1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,967 [gentle music] 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:06,333 --> 00:00:09,433 [upbeat rock music] 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:18,667 * I'm still standing 6 00:00:18,667 --> 00:00:21,500 "Have a chat," said Sir Elton, "in the South of France." 7 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:23,100 Who was I to say no? 8 00:00:23,100 --> 00:00:26,067 Especially since it's the only major interview 9 00:00:26,067 --> 00:00:27,467 he's giving this year. 10 00:00:27,467 --> 00:00:28,733 The only problem is 11 00:00:28,733 --> 00:00:31,800 when it comes to talking about a 50-year career, 12 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:32,733 where do you start? 13 00:00:32,733 --> 00:00:35,900 * I'm still standing 14 00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:38,967 [upbeat rock music] 15 00:00:42,767 --> 00:00:45,933 * It's getting late have you seen my mates * 16 00:00:45,933 --> 00:00:49,500 * Ma, tell me when the boys get here * 17 00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:51,700 Lovely to see you. 18 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:53,667 Sir Elton John's in the house, ladies and gentlemen! 19 00:00:53,667 --> 00:00:54,633 [crew applauding] 20 00:00:54,633 --> 00:00:56,667 He's in his house. [chuckles] 21 00:00:56,667 --> 00:01:00,400 Born in 1947, young Reg Dwight probably never imagined 22 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,800 that, turning 72, he'd be part way through 23 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,667 an incredible 300-date farewell world tour. 24 00:01:06,667 --> 00:01:07,900 * Saturday 25 00:01:07,900 --> 00:01:09,600 [Graham] Have received France's highest award, 26 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,133 the Legion d'Honneur, 27 00:01:11,133 --> 00:01:13,867 be celebrating "The Lion King" being a box office smash hit, 28 00:01:13,867 --> 00:01:15,700 and have released a biopic of his life 29 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:17,800 along with his autobiography. 30 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:18,900 It's been wonderful. 31 00:01:20,967 --> 00:01:22,200 [Graham] Growing up in Pinner, 32 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,100 young Elton could play "The Skater's Waltz" 33 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:26,100 on the piano, aged just three. 34 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:27,633 [jaunty music] 35 00:01:27,633 --> 00:01:29,200 [upbeat disco music] 36 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,767 Encouraged by his nan, he went on to win a scholarship 37 00:01:31,767 --> 00:01:34,100 at the Royal Academy of Music. 38 00:01:34,100 --> 00:01:35,467 His first taste of performing 39 00:01:35,467 --> 00:01:37,700 involved playing piano in pubs. 40 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:39,367 A couple of nights, the fight would start. 41 00:01:39,367 --> 00:01:40,500 So, I had to go out the window. 42 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:41,867 I'm not stupid, folks. [laughs] 43 00:01:41,867 --> 00:01:42,700 [audience laughing] 44 00:01:42,700 --> 00:01:44,067 No, no, no! 45 00:01:44,067 --> 00:01:45,200 [Graham] Which later led to playing organ 46 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,300 in the band Bluesology. 47 00:01:47,300 --> 00:01:50,900 * Come back, baby 48 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:53,367 [Graham] But it was meeting writing partner Bernie Taupin 49 00:01:53,367 --> 00:01:55,733 that would change Elton's life forever. 50 00:01:55,733 --> 00:01:57,067 [audience applauding] 51 00:01:57,067 --> 00:01:58,533 He's probably more important than me 52 00:01:58,533 --> 00:02:01,267 because he has to write the words before I write the music. 53 00:02:01,267 --> 00:02:02,500 * Oh, oh, oh 54 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:04,633 [Graham] Selling over 300 million albums, 55 00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:06,133 he's won countless awards 56 00:02:06,133 --> 00:02:09,633 including five Grammys, five Brit Awards, oh, and an Oscar. 57 00:02:10,967 --> 00:02:11,900 I never thought in my life 58 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:13,400 I would be holding one of these. 59 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,767 [Graham] Leading a life even more colourful and outrageous 60 00:02:15,767 --> 00:02:18,733 than his many costumes, Sir Elton is a music legend 61 00:02:18,733 --> 00:02:20,800 that's written the manual on being famous 62 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,867 and has survived to tell the tale. 63 00:02:22,867 --> 00:02:24,300 * Love me again 64 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:25,833 [audience cheering] 65 00:02:25,833 --> 00:02:27,367 I'd like to become a legend, but I don't think I will be 66 00:02:27,367 --> 00:02:29,333 because they're very, very special. 67 00:02:31,900 --> 00:02:33,567 Well, first of all, Sir Elton John, 68 00:02:33,567 --> 00:02:35,333 thank you very much for inviting us to your home. 69 00:02:35,333 --> 00:02:37,100 -Thank you for coming. -I know! 70 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:39,700 Imagine living here. [laughs] 71 00:02:41,167 --> 00:02:43,700 It strikes me, this must be a very strange time for you, 72 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:46,867 'cause you are a very much, what's next, kind of guy. 73 00:02:46,867 --> 00:02:48,167 And here you are, 74 00:02:48,167 --> 00:02:51,133 you're doing all this kind of looking back. 75 00:02:51,133 --> 00:02:54,067 How odd is it to be doing all this looking back? 76 00:02:54,067 --> 00:02:55,267 Yeah, you're right. 77 00:02:55,267 --> 00:02:56,833 There's the farewell tour, there's the film, 78 00:02:56,833 --> 00:02:58,100 and, then, now's the book. 79 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:02,267 It's been fine. 80 00:03:02,267 --> 00:03:04,700 I mean, I very rarely look back, but I've had to. 81 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:05,933 Obviously, with a book, 82 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:07,300 you have to go right back to the beginning 83 00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:10,233 and it's been quite cathartic. 84 00:03:10,233 --> 00:03:13,100 I'd suddenly realised I've led an amazing life 85 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:15,067 because I live my life at such a high speed 86 00:03:15,067 --> 00:03:17,267 that sometimes you just go from one thing to the next. 87 00:03:17,267 --> 00:03:19,733 And, then, when I read the book in its entirety 88 00:03:19,733 --> 00:03:22,367 after it was done, I went, "God Almighty! 89 00:03:22,367 --> 00:03:25,100 "I could've filled another 300 pages with stuff." 90 00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,333 But it's been very gratifying to know 91 00:03:28,333 --> 00:03:31,467 that, at 72, I can do the book and the film, 92 00:03:31,467 --> 00:03:33,300 and then move forward again. 93 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:36,533 And, I have to say, the book, it's funny 94 00:03:36,533 --> 00:03:39,633 and an extraordinary amount of candour in it. 95 00:03:39,633 --> 00:03:42,500 Are you, now that it's all happening, 96 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:44,933 how do you feel about strangers in the street 97 00:03:44,933 --> 00:03:46,467 knowing all these things about you? 98 00:03:46,467 --> 00:03:47,800 I don't mind. 99 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:49,700 I did "Tantrums And Tiaras" many years ago 100 00:03:49,700 --> 00:03:52,633 and that was fairly in your face. 101 00:03:52,633 --> 00:03:54,167 I don't mind that. 102 00:03:54,167 --> 00:03:55,933 The whole point of doing a book, and the autobiography, 103 00:03:55,933 --> 00:03:57,433 is to be as honest as you possibly can. 104 00:03:57,433 --> 00:03:59,067 I didn't wanna sugar-coat anything. 105 00:03:59,067 --> 00:04:01,067 And, yet, reading about you as a boy, 106 00:04:01,067 --> 00:04:02,567 it seemed so unlikely, 107 00:04:02,567 --> 00:04:03,500 -that shy boy. -Oh, I wouldn't say 108 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:04,733 boo to a goose. 109 00:04:04,733 --> 00:04:06,067 I was frightened of my own shadow. 110 00:04:06,067 --> 00:04:07,500 I was frightened of treading on eggshells. 111 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:08,967 No. 112 00:04:08,967 --> 00:04:12,467 It all happened when I left home for the first time 113 00:04:12,467 --> 00:04:14,833 and I could wear exactly what I wanted to wear. 114 00:04:14,833 --> 00:04:18,100 It was suddenly like unleashing the beast, as it were. 115 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:20,467 And I lived my teenage years in my 20s. 116 00:04:20,467 --> 00:04:21,933 Yeah. 117 00:04:21,933 --> 00:04:23,833 My relationship with my mother hadn't been the best, 118 00:04:23,833 --> 00:04:27,067 but at least we reconciled towards the endish. 119 00:04:27,067 --> 00:04:29,333 And I wanted the opportunity to say to her 120 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:32,933 that I did love her and that I was appreciative 121 00:04:32,933 --> 00:04:35,967 for everything she'd done, and it was a difficult. 122 00:04:35,967 --> 00:04:37,767 The two or three times we saw each other 123 00:04:37,767 --> 00:04:39,300 weren't easy, not for me 124 00:04:40,267 --> 00:04:41,767 because she didn't change. 125 00:04:41,767 --> 00:04:46,733 But, for me, it was about telling her before she died. 126 00:04:48,100 --> 00:04:50,233 If I hadn't had told her before she died that I loved her 127 00:04:50,233 --> 00:04:51,600 and I was grateful for everything she'd done, 128 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:52,667 I would've felt really bad. 129 00:04:52,667 --> 00:04:53,900 Yeah. 130 00:04:53,900 --> 00:04:55,300 No, I must say, just as a person, 131 00:04:55,300 --> 00:04:57,367 I was so happy that there'd been some sort of-- 132 00:04:57,367 --> 00:04:58,800 Yeah, there had to be. 133 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:01,400 I listened to someone talking about their relationship 134 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,867 with her father and I thought, "You know what? 135 00:05:03,867 --> 00:05:05,467 "I have to reach out to my mom." 136 00:05:07,133 --> 00:05:08,600 Things hadn't been good but I reached out 137 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,300 and the olive branch is necessary. 138 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:11,733 You have to forgive people. 139 00:05:11,733 --> 00:05:14,600 Or you have to try and reconcile 140 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:15,867 with someone who was 141 00:05:15,867 --> 00:05:17,900 very much there for me at the beginning, 142 00:05:17,900 --> 00:05:19,967 and who gave me a lot. 143 00:05:19,967 --> 00:05:23,067 And, also, she was clearly a very difficult woman, 144 00:05:23,067 --> 00:05:25,400 but a woman of kind of contradictions. 145 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,767 She could be so funny and sweet, and then really vile. 146 00:05:29,767 --> 00:05:31,233 Yeah, it's who she was. 147 00:05:31,233 --> 00:05:35,100 I mean, I think more so towards the end of her life 148 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:39,133 she got more difficult. 149 00:05:39,133 --> 00:05:40,767 Why was that? 150 00:05:40,767 --> 00:05:42,400 I don't know. 151 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,067 She didn't approve of the civil partnership. 152 00:05:46,067 --> 00:05:47,533 She didn't approve of David. 153 00:05:47,533 --> 00:05:50,967 She didn't approve anyone who was closer to me than she was. 154 00:05:50,967 --> 00:05:52,833 [Graham] Was she jealous? 155 00:05:52,833 --> 00:05:54,933 I don't know, I don't know. 156 00:05:54,933 --> 00:05:57,700 The thing I was grateful for both my parents was 157 00:05:57,700 --> 00:06:00,533 that they separated after a horrendous marriage 158 00:06:00,533 --> 00:06:02,833 and they both found people they love. 159 00:06:02,833 --> 00:06:04,500 And that makes me happy 160 00:06:04,500 --> 00:06:06,400 because my mom deserved to find someone she loved, 161 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:07,867 and so did my dad. 162 00:06:07,867 --> 00:06:10,333 And you did have a very good time with her. 163 00:06:10,333 --> 00:06:11,533 You took her on tour. 164 00:06:11,533 --> 00:06:13,367 There's a story about her on the Starjet 165 00:06:13,367 --> 00:06:15,633 she was only interested in watching one film. 166 00:06:15,633 --> 00:06:17,600 Yes, "Deep Throat". 167 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,067 [Graham] [laughs] Why did she 168 00:06:19,067 --> 00:06:20,267 -want to watch that? -Well, she'd heard about it, 169 00:06:20,267 --> 00:06:22,100 and, I said, "I can show it to you if you want?" 170 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:23,600 "Yeah." 171 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:24,900 So, they were having lunch and she was sitting there going, 172 00:06:24,900 --> 00:06:28,467 -"Bloody hell, look at that." -[Graham laughs] 173 00:06:28,467 --> 00:06:30,133 My mom could be so much fun. 174 00:06:30,133 --> 00:06:32,700 Yeah, I mean, my whole family was based on laughter. 175 00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:35,867 My uncle, my aunt, my mom, my grandmother. 176 00:06:35,867 --> 00:06:37,300 And, in fact, I wasn't that close to them 177 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:39,600 when my mom was still alive but 178 00:06:41,933 --> 00:06:45,700 now I've had children, my kids are very close to my cousins 179 00:06:45,700 --> 00:06:50,267 and their children because family is important. 180 00:06:50,267 --> 00:06:52,067 A lot of laughter and a lot of music. 181 00:06:52,067 --> 00:06:55,100 But you talk about watching that scene in "Rocketman" 182 00:06:55,100 --> 00:06:57,933 where they sing to each other, which, you know, 183 00:06:57,933 --> 00:06:59,667 I knew none of these people and I was sobbing. 