WANDA JUNE HILL  INTERVIEW

 

 

Joe Krein:  When did you meet him-were you his girl friend?

Wanda:  I met Elvis on the telephone in 1962 and then met him in person in 1963 at MGM Studios in Culver City, Ca. where he was winding up a movie entitled. “Kissin’ Cousins”.  And no, I was never his girlfriend. At the time we met I had been married for nearly 4 years and I am still married to the same guy.  Elvis was respectful, he liked my husband Jimmie and he adored our little girl who was just turning 3 years old.

 Question:  How old were you and how old was Elvis?

Answer:  I was 23 and he was 27.

Question: Didn’t your husband get jealous?

Answer:  {Laughter} No, he didn’t!  He was the Elvis fan and I wasn’t at all.  I grew up attending a Pentecostal church and Elvis was a pretty hot topic in quite a few sermons, especially at our youth meetings and at revival meetings.

 Question: Why did he divorce his wife when they had a little girl and he said he didn’t believe in divorce?

Answer:  She asked him for a divorce because she wanted a life different from the one he led- she wanted to raise their daughter in a more normal household.  Elvis was working and gone for weeks at a time, and too, she wanted to have a career.  He gave her the divorce because she asked and because she said it would make her happy.

Question:  Was he a drug user, as some say; is that why some suspect it was a suicide?

Answer:  No, he was not a “drug user” in the sense of recreational drugs, things that we think of as “drug user types” would be doing.  Elvis was always very hyper, active and tended to be nervous, and he was under stress and pressure being who he had become in the music business. He told me that as a baby he didn’t sleep much, that his parents took turns staying up with him and that later, when he was just starting out in performing he slept very little and would become exhausted to the point he couldn’t think. Some singer billed on the same show circuit gave him some sleeping pills and Elvis said that he couldn’t believe how well he slept, he hadn’t ever been able to sleep that well before. So he got prescriptions from a doctor and it helped him be able to continue the heavy bookings he had to do across the country. Then he went into the army and learned about stimulants since the military provides them for their troupes and encourages their use in order to keep the men from falling asleep on guard duty.

In Germany it gets very cold, the soldiers could fall asleep and get frost bite or even freeze to death. And of course, they were expected to be on guard in order to protect their fellow soldiers. So Elvis discovered that he could still sleep well and then take the stimulants and be able to wake up and fulfill his obligations. He didn’t think about possible side affects these medications might have on his body because doctors had no idea what they might do over time-we were all guinea pigs in those days, they were making wonderful discoveries in medicine, but not much testing over time was being done-people needed the drugs now-so they gave them to them. In Elvis’ case his career was hectic, he came home to the movies that because like travel guides he said, “beating up a guy, then singing to him” and he grew bored but he had a contract and couldn’t get out of it easily. So he stuck it out and his doctor gave him tranquilizers to help him cope with the depression and drudgery of it all. And he had to stay slim, so he took diet pills to ensure not being chewed out by his producers and directors. It was a continuous circle that didn’t improve until he began live performances again. For a while he was excited and happy, he was married, had a beautiful wife and a lovely little baby girl and his career back.

Unfortunately, that career turned into a jealous monster that demanded so much of him physically and emotionally, not to mention his time and attention.  He said he was so busy being Elvis he failed to notice that his wife and child were not getting the attention they deserved from him, and when he finally realized it, it was too late.  She had already found another life style and she liked it better than what she had with him…and he said, “I lost her.”

Elvis took it hard, he missed his daughter and he missed having a home to go to, something he always said he wanted to have, a place to get away from everything and just be “me”.  He got over it slowly, but it bothered him and he began taking more sleeping pills to forget and sleep, then he had to use stimulants to get up and do his job, the job he loved so much.  And he was getting a little older, his liver was stressed and he had colon problems that was inherited and also intensified because he was a surviving twin.  His brother had been the first-born. Elvis said his Aunt told him, had never taken a breath at birth and that he, Elvis was often told as he was growing up, that he was a “special child” because he lived.  That bothered Elvis, it gave him a sense of “Why me?  Why did I live and what is my purpose?”   He began reading books on spiritual things, religion, metaphysical books, anything to help him understand the “why me” questions in his heart and mind.  And he was very sincere in his studies, very dedicated, much to the dismay of many people around him and his management because Elvis wasn’t interested in the party circuit, the Hollywood scene and just wanted to read more than he wanted to play and party. It also took up a lot of his spare time and he tried to discuss it with friends, most of who were not interested, didn’t understand and were inclined to as he put it, “only fakin’ me out for their pay checks”. 

All of these things were pulling Elvis apart and down emotionally and physically.  Then there were the grueling tour schedules, that were getting longer and longer as more and more stops were added.  In 1976 he had performed just under 100 concerts across the country and in Las Vegas.  His last 5 months he had performed some 55 shows and was scheduled to leave the day he died.  Elvis suffered a heart attack-and the autopsy found that he had had at least two other heart attacks before the one that killed him. He also had ONLY the prescribed amounts of drugs in his system and he had in his last year of life, worked with his doctors to cut back on his meds so that he was taking only what he needed to stay alive.  He had not over dosed, he had not done anything to cause his death-his heart just gave out.  He had an enlarged heart, extensive artery disease; both conditions ran in his family-his mother also suffered a heart attack and died when she was 46. Elvis was a borderline diabetic and was on a strict diet to control that-but he didn’t always stick to the diet.  He had cluster headaches most of his life, he had closed end glaucoma and faced blindness which he said was nothing “to mess with” and he had colon problems that caused constipation and required medication.  Considering the pressure and stress, the physical nature of his performances, the emotional turmoil he was constantly going through for one reason or another, and the fact that Elvis didn’t have a strong constitution according to his mother who raised him and should have known, Elvis Presley managed to look good and sound great, perform as a true professional and never failed to do the best he could throughout his career, for more than half of his short 42 years. I think he did a damn fine job and was a heck of a guy, true blue and a sweetheart. He always did the best he could no matter what it was he had to do. Elvis was an American patriot and in my opinion, an excellent role model for guys who need to understand loyalty, honesty and respect for one’s fellow human beings.  Elvis never met a stranger-he met a friend and all these things are why he is so loved today-that and the beautiful voice he said God gave him and that he had to use it  to bring happiness, joy and a time of respite from daily cares to other people. That was his purpose-to serve God by serving the human race.  He’s still carrying that duty on through his music and movies, more and more people are tuning him in-- many of them are young kids.  Elvis would be very happy to know he is remembered because he said “Ten years after I’m gone, nobody’s gonna give a damn about Elvis Presley!”  Boy, that may be one of the few times that he was wrong!

 Question:  Do you think he would still be alive if he could have gone into rehab and got straightened out earlier in his life?

Answer:    He might have lived longer, but with the problems he had physically one can’t really speculate on that.  Had he been with other people when he was struck with the heart attack and received immediate assistance he might have lived, but that too is questionable. Elvis didn’t want to just be alive, breathing etc: he would have wanted to be able to perform, to live as he wished and he didn’t want to end up unable to do those things. I think the Lord he dearly loved, looked down and said, “Come up my faithful servant, you can work from up here” and Elvis said, “Oh damn, thank you!” and left immediately rather than face giving up performing in the manner he enjoyed. 

 Question:   Do you think Elvis will be waiting in Heaven, for his fans and loved ones?

Answer:  I certainly do!  He said he wanted to be able to be there for everyone, who ever bought one of his records, sat through those movies, came to his shows or just liked him for some reason.  He wanted to take them by the hand and take them to meet Jesus, and I think that’s what he’s doing.  I am looking forward to being with Elvis and Jesus, the Christ-I’d like to sit at his feet with Elvis and let him explain it all to me too!

Question:   There has been quite a bit of controversy regarding this book Wanda June-mainly that some of the renowned “Memphis Mafia” members say you never knew Elvis because they didn’t know you.  What do you have to say about that?

Wanda June: It is true I didn’t know them!  When I met Elvis I wasn’t a fan, in fact I had never sat through one of his movies, of course I had heard his songs on the radio. My husband was a fan; he bought a couple of records and a record player when we moved to California in late 1961 and played them quite often. 

Question:  So you weren’t a fan-but you got a chance to talk to him on a friend’s phone, is that right?  What led up to that?

