Sir Elton John: A Living Legend Gets His Due
Last year, Sir Elton John released a stunning autobiography on the heels of the big screen debut of a blockbuster musical that chronicled his early life. On their own, each project was an impressive tribute to the legend’s brilliance, accomplishments, and longevity. Taken in tandem, they come about as close as anything ever has to paying proper tribute to a living musical legend.
One of the first articles I ever wrote for Medium was about the legacy of Sir Elton John. (Note: That article can be found here). At the time I wrote the article in 2018, there was tremendous buzz surrounding the launch of his multi-year farewell tour (which he adamantly claimed would be his last). The buzz included a pair of tribute albums featuring some of the most famous musical artists in the world, yet another remastering and reissuing of his greatest hits catalogue, and even a primetime special. On paper, these were all fitting tributes to the legend’s career. In execution, however, they all fell short.
I found myself regretting the critical tone of that article the following year when two astonishing monuments to Sir Elton John’s legacy were unveiled. The first was Dexter Fletcher’s biopic Rocketman, which hit theaters in May, and the second was John’s autobiography Me, which followed in October. Both are impressive artistic feats on their own, but when viewed as companion pieces become something truly astonishing.
“Me”
Today, Mariah Carey — a singer and songwriter that I have loved since I was 6 years old — is releasing a memoir that promises to be provocative and heartbreaking (if early reviews are to be believed). My anticipation for this got me interested in the art of the legendary entertainer’s memoir. One of the ones I picked up was Sir Elton John’s Me.
I have always been a fan of the legendary artist and his astonishing half century career of music-making. I know at least four dozen of his songs by heart. From “Tiny Dancer” and “Candle in the Wind” to “The Bitch is Back” and “Hakuna Matata,” the man has a diverse and enduring catalogue full of classics. But until the biopic Rocketman came out, I knew very little about his life, particularly the part of his life before AIDS activism, sobriety, The Lion King, and Princess Diana.
Me is one of the best books of any genre that I have read in recent years. As you might expect, it starts out chronicling his youth in the Pinner area of London with cold and conflictual parents and takes us right up to the present day as he launches his farewell tour with his husband and two sons. But what comes in between is something truly fascinating and engaging. Over the course of 352 pages, he weaves a tapestry of profound tragedy, spectacular excess, delicious gossip, social commentary, historical observations, and fragile relationships.
One of the most notable aspects of the book, which was underscored by many critics, is how dishy it is. It is chock-full of anecdotes about and insights into some of the most famous people of the past century. From singing backup for Patti LaBelle in the 1960s to selecting Lady Gaga to be his son’s godmother a few years ago, at times it feels like virtually every celebrity in history makes an appearance. There are hilarious bits about his nights of partying with John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, and Rod Stewart. There are poignant moments he came face to face with his musical heroes Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Leon Russell. There are revealing details about his high-profile friendships with Gianni Versace and Princess Diana that ended in tragedy when they both died a few weeks apart. There are honest and self-effacing accounts of his rivalries with Madonna, Tina Turner, and Billy Joel. There are numerous anecdotes about his interaction with Britain’s royal family. There is his deep sadness over the deaths of Freddie Mercury and George Michael. And then there’s that truly bizarre time Michael Jackson crashed a particularly important brunch and did exactly what you might expect Michael Jackson to do. And that’s only a fraction of the celebrities that make an appearance.
But despite the dizzying array of celebrity cameos, the book works best in the frankest and most vulnerable moments. This is particularly evident when he is examining his horrifically destructive and narcissistic behavior as a cocaine addict, his devastating relationship with his mother, and the long and winding road that led him to become a leading AIDS advocate. He is certainly a complicated man, but his willingness to look back at the highs and lows of his remarkable life and career with brutal honesty and transparency is admirable.
And it’s not just celebrities and tragedy that fill the pages of Me. He devotes a great deal of time to his family members, romantic partners, and non-famous friends. He talks about the pain of betrayals and conflicts with business colleagues. He talks about the young people with AIDS who inspired him to change his life. He speaks passionately about his long run as the owner of a football club and how it helped keep him grounded.
