Letters & more! Quizzes, Your News, Trivia, PLUS: The ... · fan-club; the Hercules Website...

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20

For up-to-the-minute news about Elton, callers in the UK can phone the

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20Calls cost 60p per minute anytime

inside this issue:

Elton talks abouthis relationshipwith David

EXCLUSIVE! Part 2 of our NigelOlsson interview

The truth aboutthe Aida tantrum

El Dorado CDreviewed

Competitionresults

USA Spring Tourreview & Set List

PLUS:

News, Trivia,Quizzes, YourLetters & more!

June 2000 Issue No: 51

THE MAG

since 1988

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 51. March 2000 27Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club2

Annual membership fee for the UK is £14 if paid byStanding Order/VISA/Mastercard. By Cheque/PostalOrder it is £15. For the rest of Europe it is £14, andfor the USA it is 17£/US$30. Please note that yourrenewal date is printed on your address label inEuropean format day/month/year.

Membership passes are available from your localHERCULES department: send a small photo ofyourself when requesting your pass.

Please don't send enquiries or fan mail to the EltonJohn management, but to HERCULES Coordination.Letters will be passed on if necessary.

HERCULES is a quarterly publication released inMarch, June, September and December. In event ofcircumstances beyond our control, there is noguarantee for punctual shipment. It is published inEnglish and German.

Printed articles do not necessarily reflect the editors'opinions. All information is based on the best ofknowledge and belief. Reproductions permitted onlyby prior arrangement with HERCULES.

Member participation is always welcome. We arethankful for your submissions of any kind: reports,articles, photos, drawings, and suggestions. Pleasesend them to the Editor, Tammi Law. Pleaseunderstand that we cannot always publish allcontributions. All photos will be returned.

UK Hotline 0906 888 20 20 (60p per minute)USA/Canada Hotline 815/293 3843Web site http://www.eltonfan.com

COPYRIGHT: HERCULES

Deadline for Issue No. 52 is 1 August 2000

No. 52 will be released September 2000

Front cover: “Broadway Cares” (see review page 10)(Photo: Lynn Sykes)

Back cover: Wilkes-Barre(Photo: Nannette Bac)

FAN CLUB INFORMATION

Fanzine of the Elton John Fan Club

Issue No. 51JUNE 2000

THE MAG

CONTENTSFEATURES

Chorus of Light Elton’s photo collection to beexhibited ......................11

eltonjohn.comWebsite review ..........24

Healing HandsNigel Olsson interview (part 2) ......22

Hercules House...for sale!! ..................12

Road to El DoradoCD review....................14Movie review ..............19

Soul MateElton talks about his relationship with David Furnish ....18

This is Your SongBroadway sings Elton John ....................10

USA concert reviewLakeland reviewed by Zippo ......................16

REGULARS

Between 17 and 20Elton trivia & gossip ..18

Club Information ............2

Convention Photos........20

Letters to the Editor......25

Lyric Quiz ......................13

News Bullets ....................4

Small ads ........................26

Tour Dates ......................27

Watford Watch ..............21

HERCULES Chief Editor Tammi Law49 Horseshoe Crescent,PeatmoorSwindon SN5 5AX, U.K.Tel. +44 (0)1793 881 [email protected]

Editorial Assistants:George Matlock, Barbara Turner

Design: Turnstyle Design

Translations:Sabine AsenkirschbaumerMireille Mölbert

For subscription details, pleasewrite to your local HERCULESdepartment or to HERCULESCoordinaton:

HERCULES Coordinationc/o Stephan HeimbecherOrleansstr. 59D-81667 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 48900369Fax +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES Fan Adviserc/o Mireille MölbertZaunweg 11D-80805 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES USA/Canadac/o Sharon KalinoskiP.O. Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, [email protected]

HERCULES U.K.P.O. Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, [email protected]

HERCULES Beneluxc/o Arjen BuikstraSav. Lohmannstr. 1NL-3214 XA ZuidlandTel. +31 (0)1881 [email protected]: Tim Blezer

HERCULES Italyc/o Luca ZerbiniVia Scheiwiller n.9/AI-20139 Milano, [email protected]

HERCULES FrancaisFrancoise Linden-GillesBP-22, B-4900 [email protected]

HERCULES NordicUrpu Kallioc/o Maria SjöholmBjörkkullavägen 3 A 307880 LILJENDALFINLAND

TOUR DATESEUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 200001 June ......Reykjavik, Iceland

Laugardalsvollur03 June ..........Derbyshire, UK

Chatsworth House04 June ..........Derbyshire, UK

Chatsworth House06 June ............Hampshire, UK

Broadlands07 June ............Hampshire, UK

Broadlands11 June ..............Berkshire, UK

Highclere13 June ..........Lincolnshire, UK

Burghley Park14 June ..........Lincolnshire, UK

Burghley Park17 June ..........Loeben, Austria

Hauptplatz18 June ..........Bregenz, Austria

Seebühne20 June ..............Brescia, Italy

Stadio Rigamonti23 June ..........Kassel, Germany

WilhelmshöheHercules fan convention

24 June ....Hamburg, GermanyDerbypark

27 June ......Cologne, GermanyKölnArena

28 June ........Coburg, GermanySchlossplatz

30 June ........Leipzig, GermanyVölkerschlachtdenkmal

01 July ......Stuttgart, GermanySchlossplatz

04 July ..Mannheim, GermanySchloss Ehrenhof

05 July ......Koblenz, GermanySchlosshof

07 July ....Künzelsau, GermanySchlosspark

08 July ........Munich, GermanyKönigsplatz

13 July ..............Liverpool, UKKings Dock

15 July ............Chelmsford, UKHyland House


19 July ............Port Talbot, UKMargam Park

22 July Northamptonshire, UKCastle Ashby


27 July ..................London, UKHyde Park

29 July ..........Co. Durham, UKRaby Castle

13 Nov ..............Oslo, NorwaySpectrum


18 Nov..Rotterdam, NetherlandsAhoy Arena

19 Nov ....Hannover, GermanyPreussag Arena *

21 Nov ....Frankfurt, GermanyFesthalle *

22 Nov ..Dortmund, GermanyWestfalenhalle *

24 Nov ....Zurich, SwitzerlandHallenstadion

US SOLO TOUR 2000 (CONT.)05 Dec ..........Johnson City, TN

Freedom Hall

2000

MS. UNDERSTOODby Barb Crowley

I'd like to introduce you toMs. Understood, who, until now,was offered exclusively to Eltonfans who accessed our website.If you ever thought you knew thewords to an Elton song, only tofind out later that you were totallywrong, then you're in goodcompany! Enjoy these lyrics(from eltonfan.com). Our nextissue of the fanzine will featuremisunderstood lyrics from GYBRalbum. E-mail your lyrics to me,[email protected], or mail toMiss Understood, c/o BarbCrowley, 3039 Lazlo Lane,Orlando, Florida 32837 USA.

Ms. Understood from The One:Casey: In the second that youhave her kids, (in the second that the hammerhits)Alexa: When life holds the gun,(where wild horses run)Jennifer: When studs collide likeyou and I (when stars collide)Kay: In the moment that theyhave a kiss (that the hammer hits)

Ms. Understood from Your Song:Megan: It's a little bit sunny(funny)

Ms. Understood from The Bitch is Back:Daniel: I'll eat a light steak on astack of knives (I even like steak on a Saturdaynight)(Daniel again!): I was just a pie,then I was five (I was justified, when I was five)Ron: I entertain my pickin'brains, sell my dope by droppin'names. I don't like to throw mycar wash hats. Oh andsomething likes to grab me whenthe bitch gets back.

Ms. Understood from Bad Side Of The Moon:Jeannie: Who's in my light?Ann: Losin' my life!

* A limited number of fan tickets are available for the threeNovember shows in Germany. Interested fans please contact StephanHeimbecher, Hercules Co-Ordination (address on page 2)

Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club26

1. L’il ’frigerator2. Restless3. Just Like Belgium4. Razor Face5. Poor Cow6. Lies7. Religion8. Just Like Strange Rain9. Seasons10. The One11. The Cage12. Easier to Walk Away

LYRIC QUIZ ANSWERS

Most of us this year willbe lucky enough tohave the opportunity

to see Elton in concert, as hetakes his hugely enjoyableSolo Tour from country tocountry. This surely must bein the running for the longestElton tour of all time! Havingcompleted the second leg ofthe United States, Elton isnow bringing the Solo Tourback to Europe this summer.Check out the Tour Dates onpage 27 for full details of hisbusy schedule. Let’s just hopefor his sake that he’s not over-doing it!

With Elton’s increasinglyraised profile, and the adventof Elton’s new official Website,news and information aboutElton is easier to obtain thanever before. Particularlywelcome is the news that Eltonwill be back in the Studio inSeptember, to record a newJohn/Taupin album. Moreinformation about this can befound in our News Bulletssection.

Hercules Fan Clubcelebrated our 12th birthdayin May. This coincided withanother milestone for Elton’sfan-club; the Hercules Websiteachieved a total of 400,000hits since it’s launch two yearsago. That’s an average of 530people visiting our Websiteevery day! Check it out foryourself at www.eltonfan.com

As part of the service whichwe offer to fans, Hercules haveagain been able to securegroup allocation premium

tickets to many of Elton’sshows this year. We don’tmake any profit on the ticketswhich fans buy throughHercules, it’s purely a way ofensuring that great seats areavailable for real fans. A freeHercules banner was mailedwith the UK tickets toeveryone who ordered throughHercules. The mailingcommenced on 22 May, assoon as we received the ticketsfrom the Tour Promoter. Besure to wave your banners atthe concerts - Elton lovedthem last year! If you needtickets for any of Elton’sGerman shows in the Autumn,details of how to purchasethem through Hercules are onpage 27.

We’ve had a lot offeedback from you to say howmuch you enjoyed ourexclusive interview with NigelOlsson in the March issue.Part 2 appears in this issue,see page 22. We have acouple of interviews with Eltonfeatured in this issue too. Hetalks about current projects,and how happy his personallife is now, after years of well-documented unhappiness.

Keep your letters coming into The Editor, it’s always niceto hear from you (address onpage 2). In the meantime, Ilook forward to seeing asmany of you as possible atElton’s European shows thissummer!

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 51 June 2000. 3

FROM THE EDITOR...SMALL ADS

LIVE IN NY FOR SALE: Double CD import "ELTON JOHN LIVEIN NY CITY, OCTOBER 1998". 20GBP. I've got other Elton's items forsale. E-mail to [email protected] (forlist) and [email protected] (ifyou're intersted to double cd) or writeto Alessandro Perfumo, str Maggiora65, 15011 Acqui Terme AL, ITALY .

PEN-FRIENDS WANTED!I am looking for any Elton fans tobecome pen-friends. Please write tome at: Susan Fisher, 86 Ridgeway,Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 8JG. UK.

EJ CELSSimilar to the way animation Cels aremade. Matted and presented inshadow box frames. 16 titles available.Some in limited edition! SPECIALFREE OFFER! Write to: CartoonCreations, PO Box 396, Dunedin, FL34697 USA or visit our website atwww.angelfire.com/biz/celebritycelOur home since 1996!

FOR SALE / TRADEUpdated 7 page list includes, 7", 12"vinyl, CDs, Videos, Books, Photos, T-Shirts and more. Please write to StevenBetts 75A Coillesdene Avenue,Edinburgh EH15 2LN, Scotland U.K. ore-mail [email protected]

HERCULES MEMBER DISCOUNTS AT WRAP IT UP!Hercules has negotiated a permanentdiscount package worth up to 25% toclub members buying selected Eltongoods from our retail outlet Wrap ItUp! Quote your member number (onyour passes) to Wrap It Up!, PO Box220, Lincoln, LN1 2RZ, England.Tel/fax +44-1522-529275 or email:[email protected] for a list of Eltonmerchandise.

FOR SALE: Tour programme The One. Maxi

CD Runaway Train, Chicago. A StepToo Far CD and all maxi CDs of TheOne. Does anyone know who sellssigned copies of El Dorado CD in theUSA? Or press material/picturesregarding the making of El Dorado.Write or call. Rainer Petersen,Strandstr. 105, 23669 Niendorf,Germany.

