Elton will be in Devon, England, in July 2024. He won’t be performing, but that’s when previews start at the Theatre-Royal-Plymouth for The Devil Wears Prada. Three months later, the musical, with Elton and Shaina Taub‘s songs, will play London, England. It’s set for the West-End’s Dominion Theatre. The musical premiered last year in the States, where it was widely panned, so the team promised to work on it.
View this post on Instagram
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Another project making headlines is the new Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds, which boasts three stars on one track. Elton plays piano on Get Close and and Live By The Sword. The latter also features drummer Charlie Watts, who recorded the track a few years before he died, and former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman. The disc is due on 20 October.
Bernie Taupin has been in the news lately, thanks to his autobiography. Unexpectedly, he devotes one chapter to literature, and a couple of his favourites are W. Somerset Maugham and Gore Vidal. Others don’t come off so well. Bernie respected Andy Warhol, but thought conversing with him was like dealing with an eight-year-old. And he admits to once punching John Belushi.
Bernie is frank, as well, about the struggles he and Elton had with drugs and alcohol. But even during dark times, he told Fox News Digital, music was their ”Band-Aid.”
Thanks in part of to collaborators like Elton, Leon Russell, Willie Nelson, and Alice Cooper, Taupin is Spotify-UK’s Songwriter of the Month. However, the Telegraph is not impressed with his writing in Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton And Me. The reviewer calls it ”messy” and doesn’t appreciate his tendency to introduce old friends like Kirk Douglas and Billy Connolly, then say nothing more. They also think he has a pretentious way of expressing himself.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
We found one of Bernie’s memories downright spooky. While he has his doubts about the supernatural, the lyricist says that when playing back tracks at the Chateau d’Herouville outside Paris, France, they heard moans and groans. The next time the tapes were played, though, the sounds were gone. . . . Does Spirit-in-the-Sky comes to mind?
Elton and Bernie were recently asked by BANG Showbiz what their lives would be like, had they never met. Elton thinks he’d probably be a record store employee, if not working at WHSmith.
Bernie says he could well be driving a tractor and visiting the pub each night.
Their careers are managed by their significant others. So David Furnish and Heather Taupin are ”very close,” says Bernie.
Asked what song he’s proudest of, Bernie borrowed Duke Ellington‘s phrase: ”The one I’m gonna write tomorrow.” Then he offered Sacrifice.
When it comes to music, Bernie doesn’t listen to pop–or even that much rock music. Instead, he told LA-Downtown-News he is drawn to ”classic country,” as well as jazz and blues.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Would you pay $400 for a greenback . . . with Elton and Bernie Taupin‘s signatures? That’s the minimum bid being accepted by Rock & Roll Auctions. It’s part of their current auction of Rock & Roll Americana.
If you’d prefer to weigh in on a Goodbye Yellow Brick Road competition, public votes are now being accepted. The entries–literature and art–will then be narrowed down to the Top Ten in each category. They are inspired by the forthcoming 50th anniversary of the landmark album, which is 5 October. And the cash prizes are another reason to like this Watford-Area-Arts-Forum contest.
Ian Beck, who designed the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road cover, is to judge the art finalists. Teacher and writer Mick Callanan is in charge of the literary submissions.
Helen Nicell, who runs the Arts-Forum, says the deadline for voting is 22 September. We have noticed that both categories contain references to Sweet Painted Lady and the title track.
At the end of the month, the winners will be announced at the Watford Museum in Hertfordshire, England.
Incidentally, the museum has memorabilia that includes one of Elton’s stage outfits. The establishment will be closing its doors in October. This will be for a couple of years as the Watford Museum prepares to move to larger quarters.
Likewise, this edition of the Elton Blog has come to a close. Tune in next week for news about Bernie Taupin‘s art, and lots more!
