Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Schilling was there for most of Elvis' key events., December 12, 2006
I've read all the books on Elvis. I've enjoyed them all, but Schilling's book is special because he was there playing football, just before Elvis' became famous. He drove Elvis and Priscilla to the hospital for the birth of Lisa Marie. He was in the room, after Elvis hit his head and Col. Tom layed down the law. In fact, Schilling worked for Col. Tom giving the most in depth look at Elvis' manager, that even the book on Col. Tom didn't.
He was in the room when Barbara Streisand asked Elvis to be in "Star is Born". He was in the oval office when Elvis visited president Nixon. He broke the news to Elvis about the upcoming publication of Red West's book. He was on the set for many of the movies and for the Vegas shows. He was on security when Elvis got his death threat in Vegas. He was in the room when Elvis ordered a hit be put on Mike Stone. He was in the editing room for "Stay Away, Joe". He was on the editing staff for "Elvis on Tour". He cut the "Memories" montage in it. And on and on. So many of my questions about Elvis' choices have been answered in this book, such as why he continued with the movies when they became repeditive. And why he never got to Europe or Japan.
Also it's the story about Schilling himself. His point of view. Things that happened to him. How he needed to break away from Elvis at one point and try a career in film editing. It's about Schilling's relationships with women that sometimes put his friendship with Elvis at risk. His marraige to a girl he met while in Hawaii, his romance with one of the "Sweet Inspirations". How Elvis bought him his dream house. How he immediatly got the cash out of the bank to buy the house before Vernon or the Col. could stop it.
So I think some of reviewers of this book miss the point that this is not only about Elvis, but an auto-biography of a guy that went through the 50's and 60's with a rock icon, yet tried to make a career and life of his own. Schilling spent a lot of time with Elvis alone and recounts those conversations as close as he can remember it, so I think this book captures more than other books do.
I listened to this book on CD, and although Schilling only gives the intro and interview at the end, (because the reader's voice and delivery is better)I kept putting disc after disc in to hear what would come next in Schilling's life and conversations he had with Elvis.
Now that I said the above, I'll take a stand and say, "This is the best book on Elvis."
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily one of the best biographies on Elvis, January 9, 2007
This is not only one of the best biographies about Elvis Presley, it's darn fun to read too. Just as Elvis's life really was, in this book you never know what will happen next. A meeting with President Nixon? A sudden skiing trip to Vail, Colorado? Helping out Elvis's handicapped friend Gary Pepper? Ann-Margret suddenly appearing in the parlor? There are lots of great stories here, several of which I had never heard, or contain details I had not heard, though I know quite a lot about the King. Not only that, Schilling provides a good look at Elvis's personality, and it's all told in the level-headed and fair manner that Schilling is known for. I had always admired Jerry Schilling from seeing him interviewed for documentaries about the King, and I admire him even more after reading this. Over and over he writes about the deep friendship between himself and Elvis, and there certainly are few people who were present in the King's life more than Schilling was. The main qualities about Elvis that Schilling emphasizes are his talent, his generosity, and his endless quest for meaning in life.
Some of Elvis's "friends" have written and spoken about him critically to an extent that make me wonder if they were mainly trying to sell their books. In contrast, although Schilling also recounts Elvis's moodiness and bad temper, he puts that in perspective by adding that "what's remarkable to me is not the handful of times that he did let a crazy temper get the better of him - what's remarkable is that, with all that went on in his life, most of the time he chose to be a nice guy." This book is full of apt observations like that, and gives great character portraits of many people. Elvis's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, gets his share of vivid vignettes, and while Schilling acknowledges that Parker was often very difficult and thwarted Elvis's creativity, he again attempts a balanced view by noting that "I'd often wondered if anyone less than the Colonel could have handled this powerful, unique talent."
Schilling is also a life-long admirer of Elvis's music, and discusses it to a moderate extent, but ME AND A GUY NAMED ELVIS is primarily a biography of Elvis's personal life, and also is autobiographical about Jerry Schilling himself, although most of the book pertains to his connection to Elvis. Incidentally, this book started out rather slowly for me when Schilling was describing his own early life, and only grabbed my attention after he meets Elvis when both were teenagers, so don't give up at the beginning if this is true for you as well. And there are a few odd omissions here, as, little is said about Elvis's political and social beliefs. A more comprehensive, but less personal, biography on Elvis is the 2-volume one by Peter Guralnick (LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS and CARELESS LOVE), but they total over a thousand pages, whereas this one is slightly less than 350. ME AND A GUY NAMED ELVIS is a very worthy addition to the books that have been written about Elvis Presley. It and the Guralnick biography are my favorites.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A True Friend of the King, June 21, 2008
Jerry Schilling, original member of Elvis's entourage The Memphis Mafia, tells the events surrounding the King of Rock 'n Roll in this unique perspective, and from the opening chapter, you'll find yourself hooked. Schilling tells it all, from the beginning when he found friendship with Elvis by playing football in the park with him just as the rocker had released his first single, to the end, when Elvis passes away and Jerry's life continues. Jerry lived at Graceland and he was beside Elvis throughout the good and the bad, meeting legendary entertainers, taking care of the King, and generally having the time of his life. Jerry comes across as genuine and a true friend as he tells his story, and gives new insight into someone who lived his life inside a fishbowl.
The book isn't without its flaws, however. Do I think Schilling glossed over a few of the major issues at times, including Elvis's drug abuse and the disintegration of his marriage? Certainly. Was Schilling overly careful in his descriptions of his fellow Mafia Members? Absolutely. I personally was very let down at Schilling's lack of information about the actual death of Elvis, though to be fair, he was no longer a regular employee at the time, having chosen to go into management (including managing both Billy Joel and The Beach Boys). I feel strongly that Schilling knows more about the death than he shared, but that's his perogative, and apparently he's not comfortable letting the rest of us know. I also would've liked him to address, at least briefly, the whole "Elvis is alive" myth and lay it to rest permanently. But overall this is a very well-written, well-remembered book, and I enjoyed Schilling's recounting of the life and times the rest of us could only observe from afar. Schilling seems like a decent guy and I enjoyed learning about him almost as much as I liked the glimpse into the side of Elvis the performer tried to keep to himself. If it were possible, I'd give this one 4.5 stars. Fascinating stuff.
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