elvis & larry a journey shared

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello oh my god thank you thank you oh my gosh all right so what do you want to talk about oh thank you for being here really it means so much and we're going to share a very interesting journey together 35 years and 35 years it's hard to believe Elvis left us 1977 and for a lot of us he is still with us and over the years I've written personally two books I've appeared on television and on the radio spoken fans around the world and I have a lot of very interesting stories and anecdotes to tell and I'll share some of those with you today but my purpose is to bring you into the inner dimension of Elvis's life I want to I want you to listen in rooms upstairs private rooms that Graceland at the studio in Las Vegas wherever we were because over the years Elvis and I spoke every day for hours sometimes about the most intimate aspects of his life for why he was what happened when he became Elvis Presley and what all that meant to him this is my mission and Elvis asked me to tell you he empowered me and that's why I am so passionate about what we're doing there today and what I've been doing for many years one afternoon it was in April April 25th which is a very significant day in Elvis's life was his mother's birthday we were in Detroit Michigan at the Hilton hotel that night Elvis is going to appear in concert it's about 4:30 in the afternoon and Elvis and I were in his bedroom on the floor and we were looking at these two open trunks of books because wherever we went Elvis had his books portable library and over the years they just grew at any rate Elvis picked up a book and looked at it kind of wistfully and put it down he goes like this to me we stand up to go into the other room and he just stops and he puts one hand on my shoulder and the other hand he points outside he said they know Elvis Presley already said they know Elvis they don't know me they don't know me you know Elvis the image but something else going on inside of me and the world needs to know and I need to know that you with me and I said yeah of course I am of course you said look this book is coming out on me stories are going to be floating around and you know as well as I do that a half-truth could be a lie could be a distortion people don't know about the books I read they don't know them a spiritual person I would never ask anyone else but you I trust you and I want you to tell the world the truth about who I really am because if they don't understand if they don't if you don't do this so never get me I'm counting on you to do this we hugged on it that was my bond that's it that's what I've been doing this what I'm doing here now for me it started in California I grew up in West Hollywood I took Fairfax High School I was in a group little Club we had called the pals and there was six of us christendom Chuck Letterman Stan blye art Neuberger and dick Perkins and me if you saw happy days and Fonzie six of us that's what we look like I can't tell you how many times a day I was doing this in a duck tail and the hair of those sideburns and tight Eggers and you know so one afternoon at school there's lunch time and Stan ran up hey you're not going to believe it Elvis's coming to town oh my god when he said that I just like who this is it this is it but we figured hey we're going to get in we have to see all this that was it we go to the Pam Pacific auditorium of the day of the concert we never saw anything like this I mean we all take this for granted rock concerts right thousands of kids teaming in from everywhere it was so exciting and we saw I saw some people I knew from school hey got an extra ticket hey can I go in would you go in with you stupid little kids right so we walked to the end of the building and we try to pry open the door nothing we went to the back of the building so when we wanted to break a window alley we were now every just about everyone was in it was a few stragglers you know like us so we had one other shot we walked to the side of the building and I said look there he is there's Elvis and there was Elvis standing there the ball three or four guys in front of him gold jacket is about maybe 15 yards away I said come on you guys this go meet Elvis they rose they were I saw the look on their faces and I thought well I'm going I ran up to Elvis at that time I was about maybe this tall and Elvis I could see Elvis looking at me because one of the guys Elvis like this guy is already in here and Elvis looks and I ran up to him and he looks at me and I hi Elvis my name is Larry Geller and he puts his hand out he's it hi I'm Elvis Presley and I'm looking at that face and looking at his hair and his eyes and his side but his lip just so and from where I was sitting it was like this guy's from outer space this isn't even real but it's real right but the minute he said hi I'm Elvis Presley nice to meet you at that very moment one of the guys had Elvis they want you you're on you're looking at kind of shrugged and he was this inner energy was just burning him I could see it I could feel it he says to me well you heard kid called me kid got to go talk to you some other time and he walked off oh man I mean you can imagine right all my friends came over everyone would shake my hand a couple girls came over I thought oh this is so cool so cool dad you know about a year later I took a walk one evening on that very Street where the Pan Pacific auditorium is and I see a big stained-glass window in a door and in those days you know that was weird and it was an Egyptian ankh and I said wow so I walked in when I walked in I didn't know if it was a beauty salon or a barber I couldn't help there was shampoo bowls it was a guy on a short a small ladder hanging plants and was all wooden very rustic I introduced myself I said he explained to me because I'm opening up the very first salon for men in America doesn't exist he said what you should do is get when you get your license because you probably will join forces with me who start a new art form and we're pioneers and this is going to be something else I did we open their doors and right off the bat Hollywood's who's who Frank Sinatra Marlon Brando Paul Newman rug Hudson Steve McQueen I was doing Roy Orbison's hair Henry Fonda Peter Sellers one of my client I mean I had and I was 20 years old and this was really something else so one afternoon in April in 1964 my phone rang and I'm doing someone's hair and on the other line was this Southern drawl and this fella by name valent Fortas who used to work the late Alan Fortis who used to work for Elvis said Larry I'm sitting here with Elvis Presley and he would like you to come up to the house to fix his hair hi I wasn't sure if I heard correctly and as I was saying this the receptionist said something like Peter sell is one shoe he wants you to come up to the house I think oh my god this is something I said yes I would well you know naturally right so I drove up to the house in Bel Air and proved you away and I knew what Elvises house was right off the bat why there were tons of fans in the front young people old people the cakes opened up people are skinned cattle Elvis I'm here he's nothing a lot of near the well of course I walk in and Elvis walks up to me and I'm six-two health is about 511 and a