184 00:06:59,667 --> 00:07:02,133 Yeah, I saw that in a very early stage of the film 185 00:07:02,133 --> 00:07:03,533 and I wasn't prepared. 186 00:07:03,533 --> 00:07:05,067 Each one of those family members, 187 00:07:05,067 --> 00:07:07,833 my grandmother, my dad, my mom and myself, 188 00:07:09,067 --> 00:07:10,767 wanted a bit more love in their lives 189 00:07:10,767 --> 00:07:13,567 and wanted a bit more peace and harmony. 190 00:07:13,567 --> 00:07:18,567 * Me I carry too much baggage 191 00:07:19,767 --> 00:07:24,400 * Oh, God, I've seen so much traffic * 192 00:07:25,167 --> 00:07:28,900 * But I want love 193 00:07:28,900 --> 00:07:31,767 * Just a different kind 194 00:07:31,767 --> 00:07:34,833 * I want love won't break me down * 195 00:07:34,833 --> 00:07:37,800 * Won't break me up won't fence me in * 196 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,133 * I want a love that means something * 197 00:07:41,133 --> 00:07:43,167 * That's a love I want 198 00:07:43,167 --> 00:07:45,667 * I want love 199 00:07:49,367 --> 00:07:52,067 [gentle music] 200 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:54,633 There's some obvious people 201 00:07:54,633 --> 00:07:56,333 who have influenced your performing style, 202 00:07:56,333 --> 00:07:59,300 like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. 203 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:01,667 Talk to us about Winifred Atwell. 204 00:08:01,667 --> 00:08:05,200 Winifred Atwell was incredible, she was my first idol. 205 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,400 And she was this beautiful, beautiful. 206 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,200 I think she was Bajan, I'm not sure. 207 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:11,533 She was a West Indian lady. 208 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,300 She bought this real upright honky-tonk piano 209 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:18,100 for nothing in a junk shop. 210 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:20,800 And then she would play something like ragtime on the piano, 211 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,600 she was a very good ragtime piano player. 212 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,767 [upbeat piano music] 213 00:08:29,867 --> 00:08:32,967 And she'd had this wonderful face and she would smile at you 214 00:08:32,967 --> 00:08:34,267 and I loved her to death. 215 00:08:34,267 --> 00:08:37,267 And I got to meet her in Australia. 216 00:08:37,267 --> 00:08:38,200 Oh, wow! 217 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,067 And we met at an airport. 218 00:08:40,067 --> 00:08:42,600 And she gave me a koala bear, not a real one, of course. 219 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,200 [Graham laughs] 220 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,667 And it was wonderful to meet her 221 00:08:48,667 --> 00:08:51,433 and tell her how much that she meant to me. 222 00:08:51,433 --> 00:08:55,667 And she played classical music, semi-classical music, 223 00:08:55,667 --> 00:08:57,200 but then she played pub songs. 224 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:58,833 And she used to have all these records, like, 225 00:08:58,833 --> 00:09:01,567 "Let's Have A Party, Volume One, Two, Three, Four". 226 00:09:01,567 --> 00:09:04,967 And, of course, when I played in the pub, 227 00:09:04,967 --> 00:09:07,167 I was very grateful for that because I used to copy 228 00:09:07,167 --> 00:09:09,367 all those kind of Al Jolson songs, 229 00:09:09,367 --> 00:09:10,767 "Down at the Old Bull and Bush". 230 00:09:10,767 --> 00:09:12,167 Why was there a piano in the house? 231 00:09:12,167 --> 00:09:13,633 You weren't rich people, 232 00:09:13,633 --> 00:09:15,700 and a piano seems like a very kind of high-status thing. 233 00:09:15,700 --> 00:09:17,133 No, it was an upright piano. 234 00:09:17,133 --> 00:09:18,767 My auntie played the piano 235 00:09:18,767 --> 00:09:20,333 and there was always music in the house. 236 00:09:20,333 --> 00:09:21,900 So, at a very early age, 237 00:09:21,900 --> 00:09:24,067 I tried to copy what I heard on the radio. 238 00:09:24,067 --> 00:09:26,333 I don't know why it was there. 239 00:09:26,333 --> 00:09:28,733 And I'm glad it was there because if it hadn't have been, 240 00:09:28,733 --> 00:09:31,067 I wouldn't have turned out to be who I was. 241 00:09:31,067 --> 00:09:33,767 [gentle upbeat music] 242 00:09:33,767 --> 00:09:36,200 [Graham] Young piano playing Reg Dwight changed his name 243 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,600 to Elton Hercules John in 1967, 244 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,067 choosing Hercules after the horse in "Steptoe And Son". 245 00:09:43,067 --> 00:09:44,400 [upbeat rock music] 246 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:45,933 * Loving you, baby 247 00:09:45,933 --> 00:09:48,533 [Graham] Despite his 1968 debut solo single, 248 00:09:48,533 --> 00:09:51,333 "I've Been Loving You" failing to set the charts alight. 249 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,433 * Daniel you're a star 250 00:09:55,433 --> 00:09:57,167 [Graham] The early '70s saw Elton's career 251 00:09:57,167 --> 00:09:59,500 go stellar in just four years. 252 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:04,500 We now wanna declare this week Elton John Week! 253 00:10:05,233 --> 00:10:06,733 [audience cheering] 254 00:10:06,733 --> 00:10:08,200 [Graham] He released 12 studio albums that decade 255 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,400 including "Madman Across the Water", "Honky Chateau", 256 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,333 and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy", 257 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:17,233 along with a string of classic hits. 258 00:10:17,233 --> 00:10:19,667 [gentle upbeat music] 259 00:10:19,667 --> 00:10:24,667 * Hold me closer tiny dancer 260 00:10:25,833 --> 00:10:28,933 * Count the headlights on the highway * 261 00:10:28,933 --> 00:10:31,967 * I remember when rock was young * 262 00:10:31,967 --> 00:10:34,633 * Me and Susie had so much fun 263 00:10:34,633 --> 00:10:36,367 * I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch 264 00:10:36,367 --> 00:10:38,033 * Oh, the bitch is back 265 00:10:38,033 --> 00:10:40,900 * Stone-cold sober, as a matter of fact * 266 00:10:40,900 --> 00:10:43,933 * I can bitch, I can bitch 'cause I'm better than you * 267 00:10:43,933 --> 00:10:47,767 * It's the way that I move the things that I do, oh * 268 00:10:47,767 --> 00:10:49,933 [Graham] His showmanship, and unique sense of style 269 00:10:49,933 --> 00:10:53,367 fast became legendary at huge, sell-out concerts 270 00:10:53,367 --> 00:10:55,933 cementing his place in rock and roll history. 271 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,167 And all by the age of 25. 272 00:11:00,167 --> 00:11:01,467 * Woo 273 00:11:01,467 --> 00:11:03,400 * And I think it's gonna be a long * 274 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,167 [Graham] In private, Elton began a turbulent relationship 275 00:11:06,167 --> 00:11:09,533 with his manager John Reid, seen here playing guitar, 276 00:11:09,533 --> 00:11:12,600 in this previously lost "Top of the Pops" performance, 277 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,300 unseen for 47 years. 278 00:11:14,300 --> 00:11:18,267 * I'm a rocket man 279 00:11:18,267 --> 00:11:23,267 * Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone * 280 00:11:26,633 --> 00:11:31,633 * And I think it's gonna be a long, long time * 281 00:11:32,500 --> 00:11:34,067 The rocket man had landed. 282 00:11:34,067 --> 00:11:38,100 All thanks to an ad placed in NME by Liberty Records. 283 00:11:39,933 --> 00:11:41,667 There's a lot of things in the book 284 00:11:41,667 --> 00:11:45,800 where you talk about the randomness of life, the what-ifs. 285 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:47,800 Because it's not like you met Bernie Taupin, 286 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:49,467 like you bumped into him, even, 287 00:11:49,467 --> 00:11:50,833 it was even more random than that. 288 00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:52,400 It was kismet. 289 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,367 I answered an advert in NME which said Liberty Records, 290 00:11:55,367 --> 00:11:58,533 who were an American record company starting up in England, 291 00:11:58,533 --> 00:12:00,067 it was on Albemarle Street. 292 00:12:00,067 --> 00:12:01,533 They want singers and songwriters. 293 00:12:01,533 --> 00:12:05,167 Now, I was in a band, Bluesology, and I was fed up. 294 00:12:05,167 --> 00:12:07,067 I thought, "I didn't become a musician to play 295 00:12:07,067 --> 00:12:08,367 "to people eating fish and chips." 296 00:12:08,367 --> 00:12:09,867 I was fed up with it. 297 00:12:09,867 --> 00:12:11,967 But I went along to this meeting with Ray Williams, 298 00:12:11,967 --> 00:12:14,367 who was the guy I met, and I said, 299 00:12:14,367 --> 00:12:17,067 "I can sing and I can write songs, 300 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:19,400 "but I can't write lyrics." 301 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:21,633 And, of course, there were no cassettes in those days, 302 00:12:21,633 --> 00:12:24,767 it was all reel-to-reel tapes in piles of envelopes. 303 00:12:24,767 --> 00:12:26,667 And he could've given me any envelope. 304 00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:29,067 Of all the envelopes, I get Bernie. 305 00:12:29,067 --> 00:12:31,267 It could have been some terrible tosser 306 00:12:31,267 --> 00:12:32,500 [Graham laughs] 307 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:33,833 from Portsmouth or some wherever. 308 00:12:33,833 --> 00:12:36,567 I got this brilliant guy from Lincolnshire. 309 00:12:36,567 --> 00:12:38,900 And there's been so many moments in my life 310 00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:41,533 where that kind of thing has clicked in. 311 00:12:41,533 --> 00:12:45,133 Meeting David, getting sober, having children. 312 00:12:45,133 --> 00:12:47,100 It's quite astonishing how many times 313 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:48,600 that's happened in my life, 314 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,800 where it's just if I hadn't have made that decision, 315 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,233 my life wouldn't have turned out the way it had. 316 00:12:54,233 --> 00:12:55,633 And, I always assumed, 317 00:12:55,633 --> 00:12:57,333 talking to you about the music writing process 318 00:12:57,333 --> 00:12:58,867 because he does write all the lyrics, 319 00:12:58,867 --> 00:13:03,733 that somehow you were singing about things he was feeling, 320 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:05,900 or he experienced. 321 00:13:05,900 --> 00:13:08,733 But, in fact, he has written for you. 322 00:13:08,733 --> 00:13:10,367 I mean, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", 323 00:13:10,367 --> 00:13:12,400 "All the Nasties", "White Lady White Powder". 324 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,167 How often does he do that, focus on your life? 325 00:13:14,167 --> 00:13:16,133 Every now and then, of course, the whole the 326 00:13:16,133 --> 00:13:18,767 "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" album, 327 00:13:18,767 --> 00:13:20,300 every song was about us, 328 00:13:20,300 --> 00:13:22,600 and that's why it's one of my favourite albums. 329 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,933 But he does, yeah, he writes about me quite a lot. 330 00:13:25,933 --> 00:13:28,067 It's brilliant because I never know what I'm gonna get. 331 00:13:28,067 --> 00:13:30,600 And I don't want to know what I'm gonna get 332 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,433 until I get the lyric in front of me. 333 00:13:32,433 --> 00:13:35,533 And then I put my hand on the keyboard, then away we go. 334 00:13:35,533 --> 00:13:38,100 That has never changed in over the 50 years we've written, 335 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:41,100 and that's what keeps it so interesting to me. 336 00:13:41,100 --> 00:13:42,333 Let's talk about "Your Song", 337 00:13:42,333 --> 00:13:45,333 which was a song that changed both your lives. 338 00:13:45,333 --> 00:13:48,400 Did you know the minute you'd written it, 339 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:50,200 this is something else? 340 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,067 Yeah, I thought we'd, you know. 341 00:13:52,067 --> 00:13:53,467 We'd written "Skyline Pigeon", 342 00:13:53,467 --> 00:13:55,500 which was a really lovely song from "Empty Sky". 343 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:57,067 But this one. 344 00:13:57,067 --> 00:13:59,300 And in the film, it was a pretty accurate description 345 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:00,267 of how it was done. 346 00:14:01,567 --> 00:14:05,300 And I called him in, and went, "Listen to this." 347 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:09,333 * And you can tell everybody 348 00:14:09,333 --> 00:14:12,700 * This is your song 349 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:17,700 * It may be quite simple but now that it's done * 350 00:14:19,933 --> 00:14:23,600 * I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind * 351 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:28,167 * That I put down in words 352 00:14:28,167 --> 00:14:32,467 * How wonderful life is 353 00:14:32,467 --> 00:14:36,133 * While you're in the world 354 00:14:37,467 --> 00:14:40,367 It's extraordinary, that gave us the confidence, 355 00:14:40,367 --> 00:14:42,433 and it was it was definitely a turning point. 356 00:14:42,433 --> 00:14:43,667 We didn't know it was gonna be a hit, 357 00:14:43,667 --> 00:14:45,467 but we knew that we were on to something. 358 00:14:45,467 --> 00:14:46,633 And does it bother you, though? 359 00:14:46,633 --> 00:14:47,933 'Cause so many people cover that song. 360 00:14:47,933 --> 00:14:49,767 Do you like people covering that song? 361 00:14:49,767 --> 00:14:51,400 I love anybody covering our songs. 