Almost in Elvis presents BLACK STAR 
(English text edition)

Almost in Elvis presenteert BLACK STAR 
(Dutch text edition)

Dennis van Tiel (editor)

Pub. Details: DvT, The Netherlands, 2026, Softcover (14 x 21.5cm) 120 pages,

Illustrated (color/b&w), ToC, ISBN-13: 978-9082327397

Reviewed by Nigel Patterson (September 2026)

For more than two decades, Dennis van Tiel in the Netherlands has been publishing an  “Almost in Elvis” volume almost every year.

Each book has a different Elvis related theme and its format and content have been strikingly eclectic. They are among the most creative and interesting releases in the Elvis literary canon - the book formats have varied from normal book format/size to magazine style, a newspaper, and miniature size. The “Desert Storm” edition came in the form of a brown envelope! Themes have included  All Shook Up; Edge of Reality; Heartbreak Hotel; I Don’t Want To Be Tied; Let's Be Friends; Nothingville; Run On; We're Coming in Loaded; and Wheels On My Heels.

"Black Star” is the 22nd volume in the series and the first to be published with an English text edition (all other volumes have been in Dutch)! It has been published in normal book format.

The book is described as:

.... “Let yourself be transported to the sultry South of the United States in the 1950s - an era full of contrasts, tension, and unprecedented creativity.  In this unique, culturally and musically artistic booklet, a world comes to life in which sharp contrasts formed the breeding ground for something revolutionary: the birth of rock 'n' roll. While segregation divided society, music brought connection and an unprecedented new sound.”

For full context, “Black Star” is not just about the alternate title to Elvis’ film, “Flaming Star”, it is about, as Dennis van Tiel states in his “Introduction”, “the birth of modern pop music at a time when segregation was still rampant in the United States”.

Almost in Elvis volumes are produced based on contributions by Elvis fans and scholars. In “Black Star”, the contributors include Jan Alfrink, Ruud Bakker, Antonia Begovic, Gertrude from Brega, Ludo Diels, Kees Mouwen, Fred Omvlee, Remo Schorel, numerous articles by Dennis van Tiel, and this reviewer.

The eclectic nature of “Black Star” is apparent when you read the Table of Contents. The 25 sections/chapters include:

• Under a pointed hood there’s little music
• Stop that thief!
• The shadow behind the kingdom
• That honky boy
• A kretek cigarette is sexy, period!
• Buy now while replicas last!
• The last twenty-four hours of Albert
• The cursing gospel singer
• The shadow dancers
• Almost a black rebel without a grin

Reading “Black Star”, your brain is variously stimulated by great prose and thoughtful insight:

“Elvis’s gaze couldn’t leave the wooden stage. He watched a young singer with a sultry, growling voice sing a song that wasn’t really a song, but more of a plea and a command intertwined. She sang: “Come here, baby, and let your night begin with me.”

“Elvis’s heart drummed against his ribcage as if the music had taken control of it. Two women laughed loudly as they lifted each other’s skirts to cool off – but Elvis knew it had little to do with cooling down.” (“The shadow behind the kingdom: dancing along the edges of history”, Remo Schorel)

“So no, you don’t own a genre. You’re not the landlord of trap beats or sitars. You can have an opinion, sure. You can even be upset when someone butchers “your” thing. But remember: music isn’t a cultural patent. It’s not an exclusive membership. It’s a free-roaming, happy little virus.” (“Stop that thief!”, Dennis van Tiel)

“That Honky Boy” is Nick Swarth’s poem, while H.J-P D’Olivat’s letter to the editor, “We had a preference for black”, is about life, reality, commodification and disposable society.

Remo Schorel tackles the issue of Elvis, race, and cultural appropriation, while an excerpt from the historical novel, “Growth Rings of A King”, aligns Black-American sprinter, Jesse Owens, apart-heid, and baby Elvis surviving both his birth and the devastating 1936 tornado that claimed 216 lives and destroyed hundreds of homes in Tupelo.

Dennis van Tiel’s “The Last 24 Hours of Albert” is an intriguing short-story about arguably the most reviled person in “Elvis world” history, Albert Goldman…..and it includes a touch of John Lennon.

Along the way there are great kernels of thought such as “Graceland is a shopping mall with a house attached to it.”

At times, you will be scratching your head thinking, “What’s this got to do with Elvis?" Just think a little more or let the narrative circulate in your brain. You will be rewarded.

At other times, you will be learning about major influences on Elvis’ musical directions, for instance, the legendary Sister Rosetta Tharpe in John Schoorl’s “The cursing gospel singer”.

Also for musicologists, is “A compilation – for the sake of it: A reflection on the LP Almost in Love (1970)” by an anonymous ‘Music Journalist’.

And while some articles only feature a peripheral Elvis connection they are still interesting.

The photos in “Black Star” are strong. We have viewed most of them before, but they nicely complement their associated article. They include:

• Devastation after the 1936 tornado ripped through Tupelo
• Elvis and others gazing skyward during a rehearsal for the ‘68 Comeback Special
• A fantastic, evocative image of Martin Luther King
• Elvis and Sammy Davis Jr.
• A striking photo of the legendary B.B. King live on stage
• An Elvis doppelganger meeting Elvis at the Gates of Graceland
• Elvis breaking segregation (color) lines in Memphis in 1956
• Andy Warhol’s “Double Elvis”
• A number of photos of Elvis live on stage
• A tacky, but strangely alluring, Elvis nightlight
• A ghostly image of John Lennon
• Elvis, Sam Phillips and Marion Keisker outside the famous Sun Studio in downtown Memphis

My only (minor) issue with “Black Star” is that it lacks a section, “About the Contributors”. It would be good to read a little about each contributor especially about those we may not instantly recognize by name.

Overall Verdict: If you’re tired of the usual Elvis book releases, “Almost in Elvis: Black Star” is a welcome and interesting release. By the end of the book your mind will be a somewhat curdled, mish mash of conflicting thoughts, and as you reflect on the experience you will smile, knowing you have read something very different, something occasionally confounding, and something that has stimulated your thoughts. You are then free to come back from the edge of reality!

Summary Ratings

Score: A to F (“A”: Excellent; “B”: Above Average; “C”: Average; “D”: Poor; “F”: Very Poor)

For more information about, or to buy a copy of “Black Star” visit:

www.almostinelvis.nl

Read EIN’s 2021 interview with Dennis van Tiel

Click to comment on this Review

Book Review by Nigel Patterson.
-Copyright EIN September 2026
EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.

(Interview) Dennis van Tiel... the Netherlands: EIN continues its series of interviews with Elvis world identities in different countries, this time discussing “things Elvis” with Dennis Tiel from the Netherlands. Dennis has published several books about Elvis and is also responsible for the long-running series of “annual” publications, Almost in Elvis. His view about the Elvis world and what fans can learn from "everything Elvis" is truly fascinating. As Tiel explains, "'Almost in Elvis' is an initiative for writers, journalists, poets, artist and just passionate lovers of the character Elvis A. Presley. Every issue has is own theme. The style and the design are different every issue and follows the theme of that edition sort of speak. You could consider Elvis is a kind of muse in this context." Go here as EIN's Nigel Patterson discovers more .. (Interviews, Source;NP/ElvisInformationNetwork)

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