The memoir from Lisa Marie Presley is finally here, and it comes with some bombshells. Finished posthumously by her daughter, Riley Keough, “From Here to the Great Unknown” details startling insight into the famous family.
The daughter of the King of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley, died suddenly at 54. Keough posits that her mother’s decline in health was connected to the death of her brother Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020. The Presley family has been often marked by tragedy and that isn’t even one of the more surprising perspectives in the book.
Lisa Marie also details the strained relationship with her mother Priscilla. Some accounts have been publicly acknowledged for some time, but Lisa Marie delves into uncomfortable details like Priscilla’s boyfriend at the time, Michael Edwards, being sexually inappropriate to her at a young age. Via Business Insider, Lisa Marie also claims that her mother never wanted her, which was the genesis of their complicated relationship.
“She didn’t want to gain pregnancy weight. She thought that wouldn’t be a good look for her as Elvis’ wife. There were so many women after him, all of them beautiful. She wanted his undivided attention.”
Priscilla gave birth to Lisa Marie at only 22 years old, less than a year after she married her father. Accounts support Lisa Marie’s conclusion, even Priscilla’s own memoir, “Elvis and Me.” Priscilla details in the book that she didn’t want to get pregnant so quickly and considered an abortion before deciding against it. Lisa Marie has a more specific conclusion in her book.
“She was so upset that she was pregnant that initially she’d only eat apples and eggs and never gained much weight. I was a pain in her ass immediately and I always felt she didn’t want me.”
This is a far cry from the recent biographical movie featuring the pop culture icon.
Priscilla has a more romantic perspective
In many ways, Sofia Coppola’s 2023 independent film, Priscilla, shows the ugly truth about the relationship between her and Elvis. Metting Elvis (Jacob Elordi) at a party at only 14 years old, Priscilla (Caillee Spaeny) quickly becomes the object of his affection even though he was a decade older than her. Even at the time the age gap was suspect, becoming more controversial when Elvis brings Priscilla to Graceland to finish her high school education.
Priscilla details the questionable aspects of the relationship as Elvis molds a child into the perfect wife for him. The film also features events in Priscilla’s book, such as her husband’s manipulative tendencies to control her and an incident where he throws a chair at the wall near her head. But when it comes to the subject of Priscilla’s pregnancy, the depiction is gentler than what fans have come to learn from the Presley women’s personal accounts.
In the film, Priscilla admits that she didn’t think that she would get pregnant this fast, but there is no discussion of trying to terminate the pregnancy. Both Elvis and Priscilla appear excited to have a child together. It isn’t hard to determine why this creative decision was made. Adding doubts about the pregnancy would detract from the narrative and ultimately be in poor taste regarding Lisa Marie’s memory. “From Here to the Great Unknown” has a more authentic account of the family that America has been enraptured with for decades.
Published: Oct 14, 2024 09:21 am