美国国家公共电台 NPR In 'Me,' Elton John Pulls Back The Curtain On A Storied Life

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Sir Elton John sat down for our interview and immediately laid on the charm.

ELTON JOHN: Hi, Lulu. It's Elton. I was just admiring your name. It's the most exotic, fabulous¹ name. I love it to death.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: He was in Vancouver. I was here in D.C. But he was already pulling me into his world.

JOHN: You sound like a wonderful...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

JOHN: ...Forties photographer.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Ah, that's good. I was...

JOHN: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I was worried what you're going to say there for a moment.

JOHN: No, no, no.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

JOHN: I imagine me saying, I have the most fantastic collection of Lulu Garcia-Navarro photographs.

(SOUNDBITE OF ELTON JOHN SONG, "BENNIE AND THE JETS")

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Elton John's world is a wild one. He's a legend with a string of hits that have taken him on major world tours and into parties with royalty². They've earned him millions of dollars that have afforded him extravagance and allowed him to indulge in collecting and gift giving. But in his new memoir³ "Me," we learn that behind the Rocket Man persona, there was insecurity and addiction⁴. Now, I had read elsewhere that Elton John wasn't interested in looking back on his life. So what changed?

JOHN: I'm 72 years of age now. It all changed with having children. Ten years ago, I was going to just tour and make records. And I had nothing planned for the rest of my life except making music and touring. And then we had two fabulous little boys. And then David, my husband, said, well, what do you want out of life now? Do you still want to tour? I said, no, I don't. As much as I love playing, I want to be with my boys now. I want to be there for them. My life has been all about me up to now, as the title of the book suggests.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

JOHN: And now it's about them.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Speaking of family, before becoming Elton John, you were from the small English town of Pinner. And as a teen, you were performing in cover bands and writing music. And you had a pretty difficult childhood, with a father who was estranged⁵ and absent and a mother who was - I think a nice way of saying it is mercurial⁶. How did that shape you?

JOHN: It affected⁷ me very much because when you're at home and you're growing up in the 1950s, Lulu, which was a very conservative period after the war in Britain, children were told to be seen and not heard. So you were walking on eggshells anyway. And then when you had two parents that, you know, really shouldn't have been married to each other because they were unsuited and they argued over you, it was tough.

Looking back on it in hindsight now, at the time, it really affected me. And I was afraid of my own shadow. But I understand it may be the person that I am because I always wanted approval from my father. He wanted me to be in the Air Force or join a bank or - what? - have a proper job. And, of course, rock 'n' roll was considered to be absolutely disgraceful. Funny enough, I - he's been dead a long time. And I still find myself trying to prove things to my dad. And it's, like, instilled⁸ a determination in me, which I'm very grateful for.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Addiction plays a very big part in your life and in this book. The book goes into graphic⁹ detail - three suicide attempts, the drugs, the drinking, the sex addiction. Part of that, you write, was your family history. But a part of that is about fame itself. You became really famous, even though you say you were ready, quite quickly. What does it do to a person?

JOHN: Well, for the first five years, it was so great because we were in America. We were touring in the country where all the great music came from that I loved. We were doing shows with people, like Leon Russell and Eric Clapton, people that I loved and admired and were so generous to me. And we were having the times of our lives. I was very prolific¹⁰ creatively. I put out a lot of records, a lot of albums, a lot of singles, different B-sides. We were doing it on adrenaline. And we worked extremely hard. And it wasn't work for us. It was just wow. You know, we were living our dream.

And after five years, I was pretty tired. And that's when the addiction started to come in and the drugs started to appear on a more regular basis. And I always worked. Even during my addiction, I worked. I made records. I toured - because music was my touchstone. It was my pillow. It was my teddy bear. It was like the thing I could hold onto and just disappear into when my parents argued and my - you know, I was feeling afraid or alone. Music was always there for me. And it's been the one constant thing in my life. God, thank you, thank you, thank you for that.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: There are a lot of stories of your bad behavior. But one that made me actually laugh out loud, among many stories, was when you tried to get Bob Dylan to wear your clothes because you thought he looked too scruffy¹¹.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHN: Yeah. That - I was really high on cocaine¹². And it was - we were having a barbecue in Los Angeles with George Harrison, who actually told me over dinner to stop taking the cocaine. And then Bob Dylan appeared. And he was - I thought he was the gardener. I didn't recognize him at first. And then I said, Bob, you really got to get some new clothes. I'll take you out. And his - the look of horror on his face was - so it's kind of an embarrassing story. But it's also extremely funny when you look at if - it's a great sketch¹³.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Elton John's relationship with the press has been intense. He actually came out to a journalist writing for Rolling Stone on the spur of the moment in 1976. He also spent years suing the British tabloids¹⁴. Even so, he writes, I still think a world in which artists are coached not to say anything that might upset anyone and are presented as perfect figures is boring. So when I started to ask him a few controversial questions of my own, people surrounding Sir Elton popped onto the line to shut me down twice. But he was having none of it.

