AN INTERVIEW WITH ELVIS

 

Hawaii DJ interviews Elvis on G.I. Blues set Elvis also commented on his adjustment to civilian life during a phone interview on the set of G.I. Blues with
 Hawaiian DJ Tom Moffatt. On June 21, 1960, as shooting on the set was winding down, Moffat called Colonel Parker 
 at his Paramount office to ask about Elvis's next appearance in Hawaii. While the two were talking, Elvis walked
 into the office, and the Colonel handed the phone to him. Elvis and Moffat first met when Elvis performed
 in Honolulu in 1957, and the DJ had conducted another phone interview with Elvis in 1959 when Presley was 
still stationed in Germany.
Moffat asked Elvis how things were going since his discharge. "Well, I'm just now beginning to realize that I am out,
 believe it or not," said Elvis. "Because when I first came home it was a little strange for the first few weeks.
 I kept expectin' somebody to come in and say, 'Well, it's time to go,' y'know. 'Fall outside here.'"
Elvis indicated he was also having trouble readjusting to the process of making movies. "It was a little strange,
" he told Moffat. "I couldn't realize where I was going or exactly what I was doing. Believe it or not, but two years
 [in the army] like that you become adjusted to that type of life, and you become used to it. And then all of a sudden
 overnight it changes again. It's pretty hard just to go right back into things and be your old self, y'know."
• Presley uncertain about his career in early post-army months
What about Elvis's fans, Moffat wanted to know. Had Elvis noticed any difference in how they reacted to him compared 
to before he went into the army? "Well, actually, it's a pretty hard question to answer," Elvis admitted,
 "because I haven't been out that much where I could tell. I haven't been out to mix with people very much since
 I've been back because of the movie and television."
Schumach's and Moffat's interviews on the set of G.I. Blues in 1960 revealed a tentative Elvis Presley. He was still unsure
 if his old fan base was still there. It was a fear that haunted him throughout his two years in the army. Although he praised
 rock 'n' roll, he did so unconvincingly, admitting he might have to change his musical style. However, four straight #1 records
 and a hit movie in G.I. Blues must have eased his anxiety considerably. In the end, he settled for a comfortable lifestyle
 on movie sets and in recording studios. A decade would pass before he got "out to mix with people" again.

__