These are free to Hercules members.Send yours to Tammi Law, Editor, 49 Horseshoe Crescent, SwindonSN5 5AX, UK., or e-mail her [email protected]

ALWAYS let us know the expiry date ofthe card, and the cardholders name.

ALWAYS state your membership numberif you send a cheque to Hercules, or pay

into one of the Club accounts.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

Please note that if you have paid yourMembership Fee by Credit Card, your cardwill automatically be charged again for therenewal fee, at the end of your membership

year. If your card has expired in themeantime, or if you have switched

companies, please forward your new CreditCard details to Hercules Coordination in

time for your next renewal.

“Broadway Cares” (Photo: N Bac)

Hershey, PA (Photo: N Bac)

Dresden 1996

idol

by Reggie Zippo

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car!

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 51 June 2000. 25Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club4

Full details of the following news items have appeared on our Hotline and Website

ELTON CLOSES US SOLO TOUR Elton closed his Medusa tour

in America in Atlanta April 29,with proceeds from ticket salesgoing to Atlanta charities.Members of eltonjohn.com whowere given complimentarytickets were not invited to thepre-show reception, and wereseated on the far end of thevenue on the "ten yard line,"much to everyone'sdisappointment. After the show,Elton thanked everyone for theirsupport and gifts, but surprisinglyneither accepted gifts nor signedautographs during the show,which he had done at allprevious shows on the tour. (ForUSA Set List, see page 17)

JUST LIKE STRANGE

RAINFOREST SHOWSting, Elton, Billy Joel and

James Taylor performed atCarnegie Hall in New York onApril 13. The audience paid acombined $2.5m in tickets -withall proceeds benefiting therainforest. Stevie Wonderappeared just in time for a finalstar chorus of Amen. Elton stuckout in a white suit and pinkshoes. Sting introduced him as"my boyfriend Elton John.”

ELTON AT TOWER RECORDS Elton sat down at Tower

Records on 8801 Sunset Blvd.and signed copies of "The Roadto El Dorado" as the album hitthe street on March 14, 2000.Lyricist Tim Rice was alsoannounced, but didn't show up.It was a well organised eventwith all major radio and TVstations at place, and even theweather was perfect. It was 5years almost to the day sinceElton and Bernie Taupin did theirlast autograph party at TowerRecords in LA.

TROUBLE WITH AIDA

"I walked out to make apoint," Elton explained during aninterview on "Good MorningAmerica" "They didn't listen towhat I had to say in December,and I wrote the music and it'smy bloody name on thebillboard, and I don't want to beassociated with something I didnot write."

The superstar singer says hebolted a performance of the $15million mega-musical last monthafter Disney execs turned a deafear to his requests for changesin the show's score.

"I was absolutelyincandescent with rage," he said."After I'd seen the show inChicago, I wasn't very happywith the music. So we had a bigmeeting in December in LosAngeles and I said, 'Here aretwo things that I really don't likein the show...' "

Two major songs that he hadwritten, "Another Pyramid" and"My Stronger Suit," weredramatically changed, he says,with the addition of techno-music. Elton told the producers,

"'I don't like it. I didn't write it,and you know, it's my music inthere, and please change it.'"

Well, they didn't. And whenElton attended a preview inFebruary and saw that the songswere unchanged, "I was soincensed. And I just walked out,I walked calmly out, and Ismiled on my way out and I gotout in the street and went,'Rrrrhhhh.' "

Elton said he told Disney, "'Ifyou don't listen to what I'msaying, I'm going to get mad.'And so I got mad." He alsoacknowledged that thefrustration wasn't pretty. "I wearmy heart on my sleeve; I wasannoyed," he said.

These days, though, all iswell with Elton and "Aida." Thechanges he requested have beenmade, and he says he enjoyed arecent performance of the show."It was brilliant," he says of howthe music plays now. "I don'thave to worry about thisanymore."

There were a few rumours doing the rounds that Eltonwalked out of a preview performance of Aida in February.Here, Elton explains all........

Hercules Coordinator StephanHeimbecher informed me that a

German TV channel was looking forsomeone to play in their quizshow “Risiko"recently, with the subject being Elton John.I applied to the casting company, and aftera short general knowledge test on the phonethey invited me to the casting in Hamburg.The casting worked well and three dayslater they invited me to the studiorecording.

I arrived at the studio with othercontestants, who were specialising in othersubjects. The general knowledge questionspassed without any problem and I wasthrough to round two. The second roundwas OK too, except the last question, whichI unfortunately didn’t know: which song onthe John Lennon album “Walls and Bridges”did Elton play the piano? I was thereforeknocked out of further rounds, butnevertheless I won a nice prize and had alot of fun.

Juliane Kessing, Germany

I would like to tell the story of how mylife changed when I became an Elton

fan and ‘Reghead’. I was born and grew upin the ‘second’ German state - the GermanDemocratic Republic.

It was impossible for the people here tosee a superstar like Elton. The border wasinsurmountable - no hope for a good life. Asa teenager, I would often hear Daniel andYour Song on the radio. I became an Eltonfan in 1997 when I bought the book "RocketMan" and was fascinated. In summer 1998, Ihad the Moment Of My Life; I was so proudto be able to see my idol live on stage inMunich. I just knew I had to see him again!

As a Hercules member, I have met manynew friends by placing a Small Ad in TheMag. It’s a great feeling to meet up withthese friends at concerts in Germany. Lastyear, Sir Elton gave me three autographs onmy membership pass and fanzines atconcerts. Now I’m looking forward to theMedusa Solo Tour this summer. Sir Elton isthe best thing in my life and ‘My GreatestDiscovery’.

Carmen Wernicke, Germany

In the last installment of KaleidoscopeEyes, I've noticed that in the list of Elton’s

70s TV appearances you haven't included thefirst Italian appearance that he did in 1972,and that I proudly have in my collection. Itwas to promote Crocodile Rock, his newsingle and his Italian tour. He was guest in ashow presented by Gino Bramieri togetherwith Nigel, Davey and Dee. The instrumentswere all pre-recorded (but it wasn't the usualstudio version) but he sang it live. Beautiful!! Ithink this will be a nice contribution for thevideo list.

All the best!!Christian, Italy

Like every other Elton fan, I was veryexcited to learn about the launch of the

official web-site, eltonjohn.com. In fact, itprompted me to purchase my first home PC,and I duly paid up and became a member assoon as I could. Needless to say, I also joinedthe on-line membership for the Herculeswebsite.

However, I have a small problem with theofficial site. Although it is great to receivenews and personal messages from Eltonhimself, I can’t help feeling that as a non-USAmember, I am treated as a second-classcitizen. As far as I can see, the Website is verymuch geared towards the American fans. Thedates which are listed (Tour Dates, Launchesetc) are all written the American way(month/day/year); I would be interested toknow whether there is any reason at all forthis, or why they simply can’t state the monthNAME. It wouldn’t be any fairer if it were theother way round (ie European format), butsurely by writing March, June etc, it wouldkeep everyone happy.

I’ve also discovered (to my cost!) that themerchandise available for purchase is subjectto a huge shipping tax for non-USA members.It would perhaps be better if some of themerchandise was also kept at a second centraloffice somewhere in Europe (Elton’smanagement office?), to be sent to Europeanmembers who purchase the items.

Come on, eltonjohn.com, stop making usEuropeans feel that we are visitors at someoneelse’s party! Our money is as good as thosefans living in the USA. The Hercules Websiteseems far more aware of the Internationalinterest and appeal of Elton.

Andy Thorpe, Brentford, UK

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Send your letters toTammi Law, Editor(address on page 2) ore.mail her [email protected].

Elto

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Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club24 Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 51 June 2000. 5

NORMAN BOOK GETS A FACE LIFTPhilip Norman's Elton

biography - originally released in1991 - is now available as"updated" re-release, titled SirElton. The paperback book(Sidgwick & Jackson; ISBN:0283063548, 592 pages) tells thestory up to his performance at thefuneral of Diana, Princess ofWales. The book also includes an(updated) discography. Price£14.99.

JOHN REID AUCTION AT SOTHEBY'SIn a bid to shed himself of

Elton memorabilia, his ex-manager John Reid is auctioningsome rarities from his personalcollection via Sotheby's in thenext few months. There are 84lots, most of which are salesawards ranging from the 1970s-90s. Many of Elton's albums andsingles are represented and pricesrange from $700-$1600 for whitematte format US gold awards to arange of modern CD formatawards from various Europeancountries, prices $150-400. Mostare named to John Reid, withsome to Rocket Records andothers. The rest appears onSotheby's website in batches overthe next few months. Thoseinterested should go to:sothebys.amazon.com

TIME UPLuxury goods e-tailer

Ashford.com partnered withXemex USA to be the exclusiveInternet vendor of the XemexOffroad Millennium Elton JohnAIDS Foundation Watch. Theinitial issue is a limited edition of200 watches, with all profitsgoing to EJAF, and was releasedon Elton's birthday, March 25.The sale of these watches isexpected to generate more than$100,000 for EJAF. Go towww.ashford.com for details.

RECORDING NEWSElton was in the studio in

Atlanta with Earl Scruggs onMarch 6, 2000 recording for his50th anniversary tribute project,for which Earl Scruggs hadchosen to include CountryComfort. Elton plays the pianotracks on the song and also doessome (backing) vocals.

On March 10, 2000 Elton wasin the studio again - this time inNew York - recording vocals forMoby’s next US single Why DoesMy Heart Feel So Bad. Theroyalties from the sales of thesingle will be donated to theElton John AIDS Foundation.

On the new official website,Elton also reports that he will bein the studio again in Septemberthis year for a new EltonJohn/Bernie Taupin album.Producer will again be PatLeonard who has worked withElton on the "El Dorado"soundtrack.

ELTON CONCERT BROADCAST LIVERiffage.com partnered with

BBC Worldwide, hosting thepremier BBC Music Live musicfestival running May 25-29, asthe event's exclusive webcasterfor North America. Performancesincluded a concert from Eltonfrom Woburn Abbey, UK on May29th, and thousands of stagesand 40 outside broadcasting unitsacross BBC's entire TV and radionetwork.

LOUDER THAN CONCORDE? According to Swedish

medicine magazine"Läkartidning", Elton John was theloudest performer of a researchstudy undertaken in 1998. Theaudience at Elton's concert"experienced" an average level of107,5 decibel. Almost as loudwas Elton's buddy Rod Stewartwith 104,5 decibel. It should beadded that the research studyonly included eight concerts andall of them were at the NyaUllevi arena (an outdoor venue)in Gothenburg during 1998.

ELTON'S PICTURE SNAPSChorus of Light: Photographs

From the Sir Elton JohnCollection will be at the HighMuseum of Atlanta, USA fromNov 4 to Jan 8, 2001. Theexhibition, which will not travelelsewhere, will fill the museum'sfourth floor and spill over to itsdowntown branch in theGeorgia-Pacific Center. 150celebrity photographs will be onview. "Elton John feels anattachment to the city," said anexhibition spokesman. “He hasbeen a member of the museum'sDirector's Circle, which is thehighest level of membership.”

LION KING GOES LADisney Theatricals (Peter

Schneider and ThomasSchumacher, Producers)announced tickets for the LosAngeles production of The LionKing; they went on sale May 3.Tickets are available at thePantages (Hollywood Blvd. andVine) Theatre Box Office, throughTicketMaster, +1 213-365-3510,or online at www.lionkingla.com.Preview performances begin Sept28, and opening night isscheduled for Oct 19, for thislimited Los Angeles engagement.

The website is graded from 0 to 4 Stars.

Rating: � � � �

The moment the new URLwas revealed, I hurried tobe among the first to

catch a glimpse of its infancy.The flash animated previewpage was quite impressive withclassic EJ circular photosappearing in tandem to theintro of Elton's original "Bennieand the Jets" recording. Thefinale prompted me to "RideThe Rocket", but that commandpromptly brought a feeling ofapprehension, which wasconfirmed after an automatedemail response revealed that anannual membership fee wouldbe required to access the fullbenefits of the site. I had noreservations in paying the feebecause the benefits wereexceptional. Free rare MP3downloads, a free T-shirt, anexclusive live CD, with thepromise of more perks tocome.

