Meet Elvira If You Can - Awesome Person
I love my wife. I say that because she waited patiently for probably an hour and a half at a NC convention while I waited in line to meet Elvira. Rather, Cassandra Peterson, because she wasn’t in the Elvira costume. It was worth the wait, and I was impressed with her. In my travels to conventions, I have met a lot of famous people and she is absolutely one of if not the most kind and sincere horror celebrities I’ve met. You can tell she is truly grateful for her fans and for her success. Elvira’s autobiography, Yours Cruelly, Elvira illustrates these qualities even more. As a note, I will refer to Cassandra Peterson as Elvira for the remainder of this blog. If you read this Cassandra – I apologize but you have become your character to me.
Elvira's Autobiography - Yours Cruelly, Elvira
This book, being an autobiography, tells the story of Elvira’s life up until now. That makes sense, right? That’s normally what an autobiography does. I forget the exact words she uses but, she explains that she wants to tell her story herself from her point of view so that everyone knows they are getting the truth. Man, did she tell the truth! I must admit, there are some details in this book that I don’t know that I would have shared, personally. She chose to lay it all out there though and I can respect her for that. I can’t possibly touch on everything she talks about but there are some things that stood out to me. Let’s dive into these pieces of her story.
Everybody Has That One Friend
I’m sure we all have those friends who have that luck. You know, if anyone is going to get invited to the band’s bus to join the green club it’s them luck? I have a few friends like this. One stands out though. He’s helping an old man clean up his house in nowhere, SC and stumbles upon a bunch of magazines featuring a man who writes songs for people like George Strait. He starts talking to the old fellow and finds out it’s his son. Now, he gets tickets left for him at the door of the singer’s shows, has frequent phone conversations with him, hangs out with him, etc. Same guy is in Nashville, TN walking by a church when the doors fly open and out comes a funeral procession that includes all the current big-name stars in attendance. Turns out that Elvira is that person too.
You Met Who? Who Is At The Gate?
She was very honest about being good at tracking bands down, at least the hotel they were staying in. This habit landed her in a couple of awkward positions. One was with the front man from The Animals and another, a well-known basketball player, and others. Once at a concert, a man guarding a trailer asked a question that anyone with sense would have answered “yes” to. He asked, “Do you want to meet Jimi Hendrix?” Yes, she got to hang out with Hendrix. She called later to go to the after party but surprise, surprise, he was too stoned to even stay on the phone. Her incredible luck also landed her the opportunity to hang out with Elvis Presley at an overnight party. It was ironic that his parting advice to her for getting into the Hollywood life was to always avoid drugs.
Another odd meeting famous people story is included too. Much later in her life, she was walking her Rottweilers when an animal ran across the road into some shrubbery which she explored. There was an old house hidden in the shrubs, and she knew it was her dream home. Her and her husband bought the house. It turns out that it was haunted. Mark Hammel explained that he had lived there early on and a roommate had taken his own life in the closet of the house. Fast forward a few years and Elvira has decided to sell her haunted house. A visitor arrives at her gate and keys the intercom. I imagine for females this is something that happens in dreams but, Brad Pitt was at the gate. Yes, Brad Pitt ended up buying her haunted hidden house. You can watch a YouTube video tour of this house here.
The Power of People's Words
She talked a lot about something that I have never noticed or known. When she was very small, her mother had left her alone in their home with water boiling on the stove. The curiosity of her youth ended up getting that water dumped on her. She was severely burned and almost didn’t live, if I remember correctly. Elvira carries these scars physically and emotionally posing in a way to be sure to hide them, etc. I always find it interesting in life when people say things that change the course of our lives or deeply impact us. At one point someone told her, and I forget who, that the only person who saw her scars was her. This seemed to have been a turning point for her and her scars for which I am glad. Our words have power. James wrote that centuries ago and it’s still true today.
Read Elvira's Autobiography - Her Life Has Been A Wild Ride!
This book is filled with crazy stories that include everything mentioned previously, the details of her rocky relationship with her mother, unfortunate events with her sister, details about those awesome Coors Light beer signs, how she was locked in a mafia guy’s basement, and so much more. She talks about the Elvira TV sitcom which I hate didn’t happen. You can watch the pilot episode on YouTube here. She explained how the name “Elvira” came about (the song wasn’t about her) and answered a question I have had a long time. What was the relationship between her character and that of Vampira? She tells all the details of this too and, it wasn’t pretty.
Elvira’s life has been a crazy wild ride and you really must read the book to take it all in. It is no wonder that this is a New York Times Bestseller. I laughed out loud several times when reading this. All the stories feature her unique sense of humor. Originally, she was going to retire Elvira at 40 but now she’s 70 and the character is still going strong. Elvira will certainly outlive Elvira. Cassandra’s character is the horror host with the most for sure.
Downshifting The Thunderbird Here
I’m going to change gears here a little. I laughed, got questions answered, envied meeting people like Hendrix and Presley, but I learned too. I am currently reading a book that she referenced in Yours Cruelly, Elvira about the power of the subconscious mind. There is so much truth in our thought life affecting our life. Abusive relationships, verbally in particular, are another subject that she delves into. She wrote in her book some words that really made me understand just how bad these situations are.
Obviously, she was the daughter of a man. In the early pages of Elvira’s autobiography, she talked about the relationship she had with her father and how he loved her and how she loved him. One day, he pushed her away (not in a mean way but an it’s time to grow up kind of gesture) and she explained how it made her feel. I have a daughter with whom I have the greatest relationship. As my little girl grows older, I see some of these things and it helps me focus on how I need to act. Hearing someone else’s words and view has given me much food for thought and helped me to realize how much my relationship with her matters to her. My wife’s voice is the loudest but, I enjoyed Elvira commenting too.
Closing Out My Thoughts On Elvira's Autobiography
This read left me with a greater respect and love for Elvira but a question too. From one Rottweiler enthusiast to another, why did she choose a poodle for the movie and not a Rottweiler? If by chance that you read this blog Elvira, please let us know. I may reach out on social media and ask directly too. Anyone else out there read this book and want to leave your thoughts, please do so in the comments. Further, if I can stand in line and meet Elvira again, I will have my patience and copy of this book ready.
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