ELVIS’ CROWNING GLORY


“Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force of the twentieth century,” proclaimed the renowned co...nductor-composer Leonard Bernstein. “He introduced the beat to everything, and he changed everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution-the sixties comes from it. Because of him, a man like me barely knows his musical grammar any more.”

Author, music journalist and cultural critic Greil Marcus in his brilliant and provocative book Mystery Train writes, “If any individual of our time can be said to have changed the world, Elvis Presley is the one. In his wake more than music is different. Nothing and no one looks or sounds the same.”

Elvis was unmistakably a musical genius, an original who burst upon the stage of history like a powerful comet, disrupting and transforming the course of music, style, and our lives forever. Even his hair was shocking, innovative and rebellious, radiating a powerful magnetic sexual force. He was new, revolutionary, a troublemaker. His picture perfect smile and stunning good looks have become a powerful symbol, universally and instantly recognizable. Charisma never had it so good. His slick jet-black hair styled into its famed distinctive pompadour, his falling wet locks complete with sideburns; all reflect a full, healthy head of thick hair. The perfect image Elvis presented to his audiences was exactly what the millions of Elvis fans came to expect of their idol. Yet many people don’t realize that an image of perfection is simply that: an image, an illusion. Though Elvis was blessed with an exceptional, full head of hair, it lacked strength and required constant attention. As an example, when Elvis was shooting movies I sometimes “shpritzed” his hair as many as a dozen times in one day. Elvis always did his own fight scenes and was very active; under the hot lights and with perspiration his fine, flyaway hair needed to be controlled. It was also essential that I make sure his hair matched in every scene.

In her lively and entertaining book The Girls Guide to Elvis, filmmaker and author Kim Adelman writes, “Before filming began on “Roustabout,” (my first of ten movies with Elvis) producer Hal Wallis wrote a memo to Presley’s management complaining that Elvis’ hair looked like a wig in his previous film, “Viva Las Vegas,” which Wallis did not produce. This “could have a very detrimental effect on his entire career,” Wallis warned.

From the very beginning of my entering into Elvis’ life I explained my philosophy, the concept of bringing internal health and vitality to the external beauty of the hair, as well as my ideas about style. Elvis said emphatically, “Larry, you’re in charge of my hair, do whatever you think is necessary, only one thing...just make sure I keep it.” Being responsible for the health and style of Elvis’ hair, and the image that was to be seen on film, personal appearances, album covers and photos, was something I didn’t take lightly. With all that in mind, I created and employed only the most beneficial, superior shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays and thickening agents to meet Elvis’ specific hair needs. Because I dyed his hair black, I had to take extra precautions to ensure optimum health and longevity. I probably looked like a mad scientist, or at the very least an alchemist, pouring and mixing various bottles of organic ingredients in Elvis’ bathroom, creating special formulas…potions that worked wonders. I remember one afternoon at Graceland, Elvis was watching me pour some Aloe Vera gel into one of my homemade shampoo concoctions. I caught a curious expression on his face, and then Elvis smiled humorously, “Larry, I don’t know exactly what you’re mixing there, but, if you’re goin’ to put that stuff on my hair it better not do anything weird to my hair.” Of course he was kidding, as he already knew my eccentric homemade brews always did the trick. Combining liquid Biotin and a new remarkable substance I used before it hit the cosmetic scene, pure Jojoba oil, puncturing vitamin E capsules then squeezing in its curative properties, as well as other choice ingredients, allowed me to care for and maintain the health of Elvis’ hair.

According to International bestselling author Pamela Keogh, “The first superstar, Elvis was almost pure style…His clothes, his hair, the way he sang, the way he moved on stage, his half-kidding sneer.”

Elvis always captivated audiences; he was the living legend performing before their eyes, shooting out bolts of electricity, reaching into and touching every soul, and breaking their hearts, then filling it with joy. Towards the end of his life, Elvis consistently worked harder and harder to satisfy the hunger of his ever-growing multitude of adoring fans, exhausting and draining himself, all at the expense of his health. Along with an array of prescribed medications, a steady diet of junk food and a lack of physical exercise, his exhausted body bore the full brunt of his exertions. Elvis lived to please his fans. If he had looked after himself with as much care as he lavished on his fans, he might very well still be with us today.

Towards the end of his life, Elvis was plagued by a variety of illnesses, which affected his body and thus his hair. Although I encouraged him to eat more nutritious food and to take vitamins and minerals, his crown area eventually started to show slight signs of thinning. After his daily shampoo and blow-drying, I would always take time to perform a deep scalp massage, followed by a thorough brushing. Elvis depended on my knowledge of hair care, and despite the array of forces working against the health of his hair, it always appeared full and thick, and always looked great! I’m absolutely convinced that, if it weren’t for the many years of continuous and prudent care, the downward spiral of Elvis’ hair degeneration and loss would have accelerated much earlier.

The last time I did Elvis’ hair came quite unexpectedly. I was given the unbelievable task of preparing his hair for his funeral in August of 1977.