The only problem was that Iwas required to pay the feewith a credit card online. Noother alternatives were offered.I simply refuse to use a creditcard online. So, I sent amessage to the site's staffmembers requesting to pay viapersonal check, but I neverreceived a response.Undaunted, I visited the siteagain after its doors were fullyopen to the public. Excitementquickly followed as Idiscovered that many aspectsof a true fan site were in place.If you have the most up-to-datecomputer equipment andsoftware downloads, (and that’s

a big ‘If’!) the welcome pagewas an outstanding array ofimpressive graphics, flashanimations, and the sounds of"Philadelphia Freedom" enticingme to venture further.

I found that I had access toread the latest EJ news andconcert updates, watch videodiaries direct from EJ and the"Some Day Out Of The Blue"music video, absorb EJ'spersonal messages and musicreviews. By this time, I wasnot upset that I wouldn't bereceiving the "free" perks thatcame along with themembership fee. My onlydisappointment is that I willnot have the backstage accessto EJ's concerts (exclusive to alimited number of members).

Members also have theopportunity to purchase ticketsto Elton shows via the website,and a limited number of“promotional” tickets are givenaway to members on a first-

come, first-served basis shortlybefore a few selected shows.There is some concern that thewebsite is American-biased,and indeed, it is run by anAmerican Website Designcompany. Some fans in Europehave expressed disappointmentover this. The only otheraspect which caused concern isthe hi-tech computerequipment required to accessall areas of the site.

Even though the "news"section was quite informative, Ifind that the news section ofthe Hercules web site is keptup-to-date at a faster rate. Theflash animation is still prevalentthroughout, but does notdistract from the content. Irecommend this site as acompanion to all other EJrelated web sites. Overall, Imust give this site 4 stars as itmet with every expectation.

eltonjohn.comWEBSITE REVIEW

Elton and his management have recently launched an official Website. Here, we bring you a review of the main features... by Reggie Zippo and Tammi Law

The Official Elton John Web Site, http://www.eltonjohn.com



ELTON’S HOUSES SHOW-CASEDMirroring our Elton look-a-like

Ray Johnson (who is a qualifiedcarpenter and cab driver) "If Iweren't a musician, I would loveto be a decorator,'' real Eltonrevealed to Architectural Digestin the May issue. Each one of hishomes - in Old Windsor, London,Atlanta and Nice - conveys adistinctive identity and rock starglamour.

Rumour has it that Elton made"diva-like demands" toArchitectural Digest forpermission to publish exclusivepictures of his villa in Nice.Elton, who also gave themagazine access to his threepreviously covered houses in OldWindsor, London and Atlanta,was hoping A.D. would devote awhole issue to him, sources say.When he learned otherwise,editors mollified him by puttinghis portrait on the May cover - atleast for newsstand issues.

Subscribers got a less People-like picture of one of his gardensinstead. Conde Nast rep LaurieMiller denies John was a

"demanding diva." In fact, shesays, "He was very happy withthe photos and everything. Wewere given a lot of access, andthe Nice photos were a big coup

for the magazine." "It was themagazine's idea to include allfour houses," says Elton’sspokeswoman, Fran Curtis, "andthey've had lots of celebrities ontheir cover." The beautifully-shot19-page spread showcasesElton's aesthetic philosophy,"Less is less, more is more, moreis good and a lot more is verygood." He loves classical nudestatues, Versace fabrics, andRobert Mapplethorpe photos.

Please do not ask Hercules forcopies of this magazine.

AN "UNFORGETTABLE EVENING"Elton was part of the

"Unforgettable Evening",contributing a one-hour concertat Cedars-Sinai Research forWomen's Cancers benefit, at theBeverly Wilshire on March 28.Reportedly, ex-manager JohnReid was at Cedars-Sinai foralcoholic abuse in 1988. Thebenefit was not an indication ofthawing relations! See Sotheby'sauction news. The event,underwritten by Saks Fifth Ave,raised $1.4m. When asked byRita Wilson to perform, there wasno hesitation in Elton's reply -plus a promise to return for 'emwhenever they call again. In hisrepertoire, he included a specialtribute to honouree HillaryRodham Clinton.

BRITISH PAPER WINS BATTLE OVER ELTON JOHN SOURCE

Britain's Daily Express won acourt battle April 19 over itsrefusal to reveal the source ofdocuments leaked from Elton'slawyers. Express Newspapers hadasked the Court of Appeal tooverturn a High Court ruling thatit must reveal how it obtained theconfidential dossier, whichrelates to Elton’s forthcomingaction against his formeraccountantsPriceWaterhouseCoopers.

CINEMA AGAINST AIDSFashion and celebrity came

together at amfAR's CinemaAgainst AIDS benefit during theCannes Film Festival on May 18.Luxury goods e-tailerMondera.com co-sponsored astar-studded gala with honorarychairs Elton and Elizabeth Taylor.Celebrities wore more than $20mof jewellery that evening.

BROADWAY CAREDElton was feted by Broadway

stars at the New AmsterdamTheatre in a concert to benefitBroadway Cares/Equity FightsAIDS (BC/EFA) April 3. NathanLane and Christine Baranski werethe hosts. They were joined byartists including Aida's HeatherHeadley and Sherie René Scott.“This is Your Son - BroadwaySings Elton John” saw SandraBernhart perform a dark versionof Madman Across the Water,Betty Buckley sang CountryComfort, Honky Cat wasperformed by Deborah Gibson,Andrea Mcardle did Bennie andthe Jets, and Adam Pascalperformed Someone Saved MyLife Tonight. Heather Headleycame on stage for a version ofEasy As Life from AIDA.

At the start of the second half,Elton appeared in one of the VIPside boxes. He watched most ofthe second half from there.Making his grand entrance in his"traditional style", Elton marchedon stage, with his diamondcovered shoes leading the way.The audience was cracking up tohis version of Diamonds Are AGirls Best Friend.

HERCULES GERMAN CONVENTIONHercules will host a fan

Convention during Elton's SoloTour in 2000. It takes place atHotel Schweizer Hof in Kassel,Germany, June 23.

a white Range Rover, but now it'skind of a smoggy yellow [laughter].It really takes the paint off.

GM: What makes you want to livein a place like that? Think of yourlungs!

NO: I know. Well of course I'msmoking ciggies! It's close to themusic business, and close to myracing interests. I've been racingcars for 10 years now. I've got abig race in Las Vegas nextweekend. It's also close to otherband members. If I was in theband, where I lived wouldn'tmatter as I'd commute wherever.Of course, the tax situation here ismental. We pay a state tax, and afederal tax.

GM: So you're happy where youare!

NO: Well I'd love to end up in thesouth of France somewhere. But,hey, God loves a trier and adreamer, and that's me!

GM: For the new album withDavey and friends, have you gotsongs together? And what style arethey?

NO: Well, I'm a great balladeer."Yellow Brick Road", "SomeoneSaved My Life Tonight", those aremy forte. And I love doingbackground vocals. I have enoughsongs now to do two albums.Some are mine. Some are fromfriends. David Foster given me asong, there's also Bill Champlin,who plays with the band Chicago.In fact, I saw him at thesupermarket the other day, and hesaid 'I've loads more songs. Comeup to the house and we'll gothrough them.' I want to use realstrings. I'm not going to be singinglead vocals on all the tracks. It'svery hard on stage to sing and useyour hands and feet throughouttwo hours. So I want to have acouple of really strong femalevocalists.

GM: Have you kept your fingersnimble in the past few years? Haveyou recorded any solo albums?

NO: No. You know, after I got letgo in 1985 I got kindadisillusioned with the musicbusiness. There was a lot of back-stabbing going on. Me and Deestayed in Nashville for a while, butworking in Nashville is a wholedifferent thing to LA. Mostproducers in Nashville have their

own clique of musicians they'refrightened to get away from. So itwas very tough to get into thesession musicians thing there. So Iwent into racing. The FerrariChallenge, sponsored by Ferrari inBeverley Hills. I then did someendurance testing for the BMWMotorsport 3. I then did a thing forFord's 35th anniversary of theMustang, taking people around thetrack, and basically scaring thepants off them! And hopefullythey'd go out and buy the car.

GM: Did people know you wereElton's drummer?

NO: Well, I kept it low profile, butword got out and I was doingautographs for the fans, which isgreat. I'm very appreciative of thefans who've put me where I am. Sonow I've got the surge again, andI'm doing these Drum Clinic Tours.These are sponsored by my cymbalcompany, which is Paiste, as wellas my microphone company,Sennheiser, and Rhythm Tech, whoare a percussion company out ofNew Jersey.

GM: Do you keep in touch withother band members?

NO: With Davey I keep in touch atleast once or twice a week. Helives only 30 minutes' drive fromme, and that's about it. I talked toKiki Dee a couple of weeks agoabout whether she'd like to recorda song on the new album, andabout a tentative appearance at theNAMM convention in January,where new musical devices aredisplayed. She's shown interest.And that's great, because I'vealways loved Kiki, she's like asister. I've also tried but failed tohook up with Ray Cooper. I thinkRay's gone back into the filmsbusiness. Ray was a big wheel forHandmade Films, when GeorgeHarrison was involved. The lasttime I saw Ray was when I wasinvited over to Brunei to jam withPrince Hakim. Ray was undercontract to the Prince, about threeyears ago. I've been trying to gethold of him for this record, and todo a couple of clinics together. Theelusive Raymond!

GM: In a Hercules interview twoyears ago in Zurich, Davey calledit "The Ghost of Ray". Hisinfluence lives on, he said. Do youkeep in touch with CharlieMorgan?

NO: The last time I met Charlie

was five years ago when the bandplayed MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

GM: He's actually in Nashvilleright now. Are you an Elton fan anddo you collect his recentrecordings?

NO: I'm a massive fan, obviously,of his older stuff. I've heard "TheOne" and that sticks in my mind.I'd love to have played on that, andit even sounds very much like meplaying, so there you go! I'm still abig fan.

GM: You refer to the song "TheOne", as much of the materialincluded drum machine.

NO: Right. He kind of went hi-techon it, and it lost something in thetransition.

GM: What other music do you like?

NO: Beatles, Jeff Lynne, StevieWonder. Newer stuff, I love poprecords. Britney Spears. It's great tosee kids coming through and notbeing treated like a joke. I listen toBrandy. She has a great huskyvoice, and it's the type of thing I'mlooking for on my record. I'd alsolove to work with Shania Twain.And also (US Country singer) FaithHill. I knew her back in Nashville.She was a shy, laid-back girl, asecretary at a record company. Andnow she's big. Also heard ofEternal, Oasis.

As Hercules reaches issue number50, it seems opportune to askNigel what he thinks ofHERCULES The Mag.

GM: Do you receive The Mag andwhat do you think of it?

NO: I do, and read it all the time. Ithink it's very well put together.

GM: I'll pass that on to our editor.

NO: Please do. I think weneed to upgrade it to colour[laughter]. Colour inside.And bigger writing pleasebecause I'm 50 years old[laughter] I need to upgrademy glasses! It's got all thestuff in that the fans wouldwant to hear about. And I'mso glad that we've finallyconnected.

GM: I'm very grateful as well; it’sbeen my pleasure.


ELTON RECEIVES

VITO RUSSO AWARDElton was honoured by the

Gay and Lesbian AllianceAgainst Defamation (GLAAD) atthe 11th Annual GLAAD MediaAwards. He was presented withthe Vito Russo Award at aceremony in New York City April2. Named after foundingmember of GLAAD and authorof The Celluloid Closet, the VitoRusso Award is presented to anopenly lesbian or gayentertainment or mediacommunity member foroutstanding contributions incombating homophobia.

