(Apr.28-May 5, 2005) (On Pink BG Color) Written in Japanese (Compiled by Haruo Hirose)

(May 5, 2005)

Miss Dior, Riley Keough クリスチャン・ディオール 2005年春の顔（香り）に選ばれた エルヴィスの孫娘、 ライリー・キーオ

(May 5, 2005)

TARGET EXCLUSIVE; "Elvis by the Presleys" CD with Bonus DVD "Elvis by the Presleys" CD sold at Target stores contains 25-munite bonus DVD. Bonus DVD Features: "Driving Mrs. Presley" & "Elvis: The Generous"

(May 3, 2005)

News from (May 2, 2005) Priscilla On Tour Promotional Appearances for the "Elvis By The Presleys" Project Priscilla Presley is making several news media and bookstore appearances in promotional support of the Elvis By The Presleys project:
May 9 (New York)	Entertainment Tonight Feature - Part 1 of 2 (Syndicated)
May 10 (New York)	Entertainment Tonight Feature - Part 2 of 2 (Syndicated)
May 11 (New York)	Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
May 12 (New York)	The Early Show (CBS) The Tony Danza Show (Syndicated)
May 13 (New York)	1 PM - Book and CD signing at Barnes & Noble, Rockefeller Center.
May 18 (London)	Woman's Hour (BBC Radio 4) Pre-recorded interview with Jenni Murray. The Green Room (BBC Radio 2) Pre-recorded interview with Mariella Frostrup. 1 - 2 PM - Bookshop signing at Waterstones, Oxford Street, W1. Richard and Judy (Channel 4) Pre-recorded television interview with Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan. To be recorded after that day's live show. Air-date of the interview TBA.
May 19 (London)	Selected print interviews with quality broadsheet newspapers . List unavailable. RTE Radio, Pre-recorded phone interview. Air date TBA. This Morning (ITV1) Pre-recorded television interview with Philip Schofield and Fern Britton. To be recorded after that day's live show. Air-date of the interview TBA. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC1) Pre-recorded television interview with Jonathan Ross to air May 20.
June 10 (Los Angeles)	7 PM - Boook and CD signing at Borders, Westwood.

(May 3, 2005) (Apr.30, 2005)

Bill Belew Interview

Bill Belew Interview Q : Did Elvis approach you for the 68 Special? A : Actually it was Steve Binder who was the producer of the show, and also directed it. He had gathered together a group of us that were from the east. Because he wanted something different than what was being done in Hollywood at that time. And, my first experience working with Steve was on the Petula Clark Special when Petula came to America. We did that special and was received with great applause and accolades from everybody. And so, when Steve was approached to do Elvis, he asked if I would do the wardrobe on it cause he wanted to keep us all together. Q : What was your idea for the black leather outfit? A : Actually when we started talking about it, Steve said what he wanted literally to do was to base it around a concert, of Elvis and the boys. And he said "What are your thoughts about what he will wear?" And I thought about it and then I said "I've seen him in leather jacket, but I've never seen him in leather". And I said "Why don't we do"--- because at that period, everybody wore denim. I mean, wore blue jeans and denim jackets. And I said "Why don't I have a denim jacket and a pair of jeans". I said "Why don't I take those and I have those copied in black leather?" And Steve said, "I love the idea you said. Will you do a sketch of it?" and I did a sketch for him. And that's how it came about. And, in looking at Elvis, the one thing that struck me when I met him, that he was a very good looking man. And, a lot of things that during the period when I started designing are based upon things that, or periods that I go through in my life. And I've always been a great fan of Napoleon. And when I looked at Elvis, I said he's the one person that I could do the Napoleonic collar with it, because it'll frame his face. And like a lot of things that you do for women, when you're designing their clothes, is to draw your attention to their face. And I thought well if I have the collar up there, people will notice his face and it'll frame it, and however I do it and that's how the collar came about. Q : It was your idea not Elvis. A : No, the one thing that I really have to say about Elvis is that he was absolutely fantastic to me. He never ever said this is what I want. You know, do this for me. I won't wear this. We only had one little disagreement on something that we were doing on the special. But, all of our working relationship there was never anything that he just wasn't, you know, terrific about. Q : When Elvis made his comeback in Las Vegas, tell me what he wore. A : Well, when Joe had called me, saying that Colonel Parker would like me to do Elvis wardrobe for Vegas and would I be interested and I said yes. What we wanted to do at the time, was experiment of what would be the best look for him. And, of course, that was really my first time to work in Vegas. Having worked on the stage in New York it's quite different. But the lighting there was still in its early stages. And we found that the color that worked the best was white. It allowed them to change the colors on him, where as black would absorb all the color. And it was hard to highlight him. And we experimented with blue which was one of his favorite colors. Red. But it just ended up that white was the best thing and, of course, you know, you want the star to be the person, you know, and not the wardrobe. Q : Black held more heat. A : Yeah, also that, too, you know. It's great. It makes you look thin. But at that time goodness knows, that was not one of my worries to making him look thin. I mean, I've always been very lucky in that, as I say now, when I talk to the fan clubs. Bob Mackie had Cher, I had Elvis Presley. I mean, it was a fabulous body to design for. He really wore and had a flair for clothes. Q : Were they made out of gabardine? A : For the special, I used at that time which was a very hot fabric. And a lot of mens clothing were being made of it, which was called a stretch wool jersey. And so when we went to Vegas, I contacted Ice Capades, and I talked to some friends of mine there. And I said, "Would ya'll be interested in making Elvis Presleys clothes for Vegas?" Because I would like to use what is known for ice skaters as stretch gab, or gabardine. And, it allows skaters to do their splits, their turns, and everything. And I thought it would be great for Elvis because the one thing he said that he wanted to incorporate in his act was his karate. And I thought I've got to find something that will allow him to do that. The wool jersey that we used for a lot of these suits on the special, although it looks great, it's very warm. And I knew that he was a person that perspired a lot when he performed. So I didn't want to add any more heat than I absolutely had to his wardrobe. Q : His costumes became more and more jeweled. What was his favorite? A : Well I know he liked the dragon suit. I know he liked the peacock. He liked the leopard. And of course, I think possibly his favorite was always the Aloha Hawaii suit, the American eagle, you know. Q : Didn't you have short notice to make a cape? A : Right, right. Well I had this grand idea when we were going to open in Hawaii. And we had long discussions about what the suit was going to be because Elvis said, it's the only time that he really expressed any concern about what he was going to wear. He said "Bill, I just want the suit to say America". And we batted around a lot about what we were gonna do. And I remember when I was in Europe, I had seen the American Embassy there. And there was a big controversy at the time about it, the American eagle being acrossed it. And I said "I've got it". I know what'll work cause I had thought about the American flag and I said no, no. and I said the American eagle. And he said "That's great. I like that", and so we did that. So I said "We'll do this cape, and you'll come out, you'll have your back to the audience and you'll open it up. And then go into the overture and bam you'll turn, and there you'll be". And the cape was to be floor length. So we made the cape. The cape went to Hawaii. And Elvis put the cape on, went to step forward, and fell over backwards. The cape was so heavy that he couldn't even walk in it. And I got the call that said "Bill, that the cape is great but Elvis can't move in it". So we immediately went in production, made a short cape, for him to wear for it. But I always had this, all these years I always carried this image in my head of Elvis making the step forward and then bam. Laying there amongst all this cape. And I can see him howling with laughter, too. Q : How long did you have to make the new cape? A : We had just a little over a day. We worked literally 24 hours on it. Q : Elvis also had trouble with fringe? A : A lot of the things that I did for Elvis in the early days were a lot of things that I and other kids were wearing at that time. So a lot of the things were trimmed in macram and fringe and beads of that period. And, of course, you know, with all the movement and playing his guitar, it just never dawned on me the fringe would get all wrapped up in him. It wasn't until later when I did a couple of other things for other stars, and I was using fringe and I'd see them all wrapped up in it. And I'd think oh my god, what must it have been like for Elvis, with all this fringe swinging around him. Q : The fringe was so long at Inglewood that he got tied up. A : Right, yes. Oh yes. Q : What was the idea behind the gypsy suit? A : It was just an idea like anything else. I had just seen a picture of a gypsy costume and I just thought well that would be interesting. I was always trying to think of interesting things, because so much of what we did and the progression Elvis costumes were really dictated by the fans. A lot of it I would've been interested in starting much earlier. But the one thing that I never in all the period I designed for Elvis, I never wanted any mention of his masculinity be brought up by oh, you know, why was he wearing this or why is he doing that? So it was really just a progression of the fans. The more we did, the more they would applaud. And, the more they would do. And so it finally got to the point where I figured well, we can do the jewels, and there won't be any question, you know, about what he's wearing. Q : Tell us about the Sun Dial. A : Again, I was reading something in a magazine and happened to see this article on the Aztecs. And I saw the Aztec sun and I thought, you know, wouldn't that be a great design? And just used it. Q : It seemed so intricate and difficult to make. A : No. There were others that were much more difficult but it was very intricate in the fact that it was very heavily embroidered. And it took quite awhile to work the pattern out and to do it. Q : You worked on future costumes. A : Well the last thing I was working on and we had actually done a prototype of it. And, it was called a laser suit. And I had met an electrician who was into lasers. And lasers at that point were still relatively new. And laser shows were becoming very big. And so, I designed what I thought was going to be ultimately the jewel suit. It was called the diamond suit. And, what we did, there were certain points, and it had very large stones that would tell him where he could puncture himself. And that's where the laser would shoot. And we had these strategically placed on the suit. And as I say, you know, whenever he would touch himself then the laser beams. And, we had it almost to the point where it was ready to be shown to him. And I was in fact, the morning I heard of his death, I was on my way to the studio because we were gonna put it on the figure. And the electrician and I were going to test it. And, that's it. Q : If Elvis had gone to Europe what were your ideas? A : The laser suit was it. Yeah, that was the one, you know. but it just didn't--- yeah.

