new
TTALIOi
kU
it will
Aggielife
es in orrd
rs or QiJ
ttccideniai
in 1957.
"filler" It
much hkI
>pean hos
ims,butfe
re disturb
pread no:
Mexico. Ti
• reponec 1
bees am
M area,
region
The Battalion
Page 3 • Thursday, June 13, 2002
r hone) p
goodn
:s as an
is, state
:ounties
is quan
ict bet«
i hone\
line sine
Elvis: The man behind the crown
Texas A&M professor takes a look at the spiritual side of “The King”
By Denise Schoppe
THE BATTALION
te Face:
dismis:
s end
ecom
an make
i to disi
ELVIS LIVES!
Elvis spotted at train station!
Elvis resides on closed second floor of Graceland mansion!
Stories about Elvis Presley continue to circulate 25 years after
his death. Numerous people speculate that he faked his death in
1977. Others recall seeing him alive, be it a one-on-one relation
ship or in concert. Presley continues to be a staple figure in pop
ulture. Tourists from all around the world flock to Graceland, his
ome in Memphis, Tenn., in hopes of personally experi-
ncing a little bit of what made Presley the icon he was,
nd continues to be.
David Rosen, professor of psychiatry and behavioral
cience and humanities in medicine at Texas A&M, had such
n experience in 1989, the result of which is his
ew book. The Tao of Elvis.
“Elvis Presley was a very spiritual
ndividual,” Rosen said. “I would
ike people to realize that. He
as very open to spirituali
y manifesting every-
here, in himself and
utside.”
After his experi-
nce at
r a c e 1 a n d ,
osen proceed-
d to analyze
res ley’s life
ising Tao,
ne of the
Idest reli-
ions in the
o r 1 d .
bming from
hina, it
Bfocuses on bal-
nce between
pposites.
“We have to
ake choices, and
fideally balance,”
.Rosen said
l“TragicaIIy, 1 think Elvis
lost that battle.”
I Rosen’s book plots out how
paoist concepts apply to Presley’s life
before
I and after Adrian calcaneo
d o! this, dgjjth_
:reaseiss. j t a j so jii ustra t es how spiritual he was, revealing that Presley him
self read Tao.
I “When I found out that Elvis liked and read the Tao Te Clung,
I was amazed,” Rosen said. “I started reading about him, and
doing research, and he struggled with opposites his whole life.”
Over a span of 12 years, Rosen researched Presley by reading
ooks and interviewing people who knew him best,
Robo, includingPresley’s spiritual adviser, Larry Geller. Rosen also spent
of 19o- |i m e with Presley’s dentist and his wife, Lester and Sterling
ig with - Hofman, both of which Presley considered to be like family. Rosen
jssel, R) said that Presley had “sort of adopted them as surrogate parents.”
', SteveF He also sought out Ann Finch, an old girlfriend of Presley's
fvvhom had never been interviewed before. All described Presley
vhichwiF as a very spiritual man.
Fields "F “She said he didn’t drink alcohol or take drugs at that time, and
d, consistlliked to play spiritual songs,” Rosen said, in regard to comments
esconneti made by Finch. “He’d sit down at the piano and play”. Finch said
/tnbolizf that Presley’s mother liked spiritual music,
and the Presley was close to his mother, and Rosen said that after she
re fell, he never stopped missing her.
)e positkf “I think he, in many ways, saw going to heaven as being close
own ofet to his mother, and with his twin brother that died at birth,” Rosen
said. “When his mother was alive, she always told him that he
would live for both of them, and he may have. He accomplished
so much.”
Despite Presley’s fame and achievements, he was often
described as sad. In Rosen’s book, he explains that Presley knew
that very few saw past his public persona as “The King.”
“People put this kind of archetype onto him, which I think is
in a way unfair,” Rosen said. “In a way, we had a hand in his death
by increasing the pain that he felt, because he was very isolated.”
Rosen does not describe himself as a Presley fanatic. He does not
collect memorabilia
associated with
Presley, but has
an appreciation
for the man
and his tal
ents that has
spanned
many years.
search of
Ph.D's.
face
fees are pr
ame wu
:rtz said
irograr
as fine
their ufc
few coir
y; howel
1. he said
F “As a boy.
} like
many
other
young
people.
I
r e m e
m b e r
i going
to see
1 him in
1956,”
r Rosen
said.
THE BATTALION
“He came
along at a time
when we were a
very conformist
society. Post-war.
M i d - 5 0 s .
Segregated. You
could say an arid
culture.”
Rosen
described
Presley as bring
ing water to the cul
ture by breaking
down barriers in music
as well as in society.
“Elvis came along and
seemed good, but people
said he was bad,” Rosen said.
“And as a boy I didn’t think he
was bad. He initiated all these
movements, because he broke racial barriers
through music.”
