Gary James' Interview With Is Elvis Alive? Author
Gail Brewer Giorgio



Is Elvis Alive? That is the question that has been on the minds of many people for the better part of 1988. It also happens to be the title of a book written by Gail Brewer Giorgio. The book, (published by Tudor) rose to Number Eight on the New York Times Bestseller List. It should be pointed out that Gail Brewer Giorgio was not the first to question the circumstances surrounding Elvis' death. In an Associated Press article, from August 13^th 1978, Singer / songwriter Ronnie McDowell is quoted as saying, "Sometimes I wonder if he (Elvis) really is dead. I wonder if maybe he just wanted to be free to walk around." And then a year later, in a June 25^th 1979, People magazine interview, Country singer Merle Haggard voiced his opinion that Elvis' death could have been a hoax. "It would be the first chance for freedom in his entire life, and it could have been a scheme Colonel Parker dreamed up."

You might have seen Gail Brewer Giorgio on Larry King Live and the Geraldo Rivera Show. You might also have noticed that on both shows, Ms. Giorgio was interrupted, laughed at, put down, and not allowed to tell her story. In this exclusive interview with writer Gail Brewer Giorgio, we ask the questions that people everywhere want answered, the questions Larry King and Geraldo Rivera didn't ask.

Did Elvis Presley fake his own death? Is Elvis Alive? You be the judge.

Q - The original title of your book, as published by Legend Books, was The Most Incredible Elvis Presley Story Ever Told. When Tudor Books got a hold of it, the title was Is Elvis Alive? If another title had been used, let us say The Strange Circumstances Surrounding Elvis' Death, would critics have been a little less vocal in their protest of the book?

A - Well, that might have been kind of a cop-out I guess, because the major question was the question Tudor asked. I actually liked their title. They chose it over the other one for logistic reasons. They wanted to put the tape on the front of the paperback book. The Most Credible Elvis Presley Story Ever Told written out on a paperback didn't leave much room for the tape. So they just said, "Hey, that's what everybody's asking. That's what all the questions are. Let's just ask the question. It probably is the most honest way to go with it."

Q - Let's talk about the tape. If the person or persons who made this tape would come forward with more information, wouldn't that lend more credibility to this whole story?

A - One of the things about this particular book, because it is a book of questions, is out there to get some answers. I'm getting answers that of course I didn't have when I wrote the book. I'm getting more information now about the origin of the tape. The person who has the very best copy of the tape is Major Bill Smith, a record producer in Forth Worth, Texas. He has told me he has seen and talked to Elvis Presley over the years. He contacted me, obviously after the book. We've never met. He has told me he has a copy of the original (tape). And he has had it in his vault all these years. When I asked him if he has the original, how come so many copies got out, he didn't answer me. He said that Elvis was not talking to someone over the telephone, that he was just answering a list of questions. Well, I found that a little hard to buy. One, of the (audio) experts heard parts of a women's voice and said that the background noise is very indicative of a suction cup recorder. Mr. Tom Sanocki called me from Chicago and said he was pretty sure Elvis was talking to a woman named Ellen Foster. He said she's been written about and looked like Elvis' mother. He used to call her and gave her a ring. I said "What makes you believe that?" and he said he knew Ellen. She was an older lady who passed away a few years ago. But prior to that, she had said she talked to Elvis several times. By the contents of that he said, I'm sure it's the same one. Another woman called me and told me the same story. Again, there's a certain amount of dead ends you're gonna hit in this story, because if the government is involved you're definitely gonna hit a dead end. The person who has all the information would have to come forward, and that would be Elvis Presley himself.

Q - The Elvis sightings in Kalamazoo, Michigan and elsewhere, doesn't it seem rather strange that no one has followed Elvis and found out how he's getting around... take down a license plate number?