half probably look 6-2 to everyone but he was fine level now if we still have a very tall guy he walks up to me puts his hand out he says hi I'm Elvis Presley and he looked at me I thought no I put my hand out said hi OS I'm Larry Geller great to meet you I'm having this flashback I miss Keyhoe [Laughter] and he had that same inner glow it was a moment was a moment he said come on man we're going to my my bathroom you fix my hair or talk great walking to the bathroom look I'm expecting to see a salon chair light bulbs are on you know nothing of the conscious it was a big bathroom but playing it was a little basin now it kind of do it right here so I put a towel I'm trying to rinse the hair out you know the shampoo out of his hair and all over the cinema almost through and almost mirrors his head up he goes like this and the waters flying and it's hitting meat and he's now he's he's like waters all whoa and he looks at me with that million dollar Elvis smile and you all know what I'm talking about and he says May hey man what the hell Elisa's claim in that very instance that moment I knew who Elvis was as a human being a lot of celebrities want you to know who they are that ego is just flaming Elvis the seventh look at the guy he didn't have those Eagle filters now Sato is a purity in this man all I loved it I felt at ease immediately it didn't matter if I was the gardener or the president itíd States he treated everyone the human being and that was Elvis they sit down friend a la longue a marble ledge mirror he's explained to me he's in the middle of this movie would bother Stanwyck called Robster bout he says may you know you can't cut too much off Larry these scenes have got the match pelvis I said leave the driving to me don't worry I know exactly what to do said okay now I didn't know it then but in a certain sense you couldn't shut Elvis up he'd love to talk he love to great storyteller a very inquisitive mind bright he was the he was so bright and had a know an innate awareness about him he didn't say anything and I'm doing his hair and looking in looking at him in the mirror and I can see his eyes following every move he's just intent and I figured look if you want to engage in the conversation wonderful I'm here if not sure space I'm here to do a job great I sprayed his/her so what do you think all of us do you think he says Oh beautiful man great great he's dismiss it turned around he points up me who are you who are you Larry what are you really all about man were you really into I was stunned I'm so straightforward right I mean and I as I'm telling you this I can remember exactly what my thoughts were and they raced by like that you could tell him the truth of what you into you might think you're a Hollywood naught or he'll appreciate it and I have to be the truth I said Elvis you know I work on celebrities you know how about our salon and but there's something more important to me than doing hair my vocation in life and that is I'm searching for truth for God for the purpose of life that's what I'm really all about I read spiritual books and religious books about the great religions of the world and I'm into meditation and I pray I know you're Elvis Presley I know you're the biggest star in the world this probably sounds corny to you is whoa wait a minute man wait a minute you said you have no idea how I need to hear what you have to say because what you're talking about is what I think about when I go to bed at night my whole life I know how to talk to about this and please keep on talking so I told Elvis I said you know there's a book that really got me started and it's a fantastic book on the impersonal life it talks about the creation and it's very it's a very metaphysical book and it talks about the voice within what would you talk about what voice within I said well we all have an inner voice some people call it intuition call it what you want and I said when I was a little boy I was in kindergarten and I would hear this police talk to me and tell me things from right from wrong I thought it was my father talking to me and I thought hey that's how father's talk to dirt a little that their children it was a man I had that voice now as a kid I thought it was my twin brother I said call this look to the great questions of life where do we come from where are we where are we going do we really have souls is there life after death or is life just a giant vast cauldron of molecules and atoms bubbling over that over billions and billions of years evolved to this or is there a goddess or a divine plan it was a hey man I could never buy into that other one I believe I've always believed I was brought up in the church he said but you know something very interesting someone told me I don't know who it was he said but you know those ships those little ships they get him into the bottle and nobody knows how to hug that you got in there and how do you get them out but I always heard that's what what man is is it were stuck in that when he said that to me I'm thinking okay he's saying a mouthful he's telling me about himself in a very deep way would he even realizes it or not Elvis said to me I've always felt this unseen hand every since I was a little boy guiding my life bring me bringing me to where I am now he said there's got to be a reason like you say there's no such thing as coincidence and he went like this he went there's got to be a reason why I was plucked out of all the millions and millions of lives to be Elvis there's got to be a reason said Larry you have no idea where I came from man I'm telling you I came from poverty like you would not believe and I was I started to tell me about the two-room Shack that his father built in Tupelo two rooms he said man people take everything for granted we didn't have lightbulbs phones like electricity we didn't know from electricity in our house I realized where he came from and he's telling me this and tears streaming down his cheeks I'm thinking he doesn't know mean he's opening up and he's telling me to you see what's going on here I knew something special was happening and the thing was just unfolding I'm with him about an hour and a half two hours it's a remarkable conversation that we're having the pelvis and I were having he said to me my mom said to me honey don't you ever forget where you came from don't you ever forget when I came on the scene she said to me honey Elvis people are gonna want to use you don't you ever forget he said when I first came out to Hollywood I went to these Hollywood parties and these bald guys with cigars put their arm around me and call me baby man I hated that stuff I cringed I man when I when I finished making a movie I get the hell out of Hollywood's like one big movie said Tinseltown I get back to Memphis I looked at my watch because I realized I must have been two maybe three honoree I don't even know how long I've been here I look at my watch Elvis I check I got to get back to waiting for me look if you want me to come back sometime I'll do your hair again I'll bring you some books we can talk you know whatever you want but I got to get going is it I got a better idea go back and tell me quit you work for me full time what do you think you be at studio Paramount Studios you know where it is on Jetta yeah sure be there tomorrow at eight o'clock your