Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Hardcover – October 15, 2019

I grew up listening to his music, and reading about him in the tabloids. I saw him in concert twice. First time in Hollywood Bowl in 1995, and second time somewhere close to Orange County in 1998. I loved his music, but didn't know too much about him at all.Then flying back from Europe recently, I watched the movie about him, the Rocket-man so decided to read his book as well. (Good well made movie, but I didn't care too much about the musical part...)What I loved about it, is his brutal honesty about everything. It feels like an AA meeting, where he tells everything that happened to him, without sugarcoating it, just as it happened. He has a good sense of humor, so it is very enjoyable.Reading about his friendship with Diana and stories about famous people or events, that I knew but from a different angle, was very interesting.I read it on Kindle, and since I don't know his songs from the titles, I had to go on YouTube and listen his albums that he talked about. Doing that I realized, that a lot of songs I knew, I just didn't know they were his.I got to like him so much after reading his book, that I bought two tickets for the Dallas concert next year in June 2020 which is a big deal, since we live in California, and we are not big on traveling.Highly recommended.

Elton John is my all-time favorite music artist. I would’ve read this as soon as it came out, but I put it off because I knew I wouldn’t want the book to end (which turned out to be true). I’ve been listening to Audible while reading along on my Kindle for a few years now, but the two entities are never better than when it’s a memoir read by the author (or someone in the author’s likeness). In this case, EJ himself bookends the book, reading the prologue, the bonus chapter and the epilogue. In between, it is flawlessly read by Taron Edgerton, who flawlessly played Elton in the incredible “Rocket Man.” I’m sad the book is done, but I’m barely even halfway through my deep dive into all of Sir Elton’s music, so I’ll be spending a lot more time in the coming weeks with the man and the music.

I enjoyed this book so much!I was a huge fan of the movie, Rocketman, and was curious how much of it was real life. I thought this book would help answer that question. It did and then some. I had no idea the extent of Elton’s career and life. I really enjoyed hearing it from his perspective. I appreciated the lists in the back of the book too.

In his only official autobiography, music icon Elton John writes about his extraordinary life, which is also the subject of the film Rocketman.Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was on his first tour of America, facing an astonished audience in his tight silver hotpants, bare legs and a T-shirt with ROCK AND ROLL emblazoned across it in sequins. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with song-writing partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation. All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade.In Me Elton also writes about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father.I have long adored the music of Elton John. In a world of music that often feels so trite and the lyrics so simple-minded the music of Elton John has always felt like the finest of art. One of my favorite memories is seeing Elton John perform in Vegas. So when I saw his autobiography out on shelves I requested it immediately for Christmas and was over-joyed to receive it.Like many books in the genre of autobiography and biography, the book doesn't read quickly. That is not to say it is a poorly written book. In fact, I really applaud Elton John and his editors for how this book was written. The details are there and enjoyable but not so much that you get bogged down reading one year of his life at a time. But the book reads slowly because for the casual fan of Elton John's music it is unreal the experiences he has had during his career. You think you know about his music, but there is really so much to learn and digest.Another wonderful aspect of this book is that Elton John does not hide how broken he became. He does not sugar coat the issues or try to disguise how sick he was. Because of this, the story of his recovery and the help he has brought to others is even more powerful. In a world that needs more helpers, Elton John is the prime example of how one can realize their own weakness and turn it into a strength for themselves and others.The last thing I will note about how long it takes to read this book is that I could not help the desire to stop reading and listen to whichever album he was discussing at that moment. Just sitting and listening to the music, soaking up the spirit of it, and then returning back to his words. What a tremendous enjoyment this book was to read.

I like reading biographies and autobiographies. This is the best one that I have ever read.

Bears his heart and soul for the world to see; a true introvert who has his limits with people; genius with the music a piano can make; when he loves you, he genuinely does; when he hates you, he doesn’t mean to. My favorite musician who has made me weep, laugh, and love in so many different ways. God bless you and your family EJ, you mean a great deal to all of us who are enamored with your music.