362 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,667 We started off as pretty awful songwriters for other people. 363 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:58,400 And, so, when people cover your songs, it's a compliment. 364 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,800 I can be in an elevator and hear "Daniel" 365 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:01,900 and think, "Oh, I wrote that!" 366 00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:03,067 [Graham laughs] 367 00:15:03,067 --> 00:15:04,200 Or "Who is the asshole that wrote this? 368 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,067 "Me!" 369 00:15:06,133 --> 00:15:07,700 But it's always a compliment. 370 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:10,300 If you write a song and someone records it, 371 00:15:10,300 --> 00:15:13,567 no matter how good or bad it is, I get a thrill out of it. 372 00:15:13,567 --> 00:15:15,733 You did your own share of covers, Marble Arch Records. 373 00:15:15,733 --> 00:15:17,167 [Elton] Yes. 374 00:15:17,167 --> 00:15:18,900 -Tell us some the unlikely-- -Oh, it was so funny. 375 00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:20,400 Some of the unlikely songs you sang! 376 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:22,400 I used to earn a lot of money playing on sessions. 377 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,600 I played on The Hollies, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". 378 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,167 I played on Barron Knights records, Scaffold records, 379 00:15:27,167 --> 00:15:29,167 Tom Jones records, I sang on. 380 00:15:29,167 --> 00:15:31,067 And then I used to do this thing on Marble Arch Records 381 00:15:31,067 --> 00:15:34,467 which used to do cheap versions of all the pop hits. 382 00:15:34,467 --> 00:15:36,767 And we used to do it at Pye Studios at Marble Arch, 383 00:15:36,767 --> 00:15:39,833 and we used to have to do covers. 384 00:15:39,833 --> 00:15:41,433 One of the first things I did was "Back Home", 385 00:15:41,433 --> 00:15:42,700 the England World Cup. 386 00:15:42,700 --> 00:15:44,167 * Back home 387 00:15:44,167 --> 00:15:46,233 You'd start singing and fall on the floor laughing. 388 00:15:46,233 --> 00:15:48,067 I did "Saved by the Bell" by the Bee Gees 389 00:15:48,067 --> 00:15:49,867 where I couldn't get the voice right, so I went. 390 00:15:49,867 --> 00:15:52,833 -* Saved by the bell -[Graham giggling] 391 00:15:52,833 --> 00:15:54,133 And by the end of this take, 392 00:15:54,133 --> 00:15:57,067 my neck was about five-inches wider. 393 00:15:57,067 --> 00:15:59,067 And they were some of the nicest memories 394 00:15:59,067 --> 00:16:00,400 that I treasure, actually. 395 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:02,733 Something I didn't understand. 396 00:16:02,733 --> 00:16:05,833 I know it's in the film, but your big success 397 00:16:06,667 --> 00:16:07,967 came in America. 398 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:10,167 I went to the Troubadour club in L.A., 399 00:16:10,167 --> 00:16:12,367 and I played there, I got an incredible review 400 00:16:12,367 --> 00:16:13,933 in the L.A. Times from Robert Hilburn, 401 00:16:13,933 --> 00:16:16,767 which kind of spread around the country. 402 00:16:16,767 --> 00:16:20,067 * Senorita play guitar 403 00:16:20,067 --> 00:16:23,433 * Plays it just for you 404 00:16:23,433 --> 00:16:26,867 * My rosary has broken 405 00:16:26,867 --> 00:16:31,100 * My beads have all slipped through * 406 00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:33,733 It helped me so much, it gave me a turbo boost. 407 00:16:33,733 --> 00:16:35,067 -You didn't wanna go. -I didn't wanna go. 408 00:16:35,067 --> 00:16:36,900 No, I thought it was too early to go. 409 00:16:36,900 --> 00:16:39,733 I've made many foolish decisions like that in my life 410 00:16:39,733 --> 00:16:41,700 and I'd thought, "It's the wrong time to go," 411 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:43,067 'cause we were just getting a reputation 412 00:16:43,067 --> 00:16:44,900 and playing in England, but I was wrong. 413 00:16:44,900 --> 00:16:47,067 But I love you getting out of the plane at LAX 414 00:16:47,067 --> 00:16:50,433 and realising that the Americans were really going for this. 415 00:16:50,433 --> 00:16:52,833 Yeah, but we were met by London Transport bus, 416 00:16:52,833 --> 00:16:55,900 an old one, a double-decker, which took about four hours 417 00:16:55,900 --> 00:16:59,900 to get to Sunset Strip and we'd been flying for 14 hours. 418 00:16:59,900 --> 00:17:01,067 And I thought, "I'm gonna get 419 00:17:01,067 --> 00:17:02,600 "in a lovely Cadillac," or something. 420 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,100 No! 421 00:17:04,100 --> 00:17:06,867 It was a great idea, and it got us a lot of publicity. 422 00:17:06,867 --> 00:17:09,333 But, as soon as we got to Sunset Strip, it was magical 423 00:17:09,333 --> 00:17:10,767 because it looked just like it did 424 00:17:10,767 --> 00:17:12,667 on "The Beverly Hillbillies". 425 00:17:12,667 --> 00:17:14,400 -Thank God I went. -Yeah. 426 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:19,367 And it seems like this huge rush in your life where suddenly 427 00:17:19,367 --> 00:17:23,733 you're successful, you're famous, and then you're in love. 428 00:17:23,733 --> 00:17:27,100 Nothing in my life seems to have taken a long time 429 00:17:27,100 --> 00:17:28,900 once I started to be successful. 430 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,900 It was like a nuclear bomb going off. 431 00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:34,133 We did so much work. 432 00:17:34,133 --> 00:17:35,767 We did tours, we did so many albums a year. 433 00:17:35,767 --> 00:17:37,400 We did radio shows, TV shows. 434 00:17:38,500 --> 00:17:40,433 It was a lot of work, but we loved it. 435 00:17:40,433 --> 00:17:43,100 And the work was not a problem for me. 436 00:17:43,100 --> 00:17:46,067 Momentum and adrenaline gives you so much. 437 00:17:46,067 --> 00:17:50,133 And when you're on the crest of a wave you go with it. 438 00:17:50,133 --> 00:17:53,433 And because you were very openly in love with John Reid 439 00:17:53,433 --> 00:17:54,700 and in a relationship with John Reid, 440 00:17:54,700 --> 00:17:56,600 what was the industry reaction to that like? 441 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:58,400 Were they kind of like, "Uh-oh," or did they think, 442 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,133 "Well, if you keep quiet about it, it'll be fine"? 443 00:18:00,133 --> 00:18:01,567 Nobody ever wrote about it. 444 00:18:01,567 --> 00:18:02,700 In fact, when I was interviewed by Cliff Jahr 445 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:05,067 in Rolling Stone in 1976, 446 00:18:05,067 --> 00:18:07,333 he said, "I'm gonna ask you a question, but, if you want, 447 00:18:07,333 --> 00:18:08,767 "I'll turn the tape recorder off." 448 00:18:08,767 --> 00:18:10,600 And I said, "I know what you're gonna ask me." 449 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,367 And he asked me the question, I said, "Yes." 450 00:18:13,367 --> 00:18:15,567 I think I chickened out a bit and said I was bisexual. 451 00:18:15,567 --> 00:18:18,600 But I think everybody in the industry knew I was gay. 452 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:20,633 I went to gay clubs. 453 00:18:20,633 --> 00:18:22,700 I was friends with Divine. 454 00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:26,600 John Reid was a legendary gay guy in London. 455 00:18:28,067 --> 00:18:29,667 When I first moved in with John, people in London said, 456 00:18:29,667 --> 00:18:32,067 "God, you might as well put a neon sign 457 00:18:32,067 --> 00:18:33,700 "on the top of Buckingham Palace." 458 00:18:35,333 --> 00:18:37,700 We were a very famous gay couple at that time, 459 00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:40,800 and it was a miracle nobody wrote about it before. 460 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,267 And yet you were open with your family. 461 00:18:43,267 --> 00:18:46,800 I really like your, well, you're coming-out story, 462 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,433 and you had to make a choice. 463 00:18:48,433 --> 00:18:50,767 The night you were gonna come out to your parents, 464 00:18:50,767 --> 00:18:52,067 you had tickets-- 465 00:18:52,067 --> 00:18:54,400 To see Liberace, and I didn't go, John went. 466 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:55,600 Which would would've been like coming out, 467 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,300 -surely! [laughs] -I know, but I didn't. 468 00:18:57,300 --> 00:18:58,800 I just wanted to get it over and done with, 469 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,500 and I called my mom and the conversation, had that. 470 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:05,933 And, then, of course, Liberace was. [chuckles] 471 00:19:05,933 --> 00:19:07,433 It was the Palladium, 472 00:19:07,433 --> 00:19:08,367 he was doing a concert at the Palladium, he was going, 473 00:19:08,367 --> 00:19:10,400 "Elton John, I know you're here! 474 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:11,867 "Stand up, put the lights on. 475 00:19:11,867 --> 00:19:13,633 "Let's see where he is!" 476 00:19:13,633 --> 00:19:15,200 And it's, like, I'm not there. 477 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,133 I was like, "Oh, my," and John Reid came home and said, 478 00:19:17,133 --> 00:19:19,067 "Oh, you left me in the shit tonight!" 479 00:19:19,067 --> 00:19:21,167 [Graham laughs] 480 00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:23,900 But it was something I just wanted to get out of my way. 481 00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:25,833 And as much as I loved Liberace, and I did love Liberace, 482 00:19:25,833 --> 00:19:28,400 I just thought, "I'm gonna stay home tonight 483 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:29,967 "and get this over and done with." 484 00:19:29,967 --> 00:19:31,633 But you did meet Liberace later, didn't you? 485 00:19:31,633 --> 00:19:33,700 Oh, I loved Liberace, he was fantastic. 486 00:19:33,700 --> 00:19:35,633 We did the Royal Variety Show together. 487 00:19:35,633 --> 00:19:39,700 And I had two fabulous Lurex tail coat suits made. 488 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:40,867 I thought, "I'll show him. 489 00:19:40,867 --> 00:19:42,567 "I'll show him." 490 00:19:42,567 --> 00:19:44,533 And, so, I'm sitting there and he comes in. 491 00:19:44,533 --> 00:19:46,233 And, before he comes in, 492 00:19:46,233 --> 00:19:49,467 there was trunk after trunk after trunk of clothes. 493 00:19:49,467 --> 00:19:52,567 [upbeat music] 494 00:19:52,567 --> 00:19:53,800 [audience laughing] 495 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:55,467 Talk about blowing me out of the water. 496 00:19:56,833 --> 00:20:01,367 And he was so brilliantly funny, and so sweet, and so nice. 497 00:20:01,367 --> 00:20:02,600 And when he signed his autograph, 498 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,800 it was in the shape of a grand piano. 499 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,300 -That's classy. [laughs] -It's fantastic. 500 00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:08,533 And he played with rings on, 501 00:20:08,533 --> 00:20:10,033 I can never play with a ring on my finger. 502 00:20:10,033 --> 00:20:12,467 And he and Fats Domino were two people that always played 503 00:20:12,467 --> 00:20:13,800 with a lot of rings on. 504 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:15,033 I can't do that. 505 00:20:15,033 --> 00:20:17,367 But he did and I'm just, "How did he do that?" 506 00:20:17,367 --> 00:20:19,833 And was he a style influence? 507 00:20:19,833 --> 00:20:21,633 Was he one of your style influences? 508 00:20:22,967 --> 00:20:24,833 Not at the time but, obviously, people would always say, 509 00:20:24,833 --> 00:20:26,433 "God, look, he's very Liberace." 510 00:20:26,433 --> 00:20:27,767 Listen, I was stuck at a piano. 511 00:20:27,767 --> 00:20:29,400 I wasn't Mick Jagger, I wasn't Rod Stewart, 512 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,000 I wasn't David Bowie, I wasn't Marc Bolan. 513 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,133 So, having had the freedom to do what I wanted, 514 00:20:37,133 --> 00:20:38,667 as far as clothes went, 515 00:20:38,667 --> 00:20:41,167 I had to be a little bit more spectacular in my costumes, 516 00:20:41,167 --> 00:20:42,333 and I wanted to be. 517 00:20:42,333 --> 00:20:43,933 Not that Bernie wanted me to be, 518 00:20:43,933 --> 00:20:45,833 and a lot of people thought it took away from the music 519 00:20:45,833 --> 00:20:48,700 'cause the music was very serious, and it was great music 520 00:20:48,700 --> 00:20:50,933 but I was just having a ball. 521 00:20:50,933 --> 00:20:55,900 And, so, I suppose there can be a similarity drawn between 522 00:20:57,067 --> 00:20:58,633 his flamboyance and my flamboyance. 523 00:20:58,633 --> 00:21:00,900 And, of course, the costumes got more and more outrageous 524 00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:02,167 as time went on. 525 00:21:02,167 --> 00:21:03,400 I graduated to Bob Mackie in the end. 526 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,133 And then it was full pedal to the medal. 527 00:21:07,133 --> 00:21:09,800 Tell us about your entrance at the Hollywood Bowl. 528 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,467 'Cause you really pushed the boat out. 529 00:21:12,467 --> 00:21:14,067 Well, playing the Hollywood Bowl 530 00:21:14,067 --> 00:21:17,533 was a huge moment in my career, and we planned this before. 531 00:21:17,533 --> 00:21:19,433 There was gonna be five grand pianos, 532 00:21:19,433 --> 00:21:20,933 mocked-up grand pianos, 533 00:21:20,933 --> 00:21:23,533 and they would have E, L, T, O, N when they opened up. 534 00:21:23,533 --> 00:21:24,800 There were doves inside. 