Me

Elton John and Alexis Petridis's Me is a pretty marvelous (auto)biography. While Elton John has lived a life that's almost larger than any life can possibly be, there's a great deal of personality in this book. He's candid about his failings, and instead of pointing the finger he more often than not takes a good look in the mirror. He comes off as wonderfully humane, not a two-dimensional product of a writer's team that is scared of tarnishing a reputation. The book is chock-full of self-deprecation and introspection, and since it's seeped in sarcasm and irony, it succeeds in being funny and truthful at the same time, which is not an easy feat to accomplish.

The chapters on how he lost many friends to AIDS were the most gut-wrenching, and I read those through listening to The Last Song on repeat. His take on fame and the bubble in which one lives is levelheaded, and taking into consideration his extravagant drug use, alcoholism and consumerism, is clearly that of a person who's learned through trial and error. There's a huge amount of namedropping, which isn't the least surprising if you're a rock star who has lived through the golden age of modern rock music, and there are some amazing anecdotes (my favorite funny moment was how he and Rod Steward always pranked each other, and how it once escalated in Elton John calling his people to shoot down that blimp), but the most memorable was his depiction of the moment he finally met Elvis Presley face-to-face, and how shocked and saddened he was to meet the King in such disarray. The book succeeds in this so well: it's a joy to read because it flows so well, and there are laugh-out-loud funny bits almost on every page, and yet it's able to make a complete U-turn and get serious. Elton John's infectuously exuberant personality shines through the page, and Petridis's writing and editing skills obviously contribute to this greatly.

And finally, there are so many artists and songs mentioned in the book that makes it a treasure trove for music fans. I for one will be eternally grateful to have learned about Beth Nielsen Chapman's beautiful Sand and Water.