Elton John has lived quite an adventurous life throughout his 50 years as a professional rock & roll singer and pianist. His past drug use is no secret, although, like any responsible grown-up, John doesn’t necessarily brag about his over-the-top partying back in the day—until recently.
As Sir Elton previously explained regarding his forthcoming tell-all autobiography, ME, “I just wanted to tell you I have a book coming out which is my first autobiography. I can’t wait for you to read it, because it’s the truth, and so many books that have been written about me haven’t exactly been truthful.”
In a newly shared excerpt from his forthcoming autobiography, Me, John explains his relationship with cocaine and the effect it had on his relationships with his rock and roll colleagues.
Related: Elton John Explains Why ‘Rocketman’ Got An “R” Rating In Detailed Letter On Upcoming Biopic
“I had started taking cocaine in 1974. I liked how it made me feel,” John admits in the excerpt. “That jolt of confidence and euphoria, the sense that I could suddenly open up, that I didn’t feel shy or intimidated, that I could talk to anybody.”
The rocker continues in revisiting the time the Rolling Stones welcomed him to their performance in Colorado. However, the collab didn’t quite go as planned. The incident even angered Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who has famously done his own fair share of drugs in his day.
Read part of the excerpt below:
“Cocaine gave me too much confidence for my own good. If I hadn’t been coked out of my head when the Rolling Stones turned up in Colorado and asked me to come onstage with them, I might have just performed Honky Tonk Women, waved to the crowd and made my exit.
Instead, I decided it was going so well, I’d stay on and jam along to the rest of their set, without first taking the precaution of asking the Stones if they wanted an auxiliary keyboard player. For a while, I thought Keith Richards kept staring at me because he was awestruck by the brilliance of my improvised contributions to their oeuvre. After a few songs, it finally penetrated my brain that the expression on his face wasn’t really suggestive of profound musical appreciation.
I quickly scuttled off, noting as I went that Keith was still staring at me in a manner that suggested we’d be discussing this later, and decided it might be best if I didn’t hang around for the after-show party.”
John no longer uses cocaine these days, but he has been a tireless workhorse throughout his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Speaking of his farewell tour, John recently added more dates in the New York City area scheduled for next spring.
Fans should head to John’s website for tickets and tour info.
You can pre-order Elton John’s Me via MacMillan Publishers today. The new autobiography is set to be released on October 15th.
[H/T Daily Mail]