Elton: The Biography

by David Buckley

Book Overview

One of music's true global superstars and most admired figures, Elton John has sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide to date, and continues to appear regularly in the singles charts, thanks largely to a series of high-profile collaborations with new faces. But he is loved as much for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music: recent memorable outbursts have included a public comment that "people who charge 75 and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556527942
• ISBN13: 9781556527944
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

David Buckley's biography of Elton John was well researched and a good overview of Sir Elton's life. David Buckley interviewed tons of people, and covered everything thoroughly. It didn't dwell on the unsavory gossip (as much as I might have wished), but it was extremely candid nevertheless. I would be very surprised to learn that the author wasn't British, but some of the more obscure Britishisms left me scratching my head. Whenever he gave chart positions on the songs, he gave both U.S. and U.K., and surprisingly, Elton John was often more famous in the U.S. than in his own country. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, of all places. I confess that I read this book out of order, like the way F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. By that I mean that I began at the height of his fame, then I went back a chapter, then ahead to the next chapter, and so on. I read it in two directions: chronologically and counter-chronologically. I was just kind of impatient to begin with, but once I got into it I found the book to be fascinating and I read right through to the end. ------------------ Don't let the sun go down on me Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free But losing everything is like the sun going down on me ================================== Some of the more memorable moments in the book were Elton's meeting with Elvis not too long before he died; his friendship with Rod Stewart (they called each other Phyllis and Shirley), his meeting with David Bowie (they didn't have much to say to each other), and he once jumped on stage in a gorilla suit and danced with Iggy and the Stooges. ------------- Goodbye Yellowbrick Road Back to the howling old owl in the woods Hunting the horny back toad Oh I've finally decided my future lies Beyond the yellow brick road ==================== Elton has had a troubled relation with the fame. Three people very close to him died very tragically as a result of their fame, either by being hunted by paparazzi until she died in a tragic auto accident, or like the designer Versace and John Lennon, killed by twisted killers obsessed with becoming famous by killing a famous person. Sometimes he has been perhaps too candid about his personal life, and it has cost him some fans. David Buckley's book details all of these events, and also describes a battle Elton had with a British tabloid. The Sun printed some false claims that he attended wild parties and paid for underage rent boys. He filed a law suit for slander and libel against them and won. The source for The Sun story later admitted that he had made the whole thing up just to get money from The Sun, who weren't all that keen on verifying his outrageous claims. He didn't even know Elton John. Elton's trial went much better than Oscar Wilde's, who when asked if he had paid a certain lad testified, "Oh, no. He is much too plain." ---------- Your Song If I was a sculptor, but then

Great book.

One of the best biographies I've read on Elton John. A great book to add to your collection.

Elton John....like fine wine.........

Elton John has matured and become a lasting superstar. He is so refined and polished at this stage of his life. You cannot read this and not find a new deep rooted respect for Elton's life, and abilities. You read this, you will be delightfully enlighted. Long live EJ! google Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti, Live Like Horses!

Elton John - Biography

I thought I knew alot more about Elton than I did. Great stories from close people to him - and a very good read. I highly recommend this book - Elton fans or not - very good book.

Insightful Portrait of a Pop Icon!

In his 60-odd years on earth, Elton John has been, first and foremost, a gifted composer, spirited performer and recording star with worldwide sales of 200 million+ albums including 21 platinum albums; a workoholic; a drug addict; an alcoholic; a multi-millionaire whose shopping excesses have become legend; a hetereosexual; a homosexual;, an AIDS crusader and humanitarian of the first rank; a unbelieveably generous, caring friend who can throw hissy fits at the drop of a hat; and, in 1997, a knight of the realm. Author David Buckley details the life of this complicated, conflicted musical superstar in this entertaining, even-handed book from Chicago Review Press. Pudgy, balding, gap-toothed, four-eyed piano player Reginald Dwight was probably the most unlikely candidate for pop superstardom ever when he began playing piano for the Bluesology group in 1962. Yet, within a few years, the now-rechristened Elton John, having mated his gift for memorable musical melodies with the lyrics of collaborator/ lyricist Bernie Taupin, would became a major force in the music industry, creating such masterpieces as 'Daniel,' 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting,' 'Your Song' and 'Crocodile Rock.' The first third of Buckley's book covers the years 1947 to 1974 and detail the making of "Elton John, Superstar." Seeing Reg Dwight morph into Elton John, create the wonderful songs (and others) mentioned above and develop his larger-than life persona makes for fun reading. Sadly, despite the ever-growing success of Elton the performer, Elton the person remained an unhappy man, hobbled by low self-esteem and uncertainty about his sexuality dating from his childhood. Those inner demons subsequently developed into deep self-loathing. In the early 1970s those demons combined with a cocaine addiction and alcoholism to set Elton on a ten-year downward spiral, as described in the at-times depressing middle third of the book. The man and the music suffered in equal amounts until the death of AIDS victim Ryan White in 1990 showed Elton the insanity of his lifestyle. The years since, which form the final third of the book, have seen him rebound, creating new music, some of it the equal of "golden years" titles and finding a whole new audience via his 'Lion King' score. And it seems he has finally conquered those inner demons and found some peace of mind. Buckley's book is an entertaining, incisive look at Elton's life and career. The author's comments on the music and the man are thoughtful, insightful and entertaining. Buckley has a marvelous way with phrases ("...the audience are clapping like seals at feeding time..."). Likewise he sprinkles the text with a number of quotes or observations from Elton and his contemporaries, business partners and friends that show us the person behind the legend. Elton, in particular, comes across as a witty, drop-dead honest and analytical individual, especially about himself. By book's end, you have learned a great deal about that