Sleeping With The Past
This is the time of year when Elton and David Furnish spend time at their home in the South of France, catching up with friends like Patrick-Cox and Elizabeth Hurley. August is not without its Elton John milestones, though.
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The 25th of August–in 1970–is a classic in rock and roll history. That’s when Elton made his U.S. debut at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles, California. Critic Robert Hilburn thought everything about him was fresh. He appreciated Elton’s ”rock energy” but thought it was his more intimate material that formed the ”heart of his sound.”
Hilburn also wrote the text for Five Years of Fun, which celebrated Elton’s return to the Troubadour Club for three nights in August 1975. Because of the high demand for tickets, there was a postcard lottery for the shows, which benefitted the Jules Stein Eye Institute.
Canadian music critic Darryl Sterdan, who calls himself ”Tinnitist,” had an intriguing idea. Since Elton still plans the odd show here and there (he just won’t tour anymore), why not return to the club, say next August, which would be the 55th anniversary?
The 29th of August will make it 34 years since Sleeping With The Past was released. The disc included Sacrifice, which turned out to be Elton’s first solo #1 UK hit. This did not surprise Bernie Taupin, who figured it would be a chart-topper. He told Music Connection that he thought Elton’s melody was ”brilliant,” while his performance had ”a lot of integrity.”
There was a sour note, though, after the LP came out. At a gig in New Haven, Connecticut, on 18 October 1989, Elton announced that he wouldn’t be playing any of the material, according to Claude Bernardin and Tom Stanton’s Rocket Man: Elton John From A to Z, because MCA wasn’t promoting it. We don’t think that was enough of a reason not to share his new music, and he came across as petulant, if not a bit childish.
Kids’ Night on Broadway in New York City returns on the 29th of the month. The Lion King is among the participating productions. Those who are 18 or younger get in for free, as long as they are accompanied by a full-paying adult.
The-Lion-King is also paying homage to a former ”Simba.” Clifton Oliver shared ”his talents and light with audiences across Broadway, Las Vegas, and our North American tour from 2000-2011.” The actor, who had been ill, was 47.
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Paul Reubens, another entertainer who recently died, was the star of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse who went on to portray Elton’s former manager, John Reid, in the video for This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.
The BBC‘s announcement about merging local Introduction shows across its network has stopped some performers in their tracks. It means the number of Introducing programmes has been cut back from 32 to 20. Nile Rodgers is troubled by the development, as is Elton, who believes BBC Introducing‘s network has been one of the best ways for emerging artists to get airplay and listeners. The BBC is taking a ”worrying step,” he says, which indicates ”a neglect of musicians.”
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Elton and other musicians have inspired Amy-Corson, an artist who was about to discard her old cassettes. Instead, she opted to create portraits, using the black tape, along with some glue.
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Those preferring street art ought to enjoy The-Postman artist duo’s depiction of a wide-eyed, bejeweled Elton, based on a Dave Hogan concert photo.
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Rather like The-Wide-Eyed-And-Laughing from the Blue Moves album, right?
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