ReviewDrugs, celebrity spats, rock ’n’ roll: Elton John’s Me is a lighthearted yet sombre look at an extraordinary life
- The British pop icon’s life has always been an open book but his roller-coaster of an autobiography is still worth a read
- He reveals himself to be generous, talented, thoughtful and – in his public battles with tabloids and bigots – even courageous
Me
by Elton John
Pan MacMillan
4/5 stars
Commissioning the perfect celebrity memoir is a tricky job.
Both pros and cons are illustrated by Sharon “wife of Ozzy” Osbourne’s books. Extreme (2005), the first volume of her memoirs, recounted a backstory so vivid, turbulent and funny that it frequently beggared belief: from Osbourne’s childhood in a violent, dysfunctional family to her career as a manager in the unforgiving world of 1970s and 80s heavy metal. Sales of more than two million copies made it the most successful autobiography ever written by a woman.
A sequel was inevitable, but while Survivor (2007) was hardly a flop, it failed to match the success of part one. For readers, the rags-to-riches story of Extreme was perhaps far more interesting than a vast bouquet of riches, with a hint of rags. In Survivor, she seemed mainly concerned with detailing her celebrity existence, which had already reached saturation point on the internet and magazine shelves.
In this context, the much-hyped publication of Elton John’s Me is no sure thing. The autobiography will have to sell stratospherically well to earn back all the money spent persuading the British pop legend to write the book (with The Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis) and promoting it across the world.