THE KING HAS RETURNED
Ross King talks to Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie.
IMAY
be the King in Los Angeles but there’s only one King when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll.
Elvis Presley died 41 years ago but, as all his fans know, he’ll never really die.
His Comeback Special concert is in cinemas, and he also has a new album out.
It’s mostly of gospel songs which, as any follower of his knows, was Presley’s favourite genre of music.
The compilation is called Where No One Stands Alone, and it takes its name from the best song on the album, which is a duet between Elvis and his daughter Lisa Marie.
She recorded her side of the track earlier this year, and I got a chance to chat to Lisa, 50, about it last week.
It was, she admitted, an emotional experience – and she’s not afraid to call on her late dad for advice.
“I felt really emotional,” she told me. “It’s never pleasant to sing and cry, you just can’t do that in a good way. I had to keep my composure but I felt very connected to him, and to the song.
“I can sort of remember my dad, I can pull out the files on him for help. And I occasionally ask him for help.
“Which was the case for this record. I felt like a hand came down to me.”
Elvis’s museum in Graceland has recently had an upgrade, too. It features a Lisa Marie exhibit, and it surprised even her.
She said: “There’s a quote on the wall from my dad that said, ‘Becoming a father is the best thing that ever happened to me.’
“And I’ve never seen it before! It reinforces the truth – that I was the most important thing to him.
“I feel that’s the protection I’ve had since I was nine and especially recently I feel he protects me.”
Lisa told me her own life is a “psychological thriller” at the moment, but that Graceland is somewhere where she feels she can relax.
“It’s the one place I feel the safest,” she added, “I can shut that door – it’s just his room and my room. It was his sanctuary and it’s exactly the same as it always was. “Is it not as showy? Oh, it’s showy.
“It’s got shag carpets which are very long, a black bed, red walls, gold everything! It is definitely showy!”
And Lisa was delighted her daughter, Riley Keough, had become a model.
“I felt like Riley has a good head on her shoulders.
“Riley was saying, ‘I’m going to model, then I’m going to act, then I’m going to be a director.’
“And all I could say was ok!”