Over the past few days, I have passed a bit of time with
Elvis Presley and his good friend, Orson Killere. The “shameful confession”
aspect of this scenario does not involve the fact that I spent this time
reading a novel, “Elvis in the Morning,” about a fictional Elvis and his
fictional good friend, but that the author of the novel is—William F. Buckley,
Jr.!?! Buckley published this novel in 2001.
I discovered the works of Buckley’s son, Christopher, many
years ago. Perhaps best known for “Thank You For Smoking,” Christopher Buckley
has a number of other satiric novels to his name, including “Florence of
Arabia” and “Supreme Courtship” (to name two of the many that I especially
enjoyed). It is quite ironic that the works of the conservative father rest
beside those of his liberal son on library shelves. So the other day, when I
perused the stacks for another Christopher Buckley work, William F. Buckley’s
novel almost literally jumped off the shelf and into my hands, some mysterious
Elvis magnetism at work.
The blurb on the dust jacket piqued my interest, so I
checked out the novel and promptly put it in the brown paper bag I keep handy
in case I find a book I do not want people to see me carrying about (such as a
novel by William F. Buckley, Jr.). In the novel, a young Orson Killere becomes
entranced with the fledgling Elvis. Orson ends up living with his mother on an
Army base in Germany at the same time Elvis is stationed there. A budding
socialist, Orson attempts to steal some Elvis records from the PX and gets
caught. In a mock trial the judge sentences Orson to a month without listening
to Elvis. When Elvis gets word of the situation, he goes to Orson’s house and
plays in person for the young thief.
Their friendship blooms, with Orson playing a Forrest
Gump-like role in Elvis’s life, introducing Elvis to Priscilla Beaulieu (who is
Orson’s girl at the time). Elvis calls Orson regularly to chat and ask for
advice. When the Memphis Mafia feel Elvis is getting off-track, they call Orson
to counsel Elvis. Orson accompanies Elvis to his meeting with Richard Nixon.
Meanwhile, Orson faces his own challenges as a young
socialist, getting kicked out of the University of Michigan for organizing an
ill-fated demonstration. He then rides the rails west, where he meets his
future wife, Susan. Orson gets in on the ground floor of the technology boom at
Hewlett-Packard and then has to face his personal demons.
I enjoyed this book immensely! It cleverly weaves the
culture and politics of the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s together. I was very sad
when I finished the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a
fun, yet serious read, about a fictional Elvis, his fictional friend, and the real
decades of the King’s life. While I disagree with Buckley’s politics, I admire
his flair as a novelist.
NOTE: While Buckley clearly notes that he has imagined the
Elvis of his novel, he did a good bit of biographical research on Elvis. After
I finished “Elvis in the Morning,” I looked up some reviews and found the “New
York Times” review. If you think you might read the novel, do NOT read the review,
as it includes many spoilers.
