Almost the only indisputable fact about Colonel Tom Parker is that he was the manager of the greatest performer in popular music: Elvis Presley. His real name wasnrsquo;t Tom Parker ndash; indeed; he wasnrsquo;t an American at all; but a Dutch immigrant called Andreas van Kujik. And he certainly wasnrsquo;t a proper military colonel: he purchased his title from a man in Louisiana. But while the Colonel has long been acknowledged as something of a charlatan; this book is the first to reveal the extraordinary extent of the secrets he concealed; and the consequences for the career; and ultimately the life; of the star he managed.As Alanna Nashrsquo; prodigious research has discovered; the Colonel left Holland most probably because; at the age of twenty; he bludgeoned a woman to death. Entering the US illegally; he then enlisted in the army as lsquo;Tom Parkerrsquo;. But; with supreme irony for someone later styling himself as Colonel; Parkerrsquo;s military career ended in desertion; and discharge after a psychiatrist had certified him as a psychopath. He then became a fairground barker; working sideshows with a zeal for small-scale huckstering and the casual scam that never left him. And by the height of Elvisrsquo;s success; Parker had become a pathological gambler who; at the same time as he was taking; amazingly; a full 50% of Presleyrsquo;s earnings; frittered away all his wealth in the casinos of Las Vegas.As Nash shows; therefore; the often baffling trajectory of Elvis Presleyrsquo;s career makes perfect sense once the secret imperatives of the Colonelrsquo;s life are known. Parker never booked Presley for a tour of Europe because of the dark secret that ensured he himself could never return there. Even at his most famous; Elvis was still being booked to play out-of-the-way towns in North Carolina ndash; because the former fairground barker (who shamelessly negotiated as such even with top record company and film executives) knew them from his days on the circus circuit. And Elvis was trapped playing years of arduous seasons in Las Vegas ndash; two shows nightly; seven days a week; until boredom and despair brought on the excessive drug use that killed him ndash; because for Parker he was ldquo;an open chitrdquo; whose huge earnings prevented his managerrsquo;s losses at the gambling tables being called in.Alanna Nash knew Parker towards the end of his life; and has now uncovered the whole story; improbable; shocking; and never less than compelling; of how this larger-than-life man made; and then unmade; popular musicrsquo;s first and greatest superstar.
#2395252 in eBooks 2014-06-26 2014-02-28File Name: B00IPSUZPE
Review
81 of 81 people found the following review helpful. Definitely mixedBy Ann WOne does not expect comprehensive detail in one of the Shire albums; but one does expect what is there to be accurate. This book has absolutely wonderful illustrations (some; unfortunately; uncredited); but the text is mixed. Seems to have been written in a hurry; and without adequate verification. For example; Ms. Downing writes of mens fashion; "it was the battle between broadcloth and silk as Balzac had termed it in 1798." Since Balzac was born in 1799; he clearly was looking back when he wrote this; rather than writing it in 1798! And; however much the Austen family wishes that the Rice portrait (p. 11) is Jane herself; that is extremely unlikely. A teen-aged Jane; even a fashion forward one; would not have dressed like that in 1792-93. The portrait is almost certainly someone of the next generation.The price of the volume is low; so it worth buying for the pictures alone; but please do further research before accepting what is in the text.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a great little book to have as historical reference if you ...By Miz NinaThis is a great little book to have as historical reference if you are interested in the era. It succinctly ties in the historical events (such as the French Revolution; and the Napoleonic Wars) which had an impact on radically changing fashion between 1775; the year of Jane Austens birth; and the early 1800s. The book is also filled with pictures; taken from a wide variety of sources; which illustrate the authors points. For the Jane Austen fan; there are specific ties between the points made and quotes from Austens books. Four stars; though; because this is a LITTLE book: more a booklet; actually. Only 63 pages and about 6 inches tall.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Great costuming resourceBy SolitaireI picked up Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen for the sake of getting a free shipment. I participate in English Country Dancing in my county; and once a year my husband and I go to the big Jane Austen ball. Ive taken my share of fashion courses in college; including History of Costume; so I wasnt expecting a lot of new information; but this little gem of a book is surprisingly informative with bits of info that Id never heard previously. For instance the light colored; close fitting trousers that men wore were meant to allude to the nude legs of male antique Greco-Roman statues being unearthed at the time. A lot of good reference illustrations in contemporary cartoons as well as reproductions of paintings and engravings; some familiar; some not so much.As I make our attire for the balls; the more information I have on what is authentic; including colors; fabrics; et al; the better our Austen inspired costumes come off at the events. I know I only gave this book four stars; but only because I wish that the book had been longer with more of the same good info. I read it cover to cover in about an hour. However I do believe its worth the money for anyone with an appreciation of the Regency or an interest in researching authentic clothing of the period.
