Elton John is known for creating many famous songs, one of his most popular songs is Rocketman. You may also know his songs Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Tiny Dancer, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. He is also known for his very out-there, colorful outfits and eccentric performances.
A movie about his life was released in 2019; it follows his life from his early childhood years to when he was a young adult. The movie first starts with Elton John walking into an addictions support group in an orange jumpsuit phoenix costume. He starts talking about his life and it shifts to him as a child.
Elton Hercules John is not actually his real name, his first name was Reginald Kenneth Dwight. At the beginning of the movie, you see his family calling him Reginald or for short, Reg. He grew up in the Pinner suburb of London and it was very obvious from a young age that he had a lot of musical talent. He learned to play the piano at an early age and even won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
Elton didn’t have a great relationship with his parents, his dad was very distant and never was supportive of his music career. In the movie, it shows him always pushing Reginald off and being rude to his mother. Another scene later is Reginald catching his mother cheating on his dad. After his father divorces his mom for cheating he just leaves them and started a new family. It shows later in the movie his father with his new family and being a true father to his songs. Elton John goes to visit his father and thinks he actually wants to get to know him and rekindle their relationship. In the end, though all he wanted was an autograph for someone else. He and his mother were also estranged for many years but later rekindled their relationship.
The movie then transitions from his childhood to his music career, later in life, Elton John formed a band called the Bluesology. The band lasted a couple of years before he left for a solo career. He was signed by Liberty Records and created his breakthrough album Empty Sky. He became a hit traveling the world during his tours. The movie shows that as he travels he starts to get very addicted to drugs and forms a toxic relationship with John Reid. John Reid convinced him to leave Liberty Records and have him become his manager.
This is when his life truly starts to go downhill. He was constantly on tour and partying with hard drugs. In the movie, it shows him constantly lashing out at those he loves and even making a suicide attempt. As things kept getting worse though he started to realize he needed to make a change so as he was about to perform he leaves, ends things with Joh Reid, and gets a taxi to a rehab center. This then creates a full circle moment of him walking into the addiction support group in his orange jumpsuit.
It later shows him better talking to his old music writer who he had been close with throughout the movie before his mental health got bad. The movie ends with pictures of the one and only Elton John telling watchers how he is now 28 years sober with a family and supportive partner.
Besides being a great artist Elton John is a queer culture icon and even has an Aids campaign that has raised over 600 million dollars now since it was founded in 1992. In 1976 he came out in an interview as bisexual and ever since has been unapologetically queer. In a Rolling Stones article, they quoted him saying when asked if he was saying he is bisexual.
“There’s nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. I think everybody’s bisexual to a certain degree. I don’t think it’s just me. It’s not a bad thing to be. I think you’re bisexual. I think everybody is.” (Cliff Jahr, 1976)
This just proves how unapologetically queer he is even in a time period when it still wasn’t widely accepted to be gay. Elton John was truly one of the musicians that helped paved the way for more queer artists to be able to express themselves and their identities openly today. Elton John is truly an amazing man and I do believe the movie does a decent job of showing his complicated life in a 2-hour time frame. If you have the time to sit down and watch the movie I truly encourage it.
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