535 00:21:26,167 --> 00:21:28,767 And I thought it'd be great to have Linda Lovelace 536 00:21:28,767 --> 00:21:30,233 introduce me. 537 00:21:30,233 --> 00:21:32,700 -Your mother's friend. -My mother's friend, yes. 538 00:21:32,700 --> 00:21:35,500 [laughs] "A great coach," as they say! 539 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:37,900 [Graham laughing] 540 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:41,767 And, so, my friend Tony King, he introduced Linda Lovelace. 541 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:45,400 And then I came in with this huge marabou feather outfit 542 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,767 down the stairs, it was very camp. 543 00:21:47,767 --> 00:21:50,400 [fanfare music] 544 00:22:00,700 --> 00:22:02,867 [audience cheering] 545 00:22:02,867 --> 00:22:04,900 And, then, of course, the doves, by that time, 546 00:22:04,900 --> 00:22:06,567 had all fallen asleep. 547 00:22:06,567 --> 00:22:07,833 So, I remember John Reid going, 548 00:22:07,833 --> 00:22:09,100 "Oh, my God, the doves aren't ready!" 549 00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:10,600 [Graham laughing] 550 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:11,967 And these poor doves were shoved up into the air, 551 00:22:11,967 --> 00:22:13,933 half asleep, they woke up mid-air. 552 00:22:15,167 --> 00:22:16,733 But it was a big point in my career, 553 00:22:16,733 --> 00:22:18,500 and it was the real start 554 00:22:18,500 --> 00:22:20,733 of the flamboyant shows that I did. 555 00:22:20,733 --> 00:22:22,200 Looking back, are there any outfits 556 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,767 you regret or any outfits you particularly love? 557 00:22:25,767 --> 00:22:28,100 I don't regret any of them, actually. 558 00:22:28,100 --> 00:22:30,133 There was some that were too over the top. 559 00:22:30,133 --> 00:22:32,300 But I remember an Australian tour, 560 00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:34,467 when I did the orchestral tour, 561 00:22:34,467 --> 00:22:36,500 and I came out for the second half of the orchestra, 562 00:22:36,500 --> 00:22:39,433 dressed as Mozart, and the first half with a punk wig 563 00:22:39,433 --> 00:22:43,200 and, no, it was all part of the process 564 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,567 of me finding out who I was, basically! 565 00:22:45,567 --> 00:22:47,067 Things make no sense. 566 00:22:47,067 --> 00:22:49,300 I think it was in Central Park, the Donald Duck outfit. 567 00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:50,733 You'd never tried it on? 568 00:22:50,733 --> 00:22:52,467 No, I didn't, I didn't have a run through it. 569 00:22:52,467 --> 00:22:54,100 So, I'm going off-stage 570 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:57,500 and I'm changing into Donald Duck for the encore. 571 00:22:57,500 --> 00:22:59,067 And Bob Halley, who was very funny, 572 00:22:59,067 --> 00:23:00,933 my personal assistant at the time, 573 00:23:00,933 --> 00:23:02,733 great sense of humour. 574 00:23:02,733 --> 00:23:04,933 I put my arm through the leg hole, 575 00:23:04,933 --> 00:23:06,967 by which time we were crying with laughter. 576 00:23:06,967 --> 00:23:08,900 And, then, I finally got the flippers on 577 00:23:08,900 --> 00:23:11,833 and I sat down at the piano and the bum was so big 578 00:23:11,833 --> 00:23:14,067 that I couldn't really sit at the piano properly. 579 00:23:14,067 --> 00:23:15,533 And then I got up from the piano 580 00:23:15,533 --> 00:23:17,667 to walk across the stage and strut on my flippers. 581 00:23:17,667 --> 00:23:19,067 It was a complete. 582 00:23:19,067 --> 00:23:20,100 You know, it's one of those things 583 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:21,567 you have to have a trial run. 584 00:23:21,567 --> 00:23:24,400 I didn't, but it makes the story even better 585 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:25,700 because we were crying backstage. 586 00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:27,767 Someone was going, "Hurry up, hurry up, 587 00:23:27,767 --> 00:23:28,700 "they'll all go away!" 588 00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:29,967 There was 500,000 people there. 589 00:23:29,967 --> 00:23:31,400 "They'll go away, they'll go away!" 590 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:32,700 And the more we tried to get it on, 591 00:23:32,700 --> 00:23:34,400 the more I couldn't get it on. 592 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,467 And we were crying with laughter, and eventually I came out. 593 00:23:37,467 --> 00:23:38,900 It was very, very funny. 594 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,700 I was panicking, but laughing as well. 595 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:44,167 Now, in terms of your look, 596 00:23:44,167 --> 00:23:46,333 one of the things that is addressed in the film, 597 00:23:46,333 --> 00:23:48,900 in a very funny way, is your hair. 598 00:23:48,900 --> 00:23:50,567 Was that a decision to kind of go, 599 00:23:50,567 --> 00:23:52,300 "Right, I'm going to talk about this." 600 00:23:52,300 --> 00:23:53,300 In the film, my mother says 601 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:54,233 that I'd be bald when I was 20. 602 00:23:54,233 --> 00:23:55,867 Well, I wasn't quite bald by 20 603 00:23:55,867 --> 00:23:57,700 but at more or less 30, it was going. 604 00:23:59,433 --> 00:24:02,067 And I don't like being bald, I look like Shrek, 605 00:24:02,067 --> 00:24:03,367 and I don't like it. 606 00:24:03,367 --> 00:24:05,867 So, I had hair transplants, which didn't work. 607 00:24:05,867 --> 00:24:08,433 That was in the early Louis Pasteur 608 00:24:08,433 --> 00:24:09,967 -version of hair transplants! -[Graham laughs] 609 00:24:09,967 --> 00:24:11,333 There was a tabloid story, wasn't there, 610 00:24:11,333 --> 00:24:12,467 that you put it upside down 611 00:24:12,467 --> 00:24:14,067 -or something? -Yes, yes, oh, my God. 612 00:24:14,067 --> 00:24:16,567 And then that didn't really work. 613 00:24:16,567 --> 00:24:19,567 But I'm sure the drugs didn't help them either. 614 00:24:19,567 --> 00:24:22,367 And, so, I decided to wear the wig. 615 00:24:22,367 --> 00:24:24,400 First wigs I had were so bad, I remember 616 00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:30,067 the review when I came out for the Freddie Mercury Concert 617 00:24:30,067 --> 00:24:32,967 at Wembley, said I came out with a dead squirrel on my head. 618 00:24:32,967 --> 00:24:34,167 But, looking back on it, 619 00:24:34,167 --> 00:24:35,433 it did look like a dead squirrel, actually. 620 00:24:35,433 --> 00:24:36,867 More like a dead mole. 621 00:24:38,767 --> 00:24:42,067 And it's gotten better over the years. 622 00:24:42,067 --> 00:24:45,433 And I got teased a lot, mercilessly in the paper about it. 623 00:24:45,433 --> 00:24:46,633 I'm very happy with it now. 624 00:24:46,633 --> 00:24:48,700 It looks good, I'm very happy with it on. 625 00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:51,433 Yes, I am bald, but I don't like being bald, 626 00:24:51,433 --> 00:24:52,900 and, so, I wear a toupee. 627 00:24:52,900 --> 00:24:56,100 You tell a story about you thought there was a break-in. 628 00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:57,633 -I think you were in Atlanta. -Oh, my God. 629 00:24:57,633 --> 00:24:59,533 I was in my apartment in Atlanta. 630 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:04,167 And took my hair off and put it by my bed. 631 00:25:05,533 --> 00:25:08,267 And I fall asleep, and suddenly I can hear noises. 632 00:25:08,267 --> 00:25:11,100 And I went, "Oh, fuck, I'm gonna be burgled." 633 00:25:11,100 --> 00:25:16,100 So, I put the light on and I rushed out into the corridor. 634 00:25:17,233 --> 00:25:18,167 And as I was getting in the corridor, 635 00:25:18,167 --> 00:25:19,633 "Ah, I haven't got my hair on!" 636 00:25:19,633 --> 00:25:22,267 So, I went back and I put it on, and there was a water leak. 637 00:25:22,267 --> 00:25:24,367 I mean, there's two maintenance guys from downstairs. 638 00:25:24,367 --> 00:25:26,833 But, then, when I got back, and I went to the bathroom 639 00:25:26,833 --> 00:25:29,100 and I looked at myself, I put it on upside down, 640 00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:31,100 or not upside down, but back to front. 641 00:25:31,100 --> 00:25:32,400 And I looked like Frankie Howard 642 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,133 on a really, really bad day. 643 00:25:34,133 --> 00:25:36,067 So, God knows what they must've thought 644 00:25:36,067 --> 00:25:37,867 'cause I was just wearing underpants 645 00:25:37,867 --> 00:25:40,700 and a back to front wig. 646 00:25:40,700 --> 00:25:42,233 And I thought, "Oh, my God." 647 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,867 So, yes, it's what it is. 648 00:25:47,267 --> 00:25:48,800 [Graham] It's the first thing you get in a fire. 649 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:50,067 -Yes. -Yes. 650 00:25:50,067 --> 00:25:52,067 Dolly Parton does that don't she? 651 00:25:52,067 --> 00:25:53,733 In every hotel, it's right by there with her. 652 00:25:53,733 --> 00:25:55,133 I pray to it every night, yeah. 653 00:25:55,133 --> 00:25:58,633 -[Graham laughs] -Oom, oom! 654 00:25:59,533 --> 00:26:02,733 There are so many famous people 655 00:26:02,733 --> 00:26:04,467 scattered through your story. 656 00:26:04,467 --> 00:26:07,900 Are you nervous about any of them reading this book? 657 00:26:09,067 --> 00:26:09,933 A bit. 658 00:26:09,933 --> 00:26:12,567 There's not many nasty stories. 659 00:26:12,567 --> 00:26:14,067 I put the records straight. 660 00:26:14,067 --> 00:26:16,667 Tina Turner and I had a falling out at the VH1 Divas thing. 661 00:26:16,667 --> 00:26:18,367 She went and did "The Oprah Show" 662 00:26:18,367 --> 00:26:22,500 and kind of bad-mouthed me and said I was a spoiled child. 663 00:26:22,500 --> 00:26:24,733 And, in fact, I wanted to put the record straight 664 00:26:24,733 --> 00:26:26,200 on what really happened. 665 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,800 I think, at the end of the day, we were both culpable of, 666 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:30,733 you know, I shouldn't have done what I did 667 00:26:30,733 --> 00:26:32,400 but she drove me to it. 668 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,100 [laughs] So, it was her fault? 669 00:26:36,967 --> 00:26:39,667 Billy Joel, who I love and toured with three times, 670 00:26:39,667 --> 00:26:40,900 fell asleep at the piano, 671 00:26:42,067 --> 00:26:44,200 at Madison Square Garden during "Piano Man". 672 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:45,900 [Graham] I learnt more about Rod Stewart 673 00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:47,400 in this book than I-- 674 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,300 Oh, Rod Stewart and I were always so much fun together. 675 00:26:50,300 --> 00:26:52,567 We were rivals in the sense that we were both happening 676 00:26:52,567 --> 00:26:55,200 at the same time, he a little bit before me. 677 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,200 And we've always had a great sense of humour with each other. 678 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,067 We've always played practical jokes on each other, 679 00:27:00,067 --> 00:27:02,100 and we've always had such a laugh. 680 00:27:02,100 --> 00:27:04,067 I mean, I've had more laughs with Rod 681 00:27:04,067 --> 00:27:05,367 than anybody else, probably. 682 00:27:05,367 --> 00:27:06,667 I'm not touring with you dressed like that, 683 00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:07,600 I can assure you. 684 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:08,867 -Why not? -With that on? 685 00:27:08,867 --> 00:27:10,067 I'm not going with that hat on. 686 00:27:10,067 --> 00:27:11,100 Why not? 687 00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:12,433 -look at you. -I'll just stay in my-- 688 00:27:12,433 --> 00:27:13,667 Looks like Dusty Springfield in a nightmare! 689 00:27:13,667 --> 00:27:18,400 -[audience laughing] -[audience applauding] 690 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:19,900 But it goes quite far. 691 00:27:19,900 --> 00:27:22,067 The Earls Court blimp. 692 00:27:22,067 --> 00:27:23,600 Well, he had a blimp because he was playing 693 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,067 Earls Court for about five nights, 694 00:27:25,067 --> 00:27:26,200 which I wasn't happy about, 695 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,167 the fact that he was playing for five nights. 696 00:27:28,167 --> 00:27:29,800 And I was staying at the Inn on the Park, 697 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,433 which is now the Four Seasons in London. 698 00:27:31,433 --> 00:27:34,400 I could see it hanging in the sky. 699 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,400 So, I rang up John Reid and said, 700 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,633 "Rod's got a blimp above Earls Court, can we get it down?" 701 00:27:39,633 --> 00:27:43,600 And I didn't say anything else and he mysteriously got it, 702 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:44,833 I think, shot down. 703 00:27:44,833 --> 00:27:47,233 [Graham laughing] 704 00:27:47,233 --> 00:27:48,400 -Different times! -The next time I looked. 705 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,100 The next day, it wasn't there. 706 00:27:50,100 --> 00:27:52,500 So, I rang Rod up and I said, "Oh, dear. 707 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:54,467 "Can you see your balloon, your blimp from where you are?" 708 00:27:54,467 --> 00:27:56,700 "Oh, yes, dear, I can, isn't it fabulous?" 709 00:27:56,700 --> 00:27:58,333 And he looked out the window and he said, "You bastard." 710 00:27:58,333 --> 00:27:59,800 [Graham laughing] 711 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,067 And, then, the next year, I played Olympia, 712 00:28:02,067 --> 00:28:04,900 and I had a big banner right across the road, 713 00:28:05,967 --> 00:28:07,433 where Olympia is. 714 00:28:07,433 --> 00:28:09,133 And, I swear to God, it was up for about 30 seconds, 715 00:28:09,133 --> 00:28:10,633 and his road crew had it down. 716 00:28:10,633 --> 00:28:11,967 It went up at two o'clock in the morning, 717 00:28:11,967 --> 00:28:13,733 it was down by two o'clock and 30 seconds. 