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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
AN INTERESTING POSSIBILITY, May 19, 2002
By A Customer
Rumors about Elvis having hoaxed his death to escape his extreme fame and the media spot light have been around since at least 1978. I remember at the time coming across an entire tabloid dedicated to stories and accounts of people who had allegedly seen and or talked to him in the year following his 1977 passing. That's not say that all of the accounts were true. Nor is it to say that those people were lying. It could have been a simple case of mistaken identity. During his life as a superstar, Elvis was not only the subject of great media scrutiny like many other famous people in the entertainment business. He was also elevated to a "god like" status by some of his more rabid fans; giving the casual observer the impression that Elvis was perhaps the center of their universe. Of course, these good folks meant well and Elvis was flattered by their love and attention. But he was also troubled and frightened by the extremes of his fandom. Frequently, he had no choice but to withdraw from it behind the walls of Graceland and his room. Most people need to be loved and cared for but no right thinking mortal wants to be turned into a deity or to be treated like one. Elvis was no different. On many occasions he would say that he was just a little country boy from Mississippi and that Jesus was the King, not him. Without getting into psycho-babble, it doesn't take much of an imagination to realize the troubling effects Elvis' extreme fame and adulation must have had on his psyche. The evidence became apparent in later years. Nor is it hard to understand how and why he would want to escape that life for a more normal one. Less than a year before his passing, it is said that Elvis told his record producer, Felton Jarvis, "I'm tired of being Elvis Presley". The question then becomes, "Was Elvis fed-up enough to hoax his death before 'death by attrition' could lay it's cold hands on him?" After all, he wasn't looking or feeling that well towards the end and the clock may have been ticking. That's what Gail Brewer Giorgio tries to figure out in her book, "Is Elvis Alive?" In some cases she presents some noteworthy facts to support the premise that the man "left the building" alive. And on other points she stretches to silly extremes, damaging the credibility of her case. Nevertheless, the book and the accompanying audio tape raise some good questions and make for some interesting reading and listening respectively.
You finish the work hoping that Elvis did indeed escape his prison, not to hurt anyone's feelings but to go on living his life, in relative peace. After all he gave his fans, Elvis deserves that. "Is Elvis Alive?" is a question worth pondering. Here's to you Elvis, wherever you are.
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