Wanda June: My husband worked nights and slept days, we lived just a few blocks from the beach so I took our little girl to the beach so we wouldn’t wake him, we spent time walking and looking for shells, sometimes I’d do the laundry on the way home.  I met a young woman who had a little boy about the same age as my daughter, while the kids played and the clothes dried, she and I talked; she had moved out 5 years earlier, was working as a movie extra and had finished one with Elvis Presley entitled “Girls, Girls, Girls” and was currently working in one to be called “Kissin’ Cousins”. I wasn’t certain I believed her, though she was a very beautiful young woman. She had recently moved out of LA for her son’s health, didn’t know many people yet and I think she realized I was skeptical because she invited me to come to her place saying we could pick up something for the kids to eat and they could play.  Then she said Elvis was supposed to call her at noon, she thought he might ask her to come up to his house and she didn’t want to miss the call. And then she said she might get him to say hello to me.  So I followed her home.

Question:   Did he call her?

Wanda June: Yes he did-right at the time she said he would.  She talked a few minutes, then told him she had a friend with her who was new to California and hadn’t seen any movie stars yet-would he say hello? 

Question:   How many times must he have heard that one!  You weren’t a fan, but you got to talk to him anyway-what a chance in a lifetime!  How did that go?

Wanda June: He was friendly, very soft spoken and didn’t sound like I expected –you know like someone in his position in the world, just friendly and warm…it was surprising.

Question:  Were you nervous Wanda? 

Wanda June: Not at first, then when I realized he was asking rather personal questions- how long I lived here, how old was I, where I was from, was I married, did we have kids; it was a little bit disconcerting and kind of noisy I thought, but he did it so easily, not prying, just friendly and as if he was interested.  Not at all what I thought he’d be like…you know, a rock star.

Question:  And that led to getting to meet him that was at MGM, right?  Where he was winding up a film?

Wanda June:  Yes, it was one of the last days he would be there with some of the cast members-they were doing some “filler” scenes I think he called them.  Elvis changed clothes a couple of times and did a scene with two of the girls co-staring with him.

Question:   He asked you to have lunch in his dressing trailer, right?

Wanda June: I was really surprised but he was very friendly, not the smart aleck I expected at all so I went with him.  He was very down to earth, asked a lot of questions about my family, and what really surprised me, before he went back out to work, he went searching through everything in the trailer, looking for things to give me and my husband!  He ended up giving me some black and white still shots from the film, autographed them and then took cuff links from his own dress shirt in the closet to give to my husband!

Question:  Boy, he must have liked you; do you think he did?

Wanda June: He seemed to, he told me he was going to be on location in the mountains North of L.A. and invited us to come up when he found out we’d never been there. I went with my new girl friend who wasn’t working that day, and he gave me his telephone number, the one that rang in his bedroom and asked me to call him early some morning when I had time.  He found out that Jimmie worked a swing shift and I was often awake very early as a result-Elvis liked to stay up nights and sleep days when he wasn’t making movies.  But he had to be up early when he was making movies-so he’d switch his sleeping schedule around.

Question:  So how quickly did you call him---the next day?

Wanda June:  No, I thought he was just playing a joke or something; it was kind of hard to believe that he really did give me his number and some of our relatives couldn’t believe it either.

Question:  You mean you didn’t call him?  I would have!

Wanda June: A couple of weeks went by, I kept that number, looked at it a few times, then one day I just called.  And he answered, it kind of just started from that-in fact he sort of picked up that studio conversation where we left off and it was like talking to an old friend.  He sure wasn’t anything like I thought he’d be-you know-I was raised up thinking he was like the preacher of our church said- “the devil’s child out to destroy the young people of America.”

Question:   And he wasn’t that way, he did like the ladies though; he didn’t make any moves your way, did he Wanda?

Wanda June:  No, he didn’t, though he was a big tease and liked to make me blush once he found out he could. It was all in fun, nothing serious.

Question:  So what about your husband-he wasn’t jealous of Elvis?

Wanda June:  Not at all!  He was excited and pleased-he got to talk to him too! 

Question:   So Elvis became friends with both of you-did you get to go to his parties?

Wanda June:  I did a couple of times but Jimmie was always working, he’s one of those guys who won’t miss work unless there’s a death in the family-and probably it would have to be his!  He and Elvis had that in common, they’d go to work with one leg dragging behind them and a knife sticking out of their back, I think!  But I did go by his house on my way home from work a few times, mainly because Elvis wanted to give me something-books usually.  He was reading metaphysical and spiritual books, kind of very into that sort of thing, the why me Lord questions- any thing that related to understanding the world and human beings purpose for life.  He was very sincere and had been raised in a Pentecostal home.  I was surprised to learn he had that side to him-here he was the “king of rock ‘n roll” and supposedly a woman chasing one at that spending hours reading about God and the purpose of life! 

Question:   Wanda, why do you think his friends most of whom had known him a long while, and worked with him in movies and through those concert years later on, don’t want to admit that there is a chance you really did know Elvis, talked to him and had a friendly relationship for several years.  Is it because he didn’t include them in this relationship?

Wanda June: I’ve thought about that quite often-you see, until after Elvis died I had no idea he had not told them or at least some of them about us-I mean it wasn’t just Jimmie and me, it was several other people, most of whom we met because Elvis knew them and he thought we’d get along together. I found it hard to believe when some of them began saying I was a liar and various other things; but there were a few of the guys who were nice to me, who said there were many times Elvis made phone calls from his room and they had no idea who he was talking to. A few of them came to conventions we had, saw the copies of our phone bills with Elvis’ various numbers on them and other things in his handwriting. He didn’t write often, and his script is pretty distinctive. They believed I had some kind of relationship with Elvis after that-but they knew too, it wasn’t an “insider” kind of thing and that some of those who were “insiders” were very jealous of their own relationship with him-they experienced some of that themselves and they had obviously had a personal relationship with him and everyone knew it.  But that juggling for position thing has never let up, even today.

Question:   Who are those guys, some who worked with him?

Wanda June: I’ve never been a “name dropper” and it’s not important to bring them into the “fray” as they probably have their own “fray’s” going on-there is so much jealously and backbiting among the people who need to hang on to their moments with Elvis-and exclude anyone else from having anything they might feel is better than their own. It’s always been that way; guess it always will be. I don’t want any part of that side of the Elvis phenomenon-its just a waste of time, to me. I have never tried to use any one in my effort to bring the side of Elvis we knew to his fans and the public in order to counter some of the negative and debasing things said about him since his death. He’s not here to explain or deny these things; I am so happy members of his band, background singers and other friends of his are coming forward to present their view of him. We all knew the same guy and he was a sweetheart who does not deserve the trashing he continues to receive.

Question: Many other people have contributed to We Remember, Elvis haven’t they-telling their stories about meeting and knowing him over several years, isn’t that correct?

Wanda June: Yes it is.  There are 17 other persons, counting my father whose story is in the revised edition that’s out now, who have written to tell how they knew and loved Elvis.  Most of them met him through people other than myself.  One lady had known him for some time; she had the experience of being on the road with her guitar playing husband who worked with Gene Autry’s band and had appeared in a few of Autry’s movies.  She and Elvis had a good report because they shared similar experiences on the road –she knew all about the “groupies” and ins and outs of being musicians on the road back in the early days of the late 40’s and early 50’s.  Elvis liked talking to her and had put “To My Baby” on a couple of cards that came with flower arrangements on Mother’s Day.  They are among her treasured mementos from him.

Question:   That was a nice thing for him to do; did he send flowers to you?

Wanda June: He did a few times, he had a great sense of humor and when he found out Jimmie and I had been married on Halloween, he sent us an all black arrangement, complete with a jack-o-lantern pumpkin, a flying witch and all the flowers had been spray painted black and orange!  It was pretty funny!

Question:  I’d think so-he had a great laugh, didn’t he?

Wanda June: It was-you couldn’t not laugh when Elvis did-sometimes he’d laugh so much he couldn’t talk and would do this kind of muffled giggle that only Elvis could do-it was special….hearing him laughing, especially on stage.

Question:   I know that a few of his male friends and some women who spent a lot of time a round the gates of his homes in LA and Palm Springs say they never saw you come or go and the men who were around him according to them, day and night, say he didn’t like talking on the phone-he wouldn’t have been calling anyone like you.  What can you say about that?

Wanda June: I was never a person who hung around his gates, befriended his male employee/friends nor was I what they like to refer to as being “an insider” or member of the “inner circle” of his group of friends and employees.  I was in the same space, room or outside area with Elvis, other than attending numerous concerts, exactly 11 times-the rest of the time we conversed off and on by telephone.  It seems that they think I am saying I had access to him all the time, which is not true.  I couldn’t have called him if he had not given me his telephone numbers, nor could I have ever got past the gate or on a set without the help of the young woman who worked with him. The second time I talked to Elvis by phone at her home, he found out I would like to work at a studio, behind the scenes and thought it would be great to be a “script girl”. He told her to bring me up with her, he wanted to meet me and  why I do not know. I often think he felt sorry for us, thought we were really dumb kids and he was going to protect us from the ‘big city’ or something.  Whatever it was, thank heaven he stepped up to the plate!  Life sure changed when he came along.

Question:   You taped some conversations with Elvis, didn’t you?  Did Elvis know you were taping him?

Wanda June: Yes he did.  The first time was a couple of years into our friendship-he didn’t call all that often in the early years. Most of those times Jimmie wasn’t home or was sleeping when Elvis would call and he didn’t get to talk to him much, so I asked Elvis if he minded if I recorded the calls so Jimmie could hear and enjoy them also.  Elvis said okay and that was how it started-they were awful tapes, I had this stick on thing for the phone and a crummy little tape recorder and Elvis could barely be heard for the noise on the phone line and the machine running!  But we enjoyed them a lot anyway.

Question:  How did the interview with him come about?

Wanda June: It was late 75 a friend of his was taking a course in college, learning how to make movies and so froth and he had asked Elvis if he would do an interview for him, answer a few questions because he wanted to “knock the socks” off his professor by doing a mini documentary on Elvis.  Well, Elvis said okay, if he could choose the person doing the interview and personally approve what was used.  He also wanted a copy of the original and all the tapes that were made. They made that agreement and Elvis chose me as the interviewer.  He said he felt comfortable talking to me and I could help him by providing the questions.   I said okay and that’s how it began.

Question:  How long did it take to get through the questions?

Wanda June: Quite a while, because Elvis didn’t have a lot of time, he was touring, doing Las Vegas and he had been feeling bad for part of that time.  Plus he was in kind of an emotional state over the breakup of his marriage and not having his little girl with him as much as he wanted.  He was a family kind of guy; he needed a home base, a safe place to run to when he had to get away from that career.  And he had always said he wanted to have a family, kids and a wife to come home to.  Of course that was just his dream-his career kind of ate big holes in that as time went on and it became more demanding of his time.  Elvis loved his career, he liked performing and he loved the audience’s response to what he did up there.  If anyone ever loved their job-it was Elvis.

Question:  So the two of you talked by phone…

Wanda June: Yes, I was lucky.  I acquired a good recording system and got some pretty good tapes, still when recording telephone conversations there is always the background noise to deal with and too, Elvis had a very soft style of speaking and so the sound had to be turned up to pick him up and they were noisy tapes. He called most often when he couldn’t get to sleep- sometimes he didn’t sleep for days and then he’d finally take sleeping pills. Then he would sometimes take stimulants in order to wake up and be able to meet obligations of his job. His doctors who treated him for several on going conditions he’d had all his life prescribed all of these things.  Elvis never did street drugs, nor did he intentionally become addicted-that all happens over time and is very common, even today.  People in the 60’s and 70’s were taking the “wonder drugs” of the time and doctors had no idea what the long term affects might be-so many people, especially those in stressful occupations, became hooked on their prescription drugs. In Elvis’ time there were no re-hab centers for such things and it was looked down upon to be “addicted” yet thousands of people were-and today, still are…but it’s accepted now, considered the norm and there are no stigmas for going to re-habilitation clinics.  Elvis would have been trashed over had it come out that he had a “drug problem” even though it was prescribed medications provided by doctors Elvis trusted to take care of him.

Question:    Do you think that if he could have gone to rehab he would have been alive longer?

Wanda June: That’s speculating and I’d rather not do that. I just know that Elvis had worked with his doctors in his last year and he was off most of the drugs and using only what was prescribed to keep him alive. He was proud that he had managed to cut down on many of them.  He had several health problems, perhaps some brought on or at least made more severe by the use of diet pills to stay slim for the movies and sleeping pills to sleep, he had taken them since he was 20 years old-he said even as a baby he didn’t sleep much and his mom and dad took turns sitting up with him because he would not sleep.  He learned about sleeping pills when on the road with other singers in the 50’s-one of his fellow entertainers on the same bill as he, gave him some and it was the first time he could  remember sleeping so long and so well. He was awed by the way he had been able to rest-so he asked his friend for some more and then he got them from a doctor and when he went into the army, he learned about stimulants. The military supplies their men with Dexedrine in wintertime so they won’t fall asleep standing guard and get frostbite and also they can stay awake on guard duty in the nighttime. They still do that today-it’s a necessary part of war and staying alive during combat situations. Many of the guys who come back from serving in war times have sleeping difficulties and many get hooked on sleep aids.

Questions:   Wanda, you know if you released the tapes that you have, and that I have heard a small portion of, it would resolve the whole question of whether you knew him as you say you did, or not.  Why haven’t you done that?

Wanda June: My first reason for not doing it is I promised Elvis I would never do that. And the second reason is that every time any publisher or media person ever wanted any part of the tapes they wanted the sections that I know Elvis would not want people to hear-he specifically said so and I will not betray his confidence. I can and did, go through the transcripts and choose specific sections for my book that I don’t think he would mind, that reveal the man behind the image in a way he could accept. But I will not betray his confidence any further than I have.  People say they are worth millions!  You could buy anything you wanted!  And I say that I’ve seen that millions didn’t bring him happiness-didn’t give him peace of mind nor did it even give him personal happiness other than what he gained by giving to others.  We are not wealthy by any standard; don’t have a big fancy home or drive expensive cars; those things have never been important.  Personal happiness does not depend on how much money one has-nor does it depend on any one believing if I knew Elvis or not.  I remember what Elvis told me,  “It’s their loss-they can take it or leave”.

Questions:   Didn’t you say that you sent Elvis all of the original tape recordings?  Where did you send it to him-Graceland?

Wanda June: No, it was to an address in Memphis, but not Graceland. I thought perhaps it was his girl friend’s house-the house he owned and she lived in, but I’m not sure of that and now it really doesn’t matter.  I sent him the raw, unedited tapes, the originals and copied only a very small portion of them that was to be used for the documentary-but I did make transcripts. I know that he got them, they were signed for by someone-the signature was not legible.  And he approved the sections selected for the interview-and requested that I cut out some parts so I know what he wanted people to know and what he didn’t… and I will continue to respect his wishes.  When the documentary was done--it was a large professional sized cassette, the only one made and sent to him.  He said he received it but I don’t know if he ever watched it.

Question:   He spoke to some of his friends, the guys with him in those last months of his life about wanting to write his own life story, isn’t that right?  A couple of them mentioned this in other interviews; did he mention it to you Wanda?

Wanda June: No he didn’t, we kind of joked around about it, and I told him he ought to do that but no, he didn’t tell me he had ideas for doing it. I wish he had been able to-it would have been great!  I heard that he had chosen a title-“Through My Eyes”-it would have been wonderful to be able to read what those eyes saw instead of what everyone else’s eyes were looking at.

Question why is it the guys do not remember you?

Elvis never brought them with him other than a driver to Knotts Berry Farm before it became big time and had to have tickets to even get in the parking lots and the time at the beach-in the pouring rain storm...he had a guy with. him but I didn't not see him-it was raining so hard and Elvis got out and got in our Lincoln. It had electric seats, my driver door was locked, I couldn't unlock it from the passenger side, Elvis was trying to open the door, waiting in a pouring, wind blown rain, I got the door open, then he had to run the seat back to get in-he was sopping wet when he got in and started the car to run the heater...he wasn't too happy about it, but he didn't bit my head off, he just growled, "I'll dry". 

 Question . What did your family think about your relationship with Elvis?

My dad sure worried when I met Elvis, he just knew Elvis was going to "take advantage of my naïve opinion of him" -my dad thought he was "the devil's child" because all our pastors had said so-and we didn't know any better.  Talk about sheep!  My dear father still comments sometimes how he didn't get to tell Elvis he was wrong about him,  that he was a nice guy just like I had said he was.  I always tell him, hey, Elvis knew it, you didn't have to tell him.  He talked to you didn't he?  And he'll say oh yes, he did, he talked and talked... so I say, he wouldn't have dad, if he didn't know that you liked him and thought he was an okay guy. So then he understands and won't mention it for a while.  But he always comes back to that, I guess it's just something that bothers him, and he didn't get to make it right.  Capricorns...they tend to be that way.  I've known enough of those guys-strange how many have influenced my life. I should investigate and find out why that is...must be something in my horoscope.

Question:   Did RCA ever contact you about the recordings-they do own the rights to his voice, that is a known fact.

Wanda June:  Not them specifically since I did not use his voice, just transcripts of conversations. However, they do have legal rights to his voice, speaking and singing, that is true.  My first loyalty goes to Elvis and his wishes. If I had the kind of money it takes to buy 6 seconds of his voice for public use---I’d find a better way to use the money for those who can’t afford a book!

Question . Can you tell me about August 16 1977?

My story began long before that date-it started when we were watching On Tour in the theatre and I couldn't stop crying through the whole thing. I thought he was dying and I guess that he was. About then I began having a repeating dream of hearing a dj say , Elvis dead today at---- But I could not get the day and then twice I dreamed of newspapers spiraling slowly from the sky and there was his picture on the front page with big headlines saying Elvis Presley dead in big letters-but I couldn't get the date again...I quit listening to the radio, even in the car. The day of I went in Starla's room as she had the stereo equipment set up and listened to rock music usually. I punched the button on and out snapped a dj's voice "Elvis Presley, the King of rock 'n roll died today in Graceland".....I just about keeled over in shock that it was like I had dreamed-and then I started trying to call a friend who had been on tour with Elvis...but all the lines were tied up. I barely put the phone down until he called me and told me Elvis was gone, that he had died in his bathroom and that Ginger had found him. He said, it was fast, very quick, he didn't suffer, he just passed out-we think it was his heart. We didn't talk much more, then my phone never stopped ringing that day-people I hadn't heard from in years called, relatives etc: and our friends. None of us could believe it...but we knew it was true. We had all three TV's we owned on watching different channels. Joe the pain was like a hole clear through our chests, and icy cold blew through it-I have never felt so lost, so totally desolate in my life. He was the first person in my life that was very close to me, loved like my brother, my son, my friend, my Elvis whom I felt I had let down, had not protected him. Somehow, it was all guilt and the pain of being helpless and of not doing something. I didn't know what but surely something? For three days we, my Jimmie and our Starla, Elvis' little Julie since she was 3years old, sat and watched and talked and the wind blew through the holes in our hearts. I wanted to go out and write his name on everything...weird but that's what I felt like doing. Painting it in big letters so no one could miss it. Every flat place I saw I wanted to write his name. That was the most weird thing I felt. And then our friends called and said they received the flowers from Elvis -their mother had died and Elvis heard and he had ordered Heather flowers for the family and sent a beautiful spray of orchids for their mother to wear on her dress. He had even asked what color her dress would be-and the flowers complimented it beautifully-the ribbons were a shade darker purple, and the orchids were white and purple-her dress was soft lavender with a white lace trimmed collar. He florist was crying when he delivered the items-he had spoken to Elvis, taken the order and filled out the card as Elvis told him the words...and said sign it E.P. please. And he had said, "Thank you sir," and the florist who was the owner of the place, was impressed with his courtesy and polite manner and his insistence on having Heather for the arrangement. I was awake all night the 16th and I kept hearing my phone ring...I even got up and answered it and no one was there- it wasn't ringing...it was just my mind ringing it. But I will say that the line was "open" when I answered it-I could not hear anyone on it. I don't know, it was 3;45 am...I wrote it down.... Often he called about that time-he knew I would be up because Jimmie left for work at around 3:30 in those days.
I kept having the feeling he would call-I moved the phone out of our bedroom so I wouldn't be reaching for it- that helped, but I still heard it ring many times for the next few weeks, but it wasn't ringing. This happened off and on for several years- I turned the phone off except for messages when we got a phone that had a system like that-I didn't want to ever hear it ring-I still hate the phone ringing today. I know Elvis is in a better place, and that he's still with us and he's still our Elvis. He will never grow old not physically, not musically and certainly not spiritually-he's free. He can go anywhere and that's what I look forward to also... I know we will meet again and it's going to be wonderful

Question:   Wanda, this has been a great interview, I think we’ve covered all the points and I want to thank you for being so honest and open.  And for standing by your guns Wanda, choosing not to betray Elvis confidence and not jumping into the firestorm that some seem to want to get into with you.  I think you are a courageous and honest woman, whom Elvis trusted and cared about a great deal.  Your family must have represented something he missed in his own life, something he could enjoy and couldn’t have quite that way himself.  Do you think he was happy, most of the time?

Wanda June: I do.  Elvis made life good, he tried to find the best of things, and even the bad things have a better side, he said, if you look at them differently.  He loved his life, his job and singing was his life.  He adored his little girl, he was so proud of her and he tried to keep feeling love and affection for her mother. He was a good man, a giving, honest man who just didn’t meet a stranger- he met a friend. He had a way of making people feel they were important to him, and in doing that he gave them importance to themselves…and everyone needs that, some more than others.  Elvis was a good friend, loyal and generous, sometimes to a fault, but he was sincere in his friendship. He liked loyalty and there were some who just didn’t understand what that meant, and I guess never will.  The bottom line of it all is that Elvis will never be gone-long after we are all dead and buried, his music will be playing somewhere, all over the world, his films will still be shown, people will talk about him and look at his pictures and they’ll always see him as the “king of rock ‘n roll”… he was the first really big teen age heart throb and he won’t ever be old or outdated. Elvis is a Universal wonder-and always will be. And he is the one who said, “Ten years after I’m dead, nobody will give a damn about Elvis Presley!”   That maybe the only time I can recall him being dead wrong about anything!

Question:    Thank you very much Wanda June Hill, I hope your book sells well and that many more people can read and learn a little more about the personal side of Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n Roll.  I wish you lots of luck; you’re a great lady.  It’s been an honor to meet and talk with you.

Wanda June: Thank you very much, I’ve enjoyed talking with you Joe and I hope that together we’ve answered some of the questions people want to ask.  And can I just say that they can order copies of the book through Amazon.com and also ask their local bookstores to order the book too.

Question:  Sure, I’ll include it in the copy.  Thank you for coming in, and we’ll do this again if you have time.

Wanda June: That would be nice---I’m thinking of doing a second book, it’s called Elvis, Face to Face and will, if I get it finished, be out later on this year-or the first of next year. It’s doing to be more details of those 11 times I was in his “space”…and include many comments and stories from fans all over the world.  So I’ll see you then, if we can arrange it.

Question:   Great!  I’ll be looking forward to another book-I’ve certainly enjoyed this one!   Wanda June, I just want to say that I believe that is Elvis on the phone talking to you-I’ve heard his voice many times, in interviews, off camera a few times when waiting backstage chatting with him, listening to him talking to other people, and I feel sure I can recognize his voice.  I just want to say, I’m sure that’s him talking.  I feel very proud to have had the privilege of sharing that with you. Good luck and may God bless your family and our world.

Wanda June: Thank you very much Joe, it means a great deal to have you say that; his voice is as distinctive as his handwriting-for certain!    Thank you for voicing your wishes for God’s blessings on our world-it surely does need an “intervention” from God.  END

note: many of the body guards say that Elvis did not call people from his room because if he did they would have known about it. they said it would have gone through the downstairs phone in the kitchen. i just reviewed a new book written by Jeanne Lamay. She was a friend of Linda Thompson and later worked for Elvis. One of the chapters she talks about a gold phone that was put in for Priscilla. A private line. a phone that bypassed the downstairs. when i read this i emailed Wanda telling her about the phone. this was her reply.