name will be at the gate and bring me some glass books how's that paramount studios the data clock as I Drive in I see Elvis come in and right behind me a few other cars and all of a sudden the whole cat we walk into the great dressing room Elvis comes in sits down and Elvis in those days was like kinetic energy moving he's just yeah get that for me over there I need some water can I get some love and I brought him some books in the first book I gave him was a book called the impersonal life and since Elvis died this book is so synonymous with Elvis that the publishers with Graceland put his copy out Elvis one time about a hundred of these for him and then after a movie he handed it to everyone to work on the movie and you have to understand this is 1964 this is the cusp of the cultural revolution of the 60s these subjects esoteric metaphysical God the soul no one spoke about these things and turn on TV and Oprah is talking about it I mean you go to the book this is what it's all about and it's getting bigger and bigger today then it's verboten people would think you're really weird if you even some people today perhaps but then without a doubt so when Elvis at the studio would give these out he would smile at me like hey big they need this he was just he'll give this to people you got to read this you've got a well that was the beginning for me and we left at the end of that first day we walk outside and I looked at Elvis his car was a Rolls Royce now we've said to me they've been in Rose I said now haven't I said pick the keys go for a ride tonight take a wife spring back tomorrow I know I know hell is that that's beautiful Matt I can't do it I I didn't do it but that's Elvis that's the point that's the point at any rate about two weeks later the movies over and when the movies over Elvis we get in his Dodge mobile home care event of our cars and we head back and drive through route 66 and Elvis is starting to change and everyone sign and knows it because now after a couple weeks now his library's about this big to them being in books now when he's driving the bus they pull over he pulls over every three hours or so he wants to take a break and read books and everyone's looking at me they're looking at him they don't know what he's really don't get it which is understandable I must have made 12 14 I don't know how many trips cross country with all this over the years I always sat shotgun we are about 30 miles before Oklahoma City on route 66 Elvis pulls the bus over there's a empty lot barn and Elvis turns to me and he says would you mind stepping outside with me please but we said it on I don't know what I said that group but I did I said sure we walk outside and we're standing toe-to-toe and he had this book in the impersonal life in his hand he said okay just tell me the truth who sent you here to give me this information who sent you here to give me these books and I didn't open my mouth and a car pulls up and he's two guys reporters from the local paper paper jump out hey Elvis what you do I'm budding what you doing around here um we have a picture and I said yeah sure if you take one with my buddy and me we walked through the front of the bus Elvis puts his armor on me looks at me like with a grin like Saved by the Bell we're taking this picture I wish I had this picture because the story behind it and they take the picture then Elvis signs an autograph they leave and Elvis looks for me and he says alright who sent you what is this and I looked at him I said you sent me Elvis you sent me he smiled he said you're right that's it let's go [Laughter] Elvis's library began swelling I brought him books from all the great spiritual masters of every wisdom tradition on planet earth and the people around him did most of them not all of them didn't like the fact that Elvis was reading he was changing he was 28 years old I was 24 he was growing up he was hit an inquisitive mind like I told you about six seven months after I'm working with Elvis Elvis had no conception of time he was on what we used to call Elvis time he would wait to the very last minute if he had to do something and he did not like going he loved making movies he loved them but leaving Graceland sometimes was a difficult task so he weighs last minute which meant for the first time ever we had to drive straight through to us it to his home back here to make a movie so we knew we couldn't stop so when we got to the panhandle of Texas Amarillo Elvis pulled into a motel and sons Elvis we can't stop is none up 30 minutes I just need to freshen up you guys get a room get me a room by myself we go up into our room 30 seconds later the phone rings someone said all right learn he wants you you can't start talking Elvis again you can't we got to go we got to go that's why I was pulled over because there was something on this mind I go into the room and Elvis is walking back and forth his re you got to tell me man you got to tell me I've always believed in God I believe I'm a believer I've read all the books and I read all about these mystics that have all these extraordinary experiences and how people are touched with this divine energy and it's never happened to me I believe but it hasn't happened why so I said I said Elvis it doesn't matter if you're Elvis Presley or Larry Geller or anyone else we got to let go of our egos we got to let go and surrender to God ask God about it tell god what you want I get it he said okay I get it let's go we got to get through California here it comes we get into the Dodge mobile home we drive through New Mexico Arizona and we were facing the sacred Hopi mountain called the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff and Grand Canyon is up there and we're driving and all of a sudden Elvis's whoa look do you see what I see Gerri Schilling and red west and Billy Smith were behind us in the in the cab and I looked I said yes I do and I saw and you would see it a definitive face of Joseph Stalin with the eyebrows and that mustache in that hair I couldn't believe we saw the same thing a Wow that's what but as I'm looking it started to diffuse into a cloud again and all of a sudden I turned to Elvis and goes uh-huh his jaw dropped and he pulls the bus over the side of the road they said Lawrence follow me these guys in the back they or they look and Elvis run about ten yards into the desert I need a ride follow him and he turns around and screaming tears grabs me you're right I love you man I love you you're right you got to let go it's not the ego it's not help us what happened he said you saw that face I saw that face of Joseph Stalin and he was worse than Hitler this guy was like the Antichrist he killed more people than Hitler I thought maybe I was getting the message maybe God was telling me something about myself as a God tell me the truth tell me the truth all I wanted to do is to do your will please I surrender to you and all of a sudden that face went into full blown light and a lightning bolt pierce my heart and went into at every adamant cell in my body and I was filled with such love God is love God is love you said I'm gonna tell you something now I don't have to believe in God anymore now I know now I know God is everybody's a new reason me because everything is love that's what it's all about at that moment read West took his head oh