718 00:28:13,733 --> 00:28:15,667 [Graham laughing] 719 00:28:15,667 --> 00:28:16,900 Wonderful memories. 720 00:28:18,067 --> 00:28:21,067 He and I have laughed so much over the years. 721 00:28:21,067 --> 00:28:22,367 He has a great sense of humour. 722 00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:24,300 We've both got the same sense of humour. 723 00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:27,333 And, now, some people who aren't still around. 724 00:28:27,333 --> 00:28:29,367 I didn't realise you were very close to John Lennon. 725 00:28:29,367 --> 00:28:32,933 Yes, I met him when he was just finishing his crazy phase 726 00:28:32,933 --> 00:28:34,400 and going into his laughing phase. 727 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:36,933 I mean, he'd just done the "Rock 'N' Roll" album, 728 00:28:36,933 --> 00:28:40,067 which was a very hard album for him to do with Phil Spector. 729 00:28:40,067 --> 00:28:42,067 And I think he had a lot of issues at that point. 730 00:28:42,067 --> 00:28:43,467 He was with May Pang at the time, 731 00:28:43,467 --> 00:28:45,567 he'd be broken off with Yoko. 732 00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:47,500 And we more or less hung out together 733 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:48,867 for a year and a half, two years. 734 00:28:48,867 --> 00:28:50,867 And he sang on my records, 735 00:28:50,867 --> 00:28:53,400 I played on his, we did a lot of drugs together, 736 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,467 but we had so many laughs. 737 00:28:55,467 --> 00:28:57,233 Him and Rod Stewart are the two people 738 00:28:57,233 --> 00:28:58,833 I've probably laughed with the most. 739 00:28:58,833 --> 00:28:59,867 And Freddie Mercury. 740 00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:01,600 There's very New York story 741 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,067 about you and him holed up in a hotel room. 742 00:29:04,067 --> 00:29:07,067 Oh, yeah, we were doing cocaine. 743 00:29:07,067 --> 00:29:08,700 And it was like 1:30 in the morning 744 00:29:08,700 --> 00:29:10,533 and there was a ring on the doorbell. 745 00:29:10,533 --> 00:29:12,933 And I thought, "Oh, who's this?" 746 00:29:12,933 --> 00:29:15,067 So, it took me about 10 minutes to creep over 747 00:29:15,067 --> 00:29:17,467 to the eye hole ad look through the door. 748 00:29:17,467 --> 00:29:19,133 It was at the Sherry-Netherland hotel 749 00:29:19,133 --> 00:29:21,233 and I went to him, "Andy Warhol!" 750 00:29:21,233 --> 00:29:22,367 And John said. 751 00:29:22,367 --> 00:29:23,600 [Graham laughs] 752 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:25,167 And, so, we didn't answer the door. 753 00:29:25,167 --> 00:29:27,433 And I said, "Why didn't you wanna let Andy in?" he said, 754 00:29:27,433 --> 00:29:29,933 "He's always got a bloody camera with him." 755 00:29:29,933 --> 00:29:32,533 He said, "Nothing's safe, nothing's private with Andy." 756 00:29:32,533 --> 00:29:35,700 So, I thought, "God, he wouldn't let Andy Warhol in." 757 00:29:35,700 --> 00:29:38,400 But that's because we were high as a kite. 758 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,567 Now, you talk about some of the duets you've done, 759 00:29:41,567 --> 00:29:42,500 in the book. 760 00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:43,767 Obviously, George Michael, 761 00:29:43,767 --> 00:29:45,267 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". 762 00:29:45,267 --> 00:29:48,233 That song you genuinely did not like, you didn't rate. 763 00:29:48,233 --> 00:29:50,267 When I wrote it for the "Caribou" album 764 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:52,900 I didn't like it. 765 00:29:52,900 --> 00:29:55,133 In fact, I told my producer, Gus Dudgeon, 766 00:29:55,133 --> 00:29:57,067 to send it to Engelbert Humperdinck. 767 00:29:57,067 --> 00:29:58,200 And if he didn't like it, 768 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,300 then to tell him to send it to Lulu. 769 00:30:00,300 --> 00:30:02,800 [Graham laughing] 770 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:04,500 And I remember playing it to Rod in the car. 771 00:30:04,500 --> 00:30:06,167 I was driving Rod into London. 772 00:30:06,167 --> 00:30:08,400 We were going to London together, and I played it to him, 773 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:10,200 and it takes a long time to get to the chorus. 774 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,767 He said, "Ballad, is it, dear?" 775 00:30:12,767 --> 00:30:15,633 * Don't let the sun 776 00:30:15,633 --> 00:30:19,133 * Go down on me 777 00:30:19,133 --> 00:30:22,400 * Although I search myself 778 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:26,700 * It's always someone else that I see, yeah * 779 00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:31,700 * I'd just allow a fragment of your life * 780 00:30:32,467 --> 00:30:37,000 * To wander free, baby 781 00:30:38,333 --> 00:30:40,000 * Oh 782 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,967 * Cause losing everything 783 00:30:42,967 --> 00:30:47,167 * Is like the sun going down on me * 784 00:30:50,667 --> 00:30:52,067 Mr. Elton John! 785 00:30:54,133 --> 00:30:56,033 "Bennie And The Jets" was another one I didn't see, 786 00:30:56,033 --> 00:30:57,233 and "Sacrifice". 787 00:30:57,233 --> 00:31:00,067 Three songs that I would never have put out 788 00:31:00,067 --> 00:31:01,467 if I'd have had the choice. 789 00:31:01,467 --> 00:31:03,600 And "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", obviously, you wrote. 790 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,133 You came up with the title for that one. 791 00:31:05,133 --> 00:31:06,500 I did, I was in Barbados. 792 00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:08,067 I was on holiday in Barbados. 793 00:31:08,067 --> 00:31:11,667 And Bernie was in Toronto doing an album. 794 00:31:11,667 --> 00:31:13,300 And I rang him up. 795 00:31:13,300 --> 00:31:14,500 I said, "I've got this." 796 00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:16,200 Played him the melody over the phone. 797 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:17,933 And then I said, "I've got this line, 798 00:31:17,933 --> 00:31:19,067 'Don't go breaking my heart.'" 799 00:31:19,067 --> 00:31:20,300 And that was it. 800 00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:23,500 And then he wrote it, and then he came down 801 00:31:23,500 --> 00:31:27,067 to join us in Barbados on holiday. 802 00:31:27,067 --> 00:31:28,267 And I wrote the song there. 803 00:31:28,267 --> 00:31:29,967 And you wrote it for Kiki Dee? 804 00:31:29,967 --> 00:31:31,333 I wrote it for Kiki, yeah. 805 00:31:31,333 --> 00:31:32,733 [upbeat groovy music] 806 00:31:32,733 --> 00:31:35,167 * Woo hoo 807 00:31:35,167 --> 00:31:39,567 * Nobody knows it 808 00:31:39,567 --> 00:31:41,600 * But when I was down 809 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,433 * I was your clown 810 00:31:43,433 --> 00:31:45,200 * And right from the start 811 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:47,233 * I gave you my heart 812 00:31:47,233 --> 00:31:49,700 * Whoa, oh 813 00:31:49,700 --> 00:31:52,933 * I gave you my heart 814 00:31:52,933 --> 00:31:54,633 And then there was an alternative, 815 00:31:54,633 --> 00:31:56,933 which I think was called "I'm Always on the Bonk"? 816 00:31:56,933 --> 00:31:59,267 The B-side was "I'm Always on the Bonk". 817 00:31:59,267 --> 00:32:01,400 [Elton speaks in foreign language] 818 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:03,967 "I don't know where I'm going, don't know who I'm blowing. 819 00:32:03,967 --> 00:32:05,500 "I'm always on the bonk." 820 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:08,567 And, of course, that was a big. [chuckles] 821 00:32:10,067 --> 00:32:12,600 [laughs] It's not too late to include it in the new show! 822 00:32:13,767 --> 00:32:15,133 I think it could've been the A-side, actually. 823 00:32:15,133 --> 00:32:16,600 I think "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" 824 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,733 has fallen by the wayside for "I'm Always On The Bonk". 825 00:32:19,733 --> 00:32:24,067 And, so, of course, we got our knuckles slapped 826 00:32:24,067 --> 00:32:26,933 by the record label and we called it the "Snow Queen" 827 00:32:26,933 --> 00:32:29,700 in the end, but it's really "I'm Always On The Bonk". 828 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:31,900 [Graham] Elton's already extensive song book 829 00:32:31,900 --> 00:32:34,400 expanded even further in the 1980s. 830 00:32:35,733 --> 00:32:40,100 * Blue eyes 831 00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:45,100 * Baby's got blue eyes 832 00:32:46,767 --> 00:32:51,767 * Oh, Nikita is the other side 833 00:32:52,700 --> 00:32:56,833 * Of any given light in time 834 00:32:56,833 --> 00:33:01,733 * And I guess that's why they call it the blues * 835 00:33:01,733 --> 00:33:06,733 * Time on my hands could be time spent with you * 836 00:33:08,067 --> 00:33:11,667 * And I guess that's why they call it the blues * 837 00:33:11,667 --> 00:33:14,967 [Graham] He also added a further 11 studio albums 838 00:33:14,967 --> 00:33:16,233 to his back catalogue, 839 00:33:16,233 --> 00:33:19,300 including "Too Low for Zero", "Ice on Fire", 840 00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:21,933 and the multi-platinum "Sleeping with the Past". 841 00:33:22,967 --> 00:33:24,800 * Another passenger 842 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,067 [Graham] But it wasn't just hits he was scoring. 843 00:33:27,067 --> 00:33:28,233 * Wanna to get on 844 00:33:28,233 --> 00:33:30,067 [Graham] Along with manager, Graham Taylor, 845 00:33:30,067 --> 00:33:32,333 he took his football club, Watford FC, 846 00:33:32,333 --> 00:33:34,500 from the fourth to the First Division, 847 00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:37,967 including a place in the 1984 FA Cup Final. 848 00:33:37,967 --> 00:33:39,200 * Wanna get on 849 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:40,433 There's only ever been one club in my heart 850 00:33:40,433 --> 00:33:41,500 and I would never get so involved with anything 851 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:43,133 unless it was Watford. 852 00:33:43,133 --> 00:33:45,067 [upbeat music] 853 00:33:45,067 --> 00:33:46,433 [Graham] But the highs of the '80s 854 00:33:46,433 --> 00:33:47,833 weren't without the lows. 855 00:33:47,833 --> 00:33:49,900 * Turn on those sad songs 856 00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:52,200 [Graham] Elton's career came under threat 857 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,467 from cysts on his vocal cords. 858 00:33:54,467 --> 00:33:56,633 My whole life was in such a crisis. 859 00:33:56,633 --> 00:34:00,067 I had no voice, and I was physically tired and emotional. 860 00:34:00,067 --> 00:34:02,067 * Sad songs say so much 861 00:34:02,067 --> 00:34:04,600 * Ooh, la, la 862 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:06,967 [Graham] A surprise wedding hit the headlines 863 00:34:06,967 --> 00:34:09,567 * I wanna kiss the bride, yeah 864 00:34:09,567 --> 00:34:11,767 [Graham] And the divorce courts. 865 00:34:11,767 --> 00:34:13,833 And his drug and drink addictions 866 00:34:13,833 --> 00:34:16,333 were spiralling out of control. 867 00:34:16,333 --> 00:34:18,467 Is it 29 years you've been sober now? 868 00:34:18,467 --> 00:34:19,400 It is, yeah. 869 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:20,633 29 years, congratulations. 870 00:34:20,633 --> 00:34:25,500 And the bad stuff was about 16 years of you-- 871 00:34:27,067 --> 00:34:28,133 -Doing stuff. -Doing a lot 872 00:34:28,133 --> 00:34:29,600 of coke and other things. 873 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,633 Not all the time but, yeah, generally 16 years. 874 00:34:32,633 --> 00:34:36,067 And it's funny, you know, here we are in Nice, 875 00:34:36,067 --> 00:34:39,767 and it's the scene of, I suppose like a lot of, 876 00:34:39,767 --> 00:34:41,400 I don't know if you would call them good stories, 877 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:45,667 good drug-use stories, it's a story that's been told to you. 878 00:34:45,667 --> 00:34:48,533 The night with Duran Duran in Nice. 879 00:34:48,533 --> 00:34:50,433 Oh, I was doing the "I'm Still Standing" video. 880 00:34:50,433 --> 00:34:51,267 Yeah. 881 00:34:52,667 --> 00:34:55,200 And I'd been up since about 4:30 in the morning. 882 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,533 I shot a lot in Cannes, and then we came back to Nice 883 00:34:57,533 --> 00:34:59,067 to film at The Negresco 884 00:34:59,067 --> 00:35:02,333 for the last evening shots and the inside shots. 885 00:35:03,767 --> 00:35:05,067 I'm totally knackered. 886 00:35:05,067 --> 00:35:06,700 And I meet Duran Duran in the bar, 887 00:35:06,700 --> 00:35:08,433 and I haven't really met them before. 888 00:35:08,433 --> 00:35:10,667 And they said, "Have you ever had a martini?" 889 00:35:10,667 --> 00:35:12,667 I said, "No," I said, "I'm so tired." 890 00:35:12,667 --> 00:35:14,533 Said, "I have a martini." 891 00:35:14,533 --> 00:35:18,400 So, I had one, then another one, then another one. 892 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:19,667 Then, I had a line of coke, 893 00:35:19,667 --> 00:35:22,067 and then I don't remember anything else. 894 00:35:22,067 --> 00:35:23,700 I woke up the next morning. 895 00:35:23,700 --> 00:35:25,100 I went into Bob Halley's room, 896 00:35:25,100 --> 00:35:27,967 and it was just sticks of furniture left. 897 00:35:27,967 --> 00:35:30,067 And je had this fabulous cowboy hat 898 00:35:30,067 --> 00:35:31,733 which was flat as a pizza. 