After buying the Elvis compilation CD 'The Definitive Rock and Roll Collection' I was hooked and I wanted to hear, know and see more of him. I searched for everything I could find and this never stopped.
Kees: You're from Holland, what's your take on the connection between Elvis and Holland?
Erik: The first thing that comes to mind is of course Elvis manager, Colonel Tom Parker. We know he was born and raised in Breda, but he also had a connection with Rotterdam, the Dutch city with Europe's biggest harbor, and the city where the Holland America line "set sail" to America.
But for me there is more than this, I think Dutch Elvis fans have done so much in the Elvis world, but most people aren't aware of it. A lot of well-known bootleg vinyl and CDs originate from Holland, but also books, like the ones by Ger Rijff.
Talking about Ger, that man was a big influence for me. He traveled to the United States to see Elvis in 1975, 1976 and 1977, and published many highly acclaimed books on his hero. He also unearthed more new information and photographs - some with his partner in crime, Ernst Jorgensen - for us fans than we know. Just look in some of the CD booklets from the nineties.
Ever since I was young, I have always been fascinated in the persons behind a product or fanclub. I just wanted to be part of this, in my eyes, elite group of people. Let's see if this book is my first step.
Kees: What makes Dutch Elvis fans special?
Erik: That's a difficult question! Around the world there are millions of Elvis fans making the best out of their Elvis passion. What I learned while writing this book is that the Elvis fans I've met are very down-to-earth about their experiences. Very proud, but they don't "shout it from the rooftops" as we say in Holland.
For most of them, I was the first person in 50 years to ask about their experiences. This surprised me enormously. This actually makes me very proud, to be able to record these stories for the next generation of Elvis fans. Thanks to these fantastic group of people I could make my dream come true in writing this book.
Kees: Yes, let's get to the reason for this interview, your book. You recently released your first book titled 'Wij Waren Er Bij!' ('We Were there!). What can readers expect to find in it?
Erik:
My idea was to create a book in the style of the old "scrapbooks" your grandma or grandpa probably made when they were young. These kind of books really take you back in time, to those lovely personal memories from the past.
In this book I tried to cover all the perspectives on the Dutch fans from the 1970s who went to see Elvis. The book is filled with hundreds of photos and memorabilia, all preserved and safely stored, as if waiting for this book to be written from all the great mementos these fans saved all these years.
In 1977, Dutch fans attended Elvis's last two concerts ever, and I've included dozens of photos from them, giving a wonderful insight into how close these fans were to Elvis at a sad but unique moment in time. Nobody outside a handful of fans has ever seen these!
Kees: Why did the fans go to America, there were rumors that he would come to Europe "one day".
Erik: I thought the same thing when I started this project. Why travel all the way to the other side of the world when Elvis can just come to your country? How did they experience this unique journey? Looking back from 2025 we know that Elvis died in 1977, but this group didn't know that yet. In my opinion, this only makes it more special.
Naturally, I asked all the Dutch travelers this question, and I received the same answer from everyone. "We knew Elvis wouldn't come, so we'd go to Elvis". And to do that, these fans put everything aside to make this dream come true.
Working hard, saving, and selling to make your dream come true and cherish it forever as a memory. Something many of us can only dream of, and I am one of them.
In this book, I'll definitely delve deeper into this topic, about why and how Elvis was experienced in the Netherlands during the 1970s.
Kees: Obviously you were not around when these fans crossed the Atlantic, so what attracted you in their story? Why was this a story that had to be told and documented?
Erik: At first I was personally interested in these stories. Isn't it every Elvis fan's dream to see him perform live, even if it's just for one song? I met Jan van Mourik at a young age, he saw Elvis twice in 1977. I envied him; from then on I wanted to know and see everything I could about Elvis.
Over the years, I met various people and kept asking questions. In a conversation with Louisa van Loon, I came up with the idea of documenting everything in a book as she had so many great stories to share. After more than two years of research and meeting a large group of fantastic people, everything is now compiled, and I hope to have preserved a piece of Dutch "Elvis History" forever.
Kees: Producing a book is a long and intensive process and we surmise you must be excited all of your hard work has finally seen the book in print. How did you approach this project, it must have taken years of research?
Erik: It took me almost 3 years to create this book and to be honest, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I initially sought out this fan base and developed it further from there. I wanted to do everything myself, from collecting the stories to editing, scanning, and sorting through the photos and memorabilia.
I realized it wasn't that simple, as everything was tied up in rules and copyrights. So, in addition to my spontaneous approach, I also had to take a business approach by using photo rights forms and brand names. Fortunately, everyone embraced this, allowing me to showcase so many photos and documents. I was even proud to receive the cooperation of the legendary Todd Slaughter and David Wade, who made these trips possible back then.
Kees: I heard you even organized a reunion for the lucky fans that crossed the Atlantic to visit Elvis, how was that?
Erik: I wanted to make the book as personal as possible for myself, so I wanted to meet everyone in person. So I traveled across the country to hear all the stories in person and look at their photo albums and scrapbooks.
The fans I visited asked how the others had fared over the years. A reunion was a logical decision for me. I was in touch with everyone, and it was simply a matter of setting a date. I organized this private gathering with my friend and avid collector Ton Bergmans in April 2025. What a special experience it was for everyone present.
Kees: Who did you have in mind when you wrote this book?
Erik: I initially wrote this book for Elvis fans, specifically those who are the central focus of the book. But the further I progressed, the broader my scope became. By presenting Elvis' career in clear terms, along with insights into how Dutch fans experienced it at the time, it is accessible to all music lovers of all ages.
Kees: Has such a book ever been written? I can only think of '200 Concerts' which was released early this year. Perhaps containing memories from the same trips with the Dutch and English fans.
Erik: There are several travelogue books available, but this one is completely different. I decided to create a photo book with anecdotes. A picture is worth a thousand words. My goal was to be able to pick up the book and open it at will. A piece of paper to keep track of which page you're on is completely unnecessary.
Kees: Leafing through the new book I can only compliment you on how clean, crisp, informative, and easily accessible the book looks. Can you tell us something about the structure of the book and your thoughts behind the presentation of the material? It looks like you let the others do the talking.
Erik: To be honest, I never considered this book my own. It's a book I compiled from the stories of this group of fans. I've tried to approach everything with love and show the reader everything through a Dutch lens.
Looking at a photo of Elvis knowing it was taken by a Dutchman adds an extra dimension. For example, a stone is a stone, but if you know that this stone was part of the Berlin Wall, you suddenly see it completely differently.
Kees:
When you order the book from the Dutch / Belgian ElvisMatters fanclub, you get a bonus DVD, what does that add to the story? Do we see Elvis in action on stage? Why wasn't this included in the standard version of the book?
Erik: When I began my search, I didn't know what I would find. When I received the 1973 footage from Constant Fonk, my heart stopped for a moment. In my hands were the original 8mm reels of footage from the 1973 trip. I digitized the footage in the best possible way to include it in the book.
Unfortunately, my publisher disagreed, and I decided to offer the footage through the ElvisMatters fan club. This footage deserves to be seen and makes the stories from that year even more vivid. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there's no footage of Elvis performing, as filming wasn't allowed in the venue and the risk of being caught was too great. However, it does contain unique footage of Memphis Graceland and his birthplace in Tupelo, when Elvis was still alive.
Kees: Without giving too much away what was the most exciting or new thing you personally discovered from this publication?
Kees: Colonel Parker - born in the Dutch city Breda as we all know - makes several appearances in the book. What do you think his thoughts were on all these Dutch fans visiting Elvis, some obviously knew he was from their home country.
Erik: I've tried to include everything in the book. I must admit, I had to make a selection of photos and documents because I received so many that it was impossible to use them all. Of course, I scanned everything and left the original photos and documents where they belong... with the person who made the trip. It was never my goal to benefit myself by creating the book.
Kees: You have walked in the footsteps of these fans many years later, how would you compare your own trips and experiences to the ones you wrote about?
Kees: The book is written in Dutch, I think it deserves a wider audience, do you have any plans for an English version? Or do you jointly or individually have any plans for future Elvis books?
Kees: Is there a question I forgot or there anything else you would like to say to our readers?
Erik: I'd like to emphasize that I've done everything I could to reach all the fans who were part of this unique piece of Dutch Elvis history. Unfortunately, I wasn't successful, considering the age of some of the fans. Nevertheless, this book is a tribute to all the fans who were part of this piece of Dutch Elvis history.
I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed, because thanks to them, this book would never have existed. It's a book for fans, about fans, by a fan.
Kees: I can't think of a better conclusion to wrap-up this interview!
The book is available from the >>> ElvisMatters webshop with an exclusive bonus DVD titled 'We're From Europe And Going To See Elvis'.