Bernie Taupin

I have been an Elton John/Bernie Taupin fan all my life with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road being my first foray into their music. I permanently borrowed it from my sister in 1973 and still have it on the shelf along with most of the other albums they created together.

I read Elton's memoir last year (a rollicking tour through the life of an entertainer) and treated myself to Bernie's in hardcover during a bookstore buying spree on a recent vacation. I follow Taupin on Instagram so know a bit about his current state of happiness with a lovely wife and daughters. In fact, in the memoir, he comments that it took a long time, but both he and John found happiness in family and home.

I didn't know much else about him. Rather than a strict chronology, Taupin told stories and, as you might imagine, entranced us with detailed, beautifully crafted prose. It could be over the top sometimes, even florid, but often just wonderful like this description of trail riding near his ranch in California:

Red-tailed hawks gliding on the thermals, solitarily swooping, their flame-like tail feathers catching the sun, their predatory nature intercepted intermittently by blackbirds and crows that dive-bombed them impressively, bravely strafing their aggressive attempts to pick off their young. In a melancholy rain, the murmur of the wind sang softly through the live oaks and drummed the leaves above our heads, the rhythmic tattoo of the heavy late summer drops playing into the fantasy of the fine line drawn between who I once was and who I wanted to be.
Scattershot, p. 322

But, as the heading suggests, my main takeaway was how mean he could be. This, from a man who always seemed so quiet and gentle compared to his flamboyant friend. The book contains more than a few lengthy put downs that sing even more for the figuratively rich language in which they were delivered. It isn't enough to say that the Playboy Mansion was run down. Here's Taupin's description of his visit to the famed estate:

What a dump. Popular folklore might have built it up to be a louche Mecca preeminent in sensual sophistication, but I can assure you it was none of that and a lot less. Like a miniature House of Usher, it was a gray collision of Tudor and Gothic, all faux turrets, battlements, and way too busy in its attempt to be anything more than a kitsch architectural mess...Even glitzed up and lit like Knott's Berry Farm at night, it wasn't hard to tell that maintenance was not a priority and that the efficiency of cleaning crews was lacking. The place was like a courtier in the Palace of Versailles, constantly powered and perfumed to mask the unpleasant odor underneath. The place simply had no style or character, the furniture looked old and ugly, the alcoves were murky, and the carpets were balding and frayed.
scattershot, p. 216

Daggers thrown with skilled syntax and, presumably, delivered in a withering British accent. There were several scattered throughout the book, all delivered with the same snooty tone and, in some cases, was funny despite being mean. I suppose one function of memoir is to air some grievances so Taupin is all ready for Festivus this year. That being said, he could be just as profusive with his praise and self-deprecating about his own talent (he is a songwriter, not a poet he assures us several times) and past reckless, irresponsible behaviors and actions.

I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and can recommend both memoirs. Be warned: There was lots of explicit talk about sex and drugs and, of course, rock and roll in both books.… (más)

I am enormously grateful to have received the audio version of Scattershot written by lyricist and self admitted “story-telller’, Bernie Taupin. What a fun read!
Taupin, as most will know, is and has been the guy whose words Elton John has put to music for the past 50 years. It’s no surprise that it is well written and Taupin mentioned in a recent interview that he wrote it without the assistance of a ghost writer.
This memoir contains many amusing, informative and down right laugh out loud episodes in his life. Name dropping? Well sure. Taupin’s life is the music business, why not share the memorable moments experienced with other artists such as John Lennon, Salvador Dali and Cher, just to name a few.
As Elton’s lyricist, Taupin has certainly lived a charmed life. To find your life’s work, using your passion for writing at the age of 17 is utterly remarkable and somewhat inspiring.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for affording me the opportunity of listening to the ARC on audio. Narrator, John Lee was outstanding and the author’s note read by Taupin himself was a welcome addition.… (más)

I love the singer-songwriting partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and I enjoyed both Elton's autobiography and biopic, but Bernie's story was somehow not the last piece of the puzzle I was expecting. Maybe because, apart from the early days when the duo were working and living together, the two men live very separate lives and Elton rarely features in Bernie's book. There's a lot of name dropping - Freddie Mercury and Ringo Starr were the only two I focused on - and descriptions of places and pastimes that lyricists load up their free time with, with a few anecdotes about Elton and origins of famous lyrics thrown in. I just didn't care, sadly, and started skim-reading the chapters on American football and horses and 'art' towards the end.

I'd like to make a point here. For those who might assume that I was simply coasting on a wave of Elton's tour dollars and flaunting around as if I was owed this luxury by way of my lyrical contributions, take note.

Also, I get that Bernie writes the words and his contribution to Elton's songs is important, but the constant use of the royal 'we' when referring to Elton and the band really started to bug me. Elton is a talented singer and musician without the lyrics, but where would Bernie be without Elton's music? That and the American spelling and perspective of the writing bugged me throughout - Bernie even feels the need to explain who Tommy Cooper was at one point. I get that Bernie is now an American citizen with an American family, but come on! Don't patronise your English readers.

Too long and not very interesting, I'm afraid, although you can certainly tell that Bernie is a wordsmith of longstanding!… (más)