899 00:35:31,733 --> 00:35:33,233 [Graham chuckles] 900 00:35:33,233 --> 00:35:37,067 And, apparently, I just lost it and had John Reid, 901 00:35:37,067 --> 00:35:40,967 who was wearing a clown outfit and make-up, 902 00:35:40,967 --> 00:35:43,400 and I had a big fight with John. 903 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,900 He left, took my car, and drove to Calais 904 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:49,333 in the clown's outfit with the make-up on. 905 00:35:50,767 --> 00:35:53,200 Got on the ferry, he got to Dover, and then it broke down. 906 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,533 So, he's standing by the whatever it is, phoning me up, 907 00:35:56,533 --> 00:35:58,067 "I fucking can't." [mumbling] 908 00:35:58,067 --> 00:36:00,900 [Graham laughing] 909 00:36:00,900 --> 00:36:03,633 And, yes, that was from the start of my martini, 910 00:36:03,633 --> 00:36:05,867 and that became one of my favourite drinks, unfortunately. 911 00:36:05,867 --> 00:36:08,133 It was like rocket fuel for rocket man. 912 00:36:08,133 --> 00:36:11,233 And I used to have six very quickly. 913 00:36:11,233 --> 00:36:12,900 Six in half an hour. 914 00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:15,100 I mean, I'm a drinker. 915 00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:16,167 That's insane! 916 00:36:16,167 --> 00:36:17,167 It is insane, yes. 917 00:36:17,167 --> 00:36:19,533 Are you just built to withstand 918 00:36:19,533 --> 00:36:21,167 -a lot of alcohol? -I suppose so, I don't know. 919 00:36:21,167 --> 00:36:24,067 But I enjoyed the feeling it gave me. 920 00:36:24,067 --> 00:36:26,833 But, of course, I couldn't then remember what I'd said 921 00:36:26,833 --> 00:36:28,333 the night before. 922 00:36:28,333 --> 00:36:30,100 And that led to a lot of, it's called a blackout, I think. 923 00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:32,900 But Bernie would ring me up and say, "Did you not remember 924 00:36:32,900 --> 00:36:34,367 "what you said to John Reid's mom?" 925 00:36:34,367 --> 00:36:35,533 I said, "No." 926 00:36:36,833 --> 00:36:38,067 I was like, "Oh, there she is 927 00:36:38,067 --> 00:36:39,300 "with the same old bloody hairdo!" 928 00:36:39,300 --> 00:36:41,500 And it was like, it was not good. 929 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:43,733 It was bad behaviour, terrible behaviour. 930 00:36:44,933 --> 00:36:46,667 -But it didn't stop me. -No. 931 00:36:46,667 --> 00:36:48,867 No, that's the bad thing about it. 932 00:36:48,867 --> 00:36:51,333 So, there was that side of addiction, 933 00:36:51,333 --> 00:36:55,067 but also with money, your shopping addiction. 934 00:36:55,067 --> 00:36:56,500 Well, that's never gone. 935 00:36:56,500 --> 00:37:00,067 I wasn't gonna say anything, but, yeah. [laughs] 936 00:37:01,733 --> 00:37:03,400 You know, as a kid, 937 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,867 because my parents argued all the time, 938 00:37:05,867 --> 00:37:08,433 I used to run to my room 939 00:37:08,433 --> 00:37:10,733 and play with my toys and my records. 940 00:37:10,733 --> 00:37:13,133 And I kept them in pristine condition and because, 941 00:37:13,133 --> 00:37:14,633 I know it sounds crazy, but I found solace 942 00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:16,067 in inanimate objects. 943 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:18,900 Because they couldn't hurt me. 944 00:37:18,900 --> 00:37:20,833 So, I've always loved collecting things. 945 00:37:20,833 --> 00:37:22,600 And, as soon as I made any money, 946 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:24,233 I started collecting Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, 947 00:37:24,233 --> 00:37:26,567 and I learnt about art through collecting. 948 00:37:26,567 --> 00:37:28,200 I'm just inquisitive by nature. 949 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,800 I'm a legitimate kleptomaniac. 950 00:37:33,433 --> 00:37:34,933 I'm looking around. 951 00:37:34,933 --> 00:37:37,167 Do you ever go to a shop and go, "I'll have one of those"? 952 00:37:37,167 --> 00:37:39,867 Well, yeah, when it comes down to a painting, yes. 953 00:37:39,867 --> 00:37:40,700 Okay! 954 00:37:40,700 --> 00:37:41,967 But when it comes down 955 00:37:41,967 --> 00:37:43,767 to buying a pair of socks, probably not. 956 00:37:43,767 --> 00:37:46,567 "I like that and I'll have one in each colour." 957 00:37:46,567 --> 00:37:47,867 [Graham] The range. 958 00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:49,500 No, I'm not very good at that. 959 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:53,733 So, I multiple buy. 960 00:37:53,733 --> 00:37:55,300 So, you were going through this time in your life 961 00:37:55,300 --> 00:37:58,333 where the drugs are out of control, 962 00:37:58,333 --> 00:38:02,567 and then The Sun decided to have this vendetta against you. 963 00:38:02,567 --> 00:38:03,900 Yeah. 964 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:07,100 Do you still to this day know why that started? 965 00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:10,900 [puffing] The story was I'd flown by helicopter 966 00:38:10,900 --> 00:38:13,200 to Billy Gaff, Rod Stewart's manager's house 967 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:17,400 and given cocaine to underage boys. 968 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,100 Rent boys, I think. 969 00:38:19,100 --> 00:38:21,067 And I've never been to Billy Gaff's house. 970 00:38:21,067 --> 00:38:22,333 I've never flown in a helicopter 971 00:38:22,333 --> 00:38:23,433 to Billy Gaff's house. 972 00:38:25,300 --> 00:38:29,233 But they pursued and as soon as I saw that story 973 00:38:29,233 --> 00:38:30,867 I issued a writ. 974 00:38:30,867 --> 00:38:32,167 And then it became a vendetta 975 00:38:32,167 --> 00:38:33,867 with writs going backwards and forwards. 976 00:38:33,867 --> 00:38:36,867 And my auntie used to work in a newspaper shop. 977 00:38:36,867 --> 00:38:37,800 So, she got the brunt of it. 978 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,533 And it was pretty distressing. 979 00:38:39,533 --> 00:38:42,067 And, in the end, Michael Parkinson rang me up and said, 980 00:38:42,067 --> 00:38:44,633 "Listen, you're not saying anything. 981 00:38:44,633 --> 00:38:46,667 "It looks as if you're guilty. 982 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:49,400 "You have to come, I've got a talk show." 983 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,900 He was my friend and he said, "Come and talk about it." 984 00:38:51,900 --> 00:38:53,467 Oh, this summer, it's like a horror story, 985 00:38:53,467 --> 00:38:54,867 hasn't it been, the last five months? 986 00:38:54,867 --> 00:38:55,700 Unbelievable. 987 00:38:57,633 --> 00:38:59,867 I can't really figure it out. 988 00:38:59,867 --> 00:39:01,433 It has been the worst five months 989 00:39:01,433 --> 00:39:04,067 I've ever had to endure but it can only get better. 990 00:39:04,067 --> 00:39:05,800 It can't get any worse. 991 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:07,500 And then it became a year and a half. 992 00:39:07,500 --> 00:39:10,967 They followed me around the world, they had my suite 993 00:39:10,967 --> 00:39:12,467 at the Century Plaza Hotel bugged, 994 00:39:12,467 --> 00:39:13,800 which was Ronald Reagan's suite. 995 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,367 So, we had to have the CIA, the FBI. 996 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,067 "Elton's Silent Assassins," was one of the headlines. 997 00:39:20,067 --> 00:39:22,767 That I'd taken the voice box from my German Shepherd dogs 998 00:39:22,767 --> 00:39:25,767 so that no-one can hear them coming when they were attacked. 999 00:39:25,767 --> 00:39:27,200 And I wouldn't give in. 1000 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:30,833 I was lucky enough to be affluent enough to fight them. 1001 00:39:30,833 --> 00:39:32,233 And I will fight, if I had nothing, 1002 00:39:32,233 --> 00:39:34,067 I would sell my last thing 1003 00:39:34,067 --> 00:39:35,400 because of the injustice of it all. 1004 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,767 And, eventually, they buckled down. 1005 00:39:38,767 --> 00:39:42,067 I got the front-page apology, "Sorry, Elton, we were wrong." 1006 00:39:42,067 --> 00:39:44,133 I got a huge sum of money, 1007 00:39:44,133 --> 00:39:46,133 which was a lot of money in those days, 1008 00:39:46,133 --> 00:39:48,600 but, if I'd have sued them, I would've got more 1009 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:50,633 but I didn't want the court process to go on. 1010 00:39:50,633 --> 00:39:52,933 I was just happy enough to get the front-page apology. 1011 00:39:52,933 --> 00:39:56,400 And do you feel safe now 1012 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:59,200 or do you feel like the press could turn on you at any time? 1013 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:00,133 They always turn on you. 1014 00:40:00,133 --> 00:40:02,567 But, you know, it is what it is. 1015 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:05,200 Sometimes, they love you, sometimes, they don't like you. 1016 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,167 And we have an okay relationship with the press. 1017 00:40:08,167 --> 00:40:09,767 But they know that if they do write anything 1018 00:40:09,767 --> 00:40:11,733 or they do say something that's untoward 1019 00:40:11,733 --> 00:40:13,100 that they'll get a rap around the knuckles 1020 00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:14,533 'cause I won't stand for it. 1021 00:40:14,533 --> 00:40:16,100 Just going back, briefly. 1022 00:40:16,100 --> 00:40:21,100 The 16 years of excess, why did they end? 1023 00:40:22,067 --> 00:40:23,333 -Was there a point? -Yeah. 1024 00:40:23,333 --> 00:40:26,900 I mean, not only was I was a drug addict, 1025 00:40:26,900 --> 00:40:28,167 I was an alcoholic. 1026 00:40:28,167 --> 00:40:29,500 I used to sit and drink a bottle of 1027 00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:31,567 Johnny Walker Black every day. 1028 00:40:31,567 --> 00:40:34,933 I used to smoke reefers, joints. 1029 00:40:34,933 --> 00:40:36,167 And I was bulimic. 1030 00:40:36,167 --> 00:40:37,467 So, I'd go to sleep for three days. 1031 00:40:37,467 --> 00:40:39,533 I hadn't eaten, then I'd get up and gorge myself 1032 00:40:39,533 --> 00:40:40,633 and then throw it all up. 1033 00:40:40,633 --> 00:40:42,333 It was a very lonely existence. 1034 00:40:42,333 --> 00:40:44,667 And I just suddenly thought, 1035 00:40:44,667 --> 00:40:47,133 "Am I gonna die or am I gonna live? 1036 00:40:47,133 --> 00:40:48,300 "What do you wanna do?" 1037 00:40:48,300 --> 00:40:49,567 And at the end of the day, 1038 00:40:49,567 --> 00:40:51,033 when you use drugs for that amount of time, 1039 00:40:51,033 --> 00:40:52,600 they don't have the same effect. 1040 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:55,267 You just take them for the sake of it. 1041 00:40:55,267 --> 00:40:57,800 They're not making you happier, they're making you worse. 1042 00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:59,600 And I just sat there one night and said, 1043 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,167 "This is ridiculous. 1044 00:41:01,167 --> 00:41:02,900 I couldn't ask for help. 1045 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:06,833 People had told me time and time again that I needed help. 1046 00:41:06,833 --> 00:41:08,200 All my closest friends. 1047 00:41:09,733 --> 00:41:12,867 I screamed and shouted at them, "How dare you tell me?" 1048 00:41:12,867 --> 00:41:16,167 I wouldn't talk to them for a year or so. 1049 00:41:16,167 --> 00:41:18,200 And at the end of the day, I'd had enough. 1050 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:22,067 And I asked for help, and I got help. 1051 00:41:22,067 --> 00:41:24,200 And I went to a place in Chicago 1052 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:25,700 which treated all three diseases, 1053 00:41:25,700 --> 00:41:28,833 alcoholism, drug addiction, and bulimia, 1054 00:41:28,833 --> 00:41:30,133 all at the same time. 1055 00:41:30,133 --> 00:41:31,767 Stayed there for six weeks, 1056 00:41:31,767 --> 00:41:35,100 came home to England, had great aftercare, took a year off, 1057 00:41:35,100 --> 00:41:37,100 did all the things I was meant to do. 1058 00:41:37,100 --> 00:41:42,100 Spent a long time working as hard as I did getting sober 1059 00:41:42,100 --> 00:41:44,400 as I did to being an addict. 1060 00:41:45,733 --> 00:41:47,800 And group therapy. 1061 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:51,300 I mean, just the idea of Elton John 1062 00:41:51,300 --> 00:41:52,733 walking into group therapy 1063 00:41:52,733 --> 00:41:54,933 in some treatment centre in Chicago. 1064 00:41:54,933 --> 00:41:57,300 I mean, you must have caused a sensation? 1065 00:41:57,300 --> 00:42:01,967 Nobody treated me as Elton John, star. 1066 00:42:01,967 --> 00:42:03,600 Once you start talking about your life 1067 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:05,333 and you listen to other people's stories. 1068 00:42:05,333 --> 00:42:06,967 For example, I always thought 1069 00:42:06,967 --> 00:42:09,100 that I was the only person in the world that did what I did. 1070 00:42:09,100 --> 00:42:11,067 And then when you hear other people say, "Oh, I did this," 1071 00:42:11,067 --> 00:42:13,100 and you think, "Oh, my God, I'm not the only one." 1072 00:42:13,100 --> 00:42:14,967 'Cause you sit there sometimes and you blame yourself, 1073 00:42:14,967 --> 00:42:16,933 thinking, "I am really the worst person in the world 1074 00:42:16,933 --> 00:42:18,433 "because I'm doing this." 1075 00:42:18,433 --> 00:42:20,067 And so many other people are doing the same thing. 1076 00:42:20,067 --> 00:42:22,367 So, I wasn't intimidated. 1077 00:42:22,367 --> 00:42:25,967 Once I had the knowledge that I was gonna get well, 1078 00:42:25,967 --> 00:42:27,333 I went for it. 1079 00:42:27,333 --> 00:42:31,133 I went for it because it was so much better than, 1080 00:42:31,133 --> 00:42:32,933 waking up at 6:30 in the morning, 1081 00:42:32,933 --> 00:42:34,567 getting a dog from the Battersea Dogs Home, 1082 00:42:34,567 --> 00:42:37,233 taking it for a walk, going to a meeting at 7:30. 1083 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:41,200 I was so glad to be alive instead of shutting the curtains 1084 00:42:42,467 --> 00:42:44,233 and shutting the day out. 1085 00:42:44,233 --> 00:42:46,667 My whole life just changed round completely. 