A - I guess we really have to get to human nature in all of this, because my thoughts are the same as yours. I talked to one woman who had driven up to a pet store in Kalamazoo. She lives there. She noticed a blue metallic van, with a gorgeous dog sitting behind the wheel. She went in the store and asked who owned the beautiful dog out there. The man turned to her and said, "It's mine." She looked at him and he had a lot of grey in his hair. The voice is what captured her. She didn't track him. She doesn't carry a finger print kit. She did a double-take. And this is before all the rumors were rampant. He just got uncomfortable when she kept looking at him. He then left in the van. She said it just dawned on her who it might be. It's like anything else, I think you might begin to question yourself after that too.

Q - What is Elvis doing to make money?

A - I don't think there would be any problem what so ever for Elvis Presley, if he is alive, to have access to funds, because of the way the will was set up, the way the trust was set up, a number of corporations, that certainly wouldn't be a problem, particularly if there's a connection with the government and the Government Witness Protection Plan which gives people new identities. They set up accessibility to their funds. I don't think that would be a major problem. I mean, I can't figure it out how he does it. I don't have that kind of money to worry about.

Q - The Government Witness Protection Plan? Elvis wasn't in danger from organized crime.

A - Oh, yes he was. Absolutely. We know that Elvis took his Federal Agent connection very seriously. The biggest rumor, and it's even far beyond rumor right now, is Elvis was responsible for pointing a finger at a very, very high drug figure in Las Vegas. We know even by Ed Parker's book, there were contracts out on Elvis Presley's life. It had to do with Vegas. That's where the F.B.I. was called in, when he was in Vegas. That's probably one of the biggest factors in the whole thing. More and more is coming out with the government connection. Just keep your eye on that.

Q - Isn't there a rumor out that Elvis will surface when his daughter has her baby?

A - I've heard that. We're dealing now in just guessing games. I heard after the elections and before he became a grandfather. Who knows? We don't even know for sure he's alive. I've heard from a very credible person that he is under the Government Witness Protection Plan. You see you're hitting dead-ends. When you're dealing with the government, you just can't call them up and ask them.

Q - In an October 23^rd, 1988 column, Ann Landers printed a letter from someone in Henderson, Kentucky who claims they have an uncle who works for a coffin manufacturer. The coffin Elvis was buried in could only be obtained by special order and takes a long time to construct. The letter goes on to say the coffin was ordered in advance, which proves his death was planned. What do you know about this?

A - Even before she wrote that, I heard that. It was a specially designed casket and could never have been designed and flown in, in a short period of time. There's a lot of questions you can ask about this. Who made the casket, and did they know who they were making it for? If they did, why aren't they talking about it? If they aren't talking about it, could it have anything to do with the government?

Q - How about reports of a wax dummy in the coffin. What do you know about that?

A - When I was on the Larry King Show, the second time with Joe Esposito, I asked Joe about people reporting to see beads of sweat on the body in the casket. He said this on air, "Yes, that is true." He said the air-conditioning broke that day, we were all hot, everybody was sweating. Call any undertaker, or coroner you want. You'll find out dead bodies don't sweat. Your glands are completely shut off, and embalming fluid is in your body.

Q - Comment if you will on the strange behavior of both Colonel Parker and Vernon Presley immediately following Elvis' death. Colonel Parker wore a baseball cap and Hawaiian shirt. He didn't serve as a pallbearer.

A - Nor would he give any word.

Q - He walked away from the grave site when the final eulogy was being spoken.

A - Right.

Q - And sat on a motorcycle and Vernon Presley called several fan club presidents and told them not to come to Memphis.

A - In fact, he was on the phone, and took the initiative and called fan club presidents and asked them not to attend.

Q - Why?

A - Maria Columbus for one, Jeanie Tessum, who were presidents of one of the largest fan clubs, have gone on record to say the received a call personally and they were told not to attend because it would be too hard on them. Maria Columbus has come out not only on television, but interviews I've had with her, that we now know it's because we would have known. Just think of all the people who were close to Elvis that didn't attend, Mae Axton, Marty Lacker, his secretary Becky Yancey for many years who lives within two blocks of Graceland. A lot of fan club presidents didn't attend. You have a lot of people who were close to Elvis who did not attend, and were asked not to attend.

