Due to my mother's various medical issues, I've been staying overnight at her place quite often lately. On my twenty-minute drive home early this morning, some old Elton John tunes from his Madman Across the Water album kept running through my mind.
In 1991, an album was released in tribute to Elton called Two Rooms: Celebrating The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. And although nobody's invited me to sing on anybody's tribute album -- yet -- I couldn't help thinking that if I were to do an Elton John song on an album like Two Rooms, I'd be certain to pick something more obscure than the predictable selections.
So, some of Madman's "more obscure" songs ran through my mind. "Razor Face." "All the Nasties." "Goodbye." I thought, "Goodbye" would be especially appropriate for a tribute album recorded after whenever Elton passes away.
Then I remembered how many times I've "killed" someone just by thinking of him or her after a long period of not thinking about him or her!
And after fifteen solid minutes of my head's being filled with Elton John tunes, I wondered... Did Elton John... die?
Shortly after I arrived home and fired up the ol' PC, I did a Google news search under "Elton John"... and discovered a death, indeed!
But not Elton's. Elton's keyboardist, Guy Babylon, a gent who'd been with Elton's band since 1988. He died.
At that point, my whole "Did I kill another one?" question was eclipsed by a much more important query:
Why the hell would Elton John need a keyboardist???
Thanks for your time.
[Shrek] Elton only plays piano, and he likes someone else to play his organ.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
ReplyDeleteSF, ya gotta admit that was a wide open question-LOL!
ReplyDeleteOnce in a while, I like to feed my readers the straight lines.
ReplyDelete[Shrek] As I understand it Elton seldom uses straight lines...
ReplyDeleteoh my what did i walk in on? lol.
ReplyDeleteI remember the early & mid-1970s, when most rock'n'rollers were so outlandishly-dressed, no one thought guys like Elton John or Freddie Mercury were anything but straight.
ReplyDeleteDavid Bowie, on the other hand... Well, we knew there was something different about him from the get-go...
Bwahahahahaha!!! I was gonna say Liberace but you said "rock'n'rollers"...but still. hey what about that obscure band Gaye Bykers on Acid? They're on playlist...horrible music, tho'...
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell would Elton John need a keyboardist???
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Good question. Either he's one of those pianists who figures the one instrument is enough to master, or he didn't want to compete with Rick Wakeman in the "How Many Keyboards Can We Fit On the Stage" contest.
I remember the early & mid-1970s, when most rock'n'rollers were so outlandishly-dressed, no one thought guys like Elton John or Freddie Mercury were anything but straight.
Whaaaaaat???? C'mon, I don't know anybody who didn't know right from the beginning that Freddie was gay as old dad's hatband. He never made a secret of it, and the name of the band certainly wasn't picked to disguise anything. Elton John's "coming out" may have surprised a few people, but Freddie Mercury was never in the closet to come out of it.
And I still miss Freddie and Queen somethin' awful. Did you know that Brian May actually has a PhD in astrophysics and is now chancellor of a university in Liverpool? So much for the stereotype of rock'n'rollers as brain-dead poseurs!
Maybe we have all been duped all these years and Elton has never actually played and insturment at all. Let me clarify, played a "musical" instrument. Perhaps we've all been "Milli Vanilli'd"
ReplyDeleteDon't read this comment. If you do you might think of me. And you know what happens then.
ReplyDeleteHmm... wait a minute... you didn't think of me, for a long time... suddenly I'm doing a blog with you... aw shoot! I'm doomed!
ReplyDeleteHe plays live for sure! I've seen it with my own eyes. Keyboardists usually play synth's and the like these days. He had two drummers the last time I saw him too . .perhaps one's a spare!
ReplyDeleteBWAH HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!
ReplyDelete@Roy: "I don't know anybody who didn't know... that Freddie was gay..." Okay, so my little joke fell flat. And as for "Brian May actually has a PhD in astrophysics and is now chancellor of a university in Liverpool," I knew the first part, but not the second. HEY! Now I have an entry for my "You Learn Something New Every Day" blog! Thanks! (But... isn't "chancellor" how Hitler got his start?)
ReplyDelete@Alan... or... ummm.... not @Alan... ummm... [trying not to think about Alan] Lalalalalalalala!
@Skip: Oh. Gee. Crap. Sorry to lose you so soon, old chum...
@Asian Spammer: Awwwww, 糞 (Chinese)! Awwwww, 배설물 (Korean)!
When did you go familiar in Oriental tongues?
ReplyDeleteOhhh, man! I have so many ways I could answer that!
ReplyDeleteElton John's poor, hapless keyboardist functions as a kind of "stunt double." Whenever you think about Elton, his keyboardist steps in to take the hit. He has another opening for a keyboardist right now.
ReplyDelete"Spammer" Plenty? Silly girl. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSF, figured that one out a while back( Spammer Plenty-LOL! )
ReplyDeleteHey! Skip's gotta new avatar! Cool!
It may not be how I see myself, but it's how I want the world to see me! I'm ready for my closeup, Mister DeMille!
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing!That's good before going to sleep!:D Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! Silver Fox,
ReplyDeleteI'am not familiar with singer Elton
John's music or his keyboardist, but your post is a very interesting read and quite amusing!
Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D
@DeeDee: Really? You're not familiar with Elton John's music? Wow.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Candie Bracci has my nomination for sexiest profile icon. (Was that your senior yearbook photo, Candie?)
ReplyDelete