is it hey boss oh you are right out there I said I've never been better a bit right there and we both needed shades and we were just cars are whizzing buying the highway and Elvis askew mansion depends on me like this I said I was they'd love you all the more believe me get back in the bus and Ellis was so taken back by this experience couldn't drive for the first time he said read you take the wheel now the sand I went to the bedroom in the back we sat down and for the next couple hours we just talked and talked about what happened and we both fell up fell asleep the next thing we knew knew we heard screaming we're on fire run fire red pulled the bus over and thankfully we're about two miles mile-and-a-half right before needles California fortunately we all jump out of the vehicle and under the carriage in the back under the axles flames are coming we all got our hands in the gravel and we extinguish the fire now we are Elvis Presley in the desert and our Caravan for the very first time ever we got lost and I'm so glad those are just us in this experience we all got suitcases that we're in now I said I'll have someone come get the buses just get me into a room he takes how this wallet and gives it to me hey Larry you're in charge get a room for all of us and then go rent a car and let's just get back we got to get back now so we're in a room called the local cab company 10 minutes later two cabs I go downstairs and I said look we have a very important passenger so we need to be calm and get it so Los Angeles we're going to put all the our luggage and one vehicle will drive with you in this vehicle and all of a sudden Elvis is walking down with the other the other three guys and they both look up I can't imagine what you know their headspace what's going I said yes it's Elvis Presley you're going to take him home we get in the car in the vehicle Elvis is in the back right by the window and he rolls the window down and he's still in this experience he I mean it's he puts his head out the window he breathes in going cold like that but the driver is freaking out his pet his pedal was 90 miles an hour now as a man slow down slow down who want to kill us keep your eyes on the road could he come he's looking at Elvis do it there's quite a moment right drive up to the house and all the other guys are there we get out and I wasn't listening guys we got to be at the studio go home get some sleep Larry come with me we got to talk we going to the den Elvis has been had louvers door louvered louvered doors for privacy but not really because if someone's on the other side you can hear what's going on Elvis closes the Taurus this is sit down I sit down and he's standing above me said that's it I said man I quit I quit show business I went out I went out how in the hell can I go back and make these teeny bopper movies that don't mean a thing it's the same flick it's the same movie all they do is change my name I just can't do this anymore I was touched by God you got me into this exam and I'm not going to make a move until you tell me what to do and I heard the voices on the other side of the door I'm thinking oh my god and I look and he said don't worry about them let him tell Colonel Parker his manager let him tell him I want him to everyone's got to know find me a monastery maybe I'll join a monastery I said wait a minute Elvis you can imagine what was going on within me Elvis you are the biggest star in the world you have more fans than anyone else they love you they listen to you and they'll follow you and now you can make them movies that you always talk about about being an actor in real now you can do things a lot your life that we've been talking about and you get some rest you said you do what I say get rest go to sleep I give you my word of honor you wake up and you'll have new eyes to see I promise you you'll be recharged and this experience you that you had is so valid because it can take a long time to roll out to really understand the ramifications and all of a sudden Elvis grinned he said you're right you're right tell you the truth I can't see myself raking leaves in the garden and having Priscilla next to me raking leaves it felt okay we finished the move just about finish the movie that we were on at MGM and Elvis said to me the colonel wants to see me something's up there's a meeting let's go to MGM so we drove to MGM a couple cars follow us we drive into MGM lot and drive up to Elvis exploitations that's name is Chronos office you walk in his office and honestly you can see ceiling or wall or anything everything is veld Self Self Self Self Self Help Hills posters everywhere movie posters show from the great office help said y'all wait here talk to the colonel I'll be right out waiter about 15 20 minutes and Elvis comes out and when he came out of that he heard that meeting and I saw him I could I I thought I saw smoke coming out of his nostrils I knew and down look on his face when he got angry he got back in the car and he started swearing he said that son of a he said man first thing he said to me so I hear lorries bring in your books you're really on it so kind of a religious kick a kick he said my legs like my life is not a kick it's my life this is what I'm about and he got into it and he didn't stop for a couple of hours he said that man is better take care of business but that's it there's a line he's the business end I'm the artistic and I'm the performer he's the Manager he'd better not get into my life man and he went on for days how we spoke about this a year later Elvis brought it up he had a love-hate relationship simple as that I don't think I have to tell you because Elvis's generosity legendary legendary he gave away to all of us to strangers if you came over to the house to this house Graceland I promise you you would not leave my soul to give you a bracelet or give you a car but I image okay he said I know better most people what means when the Bible says it's more blessed to give than receive because I when I see someone's face when I give them something and he gave cars in jewelry and mobile homes and horses to us and trucks hair transplants to someone a kidney if you needed a body part Elvis used to go to go to a guy okay whatever we want he could not say no one afternoon up in Bel Air doing else's here someone could Elvis the trucks here Elvis grins is it hey got a surprise let's go we walk to the car compound there was a big truck they're unloading 12 big hogs Harley Davidsons motorcycles six blue six red universes fan fans galore outside he'll listen to us everyone pick out the one you want blu-ray wherever you want to it we all picked our bike out does this young boy about 16 years old he was standing at the gate like that and Elvis motions me to follow him and we walk up to this boy and it was Ezra for the nice bikes huh the kid said yeah couldn't look at all this good look at him if we do have a bike no you want one no well you got one go pick out a bike kid didn't move obvious goes like this come on come on and you pose this guy in and the Geiger got a bike Elvis Presley his generosity was unbounded he gave things away and helped people here they don't tell anyone give money to a hustle don't let him win those for me it was December of 1965 we're upstairs and Elvis's bedroom was here in his office and then the