We live in an age, in an era where there is so much negativity, there is so much violence in the world, there is so much unrest and people are at war, that I wanted to promote the word love and red signifies love.
— Elton John
There's no pressure for me to go out there and say, I've got to have a top 40 hit because it's not going to happen.
There's a lot of hate in the world.
Fame attracts lunatics.
I am such a Luddite when it comes to making music. All I can do is write at the piano.
I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians.
Who really needs a new album from me?
Yeah. I have been with David Furnish for eight years, now.
I never really made a full album in Los Angeles before.
Well, I've had my fair share in Britain of battling the tabloids.
Well, I was making a record, and I had to choose a name, because they said, you know, you can't make a record under the name of Reg Dwight, because it's never going to - you know, it's not attractive enough.
Well, I'm a huge fan of Ryan Adams, who's from North Carolina. And he's beginning to break really quite big.
The whole point of being in this business and being blessed and being successful is that you're able to do things for your friends or your family, which means that they can have something special in their lives, too.
I have a lot of money stashed away, but I do live my life from day to day.
And I talked to my doctor, and I must admit, you know, I'm sometimes quite renowned for my outbursts and I was just very frustrated, maybe a little frightened.
I've only been interested in the artistic side of life.
But you know, I have a pretty good relationship with the press and the paparazzi. It's just when they step over the line that, you know, enough's enough.
I've had an amazing professional life, personal life, but at 64 to have a son who gives us that much love and enjoyment is, wow!
People with HIV are still stigmatized. The infection rates are going up. People are dying. The political response is appalling. The sadness of it, the waste.
I don't have to compete in the charts. I can just be myself as a musician, a songwriter and play with the musicians that I really love.
I have no one to leave the money to. I'm a single man. I like spending my money.
There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex.
I am the most well-known homosexual in the world.
And there's no guarantee that if you get HIV and you take these triple therapies, or whatever comes along next, that they're going to be successful for you.
I have a much better relationship with the press than I did, I think because I stood my ground.
We were both very much the same. We were both very impulsive. We both loved life. We both loved shopping. We both had a love of clothes, obviously, because he was the designer that I kind of wore forever and ever.
I do like Britney Spears. I think she's cute. I think she's fun. And I like her records. You know, I'm not a pop snob whatsoever. I think she makes great pop records.
And I'm afraid, in this day and age, trust, which I count so, you know, I love loyalty. I love trust.
I'm very generous.
I'm a very wealthy man.
Well, as I was saying... everyone's so nice to me, usually.
I loathe celebrity. I can't stand it.
I do work a lot. I mean, most of my income, I would say, comes from live performances. And then you've got publishing, you've got record royalties.
As Elton John, my days on pop radio are over, and I know that and I accept it and I'm not unhappy about it.
Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving.
I've got that resilient thing inside me. But I wasn't a happy bunny.
If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher.
Bands today have to learn their craft by putting the hard work in that we did when we were young performers.
Because, I figured that, because I was a successful man, I was wealthy, I was, you know, seemingly intelligent - even that I am not intelligent enough to ask for help.
And the danger is - and it's happening - is we're seeing an incredibly big rise amongst young gay people, young heterosexual people as far as catching HIV, which is, you know, in an educated country like this or in Britain, it's frightening.
I mean, in some cases with libel laws, you know, they can write things about people who have no course of action, because they can't afford to take legal action against them.
And I agreed with that, and I couldn't wait to change my name anyway, because I'm not too fond of the name of Reginald. It's a very kind of '50s English name.
I mean, Sting is one of my great buddies and I love him to death.
And I trusted someone to look after me on the business side of life.
I've got a great collection of photography.
I used to get my money at the end of the week, buy my mum something, or buy a record, and that was it.
An agent is a person who is sore because an actor gets 90% of what they make.
The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star.