Elton, wearing a leatherblazer and pants and redeyeglasses, accepted his awardfrom Judy Shepard, the mother ofmurdered gay student MathewShepard. He said he keeps aphoto of Mathew in his kitchen."It breaks my heart to look at thatphotograph,'' he told theaudience of some 1,500 at aManhattan hotel. "That he had todie -- but he didn't have to diein vain,'' he said.

8TH OSCAR NIGHT PARTYElton hosted the 8th Annual

In Style Oscar Night Party toBenefit the Elton John AIDSFoundation on March 26. Thisyear, the event was held at 8800Melrose Ave. (formerly PaganiRestaurant). The gala partybegan with a benefit dinner andviewing of the Academy Awardstelecast, followed by an after-party in honour of the Oscarnominees and winners. Theevent raised approx. $500,000and had a guest list thatincluded Gloria Estefan,Elizabeth Hurley, LeeleeSobieski, Jane Seymour, JamesWoods, Jay Leno, Janet McTeer,Martina Navratilova and OliviaNewton-John.

ELTON ON TODAY SHOWElton performed at 8:30 am

on NBC's Today programmeMarch 31, outside on the streetin New York. He and fellowband mates, including NigelOlsson, sang the first three songsfrom The Road To El Doradosoundtrack.

Elton then performed CircleOf Life to the huge crowd thathad David Furnish among thefans. For the finale, Elton and theband offered Crocodile Rock, butNBC pulled the plug on theshow before he could finish it!

OSCAR TANTRUM?

According to a report onMSNBC, Elton was spotted onOscar night “having a major hissyfit” when one of Los Angeles’finest police officers refused to lethim drive through a roped-offarea. “He was screaming hislungs out at the cop,” says anOscar-party-going source. “Hewas calling him all sorts ofnames.” Elton’s spokeswomanhad no comment. The sourcesays the police officer didn’t seemcowed by Elton. “The cop wasjust smiling at him,” says thesource, “and saying, ‘Go on, Mr.John, you are making my day!’ ”

NEW UK SINGLEThe much-awaited new

Elton single from soundtrack ElDorado "Someday Out of theBlue" comes out in the UKMonday, July 17, 2000. Thesingle was released in the USAin April.

GERMAN VOLUME CHARTS OF

THE 90S Elton holds position 7 in the

German charts of the mostlongplay entries in the Ninetieswith a total of six albums.That's only two albums lessthan Joe Cocker at number one,followed by Queen, Madonnaand some German artists with 7entries.

Q MAGAZINE PUTS ELTON IN

TOP BRITSThe May edition of Q

Magazine puts Elton's GoodbyeYellow Brick Road album at84th in a poll of its expertwriters to gauge Britain's best100 albums of all time. Thepoll involves only UK bandsand artists. Surprisingly, noother Elton albums made thegrade.

WATFORD VIGIL OVERWatford suffered relegation

from the Premiership Divisionin May, after a late season burstof some wins and draws wasn'tenough to placate a string ofNew Year losses. Even knowingit was heading back down toDivision 1, Watford gaveformidable championsManchester United a fright onApril 29.

HEALING people in the industry were verycut-throat.

GM: I want to ask about yourroots. You haven't lost yourSunderland accent. How do youkeep it polished?

NO: You know, I don't know. Mymum, who passed away threeyears ago, would always notice anAmerican word, and would say'you're losing your accent. Don'tforget where home is'!

GM: It's definitely more WestCountry than West Coast[laughter] Do you spend all yourtime in the States, or do you evercome back to Sunderland?

NO: I've had a Green Card since1972. And lived all over the States,here in Los Angeles, Atlanta fornine years, North Carolina for nineyears, Nashville for seven years,and now I'm back here. Socoming home is rare and farbetween. The last time was formum's memorial. And she wouldhave been proud of us. All thebrothers and family members gottogether and had a great piss-up! Itwas great. We celebrated life, notmourned passing away. That wasthe last time for me in England.But now I have BBC America oncable television, so I keep up withwhat's going on in England.Especially when I see these showsin the English countryside, I getthis urge to come back and enjoywhat I've missed. When you're ontour you're worn out. You see justarenas. In the latter period on tour,we'd have the whole stage anddressing rooms flown with us. Wecould be in Los Angeles one day.Two days later we'd be inAustralia, and ask whether after a17-hour flight we left anywhere!

GM: Do you have a view over thesea?

NO: No, we're in one of thevalleys. I live in a cosy Spanish-style house with my wife and son,Justin. We're just a short driveaway from the beach, Malibu andSanta Monica.

GM: How do you put up with thesmog? Or isn't that a problemwhere you're living?

NO: It's great now, because wehad some rain two days ago, andkind of washes it away. But youfind normally about three inchesof dirt on top of your car. I've got

HEALING

This issue featuresPart 2 of theinterview. SeeHercules Issue 50 forPart 1.

George Matlock: Oneof the things I wanted todiscuss was how the emphasisof the band changed, to focusmore on Elton. Charlie Morganwas recounting to me that hefound the musicians were treatedas session musicians, hired andfired at will. The sleeve of"Philadelphia Freedom", actuallyrefers to the "Elton John Band". Sothis began to change. Would thisbe around the mid-seventies?

Nigel Olsson: It was really in theearly 1980s, when it became moreof a business than the enjoymentof the music. We still pulled themusic off. When he first let Deeand I go, when he went to Caribouto cut "Rock of the Westies" thatwas both a kick in the pants andtotal shock. He hadn't told us whatwas going on. In fact, he called methe week before, and he wasraving that we're going to doDodger Stadium, it was a sold-outgig, and nobody plays at DodgerStadium, especially rock and rollbands. The next week I got thiscall from Steve Brown saying'Elton doesn't want you guysinvolved in gigs or recordinganymore, what are you going todo?' all in one sentence. I wasfloored.

GM: Did you feel that was Eltonspeaking or management? Howdid you interpret it?

NO: I've had many years to grindmy teeth about it. I think it camefrom the hierarchy. I never got toknow why that decision wasmade. Me and Dee were calledback a few years later, and let goagain in that sudden way. We werecalled by someone. I had wishedElton had made the call himself. It

would have beenmuch easier. Thereason for why he letus go, as far as I readin the press, was that

Elton wanted tochange musical

direction. And I don'tthink he's quite got that

together yet. Still the recordssound like me and Dee play in thebackground. And Dee went to hisgrave not knowing why the change[Dee died in 1992]. We were veryclose and living in Nashville. Afew weeks before Dee died, Ivisited him. He was very sick, andwe would reminisce about ourcareers. One of the last things Deesaid to me was: 'Nige, I wish we'dbeen told what the hell we did tobe fired. We never got the rightstory.' That really saddens me, andthere's really not a day that goesby I don't think about Dee. It wasthe best band Elton's had - ever.

GM: Elton's had many highlightssince, but it was, I suppose, anamazing era because the band wasproducing up to three albums ayear, and all were consistentlygood. Going back to the 1970ssplit, you at least had Steve Browncontacting you. But did youalready feel then that managementor the record company wascommercialising?

NO: Yes, I already felt that a littlebefore, because when Dee and Icame back from the second tourwe did here (USA), we were calledinto the office, and got told wewere earning too much money assidemen and that we'd have totake a break in our wage packets.In those days we didn't think twiceabout it. We were so into thetours, recording, we were playingan album ahead of ourselves ontour. It was fine. I had money inthe bank, a house and a MiniCooper car! Whereas now I'mabsolutely fuming about it. Inthose early days the management

HANDS

TALKS EXCLUSIVELY TO HERCULESnigel olssonnigel olsson

FROM CALIFORNIA, 13 NOVEMBER 1999

nigel olsson

P A R T T W O

5 q’s?


rose on March 23 on Disney's"Aida," with a pop score by Eltonand Tim Rice. A week later, TheRoad to El Dorado was releasedin cinemas across the USA. (seeIssue 50 for more details).

The soundtrack "Elton John'sThe Road to El Dorado" has sixsongs from the movie. "I decidedto write more and 11 made thecut," he said. "It's more like anElton John album than asoundtrack, and I'm very happywith the result."

Besides juggling his musicalprojects, he's also passionateabout charity work. The EltonJohn AIDS Foundation wasformed in 1992. "When I gotsober and clean, I wanted to dosomething positive with my life,"said Elton, whose annual Oscarnight party in West Hollywoodraises about $400,000. Hisannual US tennis tournament"Smash Hits" also adds to thecoffers.

1. A month before your 53rdbirthday, you were presented withthe Grammy Legend Award bythe National Academy ofRecording Arts and Sciences.Does it make you think moreabout your mortality?

Elton: Oh, I take these thingswith a pinch of salt. I've neverreally taken them too seriously.What I take seriously is my work."The Lion King" was a piece ofmagic for me. It opened a lot ofdoors for me, like the film scorefor "The Muse" with AlbertBrooks and "Aida". I'm notfinished."

2. How's your health? Elton: I'm fine. I've never felt

better. I play tennis every dayabout eight in the morning. Ialways have to watch my weight.It's always up and down. It willbe 10 years this July that I'mclean and sober. I stay awayfrom alcohol and drugs.

3. How does Hollywood reactto your commitment to AIDSresearch and your Oscar party?

Elton: People here are veryAIDS conscious. There's a fund-raiser every night in this town,you know. The consciousness isalways there, though. We comeaway with about $350,000 to$400,000. It's an evening whereyou meet and greet people andschmooze and have fun.Everyone just walks across thestreet from the Vanity Fair party.In Style magazine is our sponsor.We have dinner to watch theceremony, and then we wait forpeople to arrive after the show.I'm busy making sure people arecomfortable and providing soundbites for people outside. I love it.I get to meet people I've nevermet before.

4. “The Lion King'' won twoOscars and three Grammys andsold more than 10 millionalbums. Is it tough to live up tothose expectations with your new"El Dorado" album?

Elton: "The Lion King" is whateverybody aims for. But youcan't make another Lion King.No one can. I think the songs onthis album are actually betterthan “The Lion King.” But themovie is an enigma, really. TheRoad to El Dorado is a funmovie, but it's not The Lion King.

5. You are awake at dawn todo this interview. Do you everwant to sit back and relax?

Elton: Well, I think about it.On my days off, I know how tochill. It's very hard for me to sitstill. I'm not one to sit still andread a book, although I do read.Instead of reaching 50 with acareer and concerts, I've got myfingers in different pies. I can'tjust sit down and write rock 'n'roll songs anymore. I've evolved.This is fabulous.

Don't talk to Elton Johnabout slowing down. "It'svery hard for me to sit

still," he said as he embarked ona USA promotional campaign fora new album, and his Broadwaymusical "Aida."

On the eve of his 53rdbirthday, it is obvious he hasmellowed a bit. That's due toeither maturity or physicalrealities: he was fitted with apacemaker last year to overcomewhat he called "a minorimbalance in my heart."

During his stay at his home inAtlanta, he goes shopping,browses record stores and staysaccessible to fans and the media.He doesn't understand thosereclusive celebrity types. "I thinkthat's more of an Americandisease - Barbra Streisand,Michael Jackson, people likethat. I like going out. People arealways very pleasant. I'm notgoing to shut myself off. It keepsyou grounded a bit,'' Elton saidin a telephone interview from hisWest Hollywood hotel.

Although his outfits are nowrelatively conservative in black orwhite - and no glitter - Elton isnot resting on his numerouslaurels, including Oscar, Tony,Golden Globe and Grammyawards, and, of course, thatBritish knighthood bestowed byQueen Elizabeth. But he's stillenergetic. The Broadway curtain

5 q’s5 QUESTIONS WITH ELTONIN MARCH, ELTON TOURED THE USA PROMOTING HIS NEW CD ‘THE ROAD TO ELDORADO’. DURING THIS TIME, HE SPOKE EXTENSIVELY TO THE MEDIA, AND HEREWE HIGHLIGHT THE BEST PARTS FROM ONE OF THE MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS:

Adapted from an interview by J Wilson, Los Angeles (AP).

Please do not ask members of the HerculesTeam to supply copies of the originalinterview.

