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Elvis Decoded

May 20, 2006 | Book
To be issued in next July is a new book, this is what we took of the book's website:

Author Patrick Lacy has written a book that is long overdue: a detailed, in-depth examination of the facts and figures that permeate the many Elvis books, websites, articles, and public boards. He sorts through all the information and puts things in proper perspective.

In Elvis Decoded, we find answers to questions surrounding:

* Elvis's death – heart attack, overdose, polypharmacy, or...?
* The last will of Elvis Presley...
* Illegitimate children, true or false?
* A death hoax...yes or no?
* August 16, 1977 at Graceland...what happened?
* The scams and the schemes...
* Unanswerable questions...?
* The August 29, 1977, break-in at Forest Hill Cemetery...

...and scores of other questions that no one else has answered over the past 29 years. This Elvis sleuth offers a unique perspective on the toughest questions and the most complicated issues in the Elvis Universe, and explains how things got so confusing.

"Elvis Decoded - A Fan's Guide to Deciphering the Myths and Misinformation" is presented in a Q&A format, and offers an examination and comparison of the numerous Elvis source materials. Also included in the book is the author's own research into other topics that have remained largely unaddressed since Elvis's death in 1977.

About the author

Patrick Lacy, a 38-year old musician from D.C., is more than an Elvis fan. He has spent nearly 10 years researching, writing and talking to some of the most credible -- and incredible -- sources in the strange, claim-filled world surrounding the myths and legend of Elvis. His travels have taken him from Washington to Memphis, from Lauderdale Courts to Graceland, and from Tupelo to Las Vegas.

Patrick has consulted for VH-1 and The Family Channel on two Elvis-related programs ("Rock and Roll Record Breakers" and "The Presleys"), and currently volunteers as an Elvis expert at AllExperts.com.

From the author we received this update (June 6, 2006):

I'd like to offer some context for my book so that people (including those who have posted comments about it on your website) better understand what the book is really about.

Years ago as I was reading scores of Elvis books, I noticed that a lot of the information in inconsistent, uneven, or just flat wrong. Some errors seemed to be innocent mistakes, some errors...maybe not so innocent. So as I noticed these conflicts in the information, I started making a note of them, and over the past 10 years or so I have compiled them into what became my book. I do not believe this type of research and analysis has been offered to Elvis fans before. In "Elvis Decoded," I have offered comparative analyses of the many facts and figures that permeate Elvis World, and I have laid them side-by-side to determine what seems to be correct, and what seems to be incorrect. Contrary to the sentiments posted on your website, I have not endeavored to write, "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Instead, I have examined the facts that *other people* have offered as "the truth," and I have attempted to determine if the facts stand up under scrutiny. Many times, they do not.

This effort was started years ago to help fans cut through the huge amounts of confusing information; it was not started simply to add another Elvis book to a growing pile, and I have not presented my research in a sloppy manner. There have been many Elvis books before mine, and there will be many Elvis books after mine, but I hope that my book introduces issues and questions that fans should be aware of, so that when they open a book next month or next year or 5 years from now, they will be able to recognize information that may not have been thoroughly researched.

Lastly, my book is not a biography, where an author simply recounts Elvis's life. It is an analysis of the facts, and where the facts have led us, and where they should be leading us.

This has been an honest research project, and one that I hope will be enjoyable for fans, and that will challenge them to challenge the hundreds of Elvis books out there that have made Elvis information a huge, confusing mess. My book is an effort to *help* fans in this regard, not to make a buck with a shoddy research project.

I hope that when fans actually read the book, they will see where I am coming from, and they will enjoy the journey I have taken in trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong in Elvis World.
Source:Email
JerryNodak wrote on May 20, 2006
Yet another book that will promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, based on just the facts, Mam. Sweet Jesus!! Will these books never end??
Steve B. wrote on May 20, 2006
Jerry, They will end when people stop buying them.
Gladyslove wrote on May 21, 2006
Lord, have mercy !
My boy, my boy wrote on May 21, 2006
It`s funny...because I can`t seem to get enough of these kind of books. I might as well save a few bucks and get my hands on it !...If I can somehow learn a little bit more about Elvis`s state of mind during that period, it`s OK. Don`t get me wrong folks, we all know he was not in his best shape, physically nor mentally, but I`m open to receive any other valuable information.