You are also good friends with Prince Harry¹⁵ and his wife, Meghan Markle. In this book, you talk about your fight against the British tabloids, which you eventually won. As you know, Harry and Meghan have also decided¹⁶ to sue several papers in Britain for how they're covered. Did you have any advice for them?

JOHN: I know...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Can we just move on to the next question, please?

JOHN: I know that he - it's a difficult one for me to answer. But I know they were very upset because their phones had been hacked¹⁷. I just said, listen. You take the appropriate action that you want to take. You have to know that when you take appropriate action like this, there are going be consequences. And people are not going to like it. But if you feel that you have an injustice¹⁸ - I said, I've always lived my life fighting injustice with the press. I like the press. I - there's a need for the press. But sometimes, they step out of their bounds, and hacking¹⁹ phones is not acceptable. If your phone is hacked, you've got to take action because the press cannot do that. And so I would say bravo.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I have to also ask you about our president, Donald Trump²⁰, whom you do mention in this book. You played at his casino.

JOHN: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You were also asked to sing at...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Unintelligible).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...His inauguration²¹.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Hi, Lulu. I need to interrupt. I'm sorry. We do need to end the interview now.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, can I...

JOHN: Again.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Can I...

JOHN: Yeah. Just carry on.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh. OK. I'm going to take your guidance from this, sir. You were also asked to sing at his inauguration. You turned him down very politely. Your songs are played at his rallies. I've heard them there. Are you OK with that?

To that question, he said he doesn't want to get involved in U.S. politics.

JOHN: I disagree with a lot of his policies. My big philanthropic concern is AIDS and HIV - has been for a long time. My concern about President Trump is that he continues with the PEPFAR.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a U.S. program very dear to Elton John and a program that came up again when he, unprompted, decided to address a different controversy²² with a different controversial president.

JOHN: We live in a very, very fractured world at the moment. But there is so much kindness out there. And it comes in all shapes and forms. There was a thing with Ellen DeGeneres being criticized for being with George Bush in his box at the...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I saw.

JOHN: ...Dallas Cowboys game against the Green Bay Packers. And she very eloquently²³ said, our policies and our views are different on things. But that's OK. That's what a democracy is all about. Unfortunately, what a democracy has become now is that it's not OK to have different opinion from yours. And that is not healthy. George Bush has made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. Ellen DeGeneres has made a lot of mistakes. But on the other hand, he was responsible for PEPFAR, which is the most incredible thing that a Republican president has done on philanthropic level. PEPFAR came from the Republicans. People have to remember that, yes, there were things that he's - decisions were made. But that's been made by Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. And I admire Ellen for standing²⁴ up and saying what she did.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I want to end by asking you - you write at one point about preparing for a trip and being surprised by a Leon Russell song that comes on, "Back To The Island," because, though beautiful, it's a song about loss and regret and time passing. And I was wondering - in writing this book, looking back at such a rich life, did you have any moments like that, of being surprised by regret and the passing of time?

JOHN: Of course you do. I've had such a colorful life and just a wonderful life. The drug addiction I would rather not have gone through, thank you very much. But without the recovery from the drug addiction, I wouldn't know how to be the person I am today. So if I could say to anybody listening to your program, if you feel isolated²⁵ and you feel you can't unburden and don't want to be a burden to anyone, don't go down that road. Tell people how you're feeling. Just ask for help. You'll get it in droves. It's amazing how kind people can be.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That was Elton John. His new memoir is titled "Me." And it's out on Tuesday. Thank you very much.

JOHN: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ARE YOU READY FOR LOVE")

JOHN: (Singing) Catch a star if you can. Wish for something special. Let it be me.

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

3 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

4 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

5 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

6 mercurial   

adj.善变的，活泼的

参考例句：

• He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.他是个反复无常的人，因此对他的行为无法预言。
• Our desires and aversions are mercurial rulers.我们的欲望与嫌恶是变化无常的统治者。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 instilled   

v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Nature has instilled in our minds an insatiable desire to see truth. 自然给我们心灵注入了永无休止的发现真理的欲望。 来自辞典例句
• I instilled the need for kindness into my children. 我不断向孩子们灌输仁慈的必要。 来自辞典例句

9 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

10 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

11 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

12 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

13 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

14 tabloids   

n.小报，通俗小报（版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）( tabloid的名词复数 )；药片

参考例句：

• The story was on the front pages of all the tabloids. 所有小报都在头版报道了这件事。
• The story made the front page in all the tabloids. 这件事成了所有小报的头版新闻。

15 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

18 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

19 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

20 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

21 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

22 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

23 eloquently   

adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地)

参考例句：

• I was toasted by him most eloquently at the dinner. 进餐时他口若悬河地向我祝酒。
• The poet eloquently expresses the sense of lost innocence. 诗人动人地表达了失去天真的感觉。

24 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

25 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。