WWWWatfordatch

CLUB AT THE END OF THE TABLE

It seemed inevitable thatWatford’s stay in the

Premiership would be briefand so it was. The Hornetsfinished seven points adriftat the bottom of the table,where they have been formost of the season, and tenpoints from safety. Theseare the depressing statistics:

Played 38, Won 6, Drawn 6, Lost 26, Goals for 35, Goals Against 77, Points 24.

But it wasn’t all doomand gloom. In the thirdgame they pulled offarguably the shock result ofthe season with a 1-0 win atLiverpool. Then there wasthe 1-0 home defeat ofChelsea. Combined withanother 1-0 win againstfellow relegation candidatesBradford, it didn’t look toobad. Two wins from thefollowing twenty two gamespainted a more realisticpicture.

They suffered injuriestoo. Nick Wright, scorer ofthat wonder goal in lastyear’s play-off final, startedjust two league games andhas a question mark

hanging over his career. BartNoel-Williams, TomMooney and Allan Smartplayed only one, seven andthirteen games respectively.Crucially these were theplayers central to Watford’ssurvival hopes. With asquad already short of thenecessary quality, injurieslike this were a killer blow.

So what are Watford’schances for next season?Good, if the playersmentioned above play amajor role. Add promisingyoungsters like CharlieMiller, David Perpetuini andDarren Ward and thestrength of £1.5 millionsigning Heidar Helgusonand they might just do itagain.

The final word goes tothe fans. At Middlesbrough,the final away game, theycarried a self-mockingbanner reading “We’re OutOf Your League”.

You can keep up to dateon Watford’s progressthrough their excellentwebsite –www.watfordfc.co.uk<http://www.watfordfc.co.uk/>- as well as the weeklyWatford Watch on our ownHercules site.

David Wright takes a look back over WatfordFootball Club’s season

On Elton’sbirthday, March

25th, Hercules heldconventions inLondon, Chicago andFlorida. It’s a greatexcuse for fans ofElton to get together,swap stories, buy orsell merchandise, andgenerally have a lot offun.

In the UK, Eltonlook-a-like RayJohnson turned a fewheads when he walkedinto the bar of theAnna Hotel in Londonto join in the fun.Some Americanvisitors to the UK, whohappened to be staying in thesame hotel, thought that it wasElton himself who had arrived. Somuch so, that one lady ran outand bought him a bunch offlowers to show her appreciation!

The new CD, The Road to ElDorado was played loudly in thebar; it was the first time many fans

had had the chance to hear

it. And the usual quizzes andgames were played to test theknowledge of even the mostardent fan!

In the USA, members had thechance to talk about recent EJshows they had attended, and asyou can see from the photo, theparty in Florida celebrated withElton’s favourite - the infamous

Diet Coke!The next Convention will be

held in Germany, prior to Elton’sconcert in Kassel on 23 June2000.. All fans are welcome at theHotel Schweizer-Hof from noon toapprox 6pm, which is withinwalking distance of the concertvenue.


QUESTIONSQuestion 1: At which gig did Elton

perform "The Benedict CanyonBoogie"?

Question 2: Has Elton ever performedthe Thom Bell song "Mama Can'tBuy You Love" live on stage?

Question 3: Who did Elton dedicatehis rendition of Pinball Wizard toon Christmas Eve at theHammersmith Odeon in 1982 ?

Question 4: Portland, Oregon, USA,October 1975 - the West of theRockies tour; Elton starts playingGoodbye Yellow Brick Road. Afew lines into the chorus, the bandstop. Then Elton himself suddenlystops playing. Elton insists it isbecause the crowd are not joiningin to help him out with the highnotes. What was the real reason?Was it because,a.) A herd of buffalo were charging thestage? b.) There was a power cut? c.) Someone threw a firecracker onto stage?

Question 5: Elton once famously said on stage that The Fox albumhad not been a major sales success. Did he say it had gone :-a.) Plastic? b.) Cardboard? c.) Senile?

Question 6: In which year was the song Chameleon, which featureson the Blue Moves album, written?

Question 7: How many "fish" references are there in the song "SolarPrestige A Gammon"?

Question 8: What year was Elton’s version of Pinball Wizardrecorded? It was put out as a single in 1976 right? But whenwas it recorded ?

Question 9: Why was the Yellow Brick Road album not recorded inJamaica, as originally planned? Bernie Taupin once explainedwhy in an interview, what did he have to say?a.) "Elton preferred the Chateau instead - with it's tennis courtsand on-site catering."b.) "Because the Jamaicans are all jerk-offs."c.) "Things were pretty funky in Jamaica at that time."

Question 10: What is Elton's most performed live song of all time? a.) Burn Down The Mission. b.) Your Song. c.) Daniel.

Question 11: In 1978, Elton performed a novel rendition of RocketMan before a stunned Australian audience. During this 25minute marathon, Elton apparently slagged off a whole gamut ofcelebrities and dignitaries. Can you select the correct trio whowere most on the receiving end of Elton's acid tongue that night?a.) Mother Teresa, the Ayatollah and the Pope.b.) Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the Prince of Wales.c.) Madonna, David Bowie, and Rod Stewart.

Question 12: In what year and with whom did Elton write theGoaldiggers song? And what was it's aim?

Thanks to David Bisese and Ted Walters for their contribution

ANSWERS: Answer 1: The Century Plaza, New York,

October 1978, where Elton unveiledA Single Man album to the executivesand staff of MCA Records. A memberof the audience shouted out "Play theBenedict Canyon Boogie, Elton!".Elton didn't know this number, but,ever one to please the crowd, hegave it his best shot, and so he madeup the words.... with hilariousconsequences.....

"Oh the Benedict CanyonBoogie, is better than cold water,

oh the Benedict CanyonBoogie is a better than cold water.....

but I don't give a sh*t....... costhe song's not a hit!"

Answer 2: Surprisingly, yes, at leastonce - he played it at a solo gig at theUniversal Amphitheatre in LosAngeles in October 1979.

Answer 3: "Pussy from Scotland". Doesanyone know who this is?!

Answer 4: = c.)

Answer 5: = b.) Cardboard

Answer 6: Although it did not appear onBlue Moves until 1976, Chameleon'slyrics can be traced back to at least1974. The melody itself wassupposedly written in 1974 whileElton was aboard the cruise liner theSS France. A most fruitful trip forElton, that same stint aboard shipproduced much of the music thatgraced the beautiful Captain Fantasticalbum.

Answer 7: Five (Turbert (Turbot); Salmon;Sardin (Sardine); Cod; Ray.)

Answer 8: 1974.

Answer 9: = c.)

Answer 10: = b.) Gotta be! Have anyfans out there been to an Elton showwhen he HASN’T done Your Song?!

Answer 11 = a.) And despite there beinga recording, Elton maintains we shallnever get to see or hear that one - buthe still loves to talk about it anyway!

Answer 12: 1977 - with Gary Osborne. Itwas written to raise money for moreand improved football andrecreational grounds throughout the UK.

Areyousure?!

A light-hearted look at some of the facts & trivia behind Elton’s live performances and recordings over the years.

Compiled by Adam Buckley

conventionally speaking...

Ray ‘Elton’ Johnson and Nigel Coleman relaxing in the bar at the UK Convention (Photo: N Coleman)

All smiles at the USA Convention (Photo: Barb Crowley)(Photo: Barb Crowley)


Pat Boone once sued Eltonfor the "la la la la"

passages in "Crocodile Rock".He claimed that they werestolen from his 1962 hit"Speedy Gonzalez".

When Elton was awardeda star on Hollywood

Boulevard's Walk Of Fameon November 21, 1975, itwas the first time in thehistory of 1,662 ceremoniesthat the whole street had tobe closed off because of thecrowds of fans.

During the summer of1979, at a rented house

in the south of France, Eltonwrote the words and musicfor a song about his Polaroidcamera. It remainsunpublished.

GOSSIP ABOUT ELTON - FOUND OF COURSE, BETWEEN PAGES 17 AND 20!!

Elton may haveoutgrown the duckcostume, but TheRoad to El Doradoproves he’s stillplayful. While R2Eisn’t necessarilythe best movie foryoung children, it’sgreat for teens, andof course Elton fans of allages. What fans can beoffended by a few “hells”,when Elton himself swearslike a sailor in Tantrums &Tiaras?

Set in Spain in 1519, Eltonnarrates this historical fiction,a story of Tulio and Miguel, asthey inadvertently find them-selves aboard Cortez’s shipheaded for the New World.

The partners befriendCortez’s horse, Altivo, and thethree are on their way to theQueen of Cities. Of course,by the end of the journey, theyrealize that friendship is morevaluable than the gold of ElDorado. The city of ElDorado resembled the Mexicoride at Epcot - a little toomuch for my comfort.Fortunately, I wouldn’t expectDisney to embrace the movieand renovate, so I guess we’re

still safe from thebad guy, Tzekel-Kan, at Epcot.

But, back tothe movie...

M u s i c a l l y ,Elton’s “sound-track” album ismuch more enjoy-able than the

music in the actual film. Keepyour ears open for “WithoutQuestion.” It begins, andends, with the first few mea-sures of “Daniel.” (Could thisbe a reference to Daniel head-ing for Spain??)

This will be an excitingmovie to rent on DVD.Hopefully the producer willinclude several of the deletedscenes. It would be interest-ing to see the scenes thatwe’ve heard the music for,such as “Hey Armadillo!,”and “The Panic In Me.”

In summary, WITHOUTQUESTION, I have to giveR2E double thumbs up.TRUST ME!

Whilst the movie is ongeneral release in the USA,European fans will have towait until later this year to seeit for themselves.

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20

Sir Eltonheadlined a

major concertevent at Broadway's

New AmsterdamTheater, where a cast of

celebrity performers fromBroadway joined him in all startribute in his honor on April 3,2000. The Elton John Bandprovided the accompaniment toall the performers and NigelOlsson joined in on backingvocals and as a drummer aswell.

Having had the pleasure ofattending this once-in-a-lifetimeevent, I was dazzled as the starsof Broadway performed thehottest hits of Sir Elton's career.He returned the praise by singingsome of Broadway's greatestshowtunes, including, "Diamondsare a Girl's Best Friend,"(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes),"Somewhere," (West Side Story),and closing with "Circle of Life."

Hosted by Nathan Lane andChristine Baransky, Broadway'sbrightest stars participated in theall star tribute by providing theirbreathtaking interpretations ofElton's music through the years.Highlights included, AdamPaschal (AIDA) singing "SomeoneSaved My Life Tonight," SamHarris, "The Bitch Is Back,"Andrea McArdle with "Bennieand the Jets”.

Wearing Harry Winstondiamonds valued at $5 milliondollars, Elton made a glitteringentrance with a tiara, danglingearrings and necklace. His blackVersace suit with glittering stonescomplemented his diamondsplendor. Elton graced the stagewith an entourage of attractivemen to perform "Diamonds are a

Girl's Best Friend," and set theaudience roaring!! He trulyappeared to have a great time,allowing himself a few pausingmoments and a good chuckle toenjoy his dancing male chorus. Itwas a pleasure to see Sir Eltonperform in this type of repertoire,as his talent is immense andmore complex than as he puts it,"being stuck behind the piano."

Following the event, whichraised $450,000 for BroadwayCare/Equity Fights AIDS and theElton John AIDS Foundation, aparty was held at Barney's onMadison Avenue in New YorkCity. The famous departmentstore prepared special windows,using costumes popularized byElton during his three decadecareer. The display included theDonald Duck outfit from CentralPark 1980, early 70's costumes,and various stage costumesrecognizable as vintage Elton.One that particularly impressedme was the spaceman costumewith a train that encompassedthe entire floor of the displaywindow.

I think it's gonna be a longlong time before an opportunitycomes along like this again.Bravo to all the performers andcongratulations Sir Elton on onelong and illustrious career.

But it doesn’t stop there! Tendays later, and I had the greatpleasure of attending the annualRAINFOREST BENEFITSHOW.....

Carnegie Hall rocked withthis year's Rainforest Benefit onApril 13, 2000. This yearmarked the 10th consecutiveyear that Sting and his wifeTrudie Styler have sponsored theannual event. "Respect" was thetheme which included Sting,Elton, James Taylor, Billy Joel,Macy Gray, Percy Sledge, GladysKnight, Martha Reeves, SamMoore (of Sam and Dave), RickyMartin and the Impressions. Twosurprise guests included DanAkroyd, and last but not leastStevie Wonder.