ビル・ビリュー・インタビュー Q : 68 TV スペシャルでは エルヴィス側から あなたにアプローチがあったのですか？ A : 実際はプロデューサー 兼ディレクターのスティーブ・ビンダーから 連絡がありました。 彼は東部からスタッフを集めていました。 と言うのも、 彼はあの当時のハリウッド作品と 違ったものにしたかったからなのです。 私が初めてスティーブと組んだ仕事は ペトゥラ・クラーク・スペシャルで、 あのショーは各方面から絶賛されました。 そこで、 スティーブがエルヴィスのショーを打診された時、 再び 同じスタッフでやりたがったのです。 私に衣装をやらないかと訊いてきました。 Q : 黒のレザー・スーツのアイデアは どこから生まれたのですか？ A : 最初の話し合いで、 スティーブは番組を エルヴィスとバンドのコンサートを ベースにしたいと言って、 エルヴィスに何を着せたら良いか 私の考えを訊いてきました。 私はしばらく考えて 「エルヴィスが レザー・ジャケットを着てるのは見たことあるが、 上下ともレザーなのは見たことが無いな」 と言いました。 そして 当時はデニムが全盛で、 皆なブルー・ジーンズに デニムのジャケットを着ていました。 それで 「デニムのジャケットとジーンズを使おう。 そして、 デニムを黒のレザーにコピーしたらどうかな」と 提案したのです。 スティーブは 私のアイデアを気に入ってくれ、 スケッチを書くように言われました。 こんな具合に 黒のレザー・スーツは生まれたのです。 そして、 エルヴィスに初めて会った時、 彼の印象は、 とてもハンサムな男だなって。 それで、 私がデザインを始めた時から今まで 変わったことはないのですが、 私はナポレオンのファンで、 エルヴィスを見た時に、 彼こそナポレオン風カラー（襟）に相応しいと思いました。 ナポレオン風カラーは 顔を引き立てるのです。 それは女性のドレスをデザインする時にも、 顔を引き立てるのに用いることができます。 それで、 襟を立てて、 彼の顔に視線が向くように 目立たせたのです。 とにかく、こんな風にして あのカラーは生まれたのです。 Q : あなたのアイデアで、 エルヴィスのじゃなかったのですね。 A : そうです。 エルヴィスについて ひとこと言えば、 私にとって 彼は最高に素晴らしい人間でした。 彼はデザインに口出ししたことがありません。 あれこれ言いませんでした。 あのスペシャル番組でも 意見が合わなかったのは、 些細な一件だけで、 ２人の長い仕事上の付き合いで、 彼が文句を言ったことは １度もなかったのです。 Q : エルヴィスが ラスベガスにカムバックした時の衣装について 話してください。 A : ジョー・エスポジトから電話があり、 大佐が私にベガスの衣装をやらせたがってるが、 興味はあるかと 尋ねてきたので、 私はイエスと答えたのです。 あの時に 私たちがやりたかったのは、 彼をいかに良く見せるかという実験だったのです。 それに、 私はラスベガスは初めてでした。 ニューヨークの舞台の仕事はありましたが、 そことはまるで違っていました。 照明も古いタイプの物でしたので、 白がベストだと分りました。 白だと照明によって 色が変えられるからです。 黒だと全ての色を吸収して、 目立たせることができません。 エルヴィスの好きな青や赤でも試しましたが、 最終的に白がベストだという結論に達しました。 しかし、スターは人間であり、 衣装ではないのです。 Q : 黒は熱を持ちますし。 A : そうです。 しかし、黒が良いのは、 細く見せる効果があるところです。 でも、 あの頃のエルヴィスには 細く見せることを考える必要は無かったのです。 今だから言えますが、 私はとてもラッキーでした。 ファン・クラブでも話しましたが、 ボブ・マッキーにはシェールがいて、 私にはエルヴィス・プレスリーがいました。 彼は素晴らしいボディの持ち主で、 着こなしも上手で、 服装のセンスがありました。 Q : あれはギャバジン地で 作られていたのですか？ A : TV スペシャルには 当時すごくはやってた生地を使いました。 男性の服の多くは この生地で作られていて、 ストレッチ・ウール・ジャージーと呼ばれていました。 そして、ベガス出演に際して、 アイス・キャペーズにいた友人に連絡を取りました。 「エルヴィス・プレスリーのベガスの衣装に 興味はないか？」って。 と言うのも、 アイス・スケーターの間で ストレッチ・ギャバとか ギャバジンとして知られていた生地を 使いたかったからなのです。 足を開いたり、 ターンしたり、 スケーターの動き全てを可能にしました。 そして、 これはエルヴィスにも使えると思いました。 エルヴィスは アクションにカラテを取り入れたいと 言ってたので、 それを可能にできるものを 捜していたのです。 TV スペシャルで使ったウール・ジャージーは 見た目は良かったのですが、 熱かったのです。 彼は汗っかきだと 知ってましたので、 熱くならない衣装を選びました。 Q : 彼のコスチュームは だんだん飾りが多くなって行きましたが、 彼のお気に入りは何でしたか？ A : 彼はドラゴン・スーツを気に入ってくれました。 ピーコックもタイガーも 気に入ってくれましたが、 何と言っても アロハ・ハワイ・スーツが１番でしよう。 アメリカン・イーグルのやつです。 Q : 急いでケープを作らねばならなかったことが あったでしょう？ A : そうでした。 アロハ・ハワイ公演では、 特別なアイデアがあったのです。 私たちは衣装をどうするか 長く話し合いました。 あの時に唯１度、 エルヴィスが希望を言ったからです。 彼は 「ビル、アメリカを表現する衣装にしてくれないか」 と言いました。 それで、 何にするか議論してた時に、 私がヨーロッパに行った時に見た アメリカ大使館を思い出しました。 議論の中でアメリカン・イーグルが出てきて、 「これで行こう」って。 アメリカ国旗も考えたのですが、 いや、違うと思い、 アメリカン・イーグルを提案したら、 エルヴィスが「よし、気に入った」 と言ったので、 決定したのです。 そして、私はエルヴィスに言いました。 「ケープも作ろう。 あなたが登場して、 客席に背を向け、 ケープを広げると同時に 前奏曲が始まる。 そして あなたは振り返って・・・」 そのケープは床までの長さでした。 ケープを作り、 エルヴィスがハワイでそれを試着して歩くと、 彼は後ろにひっくり返ったそうです。 ケープが重過ぎて 歩けなかったのです。 電話があり、 「ビル、ケープは素晴らしいけど、 それを着けると、 エルヴィスは歩けないんだよ」 と言ってきました。 それで急いで、 代わりの短いケープを作ったのです。 私はいつも この時のエルヴィスを想像します。 ケープを着けて歩いて、 転んでケープの中で大笑いしてるエルヴィスの姿です。 Q : 新しいケープを作るのにかかった時間は？ A : １日少しかかりました。 文字通り２４時間かかりました。 Q : エルヴィスはフリンジ・スーツでも トラブルがありましたね？ A : 最初の頃のエルヴィスに着けたものの多くは、 私たちが当時着けていたものでした。 マクラメとか フリンジ、ビーズで装飾しました。 でも、彼が動いたり、 ギターを弾く時に、 フリンジが絡まるとは想像も出来ませんでした。 後になって、 別のスターが、 私が作ったフリンジの衣装を着てるのを見た時に、 それが絡まると知ったのです。 ああ、エルヴィスはどうだったか 心配になりました。 フリンジが飛び跳ねていたでしょうね。 Q : ロス公演の時のフリンジは長すぎて 絡んでしまいました。 A : そうでした。 Q : ジプシー・スーツのアイデアは 何処から来ましたか？ A : 他の物も同じなのですが、 ジプシーの服の写真を見て、 これは面白そうだと思ったのです。 私はいつも良いアイデアを捜してました。 と言うのも、 エルヴィスの衣装の進化は ファンの要望だったからです。 早い時期から多くのものを考えてましたが、 私がエルヴィスにデザインした物で、 ひとつ使わなかった要素があります。 それは男性的な面を強調したくなかったことなのです。 「何故、彼はこれを着たのか？」って、 それはファンの進化なのです。 私たちが やればやるほど、 ファンに喜ばれましたが、 ファンの要求も高くなりました。 それで、 宝石を使うようになって やっと衣装に関しては ファンの注文は無くなりました。 Q : サンダイアル・スーツについて教えて下さい。 A : あれもまた、雑誌を見て、 アステカ文明の記事の中の アステカの太陽の模様を見て、 これはすごいデザインだと思って、 使いました。 Q : 作るのが複雑で難しかったのではありませんか？ A : ほかのに比べると それほど難しくはなかったのですが、 大変複雑で、 緻密に刺繍されてます。 模様が決まるのに時間がかかりました。 Q : 全く新しい衣装も製作中だったとか。 A : 最後になったものは、 製作中でしたが 実際のところ 原型は出来上がっていました。 それはレーザー・スーツと呼んでまして、 レーザー技術の専門家にも会いました。 あの当時はまだレーザーは新らしくて、 レーザー・ショーが始まったばかりの頃でした。 そこで、 デザイン面で考えたのが 究極のジュエリー・スーツで、 ダイアモンド・スーツと呼びました。 私たちは、 スーツの何箇所かに、 エルヴィスにわかるように 大きな宝石を取り付けて、 彼がそこを押すと レーザー光線が出るようにしたのです。 それを効果的にスーツに埋め込みました。 彼がそれに触ると、 レーザー光線が飛び出す仕組みです。 彼にそれを見せられる段階まで来てました。 実際、 彼が亡くなったと聞いた日の朝、 私はスタジオに行く途中で、 専門家と一緒に スーツをフィギュアに着せて テストしてみることになっていたのです。 Q : もし エルヴィスがヨーロッパに行ったとしたら、 あなたにはアイデアがありましたか？ A : レーザー・スーツがそれだったのですが、 叶いませんでした。

