From the Publisher
 Me and a Guy Named Elvis
The quarterback that day was a charismatic seventeen-year-old whose first recording, "That's All Right", had debuted earlier that week and was burning up the local airwaves - Elvis Presley." "Elvis and Jerry would strike up a friendship that would grow over the many weekly football games that followed, even as Elvis became the world's biggest star.
Jerry soon became a regular at Elvis's raucous all-night parties at Graceland, and after he graduated from college in 1964, Elvis asked him to join his "Memphis Mafia" entourage in Hollywood. Over the next thirteen years Jerry would work for Elvis in various capacities - from bodyguard to photo double to personal trainer to co-executive producer on a karate film. But more than anything else he was Elvis's close friend and confident. Jerry had rooms in Elvis's Bel Air mansion and at Graceland, and became the envoy between Elvis and Colonel Parker when Elvis was performing in Las Vegas. Elvis trusted Jerry with protecting his life when he received death threats, he had Jerry drive him and Priscilla to the hospital the day Lisa Marie was born, and he asked Jerry to accompany him on his famous "lost weekend" trip to meet President Nixon at the White House."
Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Elvis from the unique perspective of a close friend, presenting the man rather than the icon. The Elvis Presley Jerry Schilling knew was fiercely intelligent and passionate about his art, a loving and generous man at home with his family and friends, and a fiery and determined spiritual seeker who became a master of martial arts and a self-taught student of philosophy. Jerry reveals Elvis as a relentless prankster and fun-loving man who never truly grew up. He does not shy away from the darker side of Elvis's life, and offers an account of the car
From The Critics
Publishers Weekly
In 1954, at age 12, Schilling first met fellow Memphis homeboy Presley, a 19-year-old truck driver "a year out of high school and less than a week into a recording career that carried no guarantee of turning into steady work." He provides a fascinating view of Memphis in the late '50s, but most of his memoir is from after 1964, when he officially joined the retinue of friends-the "Memphis Mafia"-that served as Elvis's surrogate family. While this thoroughly enjoyable book deftly describes his many adventures with Elvis and other notables, including the Beatles, Ann-Margret, the Beach Boys and Billy Joel, the heart of it is his many observations of Elvis's inner exploration. Unlike the rest of Elvis's posse, Schilling was liberal in his musical and racial views, and he shared Elvis's spiritual hunger "for a sense of meaning and purpose." Schilling provides the most detailed account yet of the sometimes comical LSD trip he took with Presley, and he poignantly observes the "disappointment and frustration" Elvis felt about his Hollywood movies. Overall, Schilling's heartfelt narrative makes this more than just another piece of Elvis product. (Aug.)
Library Journal
In 1954, Schilling had a chance meeting with Elvis Presley at a Memphis pickup football game. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, which eventually led to Schilling's entry into the strange and exciting Presley entourage in 1964. Here, the author vividly describes meeting the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Richard Nixon, and basketball great Wilt Chamberlain; tripping on LSD with the King; and sitting in shock with Elvis as they watched the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on television. Throughout, Schilling treats Elvis evenhandedly, focusing on their friendship but not ignoring the drug problems, isolation, and creative vacuum that killed Presley.
The King comes alive once again as a romantic, sensitive, caring, and sometimes childish and moody man in a bubble. Refreshingly, the author reveals as much about himself as Elvis, showing how the tinsel lifestyle transformed him from a well-meaning, wide-eyed, obedient kid to a divorced adult wanting freedom and a career. Schilling has captured the aura and grim realities of life with one of the most important American icons of the 20th century. One can only hope that he will follow with a book about his post-1977 life as a manager of the Beach Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, Rick Nelson, and Billy Joel. Highly recommended for all types of readers.
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