Wow! Finally made it to Graceland. Spent many hours here, touring the house, the grounds, and the former racquetball court, now an Elvis music showcase.
-----I guess a lot of people think Graceland is tacky, but I keep remembering that Elvis was only in his twenties, and had been born in a two-room shack in Tupelo MS, then moved to the "projects" in Memphis. This was his idea of a palace.
-----Elvis always had lots of friends around - probably didn't like to be alone. They played sports on the lawn, hung around the pool, etc. Wonder how Priscilla felt about that. Also, his parents had their bedroom on the first floor to the right of the stairs. Wonder how Priscilla felt about that! We were not allowed upstairs on the tour.
-----While on line to get in the van to drive over to the house, we started talking to the women in front of us. The mother was from Memphis and was there taking relatives on the tour. She used to "hang out" with Elvis and his friends at the house and said that after his mother died, Elvis was very depressed and was put on pills by his doctor. This continued until Elvis died and his friends still blame the doctor. The pills could account for his weight gain.
-----She also said that they don't believe Elvis committed suicide - he played racqetball that morning and was in a very good mood.
-----We listened to so much of his music while touring Graceland, that we came away with a new appreciation for Elvis' talent - he really is the King!
