ARTICLES ON THE LIFE OF ELVIS
ELVIS AND THE GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!!!
In general, my approach to the figure of Elvis Presley has been through his songs, his artistic work, but the fascination that he exercises in me has led me to pry into his personal life, his relationships, his attitudes, his aptitudes, etc Ultimately his personality. And, as it happens to me with any other person, there are characteristics of him that I like, others that I don’t and some that neither were nor fa.
One aspect that does catch my attention is his relationship with women. I am not interested in the complete list of his girlfriends or his dates, real, promotional, imagined or totally impossible, but the number of companions he had is such that I do wonder the reason or reasons that motivated him to do this kind of famine for women.
It is true that Elvis Presley had it easier than the vast majority of men to make conquests, obviously because of his absolute physical attractiveness, his fame, his magnetism, his talent, his southern courtesy on first dates, his sense of humor and that hint of “with-me-you-in-danger” in his manner. Being faithful is difficult, especially in the world of show business, but being unfaithful in that way… It seems to me even more difficult.
In the 1950s and 1960s this matter was handled more discreetly, although we all know that when his girlfriend of the moment was walking out the door, another female troupe walked in through the back door, procured through Charlie Hodge, Red West , Jerry Schilling, … Whoever it was. The phrase of Sheila Ryan (one of her partners in the mid-70s, who ended up marrying James Caan) is, to say the least, significant: “I wanted to be her number 1 girl.” Come on, I assumed that there would undoubtedly be more. And would the rest of your companies assume the same truth? Priscilla, no; she ended up rejecting all that even though she was number 1 par excellence.
For me the essential women in his life, excluding his mother Gladys and his daughter Lisa Marie, are Priscilla Beaulieu, Anita Wood, Linda Thomson and Ann Margret. I have no special reason to see it like this, but rather the feeling that I have retained after so many years of hobby, books, articles, reports, quotes, etc. And there are no less than four, an important number for any human being throughout a lifetime, and he only reached 42 years of age.
I go back to what I wrote almost at the beginning: why so many? Surely there are among the fans who can respond better than me, because of their training, profession (I am thinking mainly of people related to psychology) or even because of their knowledge and dedication to both the artist and the individual. Allow me, however, to launch my questions-conjectures:
-fear of compromise?
-fear to loneliness?
–Personal insecurity?
–Search for support outside the Memphis Mafia?
– simply a capricious character?
–replacement of the maternal figure?
For me, the loss of his mother is fundamental, although not only in his relationship with women, but in how he approached his own artistic career. Yes, I am convinced that if Gladys had lived longer, Elvis Presley’s life would have taken other directions. And, as before, I only rely on my subjective feelings.
And you? What do you think?
Information provided by Jesus Oliver Marquina (JOMair)
