Elvis in the Morning
A novel by William F. Buckley Jr.

Published in hardback by Harcourt, Inc.

ISBN 0-15-100643-1

Elvis fiction certainly seems to be on the up! The writing standard of Elvis fiction has almost always surpassed that of the often sad offerings of their nonfictional counterparts, the poor prose of which is sadly reflected in the equally poor content. But ever more authors seem to be using Elvis's increasing status as a cultural icon to weave stories around his image. Some of the stories have at best a fairly tenuous link, such as the novel "Shooting Elvis," but even there, Elvis's influence cannot be denied; other novels use Elvis's character as a central theme -- Daniel Klein's "Kill Me Tender" even featured Elvis as the main character in an amateur-sleuth classic!

"Elvis In The Morning" also features Elvis prominently. He is, however, not the central character, this part going to one Orson Killere. The reader follows Orson's life in this strange tale, which, superficially at least, seems to amble along fairly aimlessly.

The reader learns of Orson's fatherless childhood, living in Germany with his French mother who works for the US armed forces. Here Orson is smitten by the Elvis bug when watching our man perform on a television show. From then on, Orson's life is all Elvis. Orson is also influenced by a schoolteacher, who instils into the young man some radical views about equality and the right of common property. These ideas lead Orson to perpetrate a minor crime, about which Elvis hears. The latter is now in Germany himself and, having heard about the boy's predicament, takes the time to visit Orson. From this initial visit, a friendship is born and Elvis makes use of Orson's linguistic talents, taking him with him on his trip to Paris. In the meantime, Orson has also introduced Elvis to the girl next door, the co-founder of their Elvis Presley fan club, Priscilla Beaulieu...

The scene is thus set. The story then jumps through the next almost twenty years, stopping here and there along the way to let the reader know how Elvis's career and Orson's life develop. The two stay in touch with each other throughout, though almost always from a distance. At key points in Elvis's career, Orson confronts Elvis personally and, apparently, succeeds in persuading him that a change of course is required. Like Elvis's career, Orson's life also has its rocky patches, yet Elvis does not seem to intervene in any way. Orson's earlier radicalism is tempered and he becomes one of the mainstream, occupying an important position in a large company (a nice touch, the company being at the forefront of chip development in the late sixties), getting married and "settling down." However, he becomes a drug addict, loses his job and has to rely on the support of his wife to get himself sorted out and to start afresh, this time with his own successful company.

Elvis, of course, has no such luck. His drug dependancy and gradual decline is followed. Nobody seems to help him and it is finally Orson who is called to try to speak some sense into his old friend. Things have gone too far, however, and Elvis seems to accept the inevitable. We all know what that was.

The aimless ambling is less aimless than would initially seem. Both characters, Elvis and Orson, are initially rebels, both have to struggle with their life situation and both, finally have to make a choice. Orson gives up his apparently naive initial belief in a more socialistic society and accepts the materialistic structures, seemingly able to control both them and himself; Elvis is driven by these structures and is finally destroyed by them. And in the end, the reader learns that, even in death and for just a short time, Elvis's work is controlled and his songs cannot be played without paying royalty -- they are not the "common property" of which Orson once dreamt.

Throughout the book, the author has attempted to combine fictional and factual elements: many of Elvis's "friends" are named and some play important roles in the tale, not least Charlie Hodge; many real events are reported. Perhaps through literary licence, a number of events are transposed in time and others might have been "adjusted" to fit better in the story. It would appear that the author took some pains with his research, ably mentioning the writers of "Nothingville" and giving the number some not inconsiderable praise! Unfortunately, however, there are also some instances of clearly insufficient research, evidenced in such instances as the reader being informed that Elvis's mother was buried at Graceland "only weeks before" Elvis was shipped out, incorrect song titles, and a very strange series of numbers sung during a concert!

The author, William F. Buckley Jr; has written numerous novels, including some bestsellers. Whether "Elvis In The Morning" will reach such hallowed heights is difficult to predict. The story's objective remains vague, I feel, so casual readers will fail to appreciate it; non-Elvis fans might be discouraged from buying the book because of the inclusion of the name in the title and the split photo of Elvis on the cover (you can imagine them stealthily approaching the sales clerk, "Er, I'm not a fan, but I kind of like Buckley -- have you got a plain brown wrapper for that?"); the real Elvis fan will be put off by the unfortunate errors, ignoring the clever interleaving of fact and fiction (the author is careful to point out that "... nothing written here......should be taken as factual"), the reasonable level of research, and, dare I suggest it, the author's own liking of the man, which seems to permeate the tale.

David Neale

copyright September 2001

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