Written to be enjoyed, the autobiography gives us stories upon stories, in lavish detail, of Elton John’s extravagant life, exploring every conceivable facet of his extraordinary existence.
Sir Elton John. A name and title that can be recognized around the world. A name that has become synonymous with talent and perseverance. A name that embodies the defiance against the status quo and the breaking of norms. Elton John is a musical genius and a trailblazer in so many facets of life. Not many artists ever get the chance to reach the remarkable stature of Elton John and only a few are knighted by Queen Elizabeth II herself. The list of accomplishments and accolades associated with his name are plentiful, leaving many to wonder how anyone becomes an “Elton John.” For those people, I would refer you to the outstanding autobiography of Elton John, Me, ghost written by Alexis Petridis of The Guardian. The incredible piece of work gives us insights into every crevasse of his life, leaving no stone unturned and, for the first time, giving us a comprehensive account of his journey. In the scathingly honest and tell all autobiography, John recounts events from his childhood in Pinner, London, all the way through to his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, and includes details that may or may not be wanted by the reader, like the use of adult diapers.
Elton John begins by recounting his grueling childhood years in the London suburb of Pinner. Born to a pair of abusive parents, John was frequently the victim of verbal and physical abuse, often for the most bizarre reasons. “I would get into trouble if I kicked my football off the lawn into the flower bed, but I would also get in trouble if I ate celery in what was deemed to be The Wrong Way,” the list of activities that could inspire punishment seemed never ending and each more peculiar than the last. The only approval he would ever win from his parents was from playing the piano, fostering an incredible bond with the instrument from a very young age. “But he liked music, and if he heard me playing the piano, I’d get a “well-done”, maybe an arm around the shoulder,” which may seem trivial to some but can be very rewarding for a child that generally lacks any sort of emotional support/approval. His tough childhood beckons the question: How did this kid end up turning into Elton John? Not to mention that his parents never thought that the music business was a suitable career choice for him. However, from a young age John had always possessed a phenomenal knack for playing the piano. As he relates, “if I heard a tune once. I could go to the piano and play it perfectly by ear,” an impressive talent for any individual to have and an outstanding talent for a young boy to have. Despite his awful relationship with his parents, John was able to seek comfort in his nan, formally his grandmother, “she was the person I trusted the most,” he` says. This trust is made undeniably clear as he goes on to describe how she casually helped to extract his penis from his uncooperating trousers that decided to entrap his foreskin in the zip.
After meeting his songwriting partner and lifelong friend, Bernie Taupin, John’s musical journey seemed to take off. The famous and celebrated song, “Your Song”, was released shortly after this brilliant duo united, almost immediately gaining worldwide recognition in 1970. The song gained so much attention that John felt that a tour in the US was obligatory, where John recounts some extraordinary stories, from stunning audiences with his extravagant wardrobe to throwing oranges at Bob Dylan when the American proved incapable of playing charades, his time in the US seems to have every type of experience conceivable. Perhaps one of the funniest stories was – “In September 1980, I played in front of half a million people in Central Park, the largest crow I’d ever performed to” … in a Donald Duck costume. In light of his lack of foresight, John was left completely immobile and incapable of sitting due to the bulky nature of the costume, creating a memorable experience, to say the least. John could, no doubt, write brilliant music but his eccentric nature and outlandish personality contributed greatly to his success and popularity.
Me isn’t strictly a tale of fun stories and amazing experiences, John opens up about his struggles with addiction and much more, for the first time giving us insight into his seemingly perfect life. At the forefront of his struggles was his cocaine addiction, alcoholism, and bulimia. John describes his first experience with cocaine and how, despite making him sick, he would go back for more, marking the beginning of a dark era in his life. John has never been one to do small things, its either big or go home, so it’s no surprise that he took advantage of his financial status to indulge in copious amounts of cocaine and alcohol. At the height of his addiction, he recounts a story where, after a night of drinking and doing drugs, he was escorted to a hotel room that was left in a disastrous state, almost everything turned upside down, rendering him speechless and determined to figure out who could cause such chaos. Unbeknownst to him, he was the incredible force that left the room in ruins. Upon this eye-opening revelation he finally decided to seek the help he had been denouncing for years. Another sombering moment in the autobiography occurs when John describes the AIDs outbreak and the loss of close friends such as Mercury. “Not being that interested in having sex myself is the reason I never got HIV”— John highlights, attributing this personal quirk as the reason he lives to this day. Due to its impact on his life, AID’s has always been a very important cause to John which inspired him to found the Elton John AIDs Foundation.
John’s post-rehab life was draped with moments of doubt – “I thought I couldn’t make an album without drink or drugs” – but he would quickly realize that this wasn’t the case and, with the help of his brilliant musical mind, continued to create outstanding music and immerse himself in charity work. Unfortunately, tragedy always loomed close behind. John lost two of his dear friends Gianni Versace and Princess Diana, back-to-back – “I turned on the TV in the bedroom and sat there, watching the coverage, bawling”. Enough to put any ordinary individual out of commission, however, John persevered and tried to continue to do what he did best, somehow never falling back into the dark place he was in before. John reveals that his very successful tribute to the late Princess Diana, “Candle in the Wind 1997,” made him uncomfortable. “It felt as if people were somehow walling in her death,” he said, for a long and unhealthy period of time. An interesting thought that not many would have thought of but was nonetheless, the reality in John’s mind. Finally, John leaves us with one last struggle he has had to endure in the past few years: the onset of prostate cancer. Somehow, he has managed to keep his condition from the world, despite accidentally urinating on a stage in Las Vegas, in front of 4,000 fans. Only John would be comfortable enough to share such intricate details of his life, speaking greatly to the type of person he is. Despite his grueling battle with cancer, he still managed to get up on that stage and perform in front of thousands, another feat that only Elton John could pull off.
Elton John’s journey to paramount success was not an easy one; it took years, extensive amounts of talent and the wow-factor that seems to have been entrenched into his being to become the famous Sir Elton John. Though this autobiography does not detail the genius that went into some of John’s brilliant musical pieces, it offers never before seen insight into his life and his riveting experiences, presented in an incredibly enjoyable way. With pictures interspersed throughout the book to give life to the outlandish descriptions of his extraordinary experiences (the picture of him in the Donald Duck costume was definitely a highlight), this autobiography has everything one could ask for, making it a must read. Whether or not you enjoy his music, after reading this autobiography you will be left with a newfound respect and admiration for the legend that is Sir Elton John.