It sounds awful, but Priscilla says that she didn’t hate it, it was just their way of life.

As the king of rock’n’roll, Elvis was a man who was used to getting his way – and nowhere did he exert this power more than on his wife-to-be, moulding her into his ideal woman by deciding what she wore (block colours, no prints), what she did (she was banned from working), and what interests she pursued (only those in which Elvis was interested). She seemed very much in love with him, still does, but also admits to being under his control. Reading Priscilla’s account of their marriage – which lasted from 1967 to 1973, and is documented in her 1985 book Elvis and Me – gives a rather conflicting impression. Maybe he was in a bad mood that day, or maybe he would just see someone he didn’t particularly care for so he’d just pick up the gun and …” She laughs, a little nervously. 357 Magnum and shooting the TV if something appeared that angered him.

Elvis could be unpredictable, famous for brandishing his. It wasn’t just songs that you had to tiptoe around. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Still, Priscilla says it’s a testing of the water, to see how people might feel about pushing the boat out further in future.Įlvis and Priscilla Presley on their wedding day on. It’s a revamp that Priscilla hopes will put Elvis in touch with the “young folk”, although unless I’ve woefully underestimated said young folk’s appreciation for Michael Bublé (he duets on Fever), I’d wager that the rich, classical setting is more suited to established fans intrigued to hear a fuller-sounding Elvis. If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra takes 14 Elvis songs to Abbey Road and freshens them up with orchestral oomph and the odd guest vocal. Right now, she’s talking about Elvis because he would have turned 80 this year and there’s a new album out to mark the anniversary. Yet even while struggling with laryngitis (“I’m so glad this interview isn’t on video,” she says), and now aged 70, her enthusiasm for her subject remains undimmed. For around 50 years, she has provided insights into his musical taste, promoted his legacy, and explored the darker sides of a relationship that can perhaps most charitably be described as “it’s complicated” (she moved to Memphis with him as a 14-year-old schoolgirl). It’s something the rock’n’roll icon’s former wife has spent most of her lifetime doing. P riscilla Presley is in a very Priscilla Presley location – the royal suite of the Beverly Wilshire hotel, Los Angeles – talking about Elvis.

Elvis and me priscilla presley book