1086 00:42:46,667 --> 00:42:47,867 It's interesting, 1087 00:42:47,867 --> 00:42:48,900 whenever I've ever been at an AA meeting, 1088 00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:50,267 people tell their stories 1089 00:42:50,267 --> 00:42:53,833 and it's as if they're talking about an ex, 1090 00:42:53,833 --> 00:42:55,400 or a toxic relationship. 1091 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:56,700 And you actually do that in the book, 1092 00:42:56,700 --> 00:42:57,933 you write a letter to cocaine. 1093 00:42:57,933 --> 00:42:59,767 I was told to write a lot of things. 1094 00:42:59,767 --> 00:43:01,067 And I thought, "Where do I start? 1095 00:43:01,067 --> 00:43:01,833 "I can't. 1096 00:43:01,833 --> 00:43:03,367 "Where do I start?" 1097 00:43:03,367 --> 00:43:06,100 "How do I start writing about all the things I've done?" 1098 00:43:06,100 --> 00:43:08,633 And then I started to write 'cause I had to. 1099 00:43:08,633 --> 00:43:11,533 And it was just the most brilliant thing that 1100 00:43:11,533 --> 00:43:13,567 they made me do, because it was cathartic. 1101 00:43:13,567 --> 00:43:18,400 I was like having an enema with a pen, and it all came out. 1102 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:21,867 And then the farewell letter to the cocaine was my idea. 1103 00:43:21,867 --> 00:43:24,400 I treated it as a love affair with someone, 1104 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:26,500 and it's printed in the book. 1105 00:43:27,933 --> 00:43:32,467 And it's one of the few things I've ever written seriously. 1106 00:43:32,467 --> 00:43:35,067 And I'm very proud of that letter, because-- 1107 00:43:35,067 --> 00:43:36,367 It's very moving. 1108 00:43:36,367 --> 00:43:37,600 -It's a very moving letter. -It's very moving. 1109 00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,100 And I treated the drug in the third person. 1110 00:43:39,967 --> 00:43:41,733 I treated it as a person. 1111 00:43:41,733 --> 00:43:43,633 And I said, "We can't ever meet again. 1112 00:43:45,067 --> 00:43:48,600 "I love you very much, but it's the end of a love affair." 1113 00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:52,533 Now a post-rehab phrase I haven't heard before this was, 1114 00:43:52,533 --> 00:43:54,067 the hole in the doughnut. 1115 00:43:54,067 --> 00:43:57,500 People leave and they have a gap in their life. 1116 00:43:57,500 --> 00:43:59,067 The hole in the doughnut, 1117 00:43:59,067 --> 00:44:01,433 it means you have to fill yourself spiritually. 1118 00:44:01,433 --> 00:44:04,067 I didn't believe in anything when I went into rehab. 1119 00:44:05,700 --> 00:44:06,900 I didn't believe in God. 1120 00:44:06,900 --> 00:44:08,133 I didn't believe anything like that. 1121 00:44:08,133 --> 00:44:09,400 I didn't believe in a higher power. 1122 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:12,700 I was, spiritually, completely bankrupt. 1123 00:44:12,700 --> 00:44:16,267 As I got sober, took me a year or two 1124 00:44:16,267 --> 00:44:18,067 to know what the hole in the doughnut was. 1125 00:44:18,067 --> 00:44:20,400 It was fulfilling and giving back. 1126 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:23,067 Giving back, making yourself feel fulfilled. 1127 00:44:23,067 --> 00:44:27,633 I started the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 in Atlanta 1128 00:44:27,633 --> 00:44:29,500 at my table in the kitchen. 1129 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:33,067 The first year was spent making sure I didn't relapse 1130 00:44:33,067 --> 00:44:34,533 and doing what I was told. 1131 00:44:34,533 --> 00:44:37,333 The second year was like, "What do I do with my life now?" 1132 00:44:37,333 --> 00:44:40,067 And, then, it all came to me. 1133 00:44:40,067 --> 00:44:41,767 And that was my hole in the doughnut 1134 00:44:41,767 --> 00:44:45,200 was to start the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 1135 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:47,567 And that's been an extraordinary success. 1136 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:51,367 We've given over $450 million away 1137 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:54,067 from a very small operation. 1138 00:44:54,067 --> 00:44:56,833 And when we started the AIDS Foundation, 1139 00:44:56,833 --> 00:44:59,267 there were lots of AIDS foundations all over the world. 1140 00:44:59,267 --> 00:45:02,600 Now, there's hardly any and we've all worked together. 1141 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:07,133 I thought I'd been so lucky to not get HIV. 1142 00:45:07,133 --> 00:45:11,133 I was so lucky, being a gay man, not to die of this disease. 1143 00:45:11,133 --> 00:45:13,067 Seeing so many of my friends die, 1144 00:45:13,067 --> 00:45:16,300 that I wanted to do something proper and not waste money. 1145 00:45:16,300 --> 00:45:19,067 I'd seen so many people form foundations, 1146 00:45:19,067 --> 00:45:21,700 put on galas and not make a penny, 1147 00:45:21,700 --> 00:45:22,867 and I said, "I'm not doing that." 1148 00:45:22,867 --> 00:45:24,400 Everything will be underwritten. 1149 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,400 All the money we raise at the event 1150 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:28,800 will go to the people who need it. 1151 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,800 And that's been my mantra, and our mantra ever since. 1152 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:33,533 And we've stuck to it. 1153 00:45:33,533 --> 00:45:35,567 * Are You Ready 1154 00:45:35,567 --> 00:45:36,800 [Graham] Elton's commitment 1155 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:38,333 to raising money for AIDS research 1156 00:45:38,333 --> 00:45:41,567 was rewarded in 1998 with a knighthood for services 1157 00:45:41,567 --> 00:45:43,167 to charity and to music. 1158 00:45:43,167 --> 00:45:45,067 * For love 1159 00:45:45,067 --> 00:45:46,267 * Yes, I am 1160 00:45:46,267 --> 00:45:47,533 [Graham] The fourth decade of his career, 1161 00:45:47,533 --> 00:45:51,067 the 1990s, saw no sign of Elton slowing down. 1162 00:45:51,067 --> 00:45:54,267 The single, "Sacrifice", saw him score his very first 1163 00:45:54,267 --> 00:45:55,867 solo UK number one. 1164 00:45:56,767 --> 00:46:01,600 * But it's no sacrifice 1165 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:05,567 * No sacrifice 1166 00:46:05,567 --> 00:46:09,133 * It's no sacrifice at all 1167 00:46:10,833 --> 00:46:14,333 [Graham] But the '90s were also marred by sadness. 1168 00:46:14,333 --> 00:46:16,400 Just six weeks after the murder of his friend, 1169 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:20,600 Gianni Versace, his close friend Diana Princess of Wales, 1170 00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:22,133 also died. 1171 00:46:22,133 --> 00:46:26,467 * Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did * 1172 00:46:30,333 --> 00:46:32,133 [Graham] The song, "Candle in the Wind", 1173 00:46:32,133 --> 00:46:34,767 became the biggest-selling single of the decade. 1174 00:46:39,667 --> 00:46:43,200 Elton also hit the headlines with a very public bankruptcy. 1175 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,200 [News Reporter] In 20 months, he managed to blow 1176 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:50,200 40 million pounds, including 300,000 pounds on flowers. 1177 00:46:51,367 --> 00:46:52,800 [Graham] It would take a residency 1178 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:54,767 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to help pay off his debts. 1179 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,467 * She's got electric boots 1180 00:46:58,467 --> 00:47:00,233 * A mohair suit 1181 00:47:00,233 --> 00:47:02,900 * I read it in a magazine 1182 00:47:02,900 --> 00:47:06,400 * Oh, Bennie And The Jets 1183 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:09,767 -[audience applauding] -[audience cheering] 1184 00:47:09,767 --> 00:47:12,067 [Graham] Undeterred, Elton found movies 1185 00:47:12,067 --> 00:47:13,433 and musicals beckoning. 1186 00:47:13,433 --> 00:47:15,467 * In the circle of life 1187 00:47:15,467 --> 00:47:17,567 [Graham] Writing the scores for the stage 1188 00:47:17,567 --> 00:47:19,600 and screen versions of "The Lion King". 1189 00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:21,267 The original film has since taken 1190 00:47:21,267 --> 00:47:24,333 over $960 million worldwide. 1191 00:47:24,333 --> 00:47:28,667 * And can you feel the love tonight * 1192 00:47:31,067 --> 00:47:33,233 [Graham] And the musical has been running on Broadway 1193 00:47:33,233 --> 00:47:34,800 for 22 years. 1194 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:39,800 * To rest 1195 00:47:41,067 --> 00:47:45,533 * It's enough to make kings and vagabonds * 1196 00:47:47,067 --> 00:47:50,400 * Believe the very best 1197 00:47:52,067 --> 00:47:54,300 [Graham] This success later led to further musicals 1198 00:47:54,300 --> 00:47:56,300 with "Aida" and "Billy Elliot". 1199 00:47:56,300 --> 00:47:58,300 -[audience applauding] -[audience cheering] 1200 00:47:58,300 --> 00:48:00,300 * And I can't explain 1201 00:48:00,300 --> 00:48:02,667 [Graham] Elton also finally found success in love. 1202 00:48:02,667 --> 00:48:05,200 * Something about the way 1203 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:06,667 [Graham] His life further changed 1204 00:48:06,667 --> 00:48:07,833 thanks to an introduction 1205 00:48:07,833 --> 00:48:10,167 to Canadian film-maker, David Furnish. 1206 00:48:10,167 --> 00:48:13,733 * Oh, takes my breath away 1207 00:48:16,133 --> 00:48:18,867 Let's talk about your life now. 1208 00:48:18,867 --> 00:48:21,100 -Happily married to David. -Yeah. 1209 00:48:21,100 --> 00:48:22,967 And, yet, there are bits, 1210 00:48:22,967 --> 00:48:24,200 at the beginning of your relationship, 1211 00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:26,867 where I'm thinking, "That guy should run!" 1212 00:48:26,867 --> 00:48:31,300 Like [laughs] the night you were going to introduce him 1213 00:48:31,300 --> 00:48:33,267 -to your family. -Right. 1214 00:48:34,333 --> 00:48:36,267 And you invited someone else to dinner. 1215 00:48:36,267 --> 00:48:37,767 Well, it was a lunch 1216 00:48:37,767 --> 00:48:40,333 and my mother was gonna meet David for the first time. 1217 00:48:40,333 --> 00:48:41,500 And it was at Woodside 1218 00:48:41,500 --> 00:48:44,267 and it was like 10 o'clock in the morning. 1219 00:48:44,267 --> 00:48:45,600 My mother was coming down for lunch. 1220 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,667 And that's a daunting prospect for anyone, 1221 00:48:48,667 --> 00:48:50,200 especially the person you're living with 1222 00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:51,767 and you're in love with. 1223 00:48:51,767 --> 00:48:54,367 Then there was a message on my answer machine 1224 00:48:54,367 --> 00:48:59,367 from a counsellor, who was counselling me at the time saying, 1225 00:49:00,867 --> 00:49:03,067 "Well, I'm coming over for lunch with Michael Jackson." 1226 00:49:03,067 --> 00:49:04,067 So I though, "Ah!" 1227 00:49:04,067 --> 00:49:07,100 So, David was like, "Oh, my God, 1228 00:49:07,100 --> 00:49:08,300 "I've got to meet your mother 1229 00:49:08,300 --> 00:49:09,533 "and Michael Jackson on the same day? 1230 00:49:09,533 --> 00:49:11,067 "I don't know if I can cope with that." 1231 00:49:11,067 --> 00:49:14,300 And we had our lunch with Michael and my mother, 1232 00:49:14,300 --> 00:49:16,533 and the curtains were closed. 1233 00:49:16,533 --> 00:49:18,633 It was very bizarre. 1234 00:49:18,633 --> 00:49:21,900 My mom was saying, "You need a bloody good meal, you do." 1235 00:49:21,900 --> 00:49:23,633 [both laughing] 1236 00:49:23,633 --> 00:49:25,400 "You need to bloody eat something." 1237 00:49:26,900 --> 00:49:29,700 And it was a very sad occasion, in a way. 1238 00:49:29,700 --> 00:49:32,200 He looked terrible. 1239 00:49:32,200 --> 00:49:34,133 I'd known Michael since he was 13. 1240 00:49:35,767 --> 00:49:38,667 And looking at him as a physical specimen then 1241 00:49:38,667 --> 00:49:41,200 as to was, he was this beautiful, little boy. 1242 00:49:41,200 --> 00:49:43,567 But poor David. 1243 00:49:43,567 --> 00:49:45,100 Yeah, it was traumatic for him. 1244 00:49:45,100 --> 00:49:47,100 It was traumatic for me, 1245 00:49:47,100 --> 00:49:48,933 having David meet my mom and Michael Jackson. 1246 00:49:48,933 --> 00:49:51,067 But, yeah, 1247 00:49:51,067 --> 00:49:53,067 well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. 1248 00:49:53,067 --> 00:49:54,400 Yeah, it was a distraction. 1249 00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:55,500 -Yeah, yeah, distraction. -[Graham Laughs] 1250 00:49:55,500 --> 00:49:56,600 Yeah. 1251 00:49:56,600 --> 00:49:57,900 [Graham] And now the family. 1252 00:49:57,900 --> 00:50:00,767 You're now a dad, two, adorable, little boys. 1253 00:50:00,767 --> 00:50:02,300 [Elton] Yeah. 1254 00:50:02,300 --> 00:50:06,200 You, for a long time, didn't see children in your future. 1255 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:07,433 Never in a million years. 1256 00:50:07,433 --> 00:50:08,767 There's a list in the book of all the reasons 1257 00:50:08,767 --> 00:50:10,533 why you didn't want children. 1258 00:50:10,533 --> 00:50:12,033 I was too selfish. 1259 00:50:15,033 --> 00:50:16,700 Didn't want them to get in the way of me 1260 00:50:16,700 --> 00:50:18,433 cavorting around the world and doing something. 1261 00:50:18,433 --> 00:50:23,433 But, when you meet someone like David, my attitudes changed. 1262 00:50:24,300 --> 00:50:26,167 But it wouldn't have happened 1263 00:50:26,167 --> 00:50:27,633 if we hadn't gone to the Ukraine 1264 00:50:27,633 --> 00:50:29,900 on an AIDS Foundation visit to an orphanage. 1265 00:50:29,900 --> 00:50:34,833 And we went, and this little boy called Lev 1266 00:50:34,833 --> 00:50:36,100 gravitated towards me. 1267 00:50:36,100 --> 00:50:38,533 I held him in my arms for an hour and a half 1268 00:50:38,533 --> 00:50:40,800 and he had a brother called Artemis. 