This year's 10th annualCarnegie Hall event was, in myopinion, the best I have seen todate. Having had the pleasure of

seeing the event since 1995, thisevent was the most memorable,tripping down the fantasticMotown memory lane.

The show opened with Sting,Elton, Billy, James and theImpressions singing, "People GetReady," which set the tone forthe soulful sounds of the musicof the 60's and 70's that was tofollow.

My Trip Down The Road to El Dorado

Club mem

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by Reggie Zippo


Neil Sedaka was the veryfirst recording artist to

sign with Rocket Records.

Elton did not want torelease "Bennie And The

Jets" as a single in the USA,but Dick James insisted.

17-11-70 was released earlier than

planned in an effort toundermine the bootlegcopies that were already incirculation.

Dick James did not wantto release "Daniel" as a

single in the USA, but Eltoninsisted.

The original title for "RockOf The Westies" was

"Bottled and Brained".

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20ANOTHER VERSE OF OUR REGULAR COLUMN FEATURING TRIVIA AND


Elton has opened his heart onhis relationship with David; inan April interview with UK

daily newspaper The Mirror, hecalls David "the love of my life".

Elton also says his feelings forthe former advertising executivemay lead to him to cut back onhis workload. "If I don't starttaking it easier, David will

probably killme," he said."He misses mewhen I'm away.

"I'm so inlove with theguy. The pictureof him I keepbeside my bedis one of mymost treasuredpossessions. Ifthere was a firein myapartment - inAtlanta, where Ihave a beautifulphotographcollection - theone picture Iwould take isthe one of himas a little boy."

Elton laidbare hisemotions in hissuite at the LosAngelesCentury PlazaHotel. And hewent on tocredit David

with keeping his feet firmly on theground. "Drugs and drink nearlydestroyed me and I didn't knowhow to have a healthyrelationship," says Elton. "But I'vebeen sober now for ten years andwhat I love most in my life is mysobriety and my relationships withmy friends, family and partner.David is clever and intelligent andnot willing to put up with any shit.

He has his own identity and joband that's why it works. We haveour disagreements but it's a 50-50partnership. The worst thing youcan do is make someone followyou around the world because inthe end he'll feel like a lapdog. Imade that mistake so many times.

"I would fall in love afterseeing someone across the bar.Then he'd go through the EltonJohn treadmill and come out witha Cartier watch and no identity."

Elton, says he's a changed manin more than one respect. His loveof all things flamboyant is not asexcessive as it used to be. Heshudders when he's reminded ofthe Louis XIV costume he wore tohis 50th birthday party. The wigwas so big that Elton had to rideto the bash in a van.

"The driver went the wrongway to the party so I was stuck inthe van for an hour and a half. Iwas screaming with pain becausethe wig was stuck on with knittingneedles and glue and everything.

"When I was lowered from thevan I went, 'Aaaargh!' and racedin and took the wig off and said toDavid, 'If I ever do this again,please stop me.' I enjoy dressingup but things have changed andI'm much more mature now."

Adapted from The Mirror, April2000.

Please do not ask the Herculesstaff to supply copies of theoriginal newspaper interview.

Sting introduced Eltonperforming a tribute to the lateScreaming Jay Hawkins bysaying, "The group took a votebackstage as to who would singthe tribute. Elton said he woulddo it since he's been screamingall of his life." Elton thenentertained us with his versionof "I Put a Spell on You",wearing a darling version of anearly Halloween outfit, which

consisted of a black velvetcape, sunglasses and a voodoostick that had a lighted skeletonhead. Creeping about thestage, hiding beneath his cape,and singing in a growling"bluesey" tone, he stole theshow.

Elton also sang, "It TakesTwo," with Gladys Knight in thefirst half of the show. In thesecond half he appeared inwhat can be described as a"John Travolta Original" whitesuit with pink shirt and pinkpatent leather shoes. He did notdisappoint with the only disconumber in the show. Elton said,"We're going to go back to thedays of Studio 54, where I leftmy nose." He then sang lead on"Disco Inferno" with JamesTaylor, Sting, Ricky Martin, TomJones, and Sam Moore, backing

him up in a complete ensembleof neon colored afro wigs!!

In the finale, the entiregroup joined in a version of"Amen" and "Dancing in theStreets." Elton donned MacyGray's red feather boa, andalong with some of the otherperformers brought audiencemembers on to the stage. Eltongrabbed a lucky lady whoseemed to have the time of herlife participating with Elton andthe rest of the group on stage.

This was the last RainforestBenefit for awhile, as Trudieand Sting reassured they wereonly taking a break next year."We'll come back at it thefollowing year in a differentlocation and change it, " Trudiestated in a TV interview.Whatever and wherever it willbe, I'm sure it will gain our"RESPECT”!

CHORUS OF LIGHTPart of Elton’s famous art

collection is set to be thesubject of a Museum

Exhibition later this year........."I've become passionate

about this, more than anythingI've collected - and I collect alot of things!"

Elton is talking about his 10-year-old photography collection,being readied for its first publicshowing. Chorus of Light will beon view from Nov. 4 2000through to January2001 at theHigh Museum of Art in Atlanta,where Elton has a home.

The collection is heavy onvintage 20th century black-and-white photos, with surrealistwork, studies of natural formsfrom flowers to the human body,fashion pictures and celebrityphotos that include The Beatlesand jazz greats.

It will be installed in the wayElton displays the photographs athome, in mixtures of styles andperiods. Dressed in a plaidjacket, orange T-shirt and socks,and khakis, Elton was exuberantat a press event: "I've never beenso excited by a visual art form."His collection has swelled toabout 2,500 items; he hasexpanded from the 2,000-square-foot duplex he bought in1991 in Atlanta to 18,000 squarefeet, with wall space for 800 to900 photos. He's about to hire acurator to deal with it all.

Having a personal collection,he says, "is like having a child."It's hard to have it leave home:"I'll be sleeping at the museumevery night," he joked.

Elton, who never takes photoshimself, is thinking big about hispassion. London lacks a separatephotos-only gallery, and he says:"I'll pioneer for the rest of my lifeto get a proper photo museum."The High Museum plans a fundfor a permanent collection inElton’s name.

Asked if he has any piecesthat might be objected to by NewYork Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whohas taken issue with some art,Elton said, "Not in the exhibit. Butif you come to the apartment,there's a lot!" The High curatorfor his show said it does includemale and female nudes.

ELTON OPENSHEART ON HIS SOUL MATE


MOST ELTON FANS WILLREMEMBER HE ONCEOCCUPIED A LOVELY

BUNGALOW-MANSION INVIRGINIA WATER, SURREY,

CALLED HERCULES.

Hercules, Elton's fan club,is delighted toexclusively advise that

this house is now up for sale.It's fate could belong to a non-fan purchasing it, or it couldeven face demolition. Theproperty's future lies in thehands of anyone with theasking price of £1.495m tospend on a purpose-built, well-maintained house, freeholdland andswimmingpool/garden.

The property issurrounded byother houses,separated by theusual walls,hedgerows andtwo gates servingthe drive to thefront of the 1960sproperty. It has awonderful horsestatue in the back garden,towering above the swimmingpool.

The fate of the property isnot a straight forward matter.Current owner, Robert White,partner in White Development,bought the house six weeks agofrom a Jordanian family whohad renamed the property moresuitably Villa Rayah. Theprevious owners also decidedto take most fixtures and fittingswith them.

The one act of sacrilege wasto remove the name of"Hercules" from a boulderwhich stands outside the mainentrance. The inscription waschiselled away. But don’t blameMr White - this was donebefore he had bought theproperty.

However, as the photosshow, the property itself is ingood decorative condition, andeverything was in working

order when Hercules UKmanager George Matlock andHercules web reporter DavidWright paid a visit to thepremises on May 7, 2000. Thefitted kitchen has been recentlymodernised.

Viewing this property showsthat marble is also much inevidence on the ground floor,and two elegant Roman pillarssupport the reception hall area.

Hercules (aka Villa Rayah),spanning 6,300 square feet onland of 0.845 acres, ispencilled for demolition by MrWhite, to make way for alarger, more functional propertywhich will utilise the existingland coverage but increaseheight by a total of 2,000 sq. ft.That's an increase of 30% ofthe existing property size.

A new swimming pool isalso planned. The property,which Elton sold in 1976 tomove into nearby Woodside,boasts 4 bedrooms, twobathrooms and an extensionbuilt by the recent owners tofacilitate a familyroom/conservatory - althoughwith less glazing than suchextensions typically afford. Oneof the bathroom showers hasroom for 5 persons standing!So, doubtless it will be usefulto the Watford football squad!

Demolition and re-

EXCLUSIVE: A HOUSE NAMED HERCULES - FOR SALE

would not get favorable seats.Well, the reason I said that isbecause as soon as I entered theactual concert area I realized thatALL of the seats were FANtastic!So, it really didn't matter if I hadfloor seats or otherwise. Theauditorium was so small (the sizeof a large school gymnasium) thatEJ was going to be close at anyangle.

The crowd still seemed ratherhushed while they quietly waitingfor EJ to arrive. As theprerecorded intro music began toblare at about 8:15pm, however,the tranquil gathering turned intoa frenzied throng of die-hard fans.EJ was about to emerge! On cue,Elton entered the stage area andquickly made his way to histrademark black grand piano tobegin the familiar "Your Song"show starter.

To describe EJ's performancefor each song would be pointless,since we all already know howbrilliantly he performs each oldsong to sound brand new withmuch enthusiasm. Suffice it tosay, EJ was flawless throughout theentire concert. I was not surprisedby any of the selections because Ihad a copy of the set list firmly inhand before the concert evenstarted.

Hanging from the rafters aboveElton was a very large apparatus of

lights that had parachute typefabric extending outward to givethe impression of a hot airballoon, which had imprints ofgolden Lalique type angels allaround. After several songs, thelighting rig began to slowly extendoutward in all directions. The endresult was a magnificentchandelier of lights and goldenmetal.

Mid way through the concert,EJ did the usual signature walk inwhich he starts at the far end ofthe stage to begin shaking handsand autographing variousmemorabilia. As EJ neared theend of this autograph session, Ihappened to look up at one of thelarge video screens to see Barb'smarionette doll in full view. Eltonwas smiling and laughing as heplayed with the doll on stage. Thecrowd went wild. Everyonecheered as EJ worked themarionette until a stagehand cameto take it away from him. Barb'sgift was clearly a hit with EJ andthe entire audience.

As the nearly 3 hour concertcame to a close, and all of theencores had been exhausted, itwas finally time for Elton to saygoodbye. Everyone knew that"Candle In The Wind" would bethe last encore because EJ wasnow wearing his travelling outfitwhen he emerged onstage. It

seemed only a moment ago thatthe concert had started. Was itworth braving hours of chillingwinds to purchase a ticket? Was itworth taking a day off from workto travel to Lakeland to attend theconcert? I would not havechanged a single moment. Thewhole experience was, for lack ofa better word, awesome!

SET LIST FROM THE SPRING 2000 TOUR OF THE USA:

Your Song Skyline Pigeon

The Greatest Discovery Border Song

DanielHarmony

Honky Cat Rocket Man Tiny Dancer

Someday Out Of The Blue(accompanied with fresh video

scenes from El Dorado) Philadelphia Freedom

Blessed Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest

Word I Guess That's Why They Call It

The Blues Ticking

Carla/Etude Tonight

Burn Down The Mission The One Blue Eyes

Empty Garden (accompanied with a video tribute

to John Lennon)Take Me To The Pilot

Don't Let The Sun Go Down OnMe

Crocodile Rock Can You Feel The Love Tonight(accompanied with video scenes

from The Lion King)Bennie And The Jets Candle In The Wind

concert review ~ concert review ~ concert reviewH ERCULES H OUSE

concert review ~ concert review ~ concert review


development will require theconsent of municipal authorityRunnymede Borough Council.The Council is due to meet incommittee in late May/earlyJune to consider the applicationfor demolition and to hear localresidents' views. Mr Whitemaintains, in a brief interviewwith George, that the propertyspecifications do meet planningrequirements, and precedent formaterial changes has been set -the property to the left iscurrently undergoing extensivework. Mr White explained thathe has already satisfactorilyworked on four properties inthe area.

