Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Book Summary

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Book Summary Preview

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Many people dream of one day becoming famous. Elton John was certainly one of them until he hit it big with his first single, “Your Song”, and his dreams became a reality. With fame came a lot of surreal experiences: like taking over the runway at Iggy’s fashion show dressed like a giant ape (for starters). But, fame isn’t all fun, and John learned no matter how many records he sold he couldn’t shake feeling shy and uncomfortable after growing up in an abusive household. He eventually turned to alcohol, drugs, and food to cope. Read on to learn about John’s early childhood, why he finally got clean, and which two celebrities fought over princess Diana at one of his dinner parties. 

Elton John was born in 1947. He had a complicated relationship with his parents. His father, Stanley, was a strict disciplinarian, and John spent most of his childhood trying to avoid spankings. He got in trouble for a variety of seemingly menial things: from how he took off his school uniform blazer to how he ate celery. He was afraid of his mother. She beat him with a wire brush until he bled in order to help potty train him when he was only 2 years old. Though John felt they should have divorced much earlier, his parents stayed together until he was 11 years old. After his parents divorced, John’s father met someone else and started a new family who he was warm and affectionate towards, while his attitude towards John didn’t change. He refused to see him play live in concert, and never acknowledged being proud of John for his successes. His dad died in 1991, and John did not attend his funeral. At that point, they hadn’t spoken in years. His mom’s attitude towards John also remained consistent: she remained cruel and critical of John throughout his life. When he married long-time boyfriend David Furnish, she made many homophobic comments to the other guests. John speculates that she wasn’t necessarily against gay marriage, but she didn’t want anyone having any influence over his life besides her. 

Though his family situation, while he was growing up, was difficult, there was one thing which brought him joy: music. He could pick up the melody of a song and play it on the piano accurately at the age of three. He was deeply obsessed with pop music. John recalls the first time he saw a photo of Elvis Presley: he thought Elvis looked like an alien. When he heard Elvis’ record, “Heartbreak Hotel,” he thought Elvis sounded like an alien… and he loved it. He fell in love with rock and roll. John’s father wasn’t supportive of his love of rock and roll and worried the music would make him into a criminal because it highlighted content at the time that was considered explicit or sinful. The only “negative” impact of the music was that it made John less interested in playing classical songs on the piano. He had...

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