Trina Young Interview

Trina Young Interview - July 2023

EIN: Thanks for taking time out to answer questions about your new book. I think it will appeal to a lot of Elvis fans and give them a chance to re-examine the movie with a different approach. It’s been a couple of years since your last book ‘Elvis: The Army Years Uncovered’ so do you feel that Baz Luhrmann’s ‘ELVIS’ biopic has increased people’s interest in Elvis and his historical importance? Trina Young: Yes, definitely! I have been surprised at how many new social media accounts on Instagram by new Elvis fans have popped up since the movie came out. I think Elvis has made many new fans under the age of 35 as a result of the film. I think also the media is paying more attention to Elvis as a result of the film, and also due to Lisa Marie's tragic passing.

EIN: Personally I am an avid movie watcher. I even attended the 1992 premiere of Luhrmann’s first ever movie ‘Strictly Ballroom’ – I am a true fan. So I am extremely interested in your new book ‘Fact vs. Fiction in the 2022 ELVIS Movie’ since I am getting tired of trying to explain to people how truly important the movie was but that you cannot fit every factual detail of Elvis’ life into 2 ½ hours. What inspired you to write this book?

Trina Y: I was amazed at how many questions people were asking on the internet about what was true and what was not true in the film. The movie covered so many details and controversies about Presley's life that people had questions about, and people could only get the answers piecemeal. Instead of picking just a few facts to address in a few articles, I decided it would be easier if I just went through the entire film and explored the history that way.

EIN: Before the film’s release were you apprehensive about what Luhrmann might do with Elvis’ life-story? Have you seen Baz Luhrmann’s previous films?

Trina Y: I had seen Moulin Rouge, Australia and The Great Gatsby. If I had to guess, I would have expected Baz to approach it more like his Australia film versus Moulin Rouge, since Elvis is a real-life story. I never would have imagined the direction he ended up taking it in.


EIN: Luhrmann never stated that his ‘ELVIS’ movie was a documentary, and he hardly used the word “Biopic”, so is it wrong for fans to expect everything second of the movie to be true?

Trina Y: I believe most people understand that artistic license is necessary in a film to tell a person's life story in under 3 hours. If a movie covers a person's entire life from birth to death, people will probably assume it is a biopic. However, the label is not really important. In my opinion, it is not the fact that certain events or people in Presley's life were left out of the film. The issue for me is how significant are the things that were left out and how do they change the perception of Presley's history.


EIN: In closely investigating the movie what was the most surprising or interesting "new fact" that you discovered about Elvis' life?

Trina Y: There were several minor facts about Elvis that I was surprised to learn. For example, when analyzing the scene where Elvis' parents signed his contract with Colonel Parker, I discovered that the RCA contract signing took place at Sun Studio (Memphis Recording Service).

While this was not a secret, it gets confusing if you visit the Peabody hotel in downtown Memphis. They have photos on display from that day which make people think that Elvis signed his RCA contract there. But actually, the contract was first signed at Sun Studio, and then they went to the Peabody Hotel and took more photos.

In the photos at Sun Studio, you see Elvis without a tie. Then later that day he receives his personal signing bonus at the Peabody. Colonel Parker typed up the receipt on Peabody stationary. Elvis is given an RCA tie that he is wearing in the photos at the Peabody.

There was also something pretty significant that I learned regarding when Elvis was first discovered by Sam Phillips and Marion Keisker -- that there may have been someone else who helped Elvis get that call to come in to the studio to record "Without You." I encourage people to read the book for that revelation!

EIN: I think what is incredibly impressive is the amount of detail Luhrmann used in re-creating key scenes, such as the magnificent July 1956 Memphis Russwood Park concert. The image was identical to the Wertheimer photos of the event. Keen fans would realise that Luhrmann takes theatrical liberty using the specific song ‘Trouble’, combined with L.A. police vice-squad filming and also the Jacksonville 1956 post-show riot.  But it works so well. What are your thoughts?

Trina Y: Yes, I agree. The attention to detail throughout the film in wardrobe and scenery by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin and their staff was incredible! Using "Trouble" was a great dramatic moment in the film. But the narrative that Elvis caused a riot and Colonel Parker ordered him off the stage bothered me. As Barbara Hearn said: "The concert at Russwood Park was absolutely nothing like it was portrayed in the movie - not even near accurate - and no awful riot as shown."

EIN: Sure, but while there was no riot in Memphis there were the several out-of-control riots such as Jacksonville and also in Vancouver, Canada 1957 where Parker pulled Elvis off stage early and the stage was rushed by fans. Surely this crazy fifties teenage over-excitement pushing over flimsy barricades and police lines - a little hard to comprehend in this Ed Sheeran era - also needed to be shown?

Trina Y: I address those other crowd control incidents in the book. However, in the film, you see police at one point beating audience members with their police batons. Then you see a (fake) headline stating "Youths clash with police." While many rock and roll concerts did turn into riots in those days, especially in Europe, to my knowledge, that wasn't the case at Elvis concerts. The narrative in the film is misleading that Parker would pull Elvis off the stage because he didn't like how he was performing or that Elvis defied him, which is not true.

EIN: Some fans have complained that in the movie Elvis is wearing a 1970 white jumpsuit as opposed to a  1969 Karate GI suit when he states “This is my new song ‘Suspicious Minds’”.  Should this factual blurring matter in presenting Elvis’ legacy to the General public?

Trina Y: No. Minor wardrobe discrepancies like that are perfectly understandable. The concert performances in the film are amazing. It is the narrative that I am more concerned with.

EIN: I can’t wait to read your thoughts but mine are fairly clear about Col Parker in that by the 70’s he was a leach needing to pay off his gambling debts at the expense of his sole client. I think using him as the villain of the movie was extremely clever. In your opinion, was Parker evil?

Trina Y: No, I do not believe Colonel Parker was evil. What I discovered in my research for this book is that Baz was presenting Parker as an over-the-top villain in order to create a captivating story. That's what makes the ELVIS movie so compelling to millions of moviegoers. I quoted in my book how Baz said in a November 2022 interview that all of his movies have virtually the same characters - the protagonist (Elvis), his muse (Priscilla) and the antagonist (Parker). "There's always a Colonel Parker," Baz said. So no matter what the truth was in real life, Lurhmann was going to exaggerate Parker's negative side to fulfill the role of antagonist.


EIN: After Lurhmann's movie Priscilla and Jerry Schilling seem to have re-appraised their opinions of Col Parker. Of course the EPE original buyout of Parker’s huge hoard of memorabilia helped get Graceland going as a Museum and Priscilla used to be quite defensive about Parker’s role as manager. But now Luhrmann's use of Parker as the "Villain" appears to have allowed her to change her opinion. What I am interested in is that having carefully examined the movie do you think Luhrmann's version of Elvis' life will actually change people's previous perception of Elvis' legacy?

Trina Y: I don't think it will change the diehard Elvis fan's view of his legacy. But for the casual fan or the new fan, I think the movie does not show enough of Presley's personality, and due to the extreme negative portrayal of Colonel Parker, it makes Elvis look like a victim, in my opinion.

I hope that people understand from my book that Elvis was not a victim to Colonel Parker. Elvis was a confident, ambitious person and he stood up to Parker on several different occasions. I think that people that have a negative view of Colonel Parker don't take into account how cutthroat the entertainment business is and was, especially in those days, so they don't understand why Colonel's abrasive business tactics were actually a plus for Elvis in the long run.

EIN: I see that one of your chapters is about whether Elvis fired Col Parker when he was onstage. Keen fans will know that he didn’t - but we do also know that Elvis did say bad things on-stage against both the Hilton management and negative things about Col Parker. Should Luhrmann have made the movie even longer and had him firing Parker in his hotel suite after the show or does Luhrmann’s compression of time-lines work for you?

Trina Y: It depends on the scene. Some timeline compressions are understandable, while others can create misconceptions. That's why I felt I had to go through the film scene-by-scene, because it was hard to address certain topics in the film without dissecting all the details presented.


EIN: Perhaps the main issue is that most fans would love to see the four hour version of the movie yet that would never have worked for a general movie-goer. Do you think Luhrmann’s 2 ½ hour edit was right, too short or too long?

Trina Y: I personally don't think a movie shown in theaters should be longer than 2.5 hours. It is my understanding that Luhrmann later clarified that he didn't necessarily have a four-hour version, but rather four hours of material. He said he had many additional concert sequences that he couldn't fit in the final version that he hopes to release some day. I discuss that more in Chapter 5 of my book.


