Any pressing need for another Elvis book? Speaking as the co-author of one, the answer is “No!” and even if I’d never written a word on the subject, it would still be “No!”
So what’s with the latest title on the Presley shelf, rock critic Gillian G. Gaar’s 100 Things Elvis Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die (Triumph Books)? Like other books in the bucket-list format, 100 Things provides a fast, readable summary of a life and career. Included are several short chapters on Elvis’ movies, including one on Love Me Tender (1956) that touches on his shaky entry into Hollywood; on Loving You (1957), his first star role (and film in color); his documentary movies; and a sidebar on the intriguing “lost” concert film shot in Cleveland in 1955.
Gaar (who previously authored books on Nirvana and women in rock) knows the material well and writes with a critic’s discerning ear. Is 100 Things a necessary addition to a fan’s library? I’d say it serves as a brush-up for casual fans and a good intro for younger people discovering the King.
