“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was absolutely one of those albums for me that is filled with ‘memory songs.’ One, that when I hear it today, can so vividly stir up countless moments from my youth. I loved (still love) that album and quite a few Elton John songs after it. So it’s an odd thing to think, what kind of fan was I? I have to say that he was always in the periphery, always a presence…and he’s done so much since that album (he was a HUGE star and amazingly, talented musician), but I can’t say that I closely followed his career through the years.
So, it was really fun reading his autobiography, “Me.” It was particularly enjoyable because it’s so well written, and candidly chronicles in vivid color, the wild ride that has been Elton John’s life and rise to stardom. It is as colorful and flamboyant as the man himself. It also fills in some of the missing pieces about why it makes sense that he was such a huge rock star in the 70s – and where he went after that. His public self may have moved to the tabloids and back, but he never stopped creating and challenging himself musically and personally even if it meant having to work around his neuroses and addictions. I couldn’t put this book down, and it gave me a new-found appreciation of Elton the entertainer and man.
