but at death had less than a million dollars in assets.

This is by far the best rock management biography that I have ever read.

Being neither a Col. Parker fan nor an Elvis fan, I was apprehensive about tackling this book...Much to my amazement, I found this biography to be a riveting and compelling psychological profile/investigation of the "puppetmaster" behind the scenes. The meticulous research into the Colonel's mysterious past, in conjunction with the complex dynamics of the relationship between the two men, creates a portrait of interest to anyone fascinated by an intensive exploration of human relationships. A "must read!" for anyone intrigued by exploring in depth insights into the multifaceted interactions of the world behind the show biz scene. To dismiss this book as yet another Elvis/Parker volume would be a grave mistake. There are so many dimensions of this story that will appeal to a broader audience on a variety of levels. Any reader will be simply be awed by this groundbreaking work that can appeal to fans as well as those readers who simply appreciate a fascinating story and psychological investigation! Much like a detective novel, this book instantly hooks the reader and evolves into a true page turner! Don't miss [it!!!]

If you're interested in Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker, this is THE book for you. This story took years and many man-hours of exhaustive research to bring to fruition. By now, most Elvis fans are well aware that Parker was an illegal Dutch immigrant by the name of Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk. But until now, relatively little was known of his life in the 'old country.' We learn that a woman was brutally murdered in Parker's hometown in Holland on the very day of his disappearance. Did he commit the dastardly deed and abscond to America? Of course, we'll never know, but it's an interesting theory, nonetheless. It appears that the old boy may have been asexual. If so, this might explain his aversion to being touched. Though Parker earned mega-millions during his lifetime, he left behind a relatively modest estate. Of course, the same can be said of Elvis. Parker's addiction was gambling, while Elvis simply overspent on virtually everything.They were both masters at profligate spending. The Colonel seemed to possess a "Jekyll/Hyde" personality, displaying acts of kindness and generosity to loyalists and cruelty to others. The Eddy Arnold years are very interesting indeed. Parker and Eddy were opposites, and Parker's taste for ostentation sometimes clashed with Eddy's more conservative tastes. The story of Parker moving in with the Arnolds is hilarious. Alanna Nash is a very gifted writer and unless I'm mistaken, this is her third Elvis-related book. "Revelations" is still the best Elvis book I've ever read. I've never had the pleasure of reading the Alan Fortas book, which I believe she ghost-authored, though I hear it's excellent. Her latest book is an intriguing read which I finished in one day. I simply couldn't put it down. The phrasing, the meticulous research and the fascinating enigma that was Tom Parker all come together quite nicely. Buy this book. I promise you'll like it.

I have a different perspective on this book than most people, as I was part of the history Alanna Nash so eloquently recounts. I was for many years Elvis Presley's close friend and personal hairstylist, and of course I had numerous encounters with "The Colonel." I had been anxiously awaiting what was being touted as the "definitive" book on this larger-than-life man. There have been so many inaccurate and speculative books about Elvis and the people around him, especially Col. Parker, that I was concerned this might be just another disappointment.

Wow! Was I pleasantly surprised. Finally a three-dimensional portrait of an elusive man who spent his life controlling not only the lives of people around him, but his own history. Alanna Nash hit the mother-lode. Her journalistic background, her meticulous research and novelist's skill with words have enabled her to create a fascinating and realistic picture of this man who was behind the scenes of the greatest entertainer of all time. The Colonel, with his personal demons and his professional genius, comes to life in the pages of this hard-to-put-down book. This is indeeed the definitive book about "Colonel Tom Parker." Bravo, Alanna!

In all of my Elvis journeys I have been waiting for a long time for a book that depicts the true hidden world of Colonel Parker (aka Andreas) and his relationship with Elvis. The research and conclusions of Alanna regarding his inner secrets are extraordinarily accurate. As a professional singer myself I must admit I would give anything to have had such a dedicated and talented manager like Col. Parker; but, without having to pay the price that Elvis did. I'm certain that if Elvis had read this book he would have agreed with its conclusions. And in my opinion, Col. Parker would probably have never made a name for himself without Elvis Presley.

This book would also be a great read for those in power in the music industry, and the wannabees that litter the entertainment landscape.

Outstanding research and scholarship. Thank you Alanna!

Alanna Nash is back. It's been too long, but THE COLONEL, THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF TOM PARKER AND ELVIS PRESLEY, turns out to be well worth the wait.

Nash is first and foremost a journalist who does her homework. She is also a wonderful writer and a grand storyteller. She worked on this tale for years, traveled thousands of miles and conducted countless interviews to tell the Parker-Presley story, and she's never been better.

Tom Parker was an illegal Dutch immigrant whose real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk. He was a somewhat shadowy figure in his early years, first, in Holland, where his name came up during a homicide investigation, later, after he slipped into the US, as a carnival hustler and a dog-catcher in Florida before fate put him on a collision course with a teenager named Elvis Presley.

The Parker-Presley relationship became legend. As Nash writes, " .. no figure in all of entertainment is more controversial, colorful or larger than life than Tom Parker." Until now, what really transpired during those tumultuous times was hidden largely in rumor, half-truths and outright falsehoods.

Parker's behavior over the years was so controversial it took someone with Nash's journalistic skills to unravel and describe it. If it were fiction, you'd give it short shrift, it's that implausible. But it isn't fiction, (Parker really did take half, perhaps more, of the millions Presley earned,) and it won't let you go, even after you've nothing left to peruse but the Notes and Bibliography.

Don't open THE COLONEL until you have some serious free time. You'll be soon hooked, and this is not a pick it up, put it down, 10-minutes-at-a-time read.

As with most Elvis fans, I consider the subject of Elvis and his relationship with the Colonel to be a sensitive one in that it customarily results in a study of the unfortunate "darker" side of the King of Rock and Roll and his career. Alanna Nash's book, however, "The Colonel", is an extraordinary and well thought out piece shedding new light and insight on the relationship between Elvis and The Colonel, without going down the unfortunate well-traveled path of negatively-focused bios seen time and again since August 16, 1977.

The stories/facts in this book are much different than those stories found in other Elvis books available over the past years. In addition, "common" Elvis stories, well-known to his fans, are told from a different angle, that of a managment perspective. Furthermore, the personal facts surrounding the Colonel himself read something out of a mystery novel.

This book addresses not only the actions of the Colonel and Elvis, but why those actions were taken.

The ultimate question, of course, since the death of Elvis is why Elvis chose to stay with the Colonel for all those years. To me, after reading this book, it appears that the reason for the continued relationship may be that no one, including Elvis, wanted to find out the answer to an ever-lingering question -- what would Elvis be if the Colonel wasn't his manager?

Over the years since the Colonel's offical business relationship with Elvis and his estate ended one can now see that the music and the persona of Elvis has not only survived, but has flourished since the close of the relationship. Neverthless, it cannot be highlighted enough that we will never know whether the spark that created Elvis' rise in the 1950's would have ignited without The Colonel, and all Elvis fans, including myself, do owe a cetain amount of gratitude for the fact that that question need never be answered. It was a pleasure to read those parts of Alanna's book relating to the rise of the King, which was well-balanced against the unfortunate incidents of later years.

I thank Alanna for writing this book and for the meticulous research performed in that endeavor.

I look forward to Alanna's future works which will hopefully include other aspects of the King of Rock and Roll . . .

"THE COLONEL - The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley" is very well written and intriguing from the first to the last page. The author manages to cite the story of the "First High Potentate Snower" in a both fair and balanced way. Attempts has been made by others before to force through the clouds surrounding the "man behind the man", but previous attemts does not even come close to Nash's accomplishment.
My high expectations of this book was well exceeded!

Elvis Presley is on the edge of everyone's consciousness. We all are aware, to varying degrees, of Elvis Presley, no matter what one's age or nationality. Personally, I never paid too much attention to Elvis because I was more a product of the Beatles era and thereafter and Elvis was for "older" people. But, I was given a copy of The Colonel and I began to read it. I couldn't put it down. It was fascinating, even for someone who is not a fan. (I'll say "wasn't a fan" ...I am quite interested now by Elvis, sparked by this book on the Colonel.) Here is excellent and serious journalism about the intriguing figure,the mysterious man behind Elvis Presley, THE icon of 20th century pop culture. Alanna Nash hooks you right in from the start on her journey to find the truth about Colonel Tom Parker. This book is carefully researched and presents the facts as fairly and objectively as possible. Ms. Nash gives the reader a 360 degree view and, at the end, she lets the reader make his/her own decision about the man. At the same time, the reader gets a different view of the whole "Elvis Story" which hard-core Elvis fans would appreciate as well.

The book gives impressive detail into Parker's past before he signed on as Elvis' manager. There is enough detail and accounts from witnesses throughout the book to give the reader a personality profile of Parker as a man without a conscience. Read the contract details, the side contracts for Parker, the excessive control written into the contracts. Elvis was trapped, and he knew of no way out. The book goes into detail about how once Parker realized Elvis was not well, into drugs, and his career stalemated once again, Parker sets up the Boxcar company (15% to Elvis) to make money on souveniers. This contract would become a gold mine once Elvis was dead. This was in 1973. The book is shocking and sad to read. I highly recommend this book to get a better idea of what went on behind the scenes. This book seconds the findings of Dirk Vellenga, with Mick Farren, authors of the book "Elvis and the Colonel" published in 1988. The book also contains the story of how in 1980 a Memphis judge ordered an investigation of Parker's dealings with Presley-related income. Rather than rubber-stamp the contracts that were in place, the investigation took the agreements from Parker and put them back in the hands of the Presley estate. The findings of the court-ordered lawyer, Mr. Blanchard Tual, uses words like "in Parker's self interest, fraudulently obtained, unethical, against industry standards."