However, there are also twobids for the estate which maysave the property from anysubstantial change. We do notwish to make any extensivedescription of those offers, norprejudice the council meeting.However, in order for you tomake a rational decision onwhether or not to volunteer aserious offer for the estate, wemust advise that both offersalready made are serious, andamount to close to the askingprice of £1.495m. The propertyis being marketed by estateagents Chancellors. Mr Whitehas kindly agreed to leave theoffer open to others after

Hercules'intervention.

Apparently,both potentialpurchasershave advisedMr White theyare willing toincrease theiroffers, but MrWhite is alsowilling to takeserious offersfrom otherparties.

The buyer, we hope, wouldbe an Elton John fan. We havealso advised Elton'smanagement of the saleopportunity. However, evensomeone known to a real fanwho may learn of this salethrough us would be welcome.Our only intention is to providefans with an opportunity topreserve the property if a buyercan be found speedily.

Hercules is not acting as anagent in this sale and stands tomake no financial gain. Wemerely bring this information toyour attention as a publicservice. Serious offers onlyplease, should be sent inconfidence to Robert White,White Developments, 33Hillsborough Park, Camberley,Surrey, GU15 1HG, UnitedKingdom. Tel. +44 1276683410.

Hercules cannot receive anyoffers. White Developmentsmust receive directly detailedbids by 16 June 2000, andinitial offers should preferablybe lodged before then. All otherenquiries to WhiteDevelopments. Hercules wouldlike to thank Mr White for hisassistance in access to theproperty, and wish all partiesan amicable resolution.

J U S T F O R F U N

1. She’s calculatedWith the kiss of death

2. We just breed and we lose our nerveAnd there’re bombs going off inevery corner of the world.

3. Just like a hustler when they lookattractive

It’s nothing much more than a slapon the back.

4. With a bottle of booze in the back ofmy car

You’re a song on the lips of an ageingstar.

5. And mother drops by MondaysJust to nag about the world

6. For that sweet bird of youthI could be great like TennesseeWilliams

7. And as her car pulled out of themotel

She felt the presence of someone8. Yellow blue green and blue

Settling on the window pane9. It’s meant a lot to me to start anew

Oh, the winter’s cold and I’m sowarm with you

10. There are caravans we followDrunken nights in dark hotels

11. Watched you kiss your old daddywith passion

And tell dirty jokes as he died12. Strangled by infatuation

Buried under someone’s thumb

Have a go at our popular lyric quiz.We give you a line - see if you can

name the song! (Answers on page 26)

LYRIC QUIZFebruary 5, 2000, at 4:00am

was a very dark and coldSaturday morning that found metravelling at break neck speed tothe Lakeland Civic Center inFlorida. I was about an houraway with a mission to be amongthe first of the local die-hard fansto purchase a ticket for theupcoming March 17 Elton Johnsolo concert. The tickets wouldbe available at 10:00am, but Ineeded to be in the line veryearly that morning. First comefirst served was the rule of theday. It was essential for me to getthere ahead of the crowd in orderto be seated in or near the frontrow. As I neared the CivicCenter, anticipation mounted inmy soul. My spirit was high withaccomplishment of having arrivedin record time. That is until I sawa large group of people alreadygathered at the ticket booth.

Disappointment immediatelyset in as I counted 55 peoplewaiting in line ahead of me.Eventually, I found out that someof them had been there as early as4:00pm the day before. I am atrue die-hard fan, but I could notimagine braving below freezingweather for 18 hours with verylittle protection. Since this samescene was probably taking placeat other ticket locations aroundFlorida, I could not help butwonder if I would even be able toget a floor seat.

Time pressed forward as Ibecame familiar with the otherfans in line. I discovered that afew of the people were theresimply because their partners had

sent them alone to brave theelements. One husband told methat his wife said, "Don't comeback without great seats!" Thatpoor fellow was just ahead of me.By 7:00am, a local radio stationhad set up a remote broadcast toreport on the fans that werewaiting to purchase tickets.Classic EJ songs filled the air as themorning sun began to glow. Ataround 9:00am, the line behindme stretched out to a sea of fansthat were not as smart as the restof us. I started to feel a little betterabout being number 56 in line.

Finally, 10:00am signaled theopening of the ticket booths. Asthe first few people received theirtreasures, I could hear shouts ofglee that they had gotten seats inthe seventh row. First in line atthe location of the concert and theclosest they could get was in theseventh row? What chanceswould I have of getting that closewhen I was so far away in line?At this point, I doubted that Iwould even be able to get one ofthe floor seats. Finally, I was thenext to receive the long awaitedticket! Row 39! Well, at least itwas a floor seat. As I walked backI passed the many fans that wouldstill be in line long after I foundmy way back to the main roadhome. I felt so sorry for them tohave to settle for less thanfavorable seats; this sorrow,

however, was misplaced when Ientered the auditorium on theevening of the concert.

When March 17 finallyarrived, I was so excited that Icould barely contain myself. Theplan was to meet up with a fellowHercules member (Barb Meadowsfrom Orlando) and arrive at theauditorium in plenty of time.Since Barb got sidetracked tryingto sneak into Elton's sound checksession, which she did notaccomplish, we were not able tomeet for dinner.

As I entered the main buildingof the Civic Center, the moodseemed rather hushed. Not atypical setting for an EJ concert.Everyone was just quietly walkingaround. This seemed odd to me,so I began to hand out Herculespostcards to anyone who waswearing an EJ concert T-shirt.Before long, Barb came over andintroduced herself, and showedme a wonderful creation that shehad commissioned to specificallygive to EJ during the concert. Itwas a marionette doll with aperfect rendering of EJ's face fromthe Made In England album. Theface was a remarkable detailedpainting and the rest of the dollwas equally crafted. This dollwould prove to be a show stopper.More about that in just a moment.

Earlier, I stated that my sorrowwas misplaced for the fans who

A personal account of one of Elton’s USA solo concerts, by Reggie Zippo

Zippo’s

USAFIRST EPISODE AT LAKELAND

As with our AIDA review in1999, we asked severalHercules department

chiefs to give their expert viewsin short bursts on Elton's newalbum release. They voted fortheir best songs, voting 14 fortheir favourite song and 1 fortheir least. We collate their votesbelow.

AB = ARJEN BUIKSTRA, Hercules BeneluxTL = TAMMI LAW, Hercules Chief EditorFL = FRAN LINDEN-GILLES, Hercules FrancaisGM = GEORGE MATLOCK, Hercules UKBM = BARB MEADOWS, Hercules Chat EditorMM = MIREILLE MOLBERT, Hercules Fan Adviser

EL DORADOReminds me of Healing

Hands. My favourite (TL). Samehere! Great live band song, akinto Tears For Fears' Seeds of Love,or Beatles' Sgt. Pepper (GM). Nicesong overall, but nothing special(AB). I'd like to hear it without thefanfares (BM). Nice beginning fora soundtrack. Especially like thefanfare - very glamorous. Song isgreat to sing along to (MM).Nobody can be insensitive to thispowerful intro with trumpets (FL).

SOMEDAY OUT OF THE BLUEVery powerful. I just love the

lyrics. The bridge "I still believe / Istill put faith in us" is a strike ofgenius. Have missed thosealternating rhythms for somealbums now (MM). Grows onyou. Love the alternating ofElton's voice alone and with thebackground vocals (FL). Catchytune (TL). Fit for Sir Cliff Richard.In I Guess That's..Blues genre, so Ilove it! (GM). Can't see it makingthe Top-40 in Holland. A plainsong from the Elton-makes-them-by-the-dozen factory (AB).

WITHOUT QUESTIONAfter the intro you could

expect a better song, a little toorepetitive (FL). I think we havehad enough ballads. This track isnot very inventive. The chorusreminds me of Emily. Very good

backing vocals "echoing" the leadvocal not unnoticed. Don Henleydid a great job (MM). Vocalperformance a bit laboured. Adreary song in my opinion (TL).Conquer the Sun? Alas, after thatinterest ebbs (GM). Begins with apiano-riddle that reminds of aconcert Take Me to the Pilot intro,but comparison stops there (AB).

FRIENDS NEVER SAY GOODBYEMy favourite. I would like to

see this released as a single (BM).The song with the most hit-potential. Backstreet Boys...theirinput, I admit, surprised me (AB).Backstreet Boys, vilified for theirAIDA work, have reputationredeemed! Great backing vocals!(GM). The rhythm fascinates memost. The background organseems to work against the voicebut they blend in very nicely. Ihave not heard a song by Eltonwhich would be fit to comparewith this one (MM). A top-40candidate. Wonderful balancebetween strings, piano and guitar.Bewitching chorus, a goodmarriage between Backtreet Boys'and Elton's voice (FL). A songwritten for a stage musical. Buildsto a moving chorus (TL).

THE TRAIL WE BLAZEA Country feel - my least

favourite of EJ's styles. Just not forme (TL). Organic Latitude sound,genetically modified with The BigPicture elements (GM). I like thecountry style, pleasant song,nothing more (FL). Adventurous.Love the bass (BM). Gets yougoing from the very first second. Asong in the style of Crosby, Stills,Nash & Young with a bit of DixieLily. Cosy and comfortable song(AB). I loved this song from thefirst: return to Whitewash County,though much softer. Proves Eltoncould be a great Country singer.Nigel Olsson: never imagined Iwould be able to tell his voicefrom other backing vocals but"Shangri-La" in this one does it.Nigel is back! (MM).

16TH CENTURY MANWould have made a great

theme song to the movie in lieu ofSomeday/Blue. A good beat , a lotof fun. I'd like to see The Muppetsdo the video (BM). I thought Eltonhad forgotten how to rock -judging The Big Picture. Historycan never become boring with asong like this! (MM). The one trueuptempo song on the album.Chorus quite catchy. Nothing likethe ones from the 70s (AB). Iwould like to hear live. I caneasily imagine Elton shaking hisright leg while playing it (FL). Atlast! A rocking, romping songwhich reminds us that Elton CANrock! (TL). Misplaced rocker.There's a time and place...(GM).

THE PANIC IN MESultry ballad, twist of Just Like

Belgium (GM). For me a realpearl. Perfect combinationbetween words and music. Elton'svoice is perfect. Thanks to Sir TimRice for these powerful lyrics (FL).Lovely, velvety song to get lost in(TL). This song features myfavourite piece of lyrics for a longtime: "For when you are laughing/ Like silver like rain / You coolme you soothe me / And love meagain." (MM). Couldn't reallymake up my mind, but after a fewmore listens, I decided to like thissong (AB).

IT'S TOUGH TO BE A GOD(Duet with Randy Newman)

Probably the Hakuna Matataof El Dorado. Very funny indeed.It fits perfectly to an animatedmovie. Rhythm and trumpet givethis work a Latino feel. This issomething Elton has definitelynever done before - at least on hisown albums. More duets! Some ofRandy Newman's more satiricsongs would be perfect (MM).Hakuna Matata it's not! Too sharpduet (GM). I don't like RandyNewman too much and I don'tlike the song itself too much (AB).Not a classic EJ song - just sounds

like a filler (TL). Too bad Elton andRandy's version wasn't used inthe movie - it's delightful! (BM).Let's not forget these songs aremade for an animated movie andfor children. I have tested thissong with my children. Theydefinitely love it (FL).

TRUST MEDavid Bowie-influenced

powerhouse. Brill! (GM). Goodchorus (TL). I love the demonicarguments of the piano and stringsin this one (BM). Start of songpromises a lot. Hints of worldmusic. You might hear aDidgeridoo. But, this song losesmuch of its depth with thecomparably flat chorus. The"untuned" violin makes it moreinteresting but subdued verseswith the sitar-like sounds are moreof a highlight (MM). Nocomment! Since the first listeningI automatically jump this song.Don't know what Elton tries toprove with it (FL). Elton recordedthis one from his toilet. Soundsthat way. Strange song, evensounds a bit experimenting butcan't really excite me, even withmore piano than other songs (AB).