Q - If Elvis' body was exhumed, would that end the controversy?

A - No. I don't think so at all. Number one, It's not going to be exhumed because it's on private grounds. Number two, if push came to shove in any way and the government is involved in this, it's not going to be exhumed. There's just no way.

Q - Does it make sense to you, that Elvis would fake his own death to get away from his fans and then turn around and walk in public places looking like he always did?

A - I have never bought the total idea that he did it to get away from the fans, although I think he wanted freedom, if we believe the tape is accurate, and I have no reason not to believe the experts. I have an artist's rendition of what he might look like. There's a big resemblance between his father with that grey hair. I can see him getting away with it. But the on the other hand, there's more Elvis look-a-likes probably than any other entertainer. He probably could get away with a lot, that a lot of people couldn't. But, he's not walking around obviously with capes.

Q - Don't you wish Elvis would give you a call, so you could ask him some questions?

A - Well, of course we got that one phone call and we got it to L.H. Williams. (voice analysis expert)

Q - Elvis called you?

A - About three weeks ago, before Lisa Marie's pregnancy was announced, about 2:30 in the morning. The phone rang and my husband answered it. We were sleeping. This man wanted to speak to me. This man was not a Elvis sound-a-like. I didn't want to talk to anyone at 2:30 in the morning. I've gotten so many crank calls. He apologized to my husband about the time, and said it would be one of the most important calls I would receive. So, I decided to tape it. And the man gave me a fake name and told me it was a fake name. He was with someone who worked for Elvis Presley. He said the announcement would be made by the government, and then Elvis would not surface until 60 or 90 days after the announcement. And, the announcement would not be made until after the elections. He said when I was on the Geraldo Rivera Show, Elvis had walked into the room and said, "I don't know why she puts herself through this." He said he was sort of sad. He said he tried to call me before. Right after it happened, Elvis was almost sorry about it. Then, after awhile it was okay and he traveled and he was free. Then he went into a deep depression over it. I asked to speak to Elvis, and he said he could call me back in ten or fifteen minutes, and if he doesn't call you back, I will call you back and tell you, because he could change his mind. And then he said, "As a lady, I hope you won't be taping this". I'm sitting in bed, its 2:30 in the morning and I had not even thought about taping it at that point. Well, that gave me the idea of course. So, it was like they said tape it. So, they hung up and I went down to my office. I got out my little tape recorder with the suction cup and waited. The call came and I recorded it. I talked to him for a hour and half.

Q - Did it sound like Elvis?

A - At first the voice was really drunken and slurred and I was really convinced that this was just a put-on, but I was going to go ahead and tape it just to see what was going to happen. And the first part is not real clear at all. I know what he's saying, but it's not real clear. But then he cleared up, and it sounded more and more like him. Then I asked him some key questions which he couldn't answer. He said, "Don't ask me about anybody in particular." He didn't want to get anyone involved. So, I asked him some key questions that wouldn't get anyone involved, that he would know the answer to, but he didn't, or, I can't say he didn't know the answers, but he didn't answer. But there were some questions he did know the answers to.

Q - Do you have an idea where this call was coming from?

A - The West Coast.

Q - Why do you say that?

A - When my husband first answered the phone at 2:30 in the morning he was mad and said, "Do you know what time it is?" He said that to the first man who called. The man said, "I'm sorry, I know it's late, but we're on West Coast time." And the West Coast is where Lisa Marie got married. So, that's very, very strange.

Q - Do you think Priscilla and Lisa Marie know Elvis is alive?

A - Oh, yeah.

Q - They were part of this whole cover-up?

A - Well, let's look at it in this scenario. If there was a contract out on Elvis' and Lisa's life, if it's true, and they even got as far as breaking into Graceland. And, the government was called in. We know the F.B.I. was called in to protect Elvis. Who would have a more vested interest in their daughter than Priscilla? So everything fits to this whole thing I've heard about the government.

© Gary James. All rights reserved.

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