1269 00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:44,700 And we did a press conference at the end. 1270 00:50:44,700 --> 00:50:46,333 And one of the questions was, 1271 00:50:46,333 --> 00:50:49,033 "You seem very fond of this kid, he seems very fond of you. 1272 00:50:49,033 --> 00:50:50,933 "Would you ever think of adopting children?" 1273 00:50:50,933 --> 00:50:53,733 And I went, "You know what? 1274 00:50:53,733 --> 00:50:56,467 "This little boy is so great, I'd love to adopt him." 1275 00:50:56,467 --> 00:50:58,333 And, of course, within two nanoseconds, 1276 00:50:58,333 --> 00:51:00,200 it was on the front page of every newspaper, 1277 00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:01,800 on every website. 1278 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,933 And we tried to adopt him and his brother. 1279 00:51:05,933 --> 00:51:07,467 But, unfortunately, the rules 1280 00:51:07,467 --> 00:51:09,200 in the Ukraine were very archaic. 1281 00:51:10,367 --> 00:51:12,967 Gay people were not allowed to adopt kids. 1282 00:51:12,967 --> 00:51:14,233 I was too old. 1283 00:51:14,233 --> 00:51:17,467 And, also, the press, in their lovely, nice way. 1284 00:51:18,900 --> 00:51:23,367 You know, his mother was in prison, his dad was in prison. 1285 00:51:24,833 --> 00:51:26,467 They brought his mother to the orphanage to see him, 1286 00:51:26,467 --> 00:51:27,967 which meant that the clock went back. 1287 00:51:27,967 --> 00:51:30,800 Whenever a relative like your mother or father comes back. 1288 00:51:32,433 --> 00:51:34,933 When you get to a year, you're up for adoption. 1289 00:51:34,933 --> 00:51:36,500 So, the clock went back to zero, 1290 00:51:36,500 --> 00:51:38,067 thanks to the English press. 1291 00:51:38,067 --> 00:51:39,933 [Graham] But there is a nice follow-up, 1292 00:51:39,933 --> 00:51:41,867 -you've seen them since. -But the thing is, 1293 00:51:41,867 --> 00:51:43,500 we couldn't adopt him, and we got him out 1294 00:51:43,500 --> 00:51:45,867 and we got him to his grandmother, both of them. 1295 00:51:47,267 --> 00:51:51,100 And it's a happy ending, because I saw them last year. 1296 00:51:51,100 --> 00:51:53,267 I saw them in the Ukraine and it was wonderful. 1297 00:51:53,267 --> 00:51:54,500 And they're both doing beautifully. 1298 00:51:54,500 --> 00:51:56,067 They remind me of our children. 1299 00:51:56,067 --> 00:51:58,733 But when we got them out the orphanage, David said, 1300 00:51:58,733 --> 00:52:01,133 "Well, what do you wanna do about children?" 1301 00:52:01,133 --> 00:52:02,767 I said, "You know what? 1302 00:52:02,767 --> 00:52:04,300 "I always said no to children." 1303 00:52:04,300 --> 00:52:06,667 I said, "But this is my higher power, 1304 00:52:06,667 --> 00:52:09,967 "or God, telling me something that this is nonsense. 1305 00:52:09,967 --> 00:52:12,667 "This boy gave me so much joy in an hour and a half." 1306 00:52:12,667 --> 00:52:16,500 I said, "I can be a dad, I'd like to be a dad." 1307 00:52:16,500 --> 00:52:19,233 So, we went the surrogacy route, 1308 00:52:19,233 --> 00:52:20,767 everything fell in place for us. 1309 00:52:20,767 --> 00:52:22,067 We got the best people. 1310 00:52:22,067 --> 00:52:23,300 The dominoes fell straight away. 1311 00:52:23,300 --> 00:52:26,533 We had Zachary, and then we had Elijah. 1312 00:52:26,533 --> 00:52:30,067 And that was the greatest decision that I ever made, 1313 00:52:30,067 --> 00:52:33,800 apart from meeting David and getting sober, 1314 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:35,967 was to have kids, 1315 00:52:35,967 --> 00:52:40,067 because, now, I've never felt so much love for anything. 1316 00:52:40,067 --> 00:52:43,333 And they give us so much love back. 1317 00:52:43,333 --> 00:52:45,400 And then, it's the reason, hopefully, 1318 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:47,600 that I can spend the latter part of my life 1319 00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:50,567 being around them and not gallivanting on the road. 1320 00:52:50,567 --> 00:52:52,633 Originally, I was gonna die on stage. 1321 00:52:52,633 --> 00:52:54,833 Now I don't want to, I wanna be with my kids. 1322 00:52:54,833 --> 00:52:56,333 And, actually, how are you? 1323 00:52:56,333 --> 00:53:00,600 Because you were iller than I think any of us knew. 1324 00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:02,400 You had cancer, which I don't think we knew. 1325 00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:04,167 -Nobody knows that. -Yeah. 1326 00:53:04,167 --> 00:53:05,933 I had prostate cancer. 1327 00:53:06,967 --> 00:53:08,367 With horrible complications. 1328 00:53:08,367 --> 00:53:10,767 Yeah, and I got rid of the complications. 1329 00:53:10,767 --> 00:53:13,400 Actually, it was so funny, because I was on stage in Vegas, 1330 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:14,900 and, about two weeks after the operation, 1331 00:53:14,900 --> 00:53:16,133 I was in a lot of pain 1332 00:53:16,133 --> 00:53:19,667 because I had fluid build-up under my colon. 1333 00:53:19,667 --> 00:53:22,067 It was excruciatingly painful. 1334 00:53:22,067 --> 00:53:24,400 And, so, I was literally in tears backstage. 1335 00:53:24,400 --> 00:53:27,067 And I thought, "If I go back to the hotel suite, 1336 00:53:27,067 --> 00:53:28,333 "I'm gonna just think about it. 1337 00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:30,067 "I might as well go on and do the show." 1338 00:53:30,067 --> 00:53:32,467 So, I did the show, and I'm walking across the stage, 1339 00:53:32,467 --> 00:53:34,367 and, of course, you're wearing nappies 1340 00:53:34,367 --> 00:53:36,267 because it was very shortly after the operation. 1341 00:53:36,267 --> 00:53:38,167 And I'm waving to the crowd and they're cheering 1342 00:53:38,167 --> 00:53:39,600 and they're waving back, and I thought 1343 00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:41,367 "If only they knew, at this very particular minute 1344 00:53:41,367 --> 00:53:43,067 "that I am pissing myself, 1345 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:45,833 "they wouldn't be so enthusiastic." 1346 00:53:45,833 --> 00:53:47,067 [Graham laughs] 1347 00:53:47,067 --> 00:53:50,933 And then I got rid of that pain. 1348 00:53:50,933 --> 00:53:54,367 I had a procedure which got rid of it. 1349 00:53:54,367 --> 00:53:57,433 And, then, I went to South America and I played in Santiago, 1350 00:53:57,433 --> 00:54:00,367 and I came home, my last show in South America, 1351 00:54:00,367 --> 00:54:03,433 and I got to London and I was very ill, 1352 00:54:03,433 --> 00:54:06,200 and I was rushed into hospital, into intensive care. 1353 00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:08,667 I picked up an awful bug from somewhere 1354 00:54:09,967 --> 00:54:13,100 and I was about 24 hours from snuffing it, 1355 00:54:13,100 --> 00:54:16,200 and we didn't tell people that was going on at the time. 1356 00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:19,100 So, I had an annus horribilis, as they say, 1357 00:54:19,100 --> 00:54:21,700 at the beginning of that year for half the year. 1358 00:54:21,700 --> 00:54:23,467 I literally had to learn how to walk again. 1359 00:54:23,467 --> 00:54:25,900 I was extremely sick. 1360 00:54:25,900 --> 00:54:28,367 And all I wanted to do as I was lying in my hospital bed, 1361 00:54:28,367 --> 00:54:29,767 "Please, don't let me die. 1362 00:54:29,767 --> 00:54:31,667 "I wanna see my children grow up." 1363 00:54:31,667 --> 00:54:33,200 And, luckily, I survived it. 1364 00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:35,367 I still did 90 shows that year, by the way. 1365 00:54:36,667 --> 00:54:39,267 And now I'm fine, I'm really good. 1366 00:54:39,267 --> 00:54:40,567 But there's very few bits of me left. 1367 00:54:40,567 --> 00:54:42,533 There's no hair, there's a pacemaker, 1368 00:54:42,533 --> 00:54:45,667 there's no tonsils, there's no prostate, 1369 00:54:45,667 --> 00:54:47,100 there's no appendix. 1370 00:54:47,100 --> 00:54:48,333 I've had kidney stones. 1371 00:54:48,333 --> 00:54:49,533 I'm like the Bionic Woman. 1372 00:54:49,533 --> 00:54:51,633 -It's so slimming. [laughs] -I know. 1373 00:54:51,633 --> 00:54:53,600 I'm like Lindsay Wagner or Steve Austin, 1374 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:55,400 whichever one you wanna call it. 1375 00:54:55,400 --> 00:54:58,067 You know, we're so gender fluid now. 1376 00:54:58,067 --> 00:55:00,367 Why just settle on Steve Austin? 1377 00:55:00,367 --> 00:55:02,333 But now things like that are life-changing 1378 00:55:02,333 --> 00:55:03,900 and having children is life-changing. 1379 00:55:03,900 --> 00:55:05,633 So, you're changing your life. 1380 00:55:07,100 --> 00:55:10,067 You're in the middle of the tour, sort of 2/3 of the way 1381 00:55:10,067 --> 00:55:12,267 -through the big farewell. -I'm 1/3 of the way through. 1382 00:55:12,267 --> 00:55:13,200 -Only 1/3? -Yeah. 1383 00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:14,933 I've got two years to do. 1384 00:55:14,933 --> 00:55:16,533 -Wow. -Yeah. 1385 00:55:16,533 --> 00:55:17,833 Yeah, 'cause I went to book in London 1386 00:55:17,833 --> 00:55:20,100 -and I realised it was 2020. -2020, yeah. 1387 00:55:20,100 --> 00:55:22,967 -It's not this Christmas. -No, not this year. 1388 00:55:22,967 --> 00:55:24,500 -No, no. -Whoa, back off! 1389 00:55:24,500 --> 00:55:26,400 -Back off. -[Graham laughs] 1390 00:55:26,400 --> 00:55:28,200 So, when that finishes, 1391 00:55:28,200 --> 00:55:30,767 what is life going to look like for you? 1392 00:55:30,767 --> 00:55:32,133 Oh, I don't know. 1393 00:55:32,133 --> 00:55:35,200 I don't wanna go anywhere for a long time. 1394 00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:36,900 I don't know, who can say? 1395 00:55:36,900 --> 00:55:39,067 You know, it takes an awful long time to chill out 1396 00:55:39,067 --> 00:55:40,500 after you've done something. 1397 00:55:40,500 --> 00:55:42,667 You must know that, when you've finished your series. 1398 00:55:42,667 --> 00:55:44,367 It's hard to wind down 1399 00:55:44,367 --> 00:55:47,367 because you've got so much adrenaline going. 1400 00:55:47,367 --> 00:55:49,933 I have a couple of musicals written. 1401 00:55:49,933 --> 00:55:51,600 I would like to make a record, 1402 00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:53,200 but I'd like to take a whole year off 1403 00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:55,167 and just spend it with my family. 1404 00:55:55,167 --> 00:55:56,633 And one of the things that's coming 1405 00:55:56,633 --> 00:55:57,800 is "The Devil Wears Prada". 1406 00:55:57,800 --> 00:55:58,967 Is that really happening? 1407 00:55:58,967 --> 00:55:59,900 Oh, yeah, it's written. 1408 00:55:59,900 --> 00:56:00,967 All done? 1409 00:56:00,967 --> 00:56:02,467 No, well, it's written 1410 00:56:02,467 --> 00:56:04,500 and probably other things to write for it, 1411 00:56:04,500 --> 00:56:05,700 because when you write for a musical, 1412 00:56:05,700 --> 00:56:06,833 some things don't make it. 1413 00:56:06,833 --> 00:56:08,333 When I wrote for "Billy Elliot", 1414 00:56:08,333 --> 00:56:10,233 two of the best songs in the musical didn't make it 1415 00:56:10,233 --> 00:56:12,400 'cause the plot changes, 1416 00:56:12,400 --> 00:56:14,967 and it's too long, and you have to make sacrifices. 1417 00:56:14,967 --> 00:56:16,300 And I don't mind that. 1418 00:56:16,300 --> 00:56:17,500 I'm very, very happy with it. 1419 00:56:17,500 --> 00:56:19,333 It's some of the best things I've done. 1420 00:56:21,067 --> 00:56:23,233 And David is in pretty much control of that, 1421 00:56:23,233 --> 00:56:24,433 but that's very exciting. 1422 00:56:24,433 --> 00:56:26,433 Hopefully, it will go to Broadway 1423 00:56:27,600 --> 00:56:29,067 maybe next year or the year after. 1424 00:56:29,067 --> 00:56:30,700 But I'm very excited about it. 1425 00:56:30,700 --> 00:56:33,267 And what's gonna happen to you, the performer? 1426 00:56:33,267 --> 00:56:34,500 I don't know, Graham. 1427 00:56:34,500 --> 00:56:35,733 'Cause that doesn't go away. 1428 00:56:35,733 --> 00:56:38,633 No, I would like to do, eventually, as I said, 1429 00:56:38,633 --> 00:56:40,333 I would like to do a residency, 1430 00:56:40,333 --> 00:56:42,400 like Kate Bush did at Hammersmith Odeon, 1431 00:56:42,400 --> 00:56:43,867 -which was wonderful. -Amazing. 1432 00:56:43,867 --> 00:56:45,067 When I do that kind of thing 1433 00:56:45,067 --> 00:56:46,767 I will not be doing all the hits, 1434 00:56:46,767 --> 00:56:48,500 and I will tell people beforehand. 1435 00:56:48,500 --> 00:56:52,467 There is so much stuff that I haven't done onstage before, 1436 00:56:52,467 --> 00:56:54,567 or enough, that I want to do. 1437 00:56:54,567 --> 00:56:57,100 I will have had enough of playing "Crocodile Rock", 1438 00:56:57,100 --> 00:56:58,600 and enough of doing "Bennie And The Jets", 1439 00:56:58,600 --> 00:56:59,867 and stuff like that. 1440 00:56:59,867 --> 00:57:03,400 I would like to give my other repertoire a go, 1441 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:05,967 and still do some of the well-known songs, 1442 00:57:05,967 --> 00:57:08,133 but the ones that I'm not so fed up with. 1443 00:57:08,133 --> 00:57:09,567 A residency appeals to me. 1444 00:57:09,567 --> 00:57:11,467 I don't know if I can go back to Vegas, 1445 00:57:11,467 --> 00:57:13,533 because it means being away from the children. 1446 00:57:13,533 --> 00:57:15,100 -Yeah. -But if I'm in England 1447 00:57:15,100 --> 00:57:17,933 or in Paris, I'm nearer home. 1448 00:57:17,933 --> 00:57:19,100 -You're there. -Yeah. 1449 00:57:19,100 --> 00:57:20,300 Yeah. 1450 00:57:20,300 --> 00:57:22,067 Well, long may you continue. 1451 00:57:22,067 --> 00:57:24,167 Sir Elton John, thank you so much for sharing your time 1452 00:57:24,167 --> 00:57:25,633 -and your life. -Thank you. 1453 00:57:25,633 --> 00:57:30,200 * I'm still standing better than I ever did * 1454 00:57:30,200 --> 00:57:35,200 * Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid * 1455 00:57:36,400 --> 00:57:41,067 * I'm still standing after all this time * 1456 00:57:41,067 --> 00:57:46,067 * Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind * 1457 00:57:47,200 --> 00:57:51,233 * I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah * 1458 00:57:52,400 --> 00:57:56,200 * I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah *