Nick Grimshaw: Hello Elton John.
Elton John: Hi Nick Grimshaw, how are you?
Nick: I’m very good, how are you?
Elton: Lovely to see you, I haven’t seen you for so long.
Nick: I know, many a year.
Elton: Many a year.
Elton: You still look fabulous.
Nick: Thank you, thank you for calling me a luscious beast on arrival.
Elton: Well, you are a luscious beast.
[…]
Nick: Is there a record that you remember getting and loving the artwork and the feel of it, even before you’d experienced the sound?
Elton: There’s so many, I mean, Sgt. Pepper, I remember cycling to my local record store and because it was a gatefold sleeve, one of the first, I sort of rode back with my right hand on the handlebars and left hand holding the record. And of course, it was the Peter Blake sleeve and everything about it, and then Music from Big Pink by The Band because that influenced us so much.
Nick: And then, talk to me about the new, because you’re known as someone that’s always championing the new and known for your excellent taste in new music. What is it about the new that you love so much?
Elton: Well because I know all the old. It’s in my computer and up here. And it’s so exciting for me, there’s so much good stuff out there. I find it very, very, inspiring, more inspiring than anything else really, culturally, is to listen to the new music that’s coming out. Some of it’s awful but a lot of it is fantastic. So that’s what I love to do, I’ve made friends with so many people because of it.
Nick: Is there anything that you never got into? Is there a genre that you never really fell for?
Elton: No.
Nick: No? Good. Correct answer.
Elton: Not really, I mean as a musician… people say ‘oh rap music’s crap’ and I’d say ‘no it’s not’. Could I make a rap record? Absolutely not. Then when you go and see someone like Eminem in the studio and watch him and its so many ideas thrown together. When Eminem produced the 2Pac record and it had a sample of Indian Sunset on it for Ghetto Gospel, it was one of my proudest moments, it was like ‘oh my god I can die and go to heaven’. All sorts of music have their own place, whether it’s thrash metal, whether it’s country, whether it’s jazz, whether it’s Britpop, there’s something for everyone. And I’m not a snob and I love pop music.
Nick: I’m the same in that I can listen to everything, and my dad was very into his thing, and he couldn’t get out of the genres that he loved, but I’m again into all sorts of music, but I’m very… I will get very obsessed with shoegaze for a week, or I only want to listen to female punk for a week, I go all in on a genre for a little bit of time.
Elton: Absolutely, yes you can. My dad was a big band lover because he played in a band. So, I grew up with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, which was fantastic. But when rock ‘n’ roll happened, he didn’t like that whatsoever. He had no love of the music that changed the world. There’s something good in everything. There are some times when I just want to listen to classical piano music, because it’s soothing and everything. Music, as you said, just takes, whatever mood you’re in, there’s something for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s Kneecap or The Chats, you know The Chats from Australia?
Nick: Yes
Elton: I love The Chats.
[…]
Nick: We’ve got to talk about Kneecap because I know you love them. We’re such big fans of them. What was it that drew you to this record and made you fall for the Kneecap lads?
Elton: Well, I saw a video of them, and I just was so knocked out by the energy they had and the vitality they had. They were just extraordinary, and what they talk about is political, and there’s not many bands that do that. So, I love them, I love the energy, I love everything about them.
[…]
Nick: Elton, I thought we could go through some of your records that you’ve picked for us today. Some stuff that we love on 6, and we know that you love too. We’re going to start with Perfume Genius. Perfume Genius is going to be at the 6 Music Festival at the end of the month, which we’re very excited about. What is it about Perfume Genius that you fell for?
Elton: He’s kind of unique. I just love his songs, I love his productions. I love the fact that he’s unique as a performer. I’ve loved all his records, everything he releases we play.
[…]
Nick: Next up we want to talk about beabadoobee, who we’ve loved playing.
Elton: Well, it’s so wonderful this year that she finally had a number one record. This is the Rick Rubin record that she made. Again, it’s an example of someone plugging away and being very good and learning her tricks and trade and suddenly becoming really successful because of her hard work and the excellence of her music.
Nick: I guess you’ve got to have that struggle.
Elton: I had to struggle. It’s so much better if you have to struggle, because then you really appreciate it when you make it. You’ve got the experience. I used to be in Bluesology, we used to drive around, it was a tussle, it was a struggle. Fifteen quid a week, got to pay for your equipment, your food, your gas, your everything. But when I made it… it gives you backbone, it makes you appreciate… when you make it, you cannot believe it, and you’re so happy.
[…]
Nick: And Moonchild Sanelly, we know you’re a big, big fan of as well. Again, just the energy.
Elton: I just love her, what an energy she has and she’s singing about her life. The hair, everything about her is just so exciting, really wonderful.
[…]
Nick: So, what advice would you have to anyone listening who wanted to make music or artists listening, aspiring artists?
Elton: Just be yourself. You’re going to struggle when you start, you’re not going to write the best songs, maybe, that you’ve ever written. Be prepared to have some ups and downs, but never, ever give up. If you really believe in yourself and people know that you’ve got talent, then you’re on to a good thing. There’s so many bands around like Hot Wax, Let’s Eat Grandma who are from Norwich. They’re amazing, they’ve been round a long time and they haven’t yet exploded, but they will, because I think they believe in themselves, they love what they do. Just love what you do. I’m in a profession that I cannot believe because I’m doing what I wanted to do all my life. Not that I wanted to be singer-songwriter Elton John, I just wanted to be in a record store or a disc jockey or something, as long as I was involved with music. It’s the greatest gift you can possibly have.
[…]
Nick: I wanted to talk to you about someone else that I know that you love, Jacob Alon. We went to see Jacob, we’ve been a couple of times now. They’re just magical, I left thinking ‘ah I should do something with my life!’ after seeing Jacob Alon.
Elton: Fairy in a Bottle. Oh my god.
Nick: Unreal.
Elton: It’s amazing.
Nick: And I wanted to ask you about your new record, because I wanted to know when you’re creating a new record, can you listen to music, can you listen to other things or do you have to be in the Elton zone?
Elton: I’m in the Elton zone. I mean, I don’t listen to my old stuff, but I listen to what we’re doing, you’re concentrating very hard on what you’re doing. And then as soon as I’ve finished, I’m back out of the Elton zone and off we go.
Nick: I love the Elton zone. Are there any nerves when you’re releasing a new record? Is there any self-doubt?
Elton: Oh, all the time, it never goes away. When you play new tracks to people, you still feel the same as you did when I was playing Empty Sky, my first album, to somebody. It never goes away, nor should it. Fear is the greatest motivator.
