Elvis Presley’s Career Highs and Lows Shaped His Marriage to Priscilla Presley
Elvis Presley was in a career flux when he met Priscilla Presley in 1959. Out of the public eye, he reinvented himself while stationed in Germany as a member of the United States Army. Seeing his shift on a personal and professional level for many years led Priscilla to reveal in a 1985 interview that the many changes Elvis endured throughout his career shaped their day-to-day life.
Priscilla Presley claims that her marriage to Elvis Presley was determined by how his career was going
In an interview with Barbara Walters, Priscilla Presley said her marriage to Elvis Presley was in a constant state of flux and determined by the highs and lows of his career. She responded to Walters’ question that her union rode waves of uncertainty regarding Elvis’ professional life.
“That’s true,” Priscilla said. “He would just have low points.”
She continued, “When he had low points, nothing could get him out of it. I also believe that that’s why Elvis felt his help with some of the pills would get him out of that.”
“I mean, he went through an awful lot. A lot was expected of him,” Priscilla told Walters. “A lot of demands were put on him.”
Priscilla Presley said Elvis Presley didn’t know how to deal with pressure ‘any other way’
Continuing her commentary regarding the stress Elvis Presley was under throughout their marriage, Priscilla Presley told Barbara Walters he didn’t know how to deal “any other way.” She said, “He really didn’t. He really thought he had it under control,” regarding events that caused Elvis to resort to alternative methods to cope with frustration and a temper that could flare at a moment’s notice.
Priscilla also admitted to Walters that she too, took pills to keep up with her husband’s erratic lifestyle. But, she admitted to “not liking” how they made her feel.
She candidly told Walters that when they both used together, Priscilla said she and Elvis behaved like “two different people with each other.”
Elvis Presley’s notorious temper was due to ‘frustration’ Priscilla Presley claimed
Throughout Elvis Presley’s career, his notorious temper flared at inopportune times. Members of his inner circle have documented these reactions in dozens of books. On display at Graceland is a television with a bullet hole, part of the permanent display of memorabilia, which showed what happened when Elvis didn’t like what was airing.
Elvis was reportedly watching Robert Goulet on TV in his Palm Springs house when he decided to open fire. The actual bullet missed all the television’s inner tubes, and the piece of equipment remains in working condition with the bullet still inside.
However, Priscilla believes Elvis’ quick temper, which could flare at any time, was due to “frustration.” She told Walters, “He had the power and the money to destroy, and he could just replace things.”
But, Priscilla said that beyond the frustration, drugs, and outside pressures, the “real Elvis” lay just within reach. “The real Elvis was generous, sensitive, wonderful, and considerate,” she admitted.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley endured many personal and professional highs and lows throughout their marriage, which ended in 1973. They reportedly remained on good terms and shared custody of their only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, until Elvis’ death in August 1977.