MY HEART DANCESSoft ballad with a Spanish feel.

Lovely (TL). Like AIDA's How IKnow You ala Blessed (GM).Good, simple lyrics, as for the restI'm not really thrilled by this one(FL). Just the opposite of Trust Me.The very sadly sung chorus is nomatch for the slowly ripplingverses. Due to the prominentSpanish guitar parts, this remindsme a lot of "A Word In Spanish"which was not a creative highlighteither (MM).

QUEEN OF CITIESA bit too much of the word El

Dorado, which is probably a lotless irritating when you see somepictures with it (AB). Repetitive,too much "El Dorado" (GM). As aFrench-speaker I'm not tired

hearing Elton saying Barcelona,Aragon, Castille, Madrid with hisEnglish accent. I also love the endof the song with the second voicein the background (FL). Thechorus with the least variation inwords since Whispers. Still, theoften repeated "Eldorado" nevergets boring. It is not as powerfulas New York New York, but thenEl Dorado is not a metropolis(MM).

CHELDORADOCatchy, fun (BM). Silly name

for this classic (GM). Sad,lamenting Spanish melody (TL).Not assessed by other editors.

THE BRIGNot something I'd choose to

listen to; probably won't appearon my CD player very often! (TL).Risque, spicey - nice instrumental(BM). Not assessed by othereditors.

WONDERS OF THE NEW WORLDEvocative, liberating, world-

encompassing film score. Toomuch Star Wars, butswashbuckling too. A musicalmyriad! (GM). Fine, in the filmcontext (BM). Nice rollingpercussion. Obviously written fora 'happy' moment in a film (TL).Not assessed by other editors.

THE VOTE:El Dorado ..............................51Someday Out of The Blue ....50Without Question..................28Friends Never Say Goodbye ..48The Trial We Blaze ................3716th Century Man ................42The Panic In Me ....(Winner!) 52It’s Tough to be a God ..........40Trust Me ................................28My Heart Dances ..................39Queen of Cities ....................28Cheldorado ..........................15The Brig ..................................6Wonders of the New World ..15


Road to El DoradoBy the Editors of Hercules

The two lucky winners weredrawn on May 14th, and they are:Katherine Phillips, Florida, USA;and Keith Whitty, Wirral, UK.

A T-shirt has been posted toeach of you - well done!

Don’t despair if you missed out- you still have a chance of gettinghold of one of these rarities! Wehave two T-shirts available forauction, with proceeds benefitingthe Elton John Aids Foundation.Here’s how it works:

Write on a postcard themaximum you are willing to pay inDM (German Currency), with bidincrements in 5DM. The highestbidder will get the shirt for thesecond-highest bid, plus DM5.

For example: The highest bid isDM 250. The second highest bid isDM 175. The highest bidder willget the shirt for DM 180. If wehave more than one highestbidder, we will draw the "winner".

Send your postcard, alsostating your name, address andmembership number to: StephanHeimbecher, Hercules T-ShirtAuction, Orleansstr. 59, D-81667Munchen, Germany.

Closing date: July31st 2000.

HUGE RESPONSE TO LASTISSUE’S TOUR T-SHIRT FREE

PRIZE-DRAW!

In the March issue of The Mag, wegave all readers the chance to win

one of two very rare Elton Tour T-shirts, by entering a Free PrizeDraw. We had an overwhelmingresponse to this Draw - the highestnumber of entries to any Herculesoffer in history!

CD

REVIEW

As with our AIDA review in1999, we asked severalHercules department

chiefs to give their expert viewsin short bursts on Elton's newalbum release. They voted fortheir best songs, voting 14 fortheir favourite song and 1 fortheir least. We collate their votesbelow.

AB = ARJEN BUIKSTRA, Hercules BeneluxTL = TAMMI LAW, Hercules Chief EditorFL = FRAN LINDEN-GILLES, Hercules FrancaisGM = GEORGE MATLOCK, Hercules UKBM = BARB MEADOWS, Hercules Chat EditorMM = MIREILLE MOLBERT, Hercules Fan Adviser

EL DORADOReminds me of Healing

Hands. My favourite (TL). Samehere! Great live band song, akinto Tears For Fears' Seeds of Love,or Beatles' Sgt. Pepper (GM). Nicesong overall, but nothing special(AB). I'd like to hear it without thefanfares (BM). Nice beginning fora soundtrack. Especially like thefanfare - very glamorous. Song isgreat to sing along to (MM).Nobody can be insensitive to thispowerful intro with trumpets (FL).

SOMEDAY OUT OF THE BLUEVery powerful. I just love the

lyrics. The bridge "I still believe / Istill put faith in us" is a strike ofgenius. Have missed thosealternating rhythms for somealbums now (MM). Grows onyou. Love the alternating ofElton's voice alone and with thebackground vocals (FL). Catchytune (TL). Fit for Sir Cliff Richard.In I Guess That's..Blues genre, so Ilove it! (GM). Can't see it makingthe Top-40 in Holland. A plainsong from the Elton-makes-them-by-the-dozen factory (AB).

WITHOUT QUESTIONAfter the intro you could

expect a better song, a little toorepetitive (FL). I think we havehad enough ballads. This track isnot very inventive. The chorusreminds me of Emily. Very good

backing vocals "echoing" the leadvocal not unnoticed. Don Henleydid a great job (MM). Vocalperformance a bit laboured. Adreary song in my opinion (TL).Conquer the Sun? Alas, after thatinterest ebbs (GM). Begins with apiano-riddle that reminds of aconcert Take Me to the Pilot intro,but comparison stops there (AB).

FRIENDS NEVER SAY GOODBYEMy favourite. I would like to

see this released as a single (BM).The song with the most hit-potential. Backstreet Boys...theirinput, I admit, surprised me (AB).Backstreet Boys, vilified for theirAIDA work, have reputationredeemed! Great backing vocals!(GM). The rhythm fascinates memost. The background organseems to work against the voicebut they blend in very nicely. Ihave not heard a song by Eltonwhich would be fit to comparewith this one (MM). A top-40candidate. Wonderful balancebetween strings, piano and guitar.Bewitching chorus, a goodmarriage between Backtreet Boys'and Elton's voice (FL). A songwritten for a stage musical. Buildsto a moving chorus (TL).

THE TRAIL WE BLAZEA Country feel - my least

favourite of EJ's styles. Just not forme (TL). Organic Latitude sound,genetically modified with The BigPicture elements (GM). I like thecountry style, pleasant song,nothing more (FL). Adventurous.Love the bass (BM). Gets yougoing from the very first second. Asong in the style of Crosby, Stills,Nash & Young with a bit of DixieLily. Cosy and comfortable song(AB). I loved this song from thefirst: return to Whitewash County,though much softer. Proves Eltoncould be a great Country singer.Nigel Olsson: never imagined Iwould be able to tell his voicefrom other backing vocals but"Shangri-La" in this one does it.Nigel is back! (MM).

16TH CENTURY MANWould have made a great

theme song to the movie in lieu ofSomeday/Blue. A good beat , a lotof fun. I'd like to see The Muppetsdo the video (BM). I thought Eltonhad forgotten how to rock -judging The Big Picture. Historycan never become boring with asong like this! (MM). The one trueuptempo song on the album.Chorus quite catchy. Nothing likethe ones from the 70s (AB). Iwould like to hear live. I caneasily imagine Elton shaking hisright leg while playing it (FL). Atlast! A rocking, romping songwhich reminds us that Elton CANrock! (TL). Misplaced rocker.There's a time and place...(GM).

THE PANIC IN MESultry ballad, twist of Just Like

Belgium (GM). For me a realpearl. Perfect combinationbetween words and music. Elton'svoice is perfect. Thanks to Sir TimRice for these powerful lyrics (FL).Lovely, velvety song to get lost in(TL). This song features myfavourite piece of lyrics for a longtime: "For when you are laughing/ Like silver like rain / You coolme you soothe me / And love meagain." (MM). Couldn't reallymake up my mind, but after a fewmore listens, I decided to like thissong (AB).

IT'S TOUGH TO BE A GOD(Duet with Randy Newman)

Probably the Hakuna Matataof El Dorado. Very funny indeed.It fits perfectly to an animatedmovie. Rhythm and trumpet givethis work a Latino feel. This issomething Elton has definitelynever done before - at least on hisown albums. More duets! Some ofRandy Newman's more satiricsongs would be perfect (MM).Hakuna Matata it's not! Too sharpduet (GM). I don't like RandyNewman too much and I don'tlike the song itself too much (AB).Not a classic EJ song - just sounds

like a filler (TL). Too bad Elton andRandy's version wasn't used inthe movie - it's delightful! (BM).Let's not forget these songs aremade for an animated movie andfor children. I have tested thissong with my children. Theydefinitely love it (FL).

TRUST MEDavid Bowie-influenced

powerhouse. Brill! (GM). Goodchorus (TL). I love the demonicarguments of the piano and stringsin this one (BM). Start of songpromises a lot. Hints of worldmusic. You might hear aDidgeridoo. But, this song losesmuch of its depth with thecomparably flat chorus. The"untuned" violin makes it moreinteresting but subdued verseswith the sitar-like sounds are moreof a highlight (MM). Nocomment! Since the first listeningI automatically jump this song.Don't know what Elton tries toprove with it (FL). Elton recordedthis one from his toilet. Soundsthat way. Strange song, evensounds a bit experimenting butcan't really excite me, even withmore piano than other songs (AB).

MY HEART DANCESSoft ballad with a Spanish feel.

Lovely (TL). Like AIDA's How IKnow You ala Blessed (GM).Good, simple lyrics, as for the restI'm not really thrilled by this one(FL). Just the opposite of Trust Me.The very sadly sung chorus is nomatch for the slowly ripplingverses. Due to the prominentSpanish guitar parts, this remindsme a lot of "A Word In Spanish"which was not a creative highlighteither (MM).

QUEEN OF CITIESA bit too much of the word El

Dorado, which is probably a lotless irritating when you see somepictures with it (AB). Repetitive,too much "El Dorado" (GM). As aFrench-speaker I'm not tired

hearing Elton saying Barcelona,Aragon, Castille, Madrid with hisEnglish accent. I also love the endof the song with the second voicein the background (FL). Thechorus with the least variation inwords since Whispers. Still, theoften repeated "Eldorado" nevergets boring. It is not as powerfulas New York New York, but thenEl Dorado is not a metropolis(MM).

CHELDORADOCatchy, fun (BM). Silly name

for this classic (GM). Sad,lamenting Spanish melody (TL).Not assessed by other editors.

THE BRIGNot something I'd choose to

listen to; probably won't appearon my CD player very often! (TL).Risque, spicey - nice instrumental(BM). Not assessed by othereditors.

WONDERS OF THE NEW WORLDEvocative, liberating, world-

encompassing film score. Toomuch Star Wars, butswashbuckling too. A musicalmyriad! (GM). Fine, in the filmcontext (BM). Nice rollingpercussion. Obviously written fora 'happy' moment in a film (TL).Not assessed by other editors.

THE VOTE:El Dorado ..............................51Someday Out of The Blue ....50Without Question..................28Friends Never Say Goodbye ..48The Trial We Blaze ................3716th Century Man ................42The Panic In Me ....(Winner!) 52It’s Tough to be a God ..........40Trust Me ................................28My Heart Dances ..................39Queen of Cities ....................28Cheldorado ..........................15The Brig ..................................6Wonders of the New World ..15


Road to El DoradoBy the Editors of Hercules

The two lucky winners weredrawn on May 14th, and they are:Katherine Phillips, Florida, USA;and Keith Whitty, Wirral, UK.

A T-shirt has been posted toeach of you - well done!

Don’t despair if you missed out- you still have a chance of gettinghold of one of these rarities! Wehave two T-shirts available forauction, with proceeds benