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presleypictures · 2 years ago

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“The house at 10550 Rocco Place in Bel Air came with an intercom system connected to the front gate which saved Priscilla from a jealous fan not long after we moved there. While Elvis and a few others guys were watching TV in the living room, I was in my bedroom near the kitchen. All of the sudden I hear Priscilla yelling over the intercom, “Sonny..Jerry... help!”

I bolted to the door, yelling at Elvis that Priscilla was in trouble.

When I got there, I saw a girl who appeared to be in her late teens and about 250 pounds grappling with Priscilla. When she saw me, the girl let go of Priscilla's hair and ran to her car, got in and locked the doors. Another guy and girl were in the car. I recognized Priscilla's antagonist - she was a regular who because of her size we called "Tiny." Later in the house, Priscilla told us that Tiny had followed her as she drove home and almost caused her to get into an accident. When Priscilla stopped at the gate, she confronted Tiny and demanded to know what she was doing.

Tiny called her a whore and even though she was small, no one was gonna talk to Priscilla like that. She promptly clocked Tiny with an uppercut.

After making sure Priscilla was fine, I ran up to Tiny's car and yelled through the rolled up window, “You'd better get your ass out of here now, because Elvis sees you, he won't like it!” Tiny's response was to stick out her tongue and start making faces at me. I really wanted her to scram because there was no telling how Elvis would react upon his imminent arrival.

His reaction was hot - he came pounding down the driveway, went right to Priscilla and asked if she was alright. “Yes, but that girl is big fat pig,” Priscilla replied and Elvis advanced on her car with a head full of steam, screaming, “You big, fat, no-good bitch!” then he began kicking the car and pounding his fists on the windshield, yelling at her to open the door.

Tiny stayed put and screamed back, “I'm underage! If you touch me, I'll sue!” Elvis was far past considering the legalities of the situation. He started looking around the roadway and I knew he wanted a rock to break the car window. Before he got hold of one, I screamed, “Get the hell out of here now or he's going to break that window and then that head of yours!” Luckily for her, Tiny started the car, hopped the curb and peeled away. We didn't see her for a long time but then she started showing up at the house on Monovale Drive. By then a regular, welcome visitor to the house was a woman named Pat Balasko, who was seriously into karate. Elvis called her “Karate Pat.”

When Tiny reappeared, Elvis asked Pat to have a talk with her. Tiny hadn't changed. She started shooting off her large, filthy mouth and then she made an even bigger mistake and tried to get physical with Karate Pat. Tiny ended up on the ground and Pat warned her that if she ever blotted our skyline again she would get it much worse. We never saw Tiny anymore, and Elvis presented Pat with a TLC necklace in gratitude.”

Excerpt from “Still Taking Care of Business” by Sonny West.

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dailyjerryschillingfangirl1942 · 11 months ago

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Meeting President Nixon photoset.

#President Nixon #Sonny West #Jerry schilling #Elvis

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arrolyn1114 · 1 year ago

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Agreed 100% on all of these! Tom Parker is the one I absolutely hate the most, not gonna lie (as anyone who is reading my current WIP knows).

And Hal Wallis and Parker giving Elvis body image issues leading to all those dangerous crash diets pisses me off SO much.

Alanna Nash irks me as well. I will say a huge chunk of the info in "The Colonel" can thankfully be verified in other books that are known to be solid sources (Guralnick's, Jerry's, Steve Binder's, etc). So honestly you're better off getting that info from them.

And the Three Betrayers (Red, Sonny, Dave) also irk me to no end. Red at least expressed regret years later but as far as I'm aware the other two did not. I can't even imagine how devastated I would be if I had been in Elvis's shoes and people close to me published a tabloidy book about all the craziest/worst things I've done in my life. Everyone has done things they aren't proud of, none of us are perfect but to have your sins aired for the world like that, heartbreaking. I remember reading somewhere that some of the stories in there were exaggerated or not entirely true. Which I think makes it even worse. At least have the stuff be accurate all the way through. But sadly, misinformation about Elvis has been a plague for decades now. Ugh.

Top 5 villains in the real life story of Elvis's life/legacy?

Tom Parker / Andreas van Kuijk

Everyone else pales in comparison. It's hard to convey the extent of his cruelty and control. He stymied Elvis professionally, creatively, and personally, sabotaging his opportunities, relationships, and interests. He knew how to make Elvis doubt himself, and absolutely everything that went wrong in Elvis' life can be traced back to Parker and the very deliberate way he isolated and undermined Elvis. There are no words. Bottomless hatred. Every day a new revelation.

Hal Wallis

Wallis was the producer of Elvis' films for Paramount. Despite being one of the first people to recognize Elvis' acting talent, Wallis made a choice to keep him in horrible roles because he didn't believe audiences would ever take him seriously. In a public interview, Wallis told the press that Elvis films were terrible but that he had to keep making them because they made enough money to finance artistic films for Paramount. It broke Elvis' heart. Wallis also impressed upon Parker that Elvis gaining any amount of weight was unacceptable, thus leading to Elvis developing an eating disorder where he would starve himself for weeks at a time.

Steve Dunleavy and the Bodyguard Book

In the last year of Elvis' life, his dad fired three of his close bodyguards/members of the Memphis Mafia: Dave Hebler, Sonny West, and Red West. Feeling hurt and disrespected, the three agreed to do interviews for a tell-all book by Steve Dunleavy. The three of them would later claim they only went to the press to douse Elvis with cold water about how bad they thought his drug habits had gotten, but even if that was the case, they had no business agreeing to work with someone like Dunleavy. Dunleavy was a favored reporter of Rupert Murdoch, who, I kid you not, hated rock 'n' roll so much that he commissioned a takedown of Elvis while he was still alive. Murdoch believed that taking Elvis down would generate enough discourse to keep some of his struggling papers in business, turning Elvis into a symbol of the lower classes who wasn't worthy of serious consideration as an artist or compassionate understanding as a human being. The bodyguards were paid for their interviews, and Dunleavy proceeded to use their quotes to write what Murdoch wanted: a scandalous, seedy tell-all that turned Elvis into an object of ridicule. Worse, of course, was that Elvis' friends were party to it; it led to so much stress, grief, and anger for Elvis in his final months. He worried constantly about it, afraid of what Lisa and his fans would think of him afterward. Elvis: What Happened? was published two weeks before his death and set the tone for a genre of Elvis muckraking that continues today.

Dee Stanley and Sundry

Dee was Elvis' stepmother, who married his father Vernon shortly after the death of Elvis' beloved mother, Gladys. There was always going to be friction between the two just based on the speed of the remarriage, but it didn't help that Dee had originally tried to seduce Elvis (nothing doing) before turning her attentions on his dad. Elvis never liked Dee, and the feeling became mutual. After his death, Dee published a memoir that was a near-complete fabrication, writing anything that she thought would disgrace Elvis. The worst claim she made was that Elvis and Gladys were incestuous. Several of Elvis' friends nearly punched her when they appeared in a room together for a television interview. Her sons were heavily influenced by Dee's perspective and have kept up the same escalating, baffling claims to make money.

Alanna Nash

Unfortunately a widely cited and respected Elvis researcher, Nash has such a willingness to entertain "new" stories about Elvis that she falls for hoaxes and lies on a regular basis. Sometimes she escapes criticism by presenting her books as "oral histories," essentially raw interviews with people who knew him, which at least mostly allows the reader to decide the veracity of each account for themselves. But she bolsters her other books with sketchy psychoanalysis and innuendo intended to smear her subjects, or at least generate some rumors that will grab headlines. For instance, she claimed to have unearthed a theory that Col. Parker left Holland because he committed a murder there. Sounds exciting and even plausible given his reputation, but digging into it, the evidence is so slim and sketchy that it could really only be published by someone like Nash, and only after his death. Another example is how credulously she treats Byron Raphael, a serial liar who claims Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley (who spoke for a total of three minutes in their lifetimes) had sex (which Byron got to witness, of course!) and that Natalie Wood had sex with Byron in the next room after Elvis couldn't "do" it for her. When a longtime Elvis researcher questioned the article Alanna wrote with Raphael for Playboy, she said, "If Bill Burk was critical of [Raphael's] integrity, I'd say that's because Bill was jealous he didn't find Byron first." Uh-huh.

About gossip involving Parker's possible murder, she said, "I want to be clear in saying that there is no hard proof that he committed this murder, [but] in my heart of hearts, I believe he did." In another interview, when questioned, she snapped that anyone who says she "accused him of murder can't read."

The biographer Albert Goldman is a lot worse than her, like, on every level, a truly vile, insane person who wrote screeds (they are not biographies, they are a cry for help) against both Elvis and John Lennon. But Alanna loves Goldman and cites him a lot, and she irritates me more because she has a better reputation than she deserves, while Goldman is widely considered to be a disgusting hack.

I could probably include a few others, but as much as I might dislike other people in the Elvis story, they get the benefit of the doubt from me because at least they aren't these folks.

#elvis #elvis presley #villians #colonel tom parker #red west #sonny west #Dave hebler #alanna nash #Dee stanley #Albert goldman #Hal wallis

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scanzen · 1 year ago

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vasárnapi zenehallgatás. a fotó az 1960-as években készült Nyugat-Németországban, készítője ismeretlen. magántulajdonban lévő 9x12 cm-es zselatinos ezüst.

via regifotok.hu Alapítvány a Kultúra Vizuális Kutatásáért / Facebook

in the front: GDR made Phonoton portable record player (most probably)

in the background: Dansette radiogram

#black and white #music #record player #tape recorder #dansette #radiogram #woman #sonny james #elvis presley #cliff richard #gdr #west germany

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elvisbooty76 · 3 months ago

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#elvis 2022 #elvis the king #elvis #elvis movie #elvis photos #elvis presley #elvis smile #elvisaaronpresley #elvis imagine #elvis 70s #70s icons #70s elvis #sonny west

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thena0315 · 7 months ago

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SVU's Prosecutors from the Last 25 Years

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not-a-cheese-thief · 2 years ago

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Favourite almost queer characters:

(Characters who were originally intended to be queer, going to have thier sexuality explored, or intentionally written as or acted as queer, but it never ended up on screen.)

Rafael Barba and Sonny Carisi - Law and Order: SVU - Gay/Bisexual

Chandler Bing - Friends - Gay

Emily Prentiss - Criminal Minds - Lesbian

Sam Seaborn - The West Wing - Queer

Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds - Bisexual

#let me know if I've missed anyone #I bet there are many more #fucking tragic #rafael barba #sonny carisi #law & order: svu #chandler bing #friends #emily prentiss #spencer reid #criminal minds #sam seaborn #the west wing #lgbt representation #queer representation #gay #bisexual #lesbian #barisi

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whatstruthgottodowithit · 1 year ago

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Taking Care of Business

Fandom: Elvis Presley, RPF, American Actor,

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Reader x Memphis Mafia

Characters: Elvis Presley, Reader, Jerry Schilling, Sonny West

Summary: You help the boys take care of business.

Tags/Warnings: Reverse Harem, Memphis Mafia, Kissing, Neck Kissing, Double Penetration, Vaginal Sex, Foursome F/M/M/M, Wife Sharing, Reader and Elvis are Married, Blowjobs [mentioned], Oral Sex [Mentioned], Orgasms, Creampie, Made For The Mafia Series

Notes: Another instalment of smutty summer Saturdays. Enjoy <3

LINK TO MADE FOR THE MAFIA

‘Are you sure you can do this mama?’ Elvis said staring up at you. You could feel him against you, the tip of his cock slick as it nudged through your folds though his face was one of concern. No not concern, he wasn’t worried but like with everything he was always making sure you were okay with what was happening. ‘Think so,’ you said. ‘I’m gonna need more certainty than that honey,’ he said as his hand clasped onto your hand both of which were pressed onto his chest. He was laying underneath you watching you closely. ‘Yes,’ you said with a nod, ‘I can do it.’ ‘We’ll go slow, okay?’ he said his baby blue eyes trying to emit as much reassurance as he could with one look. ‘Okay,’ you nodded. ‘You ready?’ he said. Again, you nodded looking down as his hand moved to grasp his shaft. He teased the tip through your folds for a second, the precum oozing from it helping it glide easily, and then he placed himself at your entrance and thrust his hips forward until he bottomed out. He felt like heaven and the sensation of it made your eyes flutter closed as you enjoyed every inch he had to offer. ‘Fuck baby you feel tight tonight,’ he grunted. ‘Feels so good E,’ you moaned as he found a rhythm. ‘You’re telling me,’ he said as his hands moved to your hips keeping you stationary as he continued to fuck up into you. ‘You think you’re ready?’ he said after a moment. ‘Yes,’ you breathed. ‘Son?’ you heard him say though you kept your eyes closed as you enjoyed the feel of him. ‘Here,’ Sonny said. You felt him climb onto the bed behind you and station himself in between Elvis’ legs ‘Go slow okay?’ Elvis said. ‘You got it boss,’ he said. It struck you as odd. That no matter the situation Elvis and the boys could always make it feel as though they were talking about something simple like the weather. And not as though your husband was asking one of his best friend not to fuck you too fast in case you couldn’t actually take two cocks at once as theorised. You felt Sonny’s hand on your waist as he steadied himself, his other no doubt pumping his cock as you felt him line himself up. Elvis’s movements slowed allowing his friend to push in until both of them were buried to the hilt inside you. It felt different from before but not entirely pleasant. As Sonny started to move Elvis did too and your eyes flew open as you suddenly felt a stinging sensation that made you whimper. ‘Fuck, Son stop,’ Elvis said looking up at you now with actual concern in his eyes, ‘you okay?’ ‘Yeah,’ you lied. ‘Doll,’ he said warningly. ‘It’s okay,’ you swallowed closing your eyes as you tried to adjust, ‘I’m sure it’ll feel good in a minute just keep moving.’ ‘Are you sure?’ you heard Sonny ask though it seemed as though his voice was stiff as though he didn’t want an honest answer. ‘Yeah,’ you said looking down at Elvis and offering him a smile, ‘please?’ ‘Okay,’ Elvis nodded taking your hand to his lips so he could kiss it as his hips started finding a rhythm. Sonny started moving too though it was considerably faster than his counterpart. ‘Jer come here,’ Elvis said waving an arm for his friend he couldn’t catch sight of. He could’ve looked to his right to see Jerry sitting in the chair he had taken to spent and exhausted, but his eyes didn’t leave you. ‘What’s up EP?’ he asked again with such casualness he could have been asking if Elvis had seen the football the other night. ‘Distract her will ya,’ Elvis asked. ‘EP,’ Jerry said uncertainly. You supposed he had a point to question it. You’d all always agreed whatever happened would only happen if everyone was comfortable. And the way your tight cunt was being stretched out right now wasn’t exactly comfortable. ‘Just until it starts to feel good,’ Elvis said glancing at Jerry who looked unsure for a moment and then nodded. ‘God I hope that’s soon cos this feels like fuckin heaven,’ Sonny grunted. Jerry paid no mind to him and you watched as he climbed onto the bed, kneeling beside you as your thighs touched. You watched him and though he smiled at you, you could tell it was because he was waiting for you to give him the okay. You didn’t bother. Elvis was right. You were sure it was going to get good soon that was the reason you hadn’t told them to stop. So instead you grabbed Jerry by the back of the neck and kissed him. He fell forward bracing himself as his hands met your waist. He tasted sweet something that made you blush as you remembered his mouth had been buried in the exact hole his friends were stretching out not twenty minutes ago. In fact, the orgasm he’d given you whilst you had your husband's cock at the back of your throat was the reason you’d found yourself slick enough to even contemplate taking two of them. You were so focused on making out you didn’t realise his hand had moved from your waist until you found yourself moaning into his mouth as his hand caressed your chest, his thumb and forefinger pinching at your sensitive nipple. He lingered there for a moment before his fingers traced down you until they reached your slick folds. He teased a finger through them, trailing it around your clit which made you shiver - something that earned a groan of appreciation from the other boys. ‘Her neck, kiss her neck,’ Elvis grunted from below the pair of you as the rhythm of his hips grew quicker. Jerry’s lips migrated down your jaw, nipping and sucking at your neck in a way that made your pussy automatically throb in response. As you pulsed around them Elvis and Sonny groaned again. ‘Fuck man whatever you’re doing keep going,’ Sonny said as his hands gripped your hips tighter. Everything was everywhere all at once. Hands caressed, rubbed and gripped every inch of you. Jerry’s mouth continued to ravish your neck sending throbs to your cunt which meant that the discomfort you had been feeling was now long gone. ‘Oh god,’ you panted, ‘feels good now.’ ‘Feels fuckin amazing,’ Sonny grunted, ‘fuck I ain’t gonna last.’ ‘Me either,’ Elvis said, ‘you close doll?’ You nodded unable to speak as Jerry continued to play with your clit in a way that was starting to make you see stars. He had pulled back now, watching you as his fingers moved deftly around your swollen bud. ‘Oh my god. Fuck right there,’ you whimpered. ‘Come on baby,’ Elvis said, ‘cum for us doll.’ ‘Oh god,’ you said as your cunt started to spasm, sweet relief running through you like electricity. You fell into Jerry your head in the crook of his neck as he caught you keeping you in place. ‘Fuck, I’m gonna,’ Sonny said pulling out of you before he did which caused thick ropes of cum to splatter up your ass and back. You trembled against Jerry, your pussy still fluttering around the only cock left in you making Elvis cum without warning inside you. The only man allowed to. ‘Christ,’ he groaned as he stared to slow his rhythm, the mess of it all gathering between you as he pulled out. Once his eyes opened he reached for you, pulling you from where you had been nestled against Jerry watching the ecstasy on his face. You fell forward, your chest hitting him with a slap neither of you seemed to care about. As his blue eyes met yours a lopsided grin befell his face. He held you to him, one hand reaching up to cup your cheek so that he could lean up to kiss you tenderly, an act that had you all aflutter once more though in a different way. When you pulled back he opened his eyes watching you adoringly for a second before he pushed the pair of you up into a sitting position. ‘Did I do good?’ you said breathlessly. Your chest was heaving but you didn’t care. ‘You always do good doll,’ he said. ‘Just wanna make you happy,’ you said. ‘Well you managed that,’ Sonny chuckled and you glanced over to see him slipping his boxers back on. Your attention was snapped back though as you felt Elvis move a strand of hair off your face. ‘What about you doll?’ he asked as you wrapped your arms around his neck. ‘What about me?’ you asked. ‘Did we make you happy?’ he asked pecking your lips though you captured his and kept him in place. ‘Always do,’ you mumbled against his lips. When you pulled back he was watching you closely, his eyes full of adoration. ‘What?’ you asked. ‘Nuthin’,’ he smirked, ‘just wondering how guys like us got lucky enough to have a girl like you.’ ‘Oh it’s nothing,’ you said with a smile, ‘just takin’ care of business, right?’ ‘Taking care of business,’ he agreed with a smirk.

ELVIS TAGS

@literally-just-elvis-fics @caitlin1996 @notstefaniepresley@18lkpeters @daffieapple

#my writing #made for the mafia #taking care of business #elvis #elvis presley #elvis presley x reader #elvis x reader #Elvis presley x reader x memphis mafia #elvis presley x reader x jerry schilling #elvis presley x reader x jerry schilling x sonny west #sonny west #jerry schilling

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kdo-three · 1 year ago

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Buddy Holly - Rave On (!958) Sonny West / Bill Tilghman / Norman Petty from: "Rave On" / "Take Your Time" (Single)

Rock 'n' Roll | Rockabilly | 1st Wave Rock and Roll

"Buddy Holly is instantly recognizable as the artist: The record begins with a drawn-out "𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…" as stylized by Holly's distinctive hiccup ("𝘈-𝘸𝘦𝘩-𝘶𝘩-𝘩𝘦𝘩-𝘶𝘩-𝘦𝘭𝘭…")." - Wikipedia

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Buddy Holly: Vocals / Guitar Niki Sullivan: Rhythm Guitar Joe B. Mauldin: Bass Jerry Allison: Drums

Norman Petty: Piano Al Caiola: Guitar Donald Arnone: Guitar

Backing Vocals: William Marihe Robert Bollinger Robert Harter Merrill Ostrus Abby Hoffer

Produced by Milton DeLugg

Recorded: @ The Bell Sound Studios in New York City, New York USA on January 25, 1958

Released: on April 20, 1958 Coral Records

#Rave On #Buddy Holly #Sonny West #1950's #Milton DeLugg #Norman Petty #Rockabilly #Bill Tilghman #Coral Records #Jerry Allison #Joe B. Mauldin #Rock 'n' Roll

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doll-elvis · 2 years ago

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Do you consider the memphis mafia trustworthy sources on Elvis? Idk if I always believe some of the stuff they’ve said about elvis

thank you so much for this ask!! I have way too much to say about this topic, therefore I apologize in advance for how long this is 🤧

firstly I think it’s important to clarify who the Memphis Mafia actually consisted of: based on what they themselves have said, it was Red West, Sonny West, Alan Fortas, Marty Lacker, Lamar Fike, and Billy Smith

I was confused why people like Jerry Schilling, Charlie Hodge, Joe Esposito, Larry Geller, George Klein, etc. etc. weren’t technically considered Memphis Mafia until I learned that Elvis’ entourage were categorized into two groups, the Memphis Mafia, and the others

I also really recommend for every fan to read Alanna Nash’s “Elvis and the Memphis Mafia” which is just an oral history from Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike

and then to watch the documentary, it is 5 hours but it’s so worth it, I’ve literally rewatched it at least 8 times at this point because it’s my favorite Elvis documentary 😩!!

youtube

I also want to say if you are going to read from one of them, you should try to read from all of them because they all have their own unique experience with Elvis and therefore all have their own viewpoints/opinions and biases *which is why it’s important to cross reference between them

For example in the Alanna Nash book there are several instances where Lamar Fike, Marty Lacker and Billy Smith all have a different opinion on something and you basically have to decide for yourself which one you agree with

I’m just going to be breaking down each Memphis Mafia member, as I’ve been fortunate enough to read each of their books, and say if I think they are trustworthy sources:

Lamar Fike: Personally, I think he is one of Memphis Mafia members that you really have to be cautious about. If y’all didn’t know he was Albert Goldman’s main source for that horrible book, “Elvis”. In Alanna Nash’s book, Lamar Fike spends a good majority of the time disagreeing with everything Goldman wrote, and said that Goldman would twist his words and retell things to fit his own agenda. He said “even though I was one of his main sources, and shared in the royalties, I couldn’t control Albert”. He admitted he did the book for money which is why I lost respect for Lamar because he knew that Albert was saying things that weren’t true and that the book’s main purpose was to make Elvis look bad. I would also be cautious of Lamar because he tends to twist reality just a little bit and over exaggerate things. For example whenever he tells the story of Elvis and Priscilla meeting, he always says that it was he who introduced them “Elvis this is Priscilla, Priscilla this Elvis”. But no one else who was in the room has told it that way, Lamar just inserted himself into the scene (he also once said she was 13 when we obviously know she was 14). So yeah I would really recommend to cross reference everything Lamar says before believing it. He just tells things in a really blunt (and lowkey funny💀) way, which makes it interesting insight, but from what I have also seen he is more than willing to exaggerate things just to be able to tell a “better” story

Marty Lacker: I really really enjoy reading his viewpoint and his book is one of my favorites out of the bunch however I think he too often lets his own biases affect his story telling. This man really really really hated Priscilla 😭 So much so that every time he talked about her it was in a negative light. I’m not saying Priscilla is perfect, she has done many things I don’t agree with, however, none of these men knew what it was like to be in her shoes so I’m just wary of them placing so much blame on her when she was so young, and I find that Marty can be a little unsympathetic in that regard (but again I’m not saying that Priscilla hasn’t done things that deserve criticism). Also Marty Lacker wasn’t around in the late late 70s so I would just be cautious of anything he says about that time because he simply wasn’t there to know. But in general, beside his obvious biases, I would say he is a trustworthy source

Alan Fortas: He was the first Memphis Mafia member to pass away in 1992, we sadly didn’t get to hear too much from him, but I’m very grateful to have his book. Since he wasn’t around much in the late 60s and not at all in the 70s, his best stories come from the 50s and early-mid 60s. He provides a really unique insight especially when it comes to Priscilla and Elvis because he was more or less her chauffeur when she first came to the United States. He also knew Frances Forbes, Gloria Mowell, Heidi Heissen and Arlene Cogan and spends a decent chunk of his book talking about them. I can’t say it is in a way that looks good for Elvis because Alan really disagreed with those relationships, even though he said he knew nothing s*xual was going on, he genuinely couldn’t fathom why Elvis, who could have any woman he wanted, wanted to spend time with teenage girls, including Priscilla. But nothing in his book I found to be untrue and everything he says corresponds with what other has said, plus he has some really great stories about the movie-making times and his beloved chimpanzee, Scatter (I know it was Elvis’ technically but Alan was his real mom lmao) but I overall trust him as well

Red and Sonny West: I’m about to get controversial; I think these are two men, that as Elvis fans, we have been a little too critical of. It’s not fair to completely write off their experiences with Elvis just because of the book they did, which in retrospect, doesn’t say anything different from what the other Memphis Mafia men have said, it was just horribly timed. But I do want to clarify that I don’t support their decision on writing “Elvis: What happened” in 1977 and at the end of the day I will always support Elvis over anybody else. As for their credibility, Red West has one of the most important perspectives imo because he was literally the first Memphis Mafia member. He was with Elvis in highschool, in Germany, during the movies, during the comeback special, during Vegas, during the American tours, he only wasn’t there for the very last year of Elvis’ life. Unlike some of the other men here, he never stopped being with Elvis, except for of course the end. I have read the book he did in 1977 and I have watched tons of his interviews and I’ve personally never come across a story that wasn’t told/referenced by another Memphis Mafia member. I do think he is trustworthy in that sense but I think he has gotten very defensive in the past and is willing to throw Elvis under the bus in order to protect his image. I feel like it is the same thing with Sonny West. These men felt betrayed by Elvis, they got fired, and they both definitely harbored vengeful feelings for a while so you have to take that into account when listening to their stories. For example when they talked about how Elvis hired h00kers in the 1977 book they didn’t mention that they were also cheating on their wives and actually slept with the hired girls while Elvis only wanted to watch the girls simulate lesbian s*x. In that book especially, they often conveniently left out that they indulged in the same kind of behavior Elvis did. But with age, I think they both mellowed out and ultimately realized that they betrayed Elvis also, and they have both said they have regretted the book. The documentary I linked above really helped me understand their perspective more, and while things ended badly between Elvis and them, I do think both parties still cared about each other. So while both of their perspectives are very important (and I think Red was one of Elvis’ truest friends), I wouldn’t fully trust anything they have said until I checked another source to confirm

Billy Smith: He is sadly the only Memphis mafia member still with us and he still makes videos answering questions on the YouTube channels Elvis fans matter and Memphis Mafia kid. I really do enjoy reading Billy’s perspective and he is one of the few people who were with Elvis from the very beginning (childhood) to the very end. But Billy rarely actually went on tour with Elvis and he also wasn’t around for most of the movie time, so his best stories are about his times with Elvis at Graceland imo. They had such a special relationship and I think Billy was the closest thing Elvis had to a brother (y’all have to read about the oath he and Elvis took, it almost made me cry😭). However this man, like anyone, is not without his biases. When reading the Alanna Nash book you can see that Billy’s main purpose is to protect Elvis and the Smith family so much so that I think he denies some things solely because he believes it will make his family look bad. For example when in the book they talked about how Gladys may have had some Jewish blood in her, Billy Smith who is Gladys’ nephew, just shot that down right away. I didn’t think much of it until Billy Smith later on admitted in the book he was slightly prejudiced against black people and jewish people because of how he was raised. But that book was also in the 90s and I haven’t seen him speak in the way since so hopefully he has changed. This man really hated Priscilla, and especially hated Ginger, so take into account these biases as well. For example, in the Nash book, he was dead set on saying that Ginger called the national enquirer after Elvis passed away. Many fans believe this also but there is just no proof to support it. If you are someone who hates Ginger because you believe she called the enquirer (I did too at one point), I really recommend reading this https://elvisdecoded.com/2021/03/13/the-ginger-hit-job/

Another reason to be slightly cautious of Billy Smith is that his opinions have changed so much since the Alanna Nash book 😭 Like how I said he hated Priscilla and Ginger, that seems to be no longer the case, at least on his YouTube channel. I was so surprised when he praised them both in the YouTube video “Elvis’ relationship secret”. He even said Ginger was good for Elvis and that she loved him- I was shook because he hated her in the 90s!!! But anyways-I would say he is trustworthy and he was no doubt one of the dearest people to Elvis’ heart but it’s always good to take into account biases, and cross reference everything

To wrap this up- They have all told the good, the bad and the ugly, and as fans of Elvis it can be hard to accept the “bad and ugly”(like was he sometimes completely unreasonable, demanding, and temperamental? yes! but do we still love him? yes!) These guys just have such a unique perspective and we are truly lucky that they have opened up their lives with Elvis to us, even if it is stories that we necessarily don’t want to accept. But there is not a single doubt in my mind that all these men loved Elvis, despite what some of them have done, and that Elvis loved all these men. The documentary I linked above has made me cry every time I have watched it because they all cried in it and something about grown men crying just hits me different okay 😭

also if anybody read all this kudos to you, I’m sorry for typing so much lmao 😩💗

#thank you for the ask<3!!#I need to learn how to get my point across with less words😭#but I hope this helped!!#I would love to know what y’all think about them also #elvis presley #elvisaaronpresley #elvis #memphis mafia #Lamar fike #marty Lacker #Alan Fortas #red west #Sonny west #Billy smith #Elvis history #Elvis asks

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