room where I did his hair was a nice chair and acted of a shampoo bowl that was great we spent hours and years in that room so it was right before Christmas and I'm telling Elvis about this fantastic book and it's all about the Christian Church and how it really started and how all the how they decided about the books that should make up the Bible and what books they didn't put in I say always you got to read this book it was written by this person that has done research very mystical I was like oh yeah man I want that book get it tomorrow I can't what did you get they don't have this book in Memphis I give my copy I'll buy it when we get back he said no no I wear too much what time is it is it 8:00 o'clock tonight he's what you can catch the red-eye [Laughter] next thing I know I'm in Los Angeles and I figured hey look I'm here I miss Christmas I bought him a stack next night it's 8 o clock I'm back in the room sure that was the book he looks idea I'm doing his hair but there's one book that caught his eye it was a coffee table type book about the earliest years of Hollywood Hollywood all began the very first movie stars and on the left of every page was a picture of the person of the star and on the right by oh maybe a smaller picture Elvis opens it up to the very first page it is oh my god I don't believe this the very first movie star this is where the term came from America's Sweetheart Mary Pickford but wait a minute said that's not a real name they made her name up look what her real name is Gladys Smith that's my mom's name the very first movie stars as my mom's name Wow coincidence I don't think so Larry so I'm just this is something this gets better I'm doing him finishing up his hair Doug Douglas Fairbanks and a Buster Keaton and all that you know all the silent all the great the greats and all of a sudden Noah says whoa there he is man looking at look Larry look at that picture that's the man the greatest sex symbol of them all Rudolph Valentino the Sheik look at his eyes you can tell he knew that he had that power look at him look at him when when when nets honest I am he loved him he had an effect on women he died so young and they would flip it people women flung themselves on his casket I said in my naivete which is cool I said but Elvis that's who you are today in our time he turns Liza white death how are you talking about he didn't accept it he didn't get it really wasn't he he was he knew as Elvis Presley he knew he was a movie saw but he had a humbleness about him I always would never say hey it's me me he couldn't do that he couldn't accept that he was them he could that was his beauty though that was his beauty he says to me you know people say so many things about me people call me the king of rock and roll like I invented rock and roll or something no he's it now that's not let me tell how it really happened he went on to tell me he said it happened way way back in the old days in the deep south in the Dillon and the Mississippi Delta was with black people that's how it all started people who knew what suffering was people who knew what poverty real poverty real suffering these people pick cotton and work their butts off their asses off their whole when the Sun came up until the Sun went down they were out there sweating and you know how they got through it they saying to God from their pain from their pain and they made up their songs or they went along some of those songs remain with us today that's how these songs were created in the first place and who wins their churches and white people picked up on it they started singing started singing some of their songs then it started to really spread I went to honky tonk Don in New Orleans and eventually up to Chicago st. Louis and Chicago into the Blues in our time it all developed rhythm and blues I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and introduce their music to a white audience that's how it all began if it meant I remember I was only three years old and I knew I want to be a singer I knew then I was on my mama's lap in church and all I want to do is run down the aisles and in sting with choir hey man I came on the scene they call me my music dirty dirty they said I was dirty the way I sang the way I move my body hey learned it in church and I get up there is saying all I'm doing is being myself and what I feel and if I think it turns off he said don't think just be Elvis Presley you know we're here because of Elvis but the actual center of the Elvis world is Graceland and the center of Graceland is a meditation College where Elvis is buried and I'll bet you most people think that the meditation garden came with Graceland you know originally I was bought it there was no no here's how it happened I introduced Elvis to a lot of things and one of them was to the teachings of self-realization fellowship Paramahansa Yogananda and they have centers all over the world and I used to bring Elvis up late at night to meet the head of the whole place her name was Shree daya Mata and Elvis and elves loved her he called her ma she was a mother figure to him he brought Priscilla there and Priscilla and ma became what she passes sridhar mother passed away about a year and a half ago remarkable lady and she and Elvis were very close over the years and they had a center on Sunset Boulevard when you approach the Pacific Ocean it's called the lake shrine and there's a wonderful meditation garden and it's 10 acres with a gorgeous lake and Elvis fans from all will go there now to the bus tours in the Hollywood star tours when they pass by they say the Elvis used to builder Elvis said to me this place is special you can feel it you can see the people here no one's bothering me too respectful it's because it's very spiritual here this is what I want I want a meditation garden we created the meditation garden there's a felt that used to work for Elvis Marty Locker and he helped and so we built helped us to love the designing himself never ever ever imagining what sook would exist today as the seventies started to roll on we're all sort of changing with the times the world was changing society was changing I started to get very interested in literature and writing and come on 1972 I founded and created a magazine called the New Age voice in fact 20 minutes here that's right lovely cover in 1972 it reflected the information reflected that terror and so I brought a show to have brought Elvis as I finally finished it and he looked at it he said give me hundred copies gave with everyone then he said to me I got to ask you something who what said I need your permission I'm starting a new backup group and I want to call them the voice after your magazine and that solved the voice Elvises group that's where it came from Elvis started to change a lot he started to really mature in a lot of ways intellectually and he started to think about things that he could do with his career with his life he was touring now the movie days were over and now touring the country back and forth and back and forth and he was coming up with ideas that he could start to expand his expression and we started to talk about making movies Elvis wanted to start a charity so one night were in his house in the Holmby Hills 1:44 Mudville and we're talking about starting a charity how did you know Danny Thomas is a friend