Book Review: Me, Elton John

In his only official autobiography, music icon Elton John writes about his extraordinary life, which is also the subject of the film Rocketman.

Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was on his first tour of America, facing an astonished audience in his tight silver hotpants, bare legs and a T-shirt with ROCK AND ROLL emblazoned across it in sequins. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.

His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with song-writing partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation. All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade.

In Me Elton also writes about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father.

Review:

After watching Rocketman on Netflix, I was very keen to check out the autobiography by the man himself.

It is no secret that Elton John has not only had a very exciting and thrilling career but also a lot of highs and lows in his life. What I loved about this book was his honest thoughts on not only his career but his struggles with drugs and alcohol as well as grappling with his sexuality. I enjoyed hearing about his relationships with other musicians (Freddie Mercury, John Lennon & George Michael) to the time he went on a bender and somehow purchased a Melbourne W2 class drop-centre combination tram (Yes, really) and no matter what bad things come your way, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

The only thing I found slightly annoying was that it tend to drag out more in the early part of the book, however that was my only criticism.

If you are a fan of Elton John or not I highly recommend you check out this book and watch the movie as well.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Publisher: Pan Macmillian

ISBN:9781250147608