|
|
The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley
|
You are here:
Home > Books by Popular Authors > Tom Brokaw > Item
|
The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley
|
by Alanna Nash
Sales Rank : 65748
|
|
|
|
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press September 1, 2004
Language: English
ISBN-10: 155652546X
ISBN-13: 978-1556525469
Product Dimensions:
8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Product Review
Alanna Nash's biography of Colonel Tom Parker uncovers a life story even more complicated, dark, and entertaining than that of the promoter's greatest talent, Elvis Presley. Nash had unique access to the Colonel and many of those closely connected to him in assembling the facts that underlie her narrative, and the book reads like a mystery as it probes the origins of Parker’s power.
Ultimately, Parker was protecting himself in his manipulation of Elvis, Nash argues. Though her evidence is not conclusive, she suggests that Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk) feared deportation his entire life, but, more importantly, he may have fled his native Holland in 1929 after committing murder. In America Andreas transformed himself into Tom Parker while immersing himself in the worlds of the carnival and circus. This work led him to the promotion of musical acts and, eventually, the creation of his greatest mass entertainment and merchandising bonanza, Elvis. Elvis would become a shield against the demons of Parker’s past and resource to fuel his insatiable appetites.
Parker’s life remains shrouded to a large degree, despite Nash's efforts. The narrative is at times sensational in its attempts to dramatize the malign aspects of Parker’s character, and those coming for a definitive answer as to the cause of Elvis's self-destruction will find new light, but no final answers. Yet, Nash's biography will likely remain the best picture we will ever have of the mysterious Tom Parker, and fans of Elvis will appreciate this insider's view into their hero’s rise and fall. --Patrick O'Kelley
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Nash, a feature writer for Entertainment Weekly and author of such books as Golden Girl: The Story of Jessica Savitch, offers an unusual portrait of Col. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's infamous manager. Her narrative of Parker's bizarre life, from his childhood in Holland and illegal entry into the U.S. to his rise from carny to household name, reads more like fiction. In fact, with a main character who changes his identity to hide his mysterious (and possibly murderous) past and who cultivates relationships with both shady mob characters and America's elite (e.g., Lyndon Johnson) in an attempt to capture the money, power and respect he never had as a youngster, Nash's biography seems only comparable to the fictional life of Jay Gatsby. And Nash's book, thanks to Presley's untimely death, does not have a happy ending. Despite how easy it would be to shred Parker for Presley's demise, Nash, who interviewed Parker as well as his friends and enemies, is careful to portray both the tyrannical and philanthropic sides of Parker's eccentric personality. Nash uses her careful and extensive research to fill in the blanks in Parker's past and presents viable reasons for his unexplainable behavior, including his refusal to allow Presley to tour outside the U.S. and his laissez-faire attitude toward Presley's drug addiction. Using the cunning of a detective and the straightforward prose of a journalist, Nash, to the delight of Elvis lovers everywhere, answers some lingering questions while posing a few new ones about the man who made the King and then stole his crown.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
|
|
|
|
