The Colonel

Author: Alanna Nash

Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd.

ISBN: 1-85410-948-0 (hardback, 394 pp. incl; notes, bibliography, index)

My immediate reaction upon seeing the cover of this European edition of Alanna Nash's biography of Tom Parker, "The Colonel," was one of surprise, for the same photograph adorns its dust-jacket as was used for at least one edition of the earlier book about the same man by Dirk Vallenga, "Elvis And The Colonel." A strange choice, given the confusion this might cause amongst fans. Certainly I prefer the double-profile shot, showing Parker and Elvis, used for the dust-jacket of the US edition -- not only is it less playful that that used here, but it is, intentionally or otherwise, a nice play on the "two-faced" Tom Parker exposed within.

The first quarter of a century of Parker's life is full of holes: remarkably little is known of what he did. This is perhaps less surprising for his early years as a child and youth in the Netherlands, but even the time following his two trips to the USA, when he was for a great deal of that time apparently a member of the US armed forces, his exact machinations are veiled, despite the clearly rigourous efforts of Alanna Nash to uncover exactly what he did and, indeed, who he was, for it seems he used more than one alias. I get the impression that much of what is reported regarding this part of Parker's life is based on hearsay and poor recollection. This is amply demonstrated when Nash writes that a friend of Parker's during his carnival years told her that "he was [still] talking like a Dutchman: 'Brassa, was ist los, ja, ja, ja." That's not Dutch, but German!

Reports in other reviews that the book tells that Parker (or van Kuijk as he was at the time) fled the Netherlands after having committed a murder, are incorrect. The author is careful to indicate only speculation on this point, but there is certainly sufficient speculation for the case to be more closely examined. What is very clear from the book is that Parker probably suffered some mental deficiency. Not only is evidence for this provided by reports from acquaintances who knew him during his time with Elvis, but Nash shows that Parker was indeed discharged from military service because of a mental disorder, similar to schizophrenia.

Nash relates the tale of Parker at a fast pace and there are some disconcerting jumps in time, but these are undoubtedly the result of the lack of reasonable, reportable information about much of Parker's life, especially the first thirty years of it. Things clear up by the early 1940s (though Parker ensured that most of the rest of his life was also less than adequately recorded), and we are able to learn about his move from the world of the carnival into that of managing a fairly major star, Eddy Arnold. As Nash reports it, Parker did a good job, building the singer's marketability, but she also indicates that Parker never really left the carnival mentality and this was at least partly to blame for Arnold's dropping of Parker in the early 1950s. This is a very interesting part of the book, where the reader starts to understand why Parker handled Elvis in his uncommon fashion.

About one-third into the book, we start to learn about Parker's dealings with Elvis. Nash gives a great deal of information on the events that led up to the eventual signing of the contract that bound Elvis to Parker. She then goes on to chart the promotional and managerial efforts of Parker on behalf of his client. The extent of Parker's almost unbelievable control, not only over Elvis, but over almost everyone with whom he dealt, from lowly minions to heads of record and film organisations, is quite astonishing, hardly believable, and is amply reported by Nash. The man manipulated, cheated, bluffed, and humiliated everyone and anyone. He continued to do business as if he were still in the carnival and he earned little respect, yet a huge amount of fear from his contemporaries. Elvis, of course, was one of these, and Nash makes it clear that Parker looked upon him as no more than a source of income, with very little respect for his talent. This is often pretty heavy stuff and those who have supported Tom Parker in the past might not feel comfortable reading it. As Nash indicates, Parker might have been a good promoter, but as a manager he was almost a non-starter, interested only in control, control, and more control. Any suspicion that someone was trying to wrest control from Parker was met head on and any actual loss of control, no matter how temporary, was avenged mercilessly. This is well illustrated by Nash in her description of the events leading up to, during and following the making of the TV show, "Singer Presents Elvis." The author allows considerable space for this episode and rightly so -- excellent stuff.

By now we have reached the final third of the book and the reading becomes even more disturbing, as Parker is depicted as becoming ever more addicted to gambling, an addiction that appears to affect his judgement in making contracts, scheduling shows and all other aspects of an increasingly distant relationship between himself an Elvis. As Nash describes it, it is as if Parker lost any ideas of management that he might have had and even his genius at promotion started to falter. Certainly his concern for the artistic and personal well-being for his client, never a major consideration, now more or less evaporated. In this part of her book, Nash concentrates more on Elvis than on Parker and the result is a harrowing read that will shock many in its honesty. The book's conclusion is a fairly hasty review of the events surrounding Tom Parker from Elvis's death to Parker's own demise in early 1997. Enough is told, however, to emphasise the dichotomy of the man and to leave the reader pondering on whether he was the best thing that could have happened to Elvis, or a money-grabbing con-man who really did find that golden-egg laying goose.

"The Colonel" is a great read, but Parker continues to hold something back. In the end, much information is given, a lot is missing; many questions are asked, a lot left unanswered. Perhaps we shall never know the full story, the truth behind this strange character and perhaps Alanna Nash's "The Colonel" is as close as we shall get.

Return to previous page