Meeting Elvis Presley was a dream for countless musicians and actors, but actually spending time with him could become far stranger than anyone expected. Over the years, stars including Alice Cooper, Liza Minnelli and Steve Martin walked away with stories involving loaded guns, karate demonstrations and moments that sounded almost invented. Yet many of them later told those stories themselves.
Alice Cooper may have had the wildest encounter of all. After being invited to Elvis’s hotel suite, Cooper said Elvis took him into the kitchen, handed him a loaded .38 and told him to point it at him. Elvis wanted to demonstrate how to disarm an attacker. Cooper joked that for a split second he imagined becoming “the guy who killed Elvis,” but before he could react, Elvis had knocked the gun away and pinned him to the floor.
Alice Cooper Tells the Loaded Gun Story Himself
Liza Minnelli remembered being at that same bizarre gathering. She said Elvis had watched her perform, then invited a group back to his suite that included Cooper, Chubby Checker and Linda Lovelace. Elvis disappeared before making a dramatic entrance showing off karate moves. His karate instructor then joined him and the two began sparring in front of the stunned guests. Minnelli still remembered Elvis simply as a “nice man.”
Steve Martin’s first meeting with Elvis also somehow involved firearms. While Martin was opening for Ann-Margret in Las Vegas, Elvis came backstage and complimented his comedy, telling him he had an “oblique sense of humor.” Then Elvis suddenly asked if Martin wanted to see his guns. He unloaded three weapons before handing them over, leaving Martin standing there holding Elvis Presley’s gun collection.
Steve Martin Reveals What Happened When He Met Elvis
Shirley Bassey had a completely different experience. She recalled meeting Elvis in Las Vegas while wearing a revealing jumpsuit. As they spoke, Elvis began doodling on her exposed skin with a pen. Bassey later discovered the markings extended all the way toward her belly button and joked that she avoided washing them off for days because Elvis had drawn them.
Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd received an Elvis invitation that sounded exciting but quickly became awkward. Boyd wrote that they were invited to join Elvis for a movie, only for his entourage to seat them several rows away from him. After sitting through one old film, Elvis suggested moving into another theater to watch yet another. Clapton and Boyd decided they had experienced enough and politely escaped.
Then there was Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, who somehow managed to make Elvis uncomfortable. Wilson remembered inviting Elvis into a recording studio to hear music he was working on. Then, without warning, he tried to karate chop him. Elvis blocked the move, announced that he was leaving and walked straight out.
Elvis Presley became one of the most influential entertainers in history through “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” Jailhouse Rock and performances that changed popular music. But these celebrities discovered something fans rarely saw: meeting the King could be completely unpredictable. Watch Alice Cooper and Steve Martin tell their own stories, then decide which Elvis encounter you would have wanted to witness.