Presley, best known for his rock and roll hits, such as
“Heartbreak Hotel,” “Teddy Bear” and “Hound Dog”,’’only won
Grammy’s for his recordings of Gospel music. Rosen’s book
focuses on this spiritual passion.
“He felt God gave him his voice,” Rosen said. “And God spoke
through him with his voice. He meditated for 30 minutes before
he recorded “How Great Thou Art” in order to get his ego out of
the way so that God could come through him.”
Stories like that fill Rosen’s new book. It is his seventh published
book, and was a long process that he worked on as a side project.
“I didn’t do this as a primary activity,” Rosen said. “It’s just
sort of something I’ve worked on in addition to everything else.”
He feels his book is a one of a kind amid all the other books
written by Presley and the Tao religion. “I don’t think anyone has
every suggested that he had the propensity to balance his religion
of origin with Eastern religion,” Rosen said. “I think he spent his
whole life doing it. And people don’t know that.”
Rosen will be giving a presentation and signing copies of his
book, The Tao of Elvis, on Friday, June 14, from 7-9 p.m. at
Barnes & Noble in College Station.
iding t°
insist of
is, repr$
ire was
D
from
ernet l
.net
I and spring s ).
nd exam P^,
jER: Send »■
It.
> Division o f Sl '
Building.
Ihebattcom
Battaiion-
l5-0569.A* e .:.
day. Fax: 845-
up a singlet;
year, $30 for;
erCard,
^ONE
inhimiTSSiiij Mag
LADIES'NIGHT
All Ladies 'pay no cover all night long!!
$ 1 Bar Drinks 8-11 pm
$ 1 Pints & *2 Tap Teas all night
Front Porch Fridays
Fajita Cook-Out
$ 2.00 Coronas, Dos XX
plus more
696-5570
for details
Party Safe and Designate a Driver.
Starlight Music Series
The Back Porch
2nd Anniversary Special
Best Bands in Texas
Saturday, June 15 th
Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater
• Gates open at 6:30
• FREE Admission
• Bring your coolers & picnic baskets
• BYOB, No Glass Containers
• No Pets
• Soft drinks & snacks available for purchase
Call 764-3486 for more information
Water is Life
Power is Progress
Service is Pride
cJfofXG P*ieq*ta*tc4* (Besitesid,
* * * OF BRAZOS VALLEY
YOU THOUGHT ABORTION
WOULD SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM...
but the emotional pain is still there.
Regret, guilt, sleep problems, depression, anger,
emotional numbness, broken relationships,
painful "'anniversary" remembrance
Please call us...we care
16 years of personal and confidential care
695-9193
205 Brentwood
College Station
The Tao of Elvis
David Rosen, M.D.
Harcourt, Inc.
The Tao, an ancient Chinese religion, and Elvis Presley,
“The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” are not things one would gener
ally expect to find in the same sentence, much less in the same
book. However, David Rosen successfully ties the two togeth
er in his new book. The Tao of Elvis.
The book does not require the reader to be an expert on
either Taoism or Presley to enjoy it. It’s written in an easy to
read and understandable format, consisting mostly of quotes
gathered by Rosen over a period of 12 years.
It gives readers knowledge of what Taoism is without con
fusing the audience. If the reader were to be reading it only to
learn more about Tao, the use of Presley helps make the subject
matter easy to understand and apply to the world around them.
In contrast, using Taoism to study Presley takes a unique
look at this cultural icon. Instead of looking specifically at his
fame and life in general, it focuses on Presley’s spirit. His reli
gious beliefs are flushed out using real life stories about him.
Much of the book is told using Presley and the original
Taoist master Lao Tzu’s own words. Each chapter involves a
different element of Taoism, with final summaries of each
point written by Rosen.
The Tao of Elvis is a fascinating look at both Presley and
Taoism. Readers most likely will not only learn more about
Presley as a man, but also about themselves as human beings.
—Denise Schoppe
☆
THE
T A (*>) o f
"The Tao is great, the king Is also great.
-LAO T Z U
DAVID
ROSEN
Quizno's
SUBS
IN NORTHGATE
I 10 COLLEGE MAIN
846-7000
■A WE ACCEPT^
AGGIE BUCKS!
ttOVlB*
R6SU
WELCOME
AGS!!
Open:
I I am-8pm
^ |STfoUPON GOOD FOR
$ l.00 OFF ANY SUB
\ Offer good at our Northgate and Bryan location. ,
Not affiliated with the Texas Avenue Quizno’s
NXThy bother with parking
when you can walk: to TA2V1U?
- Huge 1 bedroom floor plans
- Only 2 blocks from TA A4U
- 12 month leases starting at
OfsfL Y $ 4 IQ. 00
Casa Del Sol
696-3455
www.rent.net/direct/casadelsol
Texas A8zM
LJnivers
Church
ty Dr
St
Stasney
<Q>
CJross St
CtMSiM. L>cl