Elvis Book

3.5 stars but rounded up because I have a feeling it doesn't get much better as biographies go

When I went to Graceland I was looking for a biography that would provide me with all the facts and also psychological insight into Elvis' character. This seemed to be the longest and most fact-based of the ones available there. So I bought it.

And the thing is, it delivered exactly what I got it for. This is a full account of Elvis' life, from before his birth to after his death. And it's full of statistics and dates, well-researched and even-handed in presentation. It still left me unfulfilled because there is no insight and no commentary. While the author's attitude is always very clearly stated (a prominent example is him calling people "prudish" to objecting to the marriage of a country singer with his 13 year-old cousin; women also don't come off well in general - much is made of the state of the panties upon seeing Elvis), there is no deeper analysis of the phenomenon and its implications for music marketing and advertising and promotion are only mentioned in passing.

Still, I'm rounding up because I don't think the insight is to be had in any of these biographies. The family is certainly too positive and the bodyguards and others are too lurid and negative.