♪.
JOSH: I LOVE IT.
THE MUSIC AND THE MOVES NO ONE
CAN FORGET.
ELVIS PRESLEY CAPTURING THE
HEARTS OF FANS YEARS AFTER HIS
TRAGIC DEATH.
ONE PERSON WHO KNEW HIM BETTER
THAN MOST IS HIS STEPBROTHER,
DAVID STANLEY, HE'S HERE TO
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK HE RELEASED
CALLED "MY BROTHER ELVIS" GIVES
THE PERSPECTIVE THAT FEW EVER
KNEW.
DAVID JOINS US NOW.
I FIND THIS INTERESTING THAT
YOU HAD THIS PERSPECTIVE ON HIM
THAT PEOPLE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE.
TELL ME ABOUT THE FIRST TIME
THAT YOU MET ELVIS?
MET ELVIS IN 1969 ONLY A
FOUR-YEAR-OLD LITTLE BOY.
MY MOTHER DIVORCED WHEN I WAS A
KID AND WHEN REMARRIED MARRIED
VERNON PRESLEY MAKING ELVIS MY
STEPBROTHER AND I MOVED INTO
THE GRACELAND MANSION IN 1969.
WHEN I MOVED IN, HAD NO IDEA
WHAT A HOUND DOG WAS, DIDN'T
KNOW WHAT AN ELVIS PRESLEY WAS.
ELVIS HAD GOT BACK FROM THE
SERVICE, ONLY 23 YEARS OLD.
I HAVE TWO OLDER BROTHERS, HE
CAME IN AND PICKED US UP AND
WELCOMED US INTO THE FAMILY.
HE LOVED HIS MOTHER, SHE DIED
IN 58 AND HIS FATHER VERNON
REMARRIED TO MY MOTHER.
LITTLE RELUCTANT TO HER IN THE
BEGINNING, HE KNEW IT WAS NO
CHOICE.
FATE PUT US THERE.
JOSH: AND HE WELCOMED YOU IN AS
A BROTHER?
INSTANTLY, SHOWED US THE
HOUSE, THE NEXT DAY WE WOKE UP,
WENT IN THE BACKYARD, AND THREE
OF EVERY KIND OF TOY ANYBODY
WOULD WANT.
JOSH: DID YOU NOTICE THAT YOUR
LIFE WAS GOING TO BE COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT?
I KNEW I WAS IN A BIGGER
HOUSE.
MY DAD WAS IN THE MILITARY.
I WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD, I
DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO COMPARE
IT TO.
I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE COOL.
JOSH: YOU ENDED UP BECOMING HIS
BODYGUARD?
YEARS LATER, 12 YEARS
GROWING UP IN THE BACK LOTS OF
THE STUDIOS, THE FAMILY TIMES,
EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
IN 72, DAVID SAID DROP OUT OF
SCHOOL, GO TO WORK FOR ME, I
WAS A PROBLEM CHILD, I HAD AN
IDENTITY CRISIS.
ELVIS UNDERSTOOD IT.
DROP HIGH SCHOOL AND GO TO WORK
FOR ME.
NEXT DAY IN MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN FIRST CONCERT OF ALMOST
A THOUSAND.
MONUMENTAL CONCERTS, MOMENTS OF
GLORY UNFORTUNATELY TO THE
TRAGIC DEMISE.
JOSH: YOUR BOOK IS ABOUT THAT,
ABOUT ADDICTION AND WHAT IT
EVENTUALLY DOES FOR PEOPLE?
WELL, FOR ELVIS.
JOSH: HE GOT INVOLVED IN
PRESCRIBED MEDICATION.
IT GOES FROM USE TO ABUSE.
HE WOULD TAKE TWO THINGS OF
SLEEP, FIVE THINGS OF SLEEP,
EIGHT, 12, TEN, THIS MAN WAS UP
TO 33 PILLS A NIGHT AND NINE
SHOTS OF DEMEROL JUST TO GO TO
SLEEP.
THOUGH PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO
HEAR ABOUT THE REALITY OF
ELVIS' DEATH BUT HE TOOK TOO
MUCH ON AUGUST 16th, 39 YEARS
AGO THIS WEEK, AND IT COST HIM
HIS LIFE.
THE DECISIONS HE MADE COST HIM
HIS LIFE.
JOSH: HAVE YOU THIS PERSPECTIVE
NOW AS AN ADULT LOOKING BACK AT
ALL OF IT, WHEN YOU WERE IN THE
MIDST OF ALL OF IT, COULD YOU
SEE HOW THAT COULD HAPPEN?
I COULD SEE ELVIS ON HIS
MEDICATION INTENSIFYING THE
MEDICATION, WE DID ALOHA FROM
HAWAII, HUGE CONCERT, A LOT OF
PEOPLE SAW IT VIA SATELLITE.
ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL
CONCERTS ELVIS DID.
173 POUNDS, LATER 250 POUNDS,
SLURRING WORDS, NOT IN GOOD
SHAPE.
ONE CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN
THE COVER OF THE BOOK AND THE
PICTURES YOU'RE SHOWING HERE.
DRAMATIC CHANGE AS A RESULT OF
THE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS.
THE BIGGEST HEART BREAK OF MY
LIFE.
THIS GUY WAS NO KING TO ME, NO
ICONIC SUPERSTAR, HE PICKED ME
UP 17 YEARS BEFORE, TOOK ME IN
AS FAMILY, RAISED ME AS FATHER
FIGURE AND MENTOR AND THE ONE
DAY WHEN I WALKED INTO THE
BATHROOM AND DISCOVERED HIS
LIFELESS BODY, IT HURT AND HURT
BAD.
IT WAS A SAVING GRACE FOR ME, I
WAS A ROCK 'N' ROLLER 16, 17,
18, 19 YEARS OLD, TOURING WITH
ELVIS PRESLEY.
WHEN ELVIS DIED I REALIZED IT
CAN HAPPEN TO HIM AND ME.
ALL THESE YEARS LATER, I'M A
GROWN-UP AND I'M A SPEAKER NOW,
I TRAVEL ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
AND TALK ABOUT DRUG ADDICTIONS
AND DANGERS, I USE THIS AS A
PLATFORM, IT CAN HAPPEN TO
MICHAEL, WHITNEY, PRINCE, IT
CAN HAPPEN TO SUPERSTARS,
SOMEBODY'S WIFE, HUSBAND,
DAUGHTER, MOTHER, WE GOT TO
REACH OUT TO THEM.
JOSH: THE GREAT GIFT OF MUSIC,
THAT'S THE GIFT HAVE YOU.
THAT WAS PART OF THE LEGACY.
ELVIS IS A KING, NO ONE CAN
DETHRONE HIM AND NO ONE EVER
WILL.
JOSH: NO WAY, EVER.
IT IS A GREAT READ, I COULD
TALK TO YOU FOR HOURS HONESTLY.