Q : Tell us what it was like to work with Elvis. Any funny stories besides the cape? A : He just was so great in that he never questioned anything I ever did. A lot of times Joe would call and say. There is one funny story. We had just started out in Vegas. And I did not know this about Elvis, that Elvis was a night person. And in those days I was considerably younger so, maybe probably 11:30, 12:00s probably when I went to bed. And so I was in bed. And I think it was like about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and the phone rang. And of course, the only thing at that period in my life was, it's my mother. Somethings happened. My mother, they're calling. So I pick up the phone and it was Joe Esposito saying, "I want to talk to you. Elvis wants to order some more clothes". And all of a sudden, I realized I don't have any paper or a pencil or anything. And I had a bedside table that I had made beside my bed and it was covered in velvet. So the only thing I could do is I took my finger, and I started writing Joe's notes on the velvet and thinkin', god please let me remember everything he tells me. So I'm writing all this down and Joe's giving me all this information. And I immediately got up, turned the light on after we hung up, and got pencil and paper and sat down and started deciphering all my notes. From then on, there was always pencil and paper by my bed. I said, this is never gonna happen again. But basically, the wardrobe that I did for the stage, he never said, you know, later on I did find out that, which I liked and it made me laugh, is that it would arrive and he would model it for the boys. And I've seen pictures of that from some people, of him modeling the wardrobe, and laughing and having a good time. And then, of course, when public relations got to the point where he was speaking so much and meeting so many people, he said would I do his personal wardrobe? Because it was a body that was hard to fit, in that to go in and get something off the rack, it had to be altered. And like so many people he was not a person that was into having a lot of fittings on everything. So, I guess there were a lot of interesting things that I did for him, and probably one of the biggest things was, of course, when he met President Nixon. And he called and said, you know, "I want you to do a suit because I'm going to meet the president". And I always remember that being such a big thrill for him because, I remember I had worked for Kennedy. And I was doing a show in New York for which Jacqueline Kennedy had asked us to be one of the people that came to the White House for his birthday party to perform. And I know what that was like, being a small town southern boy. There's nothin' like meeting your president. And, so, one day I was up at the house, after Elvis had come back. And normally all I did, I was in the living room and we conducted all of our meetings. And, I was asked to come back into the bedroom and I thought oh god now what's gonna happen, you know. I'm goin back. And he and Priscilla were in bed and he all the books out and the pamphlets and everything from the president. He said I want you to see all this and he said see how great it is. And we were sittin' there and we were lookin' at the books and the things that were autographed for him. And I said, "I know how you feel because I know what it was like when I met President Kennedy". I thought it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. And later I happened to work with Tish Balridge and she said "What could I do for you?" And I said "Somewhere in the vaults, theres a picture of me meeting President Kennedy. I would like to have it". And Tish Balridge was just absolutely fabulous. I don't know how she ever found it. God she did and I got the picture and it still sits on my table, in my living room. But as I said to Elvis, I said "I know how excited you are. You know, I just I can, I'm right there with ya". And it was like a little boy, you know. We just had a piece of candy and boy we were just havin a good time. And I think I have a book and a couple of other papers that he gave me that night. He said "I want you to have these, from my visit, at the White House". Terrific. Q : Was it kind of a purple suit? A : No, it was dark navy blue. Q : What were you thinking when you designed it? A : Well it was very similar to almost everything else that I had done for him. The basic clothes, you know. And the only thing that I did, is add the cape to the suit, which sometimes we did sometimes we didnt, you know. Q : Tell us about your TCB. A : I was absolutely amazed. You know, I had seen the guys with their TCBs. And one day, I was up there and we were discussing some wardrobe things. And he was, which he did most of the time, he was sitting on the floor in front of me, as we were talkin'. And he said "I have a gift for you". And he opened it up and there was a TCB. And I just couldn't believe it. I thought, gosh, I'm one of the guys now. Really. Q : Tell us some memories of Colonel Parker. A : I had very little to do with the Colonel. Almost all of my dealings were with Elvis. Q : Where did you work? A : In Los Angeles. I lived in Los Angeles at that period in my life. Yeah, because I was doing a lot of television and other things at that time. Q : Did Elvis ever tell you anything that's always stayed in your mind? A : No, no, not really. I think the only thing for me is, he called and said that Sonny West was gonna get married, and he wanted a suit. And so a tuxedo. So I designed a tuxedo for him. And he said to me, "Go down to Schwartz and Albusser and have them make me some jewelry". And I said "Oh no, no, Elvis. That's too personal. You do that yourself", you know. "No, no, no, you go on down there. You design me some jewelry". And so I went down there and that's how I met Saul and Abe. And as time progressed we got to know each other. And it's just one of the best stories of how generous this man was. And, Saul was tellin' me that there was a lady that had been coming in for quite some time, and had been admiring an emerald and diamond ring. And it was very expensive. And, she just would come in. And look at it and they'd been trying to talk to her about putting some money on it, paying it off. No, no, no her husband wouldn't allow her to do it. So anyway she was there that day when Elvis walked in. And, she looked at it and he took it and put it back into the case. And Elvis said to him, you know, "What's that all about?" And he said well, you know, and told him the story about her. And, how she'd always wanted this ring and she was afraid her husband would get upset if she bought it. And, he said, "Go and box it up and give it to her". And he said "You really?" He said, "Do it", and so he did. He went to the lady and she said "What's this?" And he said, "That gentleman over there, Mr. Presley, would like for you to have this ring". And she got very emotional and she said "No, no you can't do this" and he said, "Anybody that wants something that bad, should have it". And he said "I want you to have it. And please, accept it with my love and my gratitude". And I just thought that was the neatest thing in the world. Just the neatest thing. Q : Is there a favorite story you'd like to tell his fans? A : Oh. I guess the only, which god one fan told me something I didn't even know. I guess is really the splitting suit in Vegas. I just think, I was ready to die. I just wanted to go underneath the table. I just felt so embarrassed, when I found out that the suit had split. Needless to say I went back and made sure that never happened again. But for me, there were a lot of things, you know, about him but, it's for me there have been a lot of people, a lot of wonderful people, that in so many ways that he opened the door in designing clothes for people, that he opened for me that I probably would never have gotten to them had it not have been that entre, you know. Because he did--- the special caused a lot of talk, and a lot of interesting. I still find it, you know, to this day I still there are times that I play it. It's still wonderful, you know. Q : Tell us about that story. A : I had forgotten about this one. When Joe called us and said the cape and the belt had been thrown in the audience, we were not prepared for that. We, of course, immediately went right into production and made it. And at that time I was doing a show with Flip Wilson. And I had again created Geraldine for Flip. He knew what she was like. But, not visually what she was like. So he said "I leave it to you to create Geraldine". So I had to stay in LA because that Friday night we were going to be taping that, and the clothes had to go to Hawaii. So, the plane had been sent, tickets, everything were set. So I said to Nicky, who did the embroider work on the clothes for Elvis. I said "Nicky, do me a favor, please. Take these and go to Hawaii, and deliver them for me". And Nicky said "Oh sure, great". So he gets on there. And there is an empty seat for Elvis clothes. So, little while after they were in the air, the airplane stewardess came by and she said, "What is that in the seat beside you?" And he said, "That's Elvis Presleys belt and cape. I'm delivering them to Hawaii for his special". And a little bit later, Nicky said "I hear this murmuring". And he said, it's the stewardess. She said, "Elvis cape is up in that seat". And he said a little bit later she came back and she said, "Could I touch that?" And he said, "Sure". And she reaches down and she went back she said, "I touched Elvis cape". I had forgotten how funny that was till Nicky reminded me of that story. "I've touched Elvis cape". Q : You wouldn't be surprised now to know how many people would love to touch the clothes. A : Exactly. Exactly. Q : Your designs are so original that everywhere you see Elvis you see your work. How does that make you feel? A : Terrific. I think probably one of the neatest and coolest things that ever happened was, I think maybe it was either like three or four years ago in Esquire. Versace said, "The one thing that I envy is Bill Belew having the job of dressing Elvis Presley. That job I would've liked". And I have the article and every once in awhile when I'm down, I pull it out and I read that and I thought, that ain't bad kid. Look from a little hick town in the south. That's pretty good that Versace wanted to design for Elvis, too. Q : You made Elvis happy and you made millions of fans the world over happy. A thousand years from now they'll still enjoy your work. A : It's so nice to have been a part of his life, really. Q : It's so nice to have you sit down and talk with us. Thank you. A : Oh, my pleasure, always.

Q : エルヴィスと仕事をするって どのような感じでしたか？ ケープ以外に面白い話はありませんか？ A : 彼が偉大なのは、 私のデザインに 彼は注文を付けたことがなかったのです。 多くの場合、 ジョーから電話がかかってきました。 可笑しな話があります。 ベガスに出始めた頃、 私はエルヴィスが夜型人間とは知らなかったのです。 あの頃の私はまだ若くて、 １１時半か１２時には 寝床に入ってました。 そして、 ２時か３時頃に電話があり、 私の母親に何か起こったのかと思いながら 電話に出ると、 ジョー・エスポジートからで、 「話があるんだ。 エルヴィスの服をまた頼みたいんだ」と 言ってきました。 咄嗟のことで、 周りに紙も鉛筆も無くて困りましたが、 私が作った ベッド・サイド・テーブルは ベルベットで覆われていたので、 そのベルベットに指先で ジョーの説明を書いたのです。 書き落しが無いように祈りながら、 ジョーの指示内容を全て書きました。 受話器を置くと、 急いで跳び起きて 照明を点けて、 紙と鉛筆を探して、 そのメモを間違わないように 書き写しました。 以来 ２度とこんなことが起こらないように、 ベッド脇に紙と鉛筆を置くことにしました。 実際のところ、 エルヴィスは 私が作ったジャンプスーツについては 何も言いませんでした。 後になって知りましたが、 微笑ましいことに、 ジャンプスーツが届いた時に エルヴィスはそれを着て 仲間に見せていたのです。 その時の写真を見たことがあって、 エルヴィスはジャンプスーツを着て、 楽しそうに笑ってました。 そして、 もちろん、 PRのおかげで 彼が多くを語ったり、 多くの人に会ったりするようになると、 エルヴィスに私服も頼まれました。 なかなか身体にフィットするものがないからです。 街に出かけて、 既製服を買っても、 仕立て直さねばなりません。 彼も いろんな服を試着するのが好きな人間では ありませんでした。 彼には多くの服を作りましたが、 多分 最も大きな出来事は 彼がニクソン大統領に会った時でしょう。 彼から電話があり、 「大統領に会うつもりだから、 スーツを作ってくれないか」 と言ってきました。 それは彼にとって 大きなスリルだったと思います。 と言うのも、 私もケネディ大統領の仕事をした経験があったからです。 ニューヨークでやっていた私のショーを、 ジャクリーヌ・ケネディから ホワイト・ハウスの大統領の誕生日パーティで やるように頼まれたのです。 ですから、 それがどのようなことか知ってました。 南部の田舎の少年にとって、 大統領に会える以上のことはないのです。 そして、 エルヴィスが大統領と会った後で、 私が彼の家を訪問した時に、 いつもはリビング・ルームで会議は行なわれたのですが、 エルヴィスが私に彼の寝室に来るように言ったのです。 さて 何が起こるのかと期待しながら行くと、 エルヴィスとプリシラがベッドの上に 大統領から貰った本やパンフレットなど全ての物を 出して並べていました。 彼は私にそれらを見せて自慢したかったのです。 大統領のサインがされた本などを見ながら、 私は「あなたの気持ちが分かりますよ。 私もケネディー大統領に会ったことがありますから」 と言いました。 それは私にとって最も誇らしい事件でした。 後にティッシュ・バルリッジと仕事をした時に、 彼女が 「私に何か出来ることはありますか？」と言ったので、 「資料庫の中に 私がケネディー大統領と会った時の写真があれば 欲しいのですが」と頼んだのです。 ティッシュ・バルリッジは素晴らしい人で、 どのようにして見つけたか知りませんが、 彼女は写真を見つけてくれたのです。 その写真は今でも 私のリビング・ルームのテーブルに飾ってあります。 エルヴィスに こう言いました。 「あなたの興奮ぶりが分りますよ。 私もその場にいるようです。」 まるで子供のように、 私たちはキャンディーを舐めながら、 楽しい時間を過ごしました。 その夜に本や新聞を貰いました。 「君にこれをあげるよ。 ホワイト・ハウスに行った記念品だ」 と彼が言ったのです。 凄いですよね。 Q : 紫色のスーツでしたね？ A : ダーク・ネイビー・ブルーでした。 Q : 何をイメージしてデザインしたのですか？ A : 彼の他の服とも そう違いは無くて、 基本的なものでした。 ただ、 ケープを付けました。 ケープは付けたり、 付けなかったり色々です。 　 （注； エルヴィスがニクソン大統領に会った時の衣装は、 白のハイカラー・シャツに ６９年のベガスのステージ衣装、 その上に68 TV スペシャルの ナイトクラブ・シーンで着た 黒のジャケットを着てたのです。） Q : あなたの TCB ネックレスについて話してください。 A : あれには驚きました。 皆なが TCB ネックレスを付けているのは知ってました。 ある時、 彼の家で衣装の打合せをしていた時に、 彼は いつものように、 私の正面の床に腰をおろしてたのですが、 突然、 彼が「贈り物があるんだ」 と言ったのです。 エルヴィスがケースを開けると それはTCB ネックレスでした。 信じられませんでした。 これで私も彼の仲間に入れたんだって。 本当ですよ。 Q : パーカー大佐の思い出を話してください。 A : 大佐とは関係なくて、 ほとんど全てがエルヴィスからの直接の仕事でした。 Q : 仕事場はどこでしたか？ A : あの当時はロサンゼルスに住んでいました。 ＴＶ関係の仕事が多かったからです。 Q : あなたがいつも心に留めていた エルヴィスの言葉はありましたか？ A : それはありませんでしたが、 こんなことがありました。 彼が電話で 「ソニー・ウエストが結婚するので、 スーツが必要なんだ。 タキシードだ」 と言うので、 タキシードを作りました。 その時 エルヴィスが私に 「シュワルツ＆アルバサーに行って、 宝石類も揃えてくれないか」 と言ったので、 私は「それは余りに個人的なものだから、 そちらでやって下さいよ」 と断わったのですが、 エルヴィスは 「構わないから 君が行って、 私の宝石のデザインをしてくれ」 と言ったのです。 それで 私が行くことになって、 経営者のソールとエイブに会い、 彼らとは 時間がたつにつれ お互いに親しくなったのです。 そして、 ここで 彼がいかに気前が良かったかを表わすのに 最高のエピソードがあります。 ソールの話では、 一人の女性が何度も来店しては、 あるひとつのエメラルドとダイヤモンドの指輪を うっとりと眺めていたそうです。 しかし それは非常に高価なもので、 彼女は来店しては眺めるだけだったのです。 そこで 彼らが彼女にいくらか頭金を払えば、 残りは後でよいと提案するのですが、 彼女は夫が許さないからと断わったのです。 そして 偶然にも エルヴィスが店に行った時に 彼女もいたのです。 いつものように彼女が見た後で、 ソールがそれをケースに片付けると、 エルヴィスが 「どうしたんだ？」 と訊いたのです。 そして ソールは彼に彼女の事情を説明したのです。 彼女はこの指輪を欲しくてたまらないけど、 買えば夫に叱られると恐れていると。 すると、 エルヴィスは 「それを包装して、 彼女に渡してくれ」 と言ったのです。 彼が「本気ですか？」 と訊くと、 彼が「そうだ」と言うので、 そのようにしたのです。 ソールが夫人の所にそれを持って行くと、 彼女は「それは何ですか？」と訊くので、 「あちらの紳士、 ミスター・プレスリーがあなたに この指輪を とのことです」と説明すると、 彼女は困ったように 「これは戴けません」と言うと、 エルヴィスは 「誰でも 欲しくてたまらない物は 手に入れるべきだ」 と言ったのです。 続けて彼は 「あなたに差し上げたい。 どうか私の愛、 感謝の気持ちとして 受けとって下さい」 と言ったのです。 世界で１番素敵な話でしょう。 Q : ファンに聞かせたい あなたのお気に入り話はありますか？ A : ファンから聞くまで、 私は全く知らなかったのですが、 ベガスで エルヴィスのパンツが破れたことがあったと聞いた時は、 私は恥ずかしくて テーブルの下に隠れたくなりました。 パンツが破れたと知った時は、 きまり悪く感じて、 もちろん、 店に引き返して、 ２度と起らないような手段を講じました。 私にとって 彼には沢山の借りがあります。 私の顧客の多くは、 彼のおかげでデザインできることになりました。 彼が私のためにドアを開けてくれたのです。 私一人では とても近づくことさえ出来なかった人々の中に 入ることができたのです。 彼がやったスペシャル番組により、 話題になり、 興味を持たれました。 今でも何度も見ます。 今見ても素晴らしい作品です。 Q : あの話をしてください。 A : 忘れてましたね。 ジョーから電話があり、 エルヴィスがベルトとケープを客席に投げ込んだと 言ってきました。 そんなことをするとは思わなかったので、 もちろん直ぐに 新しいのを作りました。 あの時の私は フリップ・ウィルソンのショーをやってまして、 フリップのためにジェラルディン役の衣装作りをしてました。 エルヴィスはそれを理解して、 「ジェラルディンの衣装作りは君に任すよ」 と言ってくれました。 そして、 あの金曜の夜は録画撮りがあり、 私はロスにいなければならないし、 ハワイにも 衣装を持って行かねばならない。 飛行機のチケットも送られてきて、 全ての段取は整いました。 そこで私は、 エルヴィスの衣装の刺繍を担当していたニッキーに、 「頼みごとがあるんだけど。 私の代りに これをハワイに届けてくれないか」 と言うと、 彼は「いいよ」ってことで、 彼が行くことになりました。 エルヴィスの衣装にも座席が用意されました。 飛行機が飛び立って暫らくすると、 スチュワーデスがやって来て、 彼に「隣りの荷物は何ですか？」と訊いてきたので、 彼は 「これはエルヴィス・プレスリーのベルトとケープで、 彼の番組のためにハワイに届けるんだ」 と答えたのです。 暫らくして、 ニッキーが話すには、 「ひそひそ話が聞こえてきたんだ。 あのスチュワーデスが 『あれはエルヴィスのケープよ』って 仲間に話してたんだ。 また暫らくすると、 そのスチュワーデスがやってきて、 『それを触らせて頂けますか？』って。」 彼は「いいよ」って。 それで 彼女は触ってから戻ると、 仲間に「エルヴィスのケープを触ってきたわ」 と話したのです。 これって可笑しな話で、 忘れてたのですが、 ニッキーが思い出させてくれました。 「エルヴィスのケープを触ったわ」事件です。 Q : 皆ながエルヴィスの衣装を触りたがるのには、 今はもう驚かなくなったでしょう。 A : その通りです。 Q : あなたのデザインは とてもオリジナリティがありますね。 どのエルヴィスを見ても、 あなたの作品を着ています。 あなたはそれをどのように感じてますか？ A : 怖いぐらいです。 今までで最高に嬉しかったことは、 ３,４年前のエスカイア誌の中で、 ベルサーチが 「私が羨ましく思うのは、 エルヴィス・プレスリーの衣装を担当したビル・ビリューだ。 あの仕事をしたかった」 と話していたことです。 その記事は切り抜いてあって、 落ち込んだ時に 読み返すのです。 「南部の田舎町出身のガキにしちゃ 悪くないだろう。 あのベルサーチでさえ エルヴィスの服をデザインしたかったんだ。 凄いだろう」 って思うのですよ。 Q : あなたはエルヴィスを喜ばせ、 世界中のファンを楽しませました。 これから先もずっと あなたの作品はファンを楽しませることでしょう。 A : 彼の人生の一部分になれて 良かったです。 Q : お話し下さってありがとうございました。 A : 楽しかったです。

(May 2, 2005)

Falling in Love With Elvis By STUART ELLIOTT (New York Times) May 2, 2005

ELVIS may have left the building, but for Madison Avenue, it is as if he were still inside, helping woo consumers more ardently than ever. A multimedia marketing blitz with a budget estimated at $10 million to $20 million is under way to promote a new round of entertainment programming about Elvis Presley. The CBS division of Viacom has declared next week "Elvis Week," in hopes of luring viewers to watch two biographical shows, one fictionalized, the other factual, that run a total of six hours. CBS has a lengthy list of marketing partners to pitch the shows, "Elvis," a mini-series starting this Sunday, and "Elvis by the Presleys," a documentary, on May 13. Among the partners are American Airlines, part of the AMR Corporation, which will run a Presley program during its in-flight entertainment and distribute Presley CD samplers to passengers; Crown Publishers, part of the Random House division of Bertelsmann, which will release a book, also titled "Elvis by the Presleys"; and People magazine, part of the Time Inc. unit of Time Warner, which will run in its May 9 issue an insert carrying the headline "The King is Hear." When opened, the insert plays a snippet of "Blue Suede Shoes" and a commercial for the TV shows. Other partners are Presley's music label, Sony BMG, owned by Bertelsmann and the Sony Corporation of America; the quiz show "Jeopardy," owned by Sony, which will feature an "Elvis" category during its show Friday; TV Guide, part of Gemstar-TV Guide International; and Web sites like citysearch.com, with a promotion called "Elvis Was Here," as well as elvis.com and yahoo.com. There will also be copious cross-promotion by Viacom siblings including CMT, Infinity billboards and radio stations, MTV, Spike, TV Land and VH1. "It's the biggest thing we've got going for the May sweeps," said George F. Schweitzer, president of the CBS Marketing Group unit of CBS in New York. His reference was to a month in which the broadcast networks typically stuff their schedules full of special programs to stimulate ratings gains as the TV season concludes. Indeed, almost 28 years after his death, interest in Presley seems bigger among advertisers, agencies and media companies than it was during his life. His growing appeal is emblematic of the increasing interest in deceased celebrities as endorsers because their fame often outshines that of today's stars - and it typically costs less to use their images than their contemporary counterparts'. Presley, in fact, topped the fourth annual list of top-earning dead celebrities released last October by Forbes magazine, with annual revenue of $40 million, compared with $35 million for No. 2, Charles M. Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts," and $23 million for J. R. R. Tolkien, author of "Lord of the Rings." Here are some additional examples of current Presley projects: * A musical inspired by Presley, "All Shook Up," opened March 24 on Broadway, featuring live performances of 25 tunes he originally sang. The cast recording, on Sony BMG, is due in stores on May 31. * A 24-hour Presley music channel, called Elvis Radio, is among the choices offered by Sirius Satellite Radio. * Presley will be a character in a biographical film about Johnny Cash, "Walk the Line," scheduled to be released on Nov. 18 by the 20th Century Fox division of the News Corporation. Presley will be played by a young singer, Tyler Hilton, who warmed up by performing two Presley songs last month at the wedding of his cast mates Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush from the WB series "One Tree Hill." * Presley is a central part of a musical celebration of the 100th anniversary of Las Vegas, with "Elvis: Live from Las Vegas" to be released May 10 on a new label, Las Vegas Centennial Records, by EMI Music Marketing, part of the EMI Group. The same day, Sony BMG is to release a two-CD set of music from "Elvis by the Presleys," which features his wife, Priscilla, and his daughter, Lisa Marie. * The first commercials to encourage tourists to visit Presley's Graceland home in Memphis began appearing last month on national television. The spots, created by Thompson & Company in Memphis, carry the theme "Graceland. Where Elvis lives." Note the present tense. "It's a perfect storm of Elvis," said Jennifer Burgess, marketing director for Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis. An 85 percent stake in the company, which controls the rights to the Presley image, likeness and name, was recently acquired from the Presley heirs by the entrepreneur Robert F. X. Sillerman; he is making it a centerpiece of his new entertainment firm, CKX. Some elements of this most recent Presley blitz were timed to appear all at once, Ms. Burgess said, while others are turning up around the same time by coincidence. The CBS shows were once scheduled for last November, Mr. Schweitzer said, and Jonathan Pollard, the lead producer of "All Shook Up," said his musical had been in development for five years. But Presley's return to prominence at this time is no accident, many executives say. It has been building for the last three years, as shown by the success of the compilation CD "30 No. 1 Hits," as well as by commercials for brands like Nike and movies like "Lilo and Stitch," which used original or remixed versions of Presley songs. "It's the re-emergence of Elvis Presley as a brand," Mr. Pollard said. "He has always been popular, but there has been a resurgence in attention to his music and his place in cultural history." Presley "resonates today because he was a forerunner, a catalyst for change and larger than life," Mr. Pollard said. "And when you look for icons, you expect them to be larger than life." The renewed interest in Presley is partly due to assiduous efforts by Elvis Presley Enterprises to introduce him to consumers who grew up after the 1960's and 1970's. The goal is to help ensure a continuous revenue stream as older fans lose interest or, um, are returned to sender. "We've worked hard to present him as contemporary and timeless and it's paying off," Ms. Burgess said. "Our demographics show 80 percent of the visitors to Graceland are under 49." Others report similar examples of youthful appeal. "There's a whole generation of new fans," said Chuck Cordray, senior vice president for consumer marketing at TV Guide in New York. "Three of the four times we ran Elvis on the cover in the last five years, those were the best-selling covers of the year." As part of the CBS promotion, mini-CD's of a previously unreleased version of a Presley tune, "Young and Beautiful," will be attached to millions of covers of the May 8 issue of TV Guide, which goes on sale Thursday. There are four covers, each bearing a Presley likeness from a different year from 1955 to 1968, and a "Discover Elvis" sweepstakes online (tvguide.com/elviscbs), co-sponsored by "The Early Show" on CBS. There are those who would perceive all this as commercial exploitation, said Joe DiMuro, executive vice president for Sony BMG Strategic Marketing in New York, who acknowledged that "there is a business here, a solid business." "But we are the home of Elvis Presley," he added, "and it's up to us to find new and innovative ways to keep the legacy going." What is next for the hardest-working deceased man in show business? "We're planning another major network event in 2007," Mr. DiMuro said, to mark the 30th anniversary of Presley's death.

(Apr.30, 2005)

TV GUIDE's Four Elvis Covers Tying in with "Elvis Week on CBS" programming in May, the new edtion of TV GUIDE on newstands May 5th has four different Elvis covers. TV Guide Store

(Apr.29, 2005)

Priscilla Presley Book Signing 5/13/05 (Friday) 1-2pm at Barnes & Noble - Rockefeller Center. New York, NY. 5/18/05 (Wednesday) 1-2pm at Waterstone's, 311 Oxford Street, London W1C 2HP. (Nearest tube: Bond Street)

Priscilla Presley, Former Wife of Elvis, to Visit UK in May to Promote New Book Elvis By The Presleys LONDON, April 29 - Priscilla Presley will be in London from May 18th-20th to promote her book Elvis By The Presleys. The book is taken from hundreds of hours of intimate interviews with Priscilla, Lisa Marie and other family members in which they speak with unguarded candour about their lives with Elvis. The book includes previously unseen personal photos, memorabilia and handwritten notes. Priscilla will be making a rare public appearance at Waterstones, 311 Oxford Street from 1-2pm on Wednesday 18th May to sign copies of the book. Three major television interviews are confirmed - Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on BBC1, Richard and Judy on Channel 4 and This Morning on ITV. She will also be giving selected radio and print interviews. Elvis by the Presleys will be published by Century on May 5th, priced GBP20.00. During Priscilla's visit, ITV will broadcast a TV special of the same name which will include vintage, never-seen-before performance footage and Presley family home videos. Also in May Sony BMG are releasing a two CD soundtrack collection and DVD.

(Apr.29, 2005)

New Book, "Elvis by the Presleys" Out Now! 　今日 から "Elvis by the Presleys" が届きました。 エルヴィスの珍しい写真は少ないですが、 楽しそうな内容になってます。

(Apr.28, 2005)

Lisa Marie Presley on "Larry King Live" Changed to April 29. 　リサのサイトによると、 「ラリー・キング・ライブ」のリサの出演は 4月29日(金)に変更されたようです。 　スカパーCh.257 CNNjで この番組は見ることができます。 　日本時間での放送は 4月30日(土) �@10:00-11:00 �A17:00-18:00 �B24:00-25:00

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