Quelle: Larry Geller auf Facebook


Sorry, aber da fällt einem doch wirklich fast nichts mehr ein. Geller hat ihm also drei Jahre in den Haaren gefummelt und ist nun der festen Überzeugung, dass er es war, der dafür gesorgt hat, dass Elvis bis zuletzt so volles Haar hatte.

Ich frage mich natürlich, wie Elvis' Haare vorher und auch zwischen 1967 und 1976 überleben konnten, wo sie nicht mit Gellers Wundermixturen bearbeitet wurden. Okay, zugegebenermaßen wirken Elvis' Haare z.B. bei TTWII oder "Aloha" ziemlich kraftlos und dünn.

Des Weiteren frage ich mich, warum der Mann anstatt Schundliteratur an gutgläubige Elvis-Fans zu verkaufen, nicht längst stinkreich ist, wenn er doch ein wirksames Mittel gegen Haarausfall gefunden hat.

Spätestens wenn man das hier gelesen hat, sollte einem eigentlich klar sein, dass Geller nur ein an Selbstüberschätzung leidender Dampfplauderer ist, der sich mit Hilfe argloser Fans, die seine mistigen Bücher kaufen, nur weil er Elvis mal 4 Jahre den Kopf bearbeitet hat (Haha! Schönes doppeldeutiges Wortspiel), die Taschen vollmacht.

Wenn ich das recht verstehe, dann wäre Elvis also ohne Geller nur ein unbedeutender, kahlköpfiger Niemand gewesen. So wird es wohl sein ...

__________________
Ahnungslosigkeit ist die Objektivität der schlichten Gemüter - Harald Schmidt
____________________________

Spätestens .... oder: "Who the fuck is Geller!?"

__________________
><((((º>

was hat dir der Mann eigentlich getan? hat er irgendwann mal deinen Ex-mann - erfolgreich gar? - angebaggert

Ja, worüber sollen wir denn hier diskutieren.

Dann viel Spaß, mich interessiert daran gar nichts ...

__________________
*The genius of Elvis Presley was in his music, but the magic was in his voice*

das hat sie uns doch schon häppchenweise vorgekaut

Scheiss Frisör, scheiss Manager, scheiss Hausarzt....naja wenigstens konnte er singen....

__________________
Thanks to Ernst Joergensen, Roger Semon and Erik Rasmussen for the great work. Keep the spirit alive !

...geht so, da gibts doch wesentlich Bessere

Du hast natürlich Recht. Diskussionswürdig ist der Mann an sich wirklich nicht. Ich war mir auch nicht ganz sicher, welches Präfix ich setze, habe mich dann halt dafür entschieden, weil alles andere auch unpassend war.

Und getan hat mir der Mann gar nichts, außer dass ich mich immer wieder darüber wundere, dass er ein gern gesehener Gast auf irgendwelchen Elvis-Veranstaltungen ist und die Leute dann gebannt seinen Märchen lauschen und schlimmstenfalls noch seine Bücher kaufen, deren Inhalte sie allerdings eh nicht verstehen dürften.

Zudem fällt halt auf, dass auf so vielen Weggefährten rumgehackt wird, obwohl sie Elvis' Karriere zumindest streckenweise positiv beeinflusst haben, während Geller nur Unheil anrichtete, der aber nach wie vor bei manchen als einziger wahrer Freund angesehen wird. Das ist mir einfach zu hoch.

Aber man muss das tatsächlich nicht weiter ausdiskutieren. Es ist ja auch alles gesagt.

__________________
Ahnungslosigkeit ist die Objektivität der schlichten Gemüter - Harald Schmidt
____________________________

Für mich idiotisch dumme Hetzparolen ohne Sinn und Verstand.

__________________

Wie gesagt, man muss das hier jetzt nicht weiter ausdiskutieren. Ich habe meine Meinung zu dem Mann und die Auswirkungen, die er in meinen Augen auf Elvis hatte, mehrfach zum Ausdruck gebracht. Dieses Posting sollte lediglich dazu diesen, das zu untermauern, was ich die ganze Zeit gesagt habe, weil ich gestern - als ich im Zuge einer Frage in dem anderen Thread - nach Informationen gesucht habe, auf Gellers Posting auf Facebook gestoßen bin. Wenn einen das nicht interessiert, dann kann man es ja unkommentiert lassen. Genauso wie ich es in zahlreichen anderen Threads tue, die ich für uninteressant oder diskussionsunwürdig halte. Auf jeden Fall spare ich mir dämliche Kommentare, die nur darauf zielen, irgendeinen User persönlich angreifen zu wollen. Wenn ich anderer Meinung bin, dann sage ich das und begründe es auch immer, was ich auch in Sachen Geller in aller Ausführlichkeit getan habe. Wenn z.B. jemand über Parker oder Cilla schimpft, dann versuche ich meinen Standpunkt immer ordentlich darzulegen und Argumente zu liefern, ohne den jeweiligen User persönlich anzugreifen, nur weil er nicht meiner Ansicht ist, aber damit scheinen manche hier schon überfordert zu sein.

__________________
Ahnungslosigkeit ist die Objektivität der schlichten Gemüter - Harald Schmidt
____________________________