Elton Johnâs life has certainly been âone helluva roller coaster rideâ and now fans can hop onboard and relive the iconic ups and downs from the legendary singerâs memory themselves. The icon celebrated the launch of his autobiography, Me: Elton John Official Autobiography, during an exclusive iHeartRadio ICONS launch party with Elton John, hosted by iHeartRadio and Q1043's Jim Kerr, at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on October 16.
During the intimate gathering, Sir Elton performed snippets of his most symbolic songs as he guided Kerr, the audience, and fans who tuned into the 45-minute livestream via CWTV.com, through his journey as a shy boy from the London suburb of Pinner to a rising pop star who gained monumental success amid suffering an almost fatal drug addiction. The release of his autobiography comes on the heels of Eltonâs highly successful film adaptation Rocketman.
Sir Elton explained that while Rocketman was primarily factual, he also wanted to tell his story in his own words.
â⊠I did it over 65 hours of taping over a couple of years,â Elton shared of how he was able to compile 72 years in the spotlight. âItâs hard to know where to start.â
Sir Elton decided to start with his 1975 Dodgers stadium performance because it showcased not only the pivotal time in his career, but also his drug addiction and ironically work ethic. âHere I was on Dodgers stadium two days later [after overdosing],â he recalled. ââThe show must go on!ââ
Elton continued that he kept journals throughout the years as well which helped him remember.
âI wanted it to be funny and honest,â he added of Me. âThis book is certainly not sugarcoated and Iâve had a wonderful life ⊠and Iâm grateful to still be alive after everything I put my body through, ⊠but I think you have to be honest. If youâre not honest, why bother? ⊠I wanted to set the record straight about a few things.â
Elton touches upon everything in the book: from his childhood; to his early years; to his relationship with song-writing partner Bernie Taupin; to his drug addiction and near death; and, of course, to working with the likes of John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and George Michael, to name a few. He also shares how he met his now husband, David Furnish, and how he finally came into a family of his own.
âA lot that has happened to me in my life has been involved in serendipity,â he recalled. â⊠It [was] hard to choose a title for [the] book ... and in the end, it was a friend of mine, Tony, who said, âWhy donât you just call it Me?â ⊠It took about six months to get a good title for the book.â
Along with recalling how genres like classical music and R&B played a huge role in his career, Elton confirmed that not much has changed when it comes to his musical process with Bernie and that no, he wonât be retiring despite his current headline-making Farewell tour.
The âTiny Dancerâ singer also confirmed that yes, he has original collaborations with John Lennon to produce and possibly release and that he will continue to work on the music while on the road. Specifically, he added, while in Australia on the next leg.
âI thought while Iâm down there Iâll get a piano ⊠and maybe Iâll write some songs,â he shared. â⊠I sit down at a piano [to create] and you donât take a piano easily on the road,â he joked. âIâm going to try to remember them the same as when I was 26.â
Elton concluded that he hopes the autobiography will help fans "know" him better.
"Itâs very personal. Itâs very candid," he concluded. "Iâve made a hell of a lot of mistakes but being a human you do. ⊠I want them to take away from the fact that Iâve loved what [Iâve done] and ⊠to feel they can know me, laugh with me, and cry with me. ⊠Iâve tried my best to be a good person and I think Iâve fulfilled that in the last few years after my sobriety. ⊠Fame ends you to lose all sense of your own faculties. ⊠I was so ashamed I couldnât work a wash machine; I wasnât ashamed to be a drug addict; I was ashamed I couldnât work a wash machine. ⊠Normalcy is important to everyone. ⊠I like to do the same things everyone likes to do, I just do it in a more grandeur way.â
Pick up or order your copy of Me: Elton John Official Autobiography available now and relive more moments from the exclusive iHeartRadio ICONS launch party with Elton John below: