Burgess, Kelly - As you probably know by now, there have been many sightings of Elvis Presley in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Among one of the most interesting stories about a Kalamazoo sighting involves Kelly Burgess. Kelly is a former assistant editor and feature writer with the Detroit News. The following is a transcript of the taped interview she gave on The Billy Goodman Show in the fall of 1988 broadcast via KBEG Radio, Las Vegas:

BG: Billy Goodman KBEG Radio

KB: Kelly Burgess

BG: We will be listening to Kelly Burgess. Kelly actually met Elvis Presley in August of this year, and she's going to tell us what happened at that meeting. Welcome back to this "story behind the story" in the Elvis Presley controversy, whether he's dead or alive. Our next guest is Kelly Burgess.

Kelly, you've got quite a background, Detroit News--tell us something about yourself.

KB: Well, for ten years I was an editorial feature writer and sometime columnist on the staff of the Detroit News.

BG: ...and there came a time when you left the Detroit News?

KB: Yes, I left the Detroit News--since then I've been writing for national magazines. I have an article in this month's issue of Skin Diver magazine.

BG: I understand that you actually talked to Elvis. This is great. Tell us about it. How did you ever even think of trying to find him--where did you find him? Let's start from how you got there. Take us on your trip that you told us about today--it's interesting.

KB: First of all, unfortunately, I was never an Elvis fan. I never had the opportunity to see a concert, never owned a record. When he died, I felt very bad, but it just kind of passed, and I never gave it a second thought until this summer. I don't know if any of you had access to the Michigan newspapers. There were several sightings of him in Michigan, and that's where I'm from--Troy, Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit. About the same time, I read Gail Giorgio's book Is Elvis Alive? and I became quite intrigued by the research that she did, and what she had uncovered. And the more I read about the sightings in Kalamazoo--as a reporter--it was a challenge. One day, around the first week in August, I told my twenty-two-year-old son, "Let's go to Kalamazoo today." I went totally expecting to find nothing. I had heard about the lookalike. And when we arrived in Kalamazoo, we went to Burger King, and to the YMCA.

BG: Tell everybody what happened at the YMCA. We can't let that get by.

KB: I went to the YMCA and spoke to the director of the fitness center and I said, "Does Elvis Presley work out here?" He said, "Just a minute, I'll have to check the roster."

BG: I think that's great, I really do. Nonchalant as can be...

KB: ...which he did, and he came back and said, "No. Elvis Presley does not work out here." Let me tell you first that there is a lookalike running around Kalamazoo creating an uproar. Many people have seen him; he hangs around the Burger King, goes into the supermarket, could be spotted driving a car. I've even heard he throws parties and invites people and hands out T-shirts. That is not Elvis Presley.

BG: Where did you find Elvis Presley?

KB: I went to an old hotel on Main Street. Now, Kalamazoo is a small college town with very antiquated buildings. I went to this hotel, which was built in the 1890's--there's a renovation underway there now--it's being converted from an old hotel into an office complex. Three gentlemen bought the hotel in 1985.

BG: Where did you find Elvis?

KB: You want to hear the details? The mystery behind it?

BG: Well, maybe we could go back afterwards to it. Where did you find Elvis is what I want to know.

KB: I went into the building and started surveying. There's five stories, a five-story building with an atrium elevator. I started surveying every floor. I had three encounters with security guards. I was not intimidated by the guards. They told me to leave. They said, "You're not allowed in here." My next step was to go into some of the offices; there are several tenants doing business in that building. I went into offices asking for Elvis Presley or John Burrows. They all looked at me, quite incredible. I mean, here's these business people and I'm asking for Elvis Presley. At one point some of the people said, "Elvis is not here, but we've seen his illegitimate son, Elvis Presley, Jr.," which turned out to be a joke. The last office I went into was off the main floor and lobby. I spoke to the receptionist and asked the same question. She said, "Just a moment, I'll get my manager." So the manager came out and I was speaking to him about Elvis, and he seemed quite interested, and asked my reason for being here. We talked about five minutes; I had my back to the office door. Suddenly he said, "There's the man you want to see," and I turned around. Elvis was standing there; it was almost as if lightning had struck in that room!

BG: You're there--it was Elvis. Tell us about what happened then.

KB: His presence was overwhelming. Now mind you, I've been a reporter; I've seen and worked on all kinds of stories. This was the first time in my life that I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. He took his finger--like this--and said, "What are you doing in this building bothering the tenants? I will not have this." He was very angry. I said, "I'm with the Detroit News and I'm doing a story on Elvis."

"I do not care if you're with the Detroit Star, I will not have this!"

Yet in the next moment his mood changed entirely. He was very kind. I could feel that he did not feel threatened by me; I was not aggressive. I started talking to him and he did not say a word for about five minutes. I started outlining some of the facts in Giorgio's book: "Why didn't anyone collect life insurance? And why didn't Vernon accept the flag for the coffin?" He stood there and listened; he didn't say one word. At one point I turned around and he was standing at a kind of angle. I turned so that I could look directly into his eyes. He had on gold-rimmed glasses, a modified version of what he used to wear; they had a slight tint to them. But I looked in his eyes, and he had the Elvis Presley expression in his eyes, which I think that most people that knew him are familiar with--that kind of sparkle--the same-shaped eyes, same-color eyes. Again, I was stunned. It was shining through, what comes through all of us that says, "This is me." It's kind of your soul that shines through your eyes. I said, "You have eyes just like Elvis. Are you a relative?" He said, "Nope."

See, for some reason, and today I still don't know why, I did not let him know that I thought he was Elvis. I still don't know why. I didn't come out and ask him. After he listened to my questions, he just stood there with a very pleasant look on his face, smiling at times. Just before I walked away, he said, "Yeah, but it's against the law to hoax your death." And I left the building, but then I returned. Should I talk about that?

BG: What did you return for?

KB: To take a picture, to...

BG: Kelly, what does Elvis Presley look like?

KB: He's about six feet, maybe 195 pounds, with a small pot-belly. He looked really good. He had a head of very thick white hair, without sideburns; his hair was done up in a kind of boyish haircut. Same mouth, same high cheekbones. I mean, it was Elvis. Anyway, I followed him into the construction office and he sat down at his desk. Then he put his head down. He spoke very little in the short time that I saw him. I thought he was looking for a pen so he could write my number down. Evidently he didn't find one and I didn't. I ripped out a deposit slip from my checkbook and handed it to him. He said, "All right, Kelly." And I left. After that I did get several hang-ups and hold-ons on my answering machine. It was quite an experience. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.

BG: I wouldn't think you would.

KB: I mean, his presence was just electrifying.

BG: You, like everyone else, knew it was him--the vibrations and everything that goes with it, that it was Elvis. Kelly, I understand that you're writing a book?

KB: Yes, I am.

BG: What's it going to be about?

KB: It's going to be about Elvis Presley, from 1977 to 1988.

BG: You're going to tell what he's been doing. How about giving us some inside information.

KB: No. I'm sorry. I can't do that.