At this point you may be wondering how he weaves all of these elements without the book feeling disjointed and perfunctory. Well, he does so by injecting every page with his distinctive voice and a clear sense of purpose. Of course, credit must certainly be given to his co-author Alexis Pedritis who reportedly worked with him on the book for three and a half years and undoubtedly did a great deal of work to tighten and refine the narrative. But there’s also a part of me that wonders how glorious the messy, unrefined version would be.
Ultimately, Me is a spellbinding book that I could not recommend more strongly.
“Me”: 5/5 stars
“Rocketman”
Directed by Dexter Fletcher (most famous for helming Eddie the Eagle and taking over Bohemian Rhapsody after Brian Singer got ousted) and written by Lee Hall (who got an Oscar nomination for writing the Billy Elliot screenplay and a Razzie nomination for writing the Cats screenplay), Rocketman covers the first forty years of John’s life. It begins with his childhood in Pinner and leads up to his life-changing stint in rehab in 1990.
Rocketman works in large part because of the extraordinary decision to cast Taron Egerton as John. Fairly well known for his strong turns in Eddie the Eagle and the Kingsman films, Egerton is a true revelation in what should be a star-making performance. He physically, vocally, and emotionally inhabits John to a degree that is technically flawless, yet he also never once seems to be doing a mere imitation. It is the fully convincing embodiment of a musical legend that I have only seen a handful of times, such as Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line and Renee Zellweger in Judy. It is infuriating that he missed out on an Oscar nomination for the role, especially since the prior year the Oscar went to Rami Malek’s unconvincing and hammy performance as Freddie Mercury, which compared to Egerton’s work looks like the acting you would find on a Lifetime television movie. Thankfully, Egerton has his well-deserved Golden Globe and a bright future to provide solace.
Hall’s screenplay also deserves a great deal of credit, as it makes a number of very smart decisions when deciding which aspects of John’s life to fit into the two hour film. First of all, he wisely excises John’s many, many interactions with other superstars. This saves the filmmakers from having to cast actors to distractingly impersonate well-known figures and allows the action to focus on John’s close relationships with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin (the perfectly cast Jamie Bell), his ice cold mother (the decidedly miscast Bryce Dallas Howard), and villainous lover John Reid (a fairly one note turn by Game of Thrones heartthrob Richard Madden).
Fletcher’s inspired directorial decisions also are worthy of praise. Rather than make a stodgy biography he fully embraces the film as a whimsical and ostentatious musical. In particular, the sequences with “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” is a true stunner. The film is glitzy, colorful, fast-paced, and self-effacing — just like John himself.
That’s not to say the film is without flaws. In addition to the underwhelming performances of Howard and Madden, the film has a couple of other creaky elements. The framing of the film as flashbacks from rehab is a bit of a tired narrative trope and it all becomes a bit too maudlin during the climax when he has imaginary conversations with important figures in his life from his twelve-step meeting. And not all of the musical numbers are seamlessly interwoven into the narrative. But these are minor quibbles that can’t negate the impact of one of the most inspired big studio films of 2019.
I saw Rocketman on its opening weekend and loved it, but I found it to be a richer and more satisfying experience to watch it after I had finished reading Me. Sure, John touches on the biopic in his book. He mentions that Lee Hall was selected to write it because of how blown away John was by his work on both the film and stage versions of Billy Elliot. He drops the gossip that Tom Hardy was originally supposed to play him but couldn’t sing well enough. And he describes breaking down in tears watching the rough cut of the film. But this isn’t the context that made the second viewing better. Rather, it was understanding the emotional and historical significance of every detail on screen that comes from reading his narrative. There were countless things I completely missed the gravity of the first time around and appreciating them made the film a much more resonant experience.
If you haven’t seen Rocketman, I highly recommend checking it out. If you have, read Me and then watch it again.
[Note: At the time of publication, Rocketman is available to stream on Amazon Prime and for rent or purchase at all major digital and physical retailers.]
“Rocketman”: 4.5/5 stars
In conclusion, no tribute to the nearly 60 year career of Sir Elton John could do true justice to his genius or accomplishments. But the one-two punch of Me and Rocketman comes tantalizingly close. And the fact that the projects saw the light of day while John was not only alive but still highly active professionally make them even more special.
Check out other articles by this author about music legends:
Mariah Carey’s 50 Best Songs in Honor of her Golden Anniversary
The Very Best of Sheryl Crow: Celebrating a Rock & Roll Icon
