Elvis Presley was known for his love of dangerous games. He used these activities to blow off steam and for thrills after experiencing mundane life on the road. The King of Rock and Roll lived, loved, and enjoyed food and life on a more significant level. However, Presley took his zest for life to an entirely different experience when he used explosives to engage in “fireworks wars” at his Graceland mansion, claims his cousin.
Elvis Presley reportedly loved anything to do with fireworks, guns, and high-octane activities
Presley was an avid gun collector. By his death in 1977, he owned more than 40 guns, including rifles and even a machine gun.
In an excerpt from the book Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics, author Patrick Humphries wrote that the singer installed a shooting range in his backyard. Presley also had a history of shooting out lights or television screens.
He reportedly kept M-16s, rifles, handguns, and even a sub-machine gun at Graceland. Presley also carried a .45 pistol on his person at all times.
His passion for the high-octane play was well known and documented in the Albert Goldman book Elvis.
These activities included racing around the grounds in golf carts, knocking down fences at home, and speeding on motorbikes.
However, none of these compared to his love of dangerous play, including fireworks.
Elvis Presley loved fireworks
Presley lived at Graceland surrounded by close friends and family, including cousin Billy Smith, his wife Jo, and their son Danny.
In their YouTube Channel titled “Memphis Mafia Kid,” the trio discussed some of Presley’s most extraordinary antics in a clip titled “Crazy Stuff with Elvis.”
Danny recalled one evening in particular when he watched Presley and his friends engaged in a fireworks war.
He said the antics were “just crazy” and that he and others “were excited to watch it.”
“It was the last time that y’all shot fireworks and had firework wars,” Danny explained. “And [Elvis] started shooting into the little storage building that had all the fireworks stored.”
However, Vernon Presley, Elvis’ father, didn’t take kindly to his son’s antics.
Danny claims Vernon once told Presley that he was “going to burn the office down.”
Presley responded to his father’s warning, “Hell, that’s what I’m trying to do!”
Graceland continues Presley’s love for fireworks with an annual extravaganza held on July 4.
The singer is experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to the new film ‘Elvis’
The newest and perhaps the most in-depth look at Presley’s personal life and professional successes come from director Baz Luhrmann. His Elvis film explores both through the prism of Presley’s (Austin Butler) complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
In theaters now, Luhrmann’s story subsequently delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker that spans over 20 years. It encompasses Presley’s rise to fame and unprecedented stardom against a backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape.
But, during an interview panel in Cannes, Butler shared his hope Presley’s fans could see the entertainer’s “soul” within the film.
People Magazine reported Butler initially had “unrealistic expectations” to capture Presley adequately on film.
“When I first started, I put these unrealistic expectations on myself that somehow, if I worked hard enough, I could make my face identical to Elvis’. And that my eyes would look precisely like Elvis’ eyes, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” Butler explained.
However, the actor soon realized he needed to shift his focus.
“At a certain point, that becomes like going to the wax museum, and what is important is that his soul comes out.”