of mine Danny Thomas started Jude's Hospital I get to pee whenever he needs anything he calls me I'm there for him and he used to live next door to me when I had the house on Hillcrest let's go over let's go over there right now Danny would talk to us he'll give some ideas about charity great we jump in Elvis's stuck Bearcats it's about 78 minutes away drive up and Danny Thomas lived on a cul-de-sac on top of the hill overlooking Los Angeles with the most incredible view in Elvis's old houses next door we pulled up tell us now get out of the car we walked through the gates and was pretty dark and I was looking in a guard security guard Garza's you better get out of here no no no no I'm here to see mr. Thomas Danny's a friend of mine we tell him I'm here no no no you gotta you better get out of here right now you know I I used to live next door I was his neighbor Danny Thomas is a friend of mine tell him I'm here the guy says if you don't leave now he starts to walk towards us we're on the other side of the gates I'm calling the squad car you know and Elvis now I'm starting to get angry I'm thinking oh no this isn't good he said Do You Know Who I am I don't care who you are get out of here Oh Elvis Presley man no I want to go he's and now I'm saying this is a situation I don't see a very good outcome uh yeah yeah and he'll just open the left you tell Danny Thomas I'm here or I'm gonna have your job your jobs on the line and the guy the guard said something and I looked amuses okay okay let's go let's go we've got in the car I'll just didn't say anything I could tell he's like very upset we will drove back to his house we're going to the den and Elvis said oh man I blew it I'm doing I can't believe what happened my ego it's my ego kind of way with me there is no way in the world I would have anyone's job how in the hell did I do that who shows you man you said I got a tiger in me and you know you got to learn how to control yourself that's the lesson that's my I got to control myself and I'm telling you this because obviously you can see by now when I talk about Elvis I talk in very glowing superlative terms because it was an extraordinary human being but Elvis a this week he was a person like us did you ever get mad Jevon lose your temper did you ever say something to someone that you said of course but here's the point I'm really trying I'm trying to undercut it with Elvis was a type of person that was always aspiring to be better to grow to do the right thing never succumb to the lower self and that's a quality that we should only all inhabit because now I see using my point so as time was going by Elvis's especially after the divorce would Priscilla it took a toll on Elvis hit him very hard you went to a lot of things and it manifested physically and it's true with any of us our bodies record was going on with our mind our life our emotions everything was recorded in the body the poor are poor bodies take the brunt of what we go through in life and it did with Elvis and he was plagued with a lot of problems physically that people don't know about that over the next several years just got worse he had got coma after a show Elvis was literally blind first of all he had a coma one time and had to have a medical procedure and when he walked up on stage the first thing he would see was flash folks over and over and wouldn't stop and it blinded him plus the fact that he sweat and his hair would cut would go into the corner of his eye so I got a very short turn on here at times but after a show Elvis would have to be led by the arm on each side down off the stage he couldn't see go back either to the hotel or the plane lie down with compresses on his eyes for about 35 45 minutes his eyesight came back if you went to his bedroom or is been right here he'd have his glasses on it was wear glasses so when afternoon runt or Louisville Kentucky Hilton Hotel 4:30 in the afternoon Elvis in a bit his bedroom with his doctor now we own the floor even the people in our show they didn't stay with us if they weren't in another hotel there might be a couple floors below us we own the floor just us you can't get off the elevator collision one of us so I'm sitting by myself waiting for the doctor to leave the room and there's a pounding on the door whoa I jumped up and I ran to the door and look through the people and there's Colonel Parker manager who never came to see Elvis on tour very unusual so open the door colonel hello where is he and where is it where is he well Colonel I told I Jason he's in the bedroom with the doctor I let me tell him you're here he's not going right in he walks right past me with his cane and I follow him to the bedroom he opens the door and this is what I saw doctor has Elvis's head dunking Elvis's head into a bucket of ice and Elvis is moaning and the door closed picture this my first thought was good good because now the man in charge is going to see the reality Elvis needs help he needs to go to a hospital or something but he should not be into her a minute and a half later the colonel walked out walked up to me and we stood toe-to-toe he looked at me right in the eyes he said now you listen to me the only thing that's important now is that man in there is on the stage tonight you hear me nothing else matters nothing and he walked out my heart sank what about Elvis wait a minute what about Elvis from what Elvis what's going on here he saw what's happening hope this was was unconscious I know what I would do I know it anyone here would do about two minutes later doctor walked out and I heard of Lawrence come in here Iwaki neither why in the hell did you let that son of a in here I told what happened he's a man I've had it I've had it with him that's it I know I've said it before over the years he can't keep he was phenomenal when we started he was brilliant he was a G he's a genius he launched my career I'm indebted to him I always will be but he's lost touch he's lost touch I got to find someone else and we discussed certain names and help us pick someone out how that he wanted to manage him because I'm gonna get I'm gonna rid of the colonel and he mentioned everybody in the group and ran down if each name spoke about them and Elvis was in the process of letting everything most of the people go he didn't want a group around him he was going to stop touring he said I know my life's on the line we're going to go to Hawaii and we're going to rent that house because we were on a vacation for the first time for a few days and he went to the house and he loved it there was aa wahoo and he mentioned three other people that were going to go and he said man I'm stopping the tours I've had it I've done it if it takes a year whatever it takes I got to get my life back the very very last time Elvis ever played Las Vegas December of 1976 we the group our group our guys seven or eight of us we're sitting on the couch and Elvis is sweet waiting for Elvis to come up to start the process of the day Elvis came out usually at four o'clock the door opened and Elvis came out of his bedroom wearing his blue robe he had a look on his face that I knew there was something wrong right away he plopped down on the couch and he had beads sweat and he was heaving gasping for breath almost he said you guys all leave Larry now alone we have to talk I'll feel a while they all left and Elvis got up and walked to where the drapes were that were covered and he lunged on the great drapes and he said Lawrence quick quick and I ran over to him and put my arm around him he's a quick commune in the bedroom get me in the bedroom we staggered into the bedroom we went to the bed and he fell down on the bed and it goes like this uh uh this is it I'm going I'm dying Elvis Presley is lying there and telling me he's dying I said Elvis I'm gonna get a doctor and he grabbed my arm like this and squeezed it don't let me die alone in a split second he died I not God knuckle em die alone yes he needs help back he's Iying this is it I can't let him via I jumped on the bed I jumped on the bed and I put him cradled him in my arms and he was wet wet and I am wet now I put my hand on his heart and was going like a jackhammer I'm it kid and he was going like this and his eyes are rolling back I thought this is that and I didn't I was freaked out freaked but behind it behind my frontal being personality my essence was like a rock and I just not instinctually but intuitively knew what to do I put my hand on this as I told you as a chest pelvis I'm going to be healed right now you are going to be healed breathe deep breathe deeper your diaphragm Elvis relax slow down slow down slow down your breathing this went on for an eternity two or three minutes if it happen for 10 seconds it's too long I'll miss open his eyes he looked at me when he did I knew read his back I knew I said Elvis I gotta go tell that I got I gotta tell the doctor God Tom what happened I propped him up in bed I got a bunch of pillows behind him and he thanked me and you saved my life and all that kind of stuff other night stuff I was like I tell the doctor he said okay tell the doctor but no one else and don't tell my dad don't tell daddy who's the father was on tour with us this will kill him I said I will Elvis I will but you if you're going to live Elvis you're okay you helped so many people August 16th for the night of the 15th going into 16th as at Graceland and Elvis calls downstairs this was going on tour the next day part in the main two weeks publicist I want to go to the movies set up a set up to move in the theater I want to see that movie of Gregory Peck MacArthur so just Zito pick up the phone and he didn't want Elvis to go I'm and obviously I have to go to the dentist now when I come back so I always went to the dentist's midnight for some reason thankfully the projection has had a crisis with his family and couldn't go so we couldn't see the movie great Elvis came back about an hour and a half later when I heard the front door open I went to see him and he had his sunglasses on and he took his sunglasses off he looked at me that man can communicate with his eyes and he looked at me and he gave me a look he shook his head put his glasses on walk upstairs I I went near the room in the den and I sat down and I thought oh my god why why are we going on tour he should not happen he's not ready not ready but five minutes later the phone rang from his room downstairs and and someone shook me actually I was in such deep thought about what's going on I'm so emotional Larry Larry and following it always want you again twelve and Elvis said once did you bring me my books some more books and he said that it was so odd because his voice I never heard his voice like this before he didn't sound like that guy that walked through the door his voice was like pure I fought in my thought was okay sounds like I looked like a teenager I said of course I did he said did you bring me that book of the Holy Shroud of Turin and I said yeah I did didn't I happen to have it here for you and we started talking and all of a sudden he started laughing like a kid and then I started laughing he knows cycling somewhat last year out the laugh is infectious and that's what happened we were both sitting there it was stupid almost and I thought myself I was fine oh I'm so glad that's what I'm thinking is I'm laughing oh he's okay if my imagination helps his soul come on upstairs we got a lot to talk about I said they'd help we're going to tour tomorrow when the next couple will be every day we'll talk we'll talk I brought some up some books and we'll talk we got a lot going on and you need some sleep he said he thinks so I said yeah and he started laughing again we both are laughing it was like a weird moment and I knew it was odd I couldn't put my finger on it but I liked it because the sound of his voice yet I I don't know come put my finger on it and then Elvis said well whatever's right I said always I'm going to go to my room see you tomorrow come on stairs take care of your hair we'll talk I'm going through he's okay remember Angels fly because they takes them they take themselves so lightly oh that's beautiful I got hung up the last time I ever spoke Elvis went to my room but an hour later help is one of those books if someone came to my room I gave books and as everyone knows Elvis's body was found in the fetal position the book clutch to his chest he's reading about Jesus he is split he left father said to me that day Larry you got to go to the funeral parlor to take care of Elvis's hair you know how we should lucky would want you there went to the funeral parlor as I drove in as a thousands of people outside whose 8:00 in the morning thousands of people kids older people black people white people and everyone had the same look on their face anguish in the same look in their eyes and I heard three helicopters and every time to this day when I hear of a helicopter that moment I is back there it resonates Gil I get on my car I have my bag with me with my stuff charli's there with Robert Kendall six or seven police officers I walked into this room knowing the reality I knew Elvis was a living masterpiece now look at that face those lips and I remember we're thinking that voice we'll never seen that voice that voice it would tear our hearts fill it with joy and I said I said to him silent Elvis we believed every word you said do not forget never forget this Larry never forget this moment this is that one of those extraordinary moments that could ever happen this is history as Elvis you're gonna have to tell people all of a sudden it was like it was like I was watching a video I don't a sudden picture after picture of the pictures just like all the memories were like cascading down and I remember to get hung in the loons you know and all the times at the studio did it just happened so quick and all of a sudden the memory stuck of something that happened 11 years earlier there was 1966 and every day I would go upstairs to do all this is here going go out that night to the men Payne theater and whatever and I knocked on his door in his bedroom and I opened the door l said come on in you know I open the door and there's Elvis but when you know someone's body language you know immediately I thought oh ho I said what what's wrong he looked at me that what's wrong I hey what's wrong and he hands me a magazine because in those days it wasn't the National Enquirer in the star or the globe or that type of thing it was the movie magazines I always said go on read the headline and of course his picture was on the cover and it said Elvis in deep grief over his mother's death he said hey man my