EIN: (laughing) I'm sure that Lurhmann has 100s of hours of material! Another section in your book is “Why were other women in Presley's life excluded?”  Luhrmann has mentioned that there was more of Linda Thompson in the full-length cut and I think he even mentioned having Ginger Alden in the first script. Do you think it wrong that they were missed out and if so what sections would you have then cut to keep it at 2 ½ hours?

Trina Y: Yes. By leaving out Linda and Ginger, it creates a misleading perception that Elvis had no life or joy after his divorce from Priscilla. After doing my research, I now understand that Baz's storytelling formula doesn't necessarily allow for more than one woman in the love story.


EIN: I have seen the movie in the cinema five times and I love it more each viewing. One of the joys is spotting the snippets or the real Elvis. Does your book point out where all of these Luhrmann’s “easter eggs” of glimpses of the real Elvis are in the movie?  

Trina Y: Yes, it is fun to see when Baz uses footage of the real Elvis in the movie! I mention it a few times in the appropriate scenes.
 

EIN: Luhrmann explained that his movie was “a way of exploring America in 50s 60s and 70s, Elvis and also the importance of black culture and black music.” Do you think he succeeded in doing that?

Trina Y: I think the movie validates Elvis' connection to the black community. I think that is why Lisa Marie and Riley Keough were so happy with the film (in addition to Austin's performance). They expressed to Baz before he made the film that they wanted people to know this about Elvis. The segment in Tupelo about the Shake Rag community was really well done.


EIN: I found it sad when some of the old-school Elvis fans criticised the film saying stuff like “so many factual inaccuracies the movie is pure fantasy” and one key reviewer confessed to not really knowing Luhrmann’s previous movies, so just wait ‘til he sees the modern guns in 'Romeo & Juliet'! Surely a movie that stunningly boosts ELVIS’s profile 45 years after his death earning $300 million is allowed to dramatise the facts?  

Trina Y: I agree that Elvis fans should allow for some artistic license. But I don't believe you should have to know or be prepared for what Luhrmann's style is before you see the movie. There should be no pre-condition to watching a film. It should stand on its own merits no matter what style the director has a reputation for.

EIN: That's a good point. Baz Luhrmann is Australian so is very popular here for his wonderful over-the-top and colourful vibes that he brings to all his films. Being from the US would you have liked a more middle-of-the-road naturalistic film maker such as Steven Spielberg to have directed the ultimate Elvis biopic? And if not Luhrmann, which other director?

Trina Y: Wow, that is a challenging question! I understand that movies about a real person are hard to make with the obvious time constraints. I would rather not answer that because my intent with the book is not to put down the movie, but rather complement it by offering a balanced view of the facts.


EIN: I wondered what a Quentin Tarantino 'ELVIS' biopic would look like - that would thrill me! Who is the book aimed at, the general public so they can understand discover the real truth about Elvis’ life or the keen fan who can watch the movie all over again with a shrewder eye?

Trina Y: Both! Originally, my goal was to reach the new, younger fans, but I think the longtime fans will learn a lot as well. I include the backstory of the film, what Austin Butler went through, Baz Luhrmann's filmmaking process, and how the Presleys were involved. After multiple viewings, I definitely appreciate the movie more after discovering all the details embedded in each scene.


EIN: A little off topic, but I do have to ask you how shocked were you at the sudden death of Lisa Marie? Have you ever met her?

Trina Y: I am still shocked and saddened that Lisa Marie has died. I saw her in concert twice and I met her in Las Vegas. I was flattered that her website re-posted a concert review that I wrote of her show in 2012. I thought she and Michael Lockwood made a great team when they were touring together. It was a shame that it didn't work out between them. I admired her singing talent and her honesty.


EIN: It’s been great chatting to you Trina. Finally, do you have any future plans for more Elvis books?

Trina Y: Before I write another Elvis book, I hope to create audiobook versions and possibly foreign language versions of some of my books. I also enjoy making videos for social media about famous Elvis locations. Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you!

Visit Trina Young's official website, ElvisBiography.net, for more information.

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Interview by Piers Beagley. -Copyright EIN July 2023 EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.

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