mom died eight years ago you never get over your mother your father anyone you loved and it's always there you never get over it but I came to terms with it it was eight years ago we further so I started to read and it said something like this Elvis's friends and family are very worried about Elvis because they hear him pacing back and forth crying in the wee hours of the morning and one insider trick with you with insider right said they're afraid Elvis might want to join his mother how did you believe that man look at the tricks they need these people how couldn't he do a thing like that grieve I hope you never have to grieve like that very ever and that's what I thought when standing about Elvis's potty and it fits so perfectly and I said to him silently not in front of all these strangers in the room Elvis you had it all you had everything and you suffered for it you suffered for it you suffered for your genius you separate for what you really wanted to do and for all the gifts and I known as he had a regrowth of white hair gray everywhere I didn't bring my ties I brought my hair blower and my scissors and the pro-spray and I was going to have to spread the hell out of it what am I going to do I can't bring I can't bring him to Graceland there's a lady there I said you have your mascara we never forget her small new girl yes I do as what colors had block Oh God thank you in those days it wasn't the wand like today I spit in that you know smeared it blended it in and it took me about 45 minutes his hair would not go his life for us left the body this was the physical remains of health expressly and he had a look on his face that stunned me I kept thing what is his soul left but there was a piece there was a certain kind of that put me at peace in a certain way even though I was freaked out so I did his hair sprayed it and sprayed it and sprayed it brought his body to Graceland at noon everyone finally got to see Elvis in the family and friends the guys who were pro this is it the funeral was going to be the next day and all the fans were going to be allowed because we brought the body to the to the to the opening of Graceland later but the family and friends got Lisa from Lisa Marie nine years old came up to see her daddy and I couldn't leave Elvis I couldn't believe that the end of the consulate I just stood there all day Charlie was there too Lisa walks up I was looking at her face and she put her hands on it she felt him she put her hands here and then she starts running her fingers through his hair and I thought oh god oh no Sherwin assume oh I can't say anything that wouldn't you know so then she left and then went over and I noticed something it was like he was bathed bathed in a bliss that I couldn't I can't describe but I saw it so the next afternoon was August the 18th it was the funeral Graceland funeral is over and we meaning Vernon and Jerry and Joe and George Klein and Sam Thompson and a dick robe Allen Fortas Billy Smith the guys were at the casket Robert Kendall from the funeral parlor was there Joe Esposito took Elvis's TCB ring off handed to mr. Presley who was bending right here I was standing here and he remember mr. Presley yelled out son this is it the final curtain Robert Kendall said well I have to close the casket gotta go I was going to be buried and I made a decision and I knew I had to do what I had to do I remember one night before overs one on stage when he was going through his stuff I couldn't believe he was walking on that stage and walked him to sit and I said to him right before he walked on as Elvis tell me what'd he do it and he looked at me he said a man does what he has to do what he's born to do in the matter what cream rises to the top I love that the caskets come in lids coming down and I made a conscious decision I wanted to be the last person to ever touch Elvis Presley so I put my hand quickly for it and I said something silently I wanted to I had to have 2's way it is that's the way it is and here we are 35 years later and psychosis never left us an offense he didn't he still remains in a very unique way his image his music and the force of his personality is here people ask me over the years what would Elvis think you know Moe visited home in America is Graceland 600,000 people 700,000 from all over the world they come they walk up me they walk up to the meditation garden to his buried they want that contact they wanted feeling we want that touch they want some are curious some are just enthralled what about the candlelight vigil the candlelight vigil year after year after year it goes on for 1214 hours no other entertainer politician a religious leader in this country or anywhere in the world has a candlelight vigil every year Elvis climbed Mount Everest and he planted his flag that's the only flag up there he'd give it alone he did it it was amazing when you think about it you take all the great luminaries and I'm a fan of every person I'm going to mention Rudolph Valentino Clark Gable the king of Hollywood John Wayne Marilyn Monroe James Dean Frank Sinatra and throw a few morons and they're all right here more people go to visit his Presley he's your than the rest combined it would blow his mind that's wood so I'm telling you it would blow his mind he would love it but not in a negative way that's not who he was he was shy he was shy he knows Elvis Presley of course I brought him books on every major sub and some you never heard of leaders in the realm of religion and spirituality the world's great wisdom to the traditions and Elvis read their stories he want to know how they reacted to people what they did with our lives to help people the beacons of light that's what he wanted to know that's what he wanted to know and here's the irony there here's the irony in the secret so to speak the way the world has reacted the outpouring of love is what Elvis really wanted this is what he yearned for a whole life as far as I'm concerned all life every one of us comes from the divine from love from love that's what Elvis Presley was all about that first afternoon when I did is here he said to me it was so proud when he said it you know my mom's middle name is love I was her name Gladys love Presley that's all Elvis wanted to do and that's what he did that's what he did that his legacy and that's why we're here today and it's no coincidence that we're here it's no coincidence that everything that happened since Elvis left just kind of happened because he was this great singer now something else is happening this goes way beyond the entertainment world if we knew if any of us knew some of the lives that have been transformed and changed because of Elvis Presley oh my god would be know our minds I know so many times when I'm going through something or I have a problem or it's emotional Rueda and I'm I've listened to Jim Sykes on Sirius radio every day all you have to do is listen to Elvis and music and something happens he communicated and penetrated to the very heart and core of humanity he has healed us Elvis is a healer he's a channel of love thank you for being here and this you [Applause] [Music]

Channel: ajgherts2

Views: 251,075

Rating: 4.6915727 out of 5

Keywords: elvis presley, larry geller

Id: _-c2sc3QFjI

Length: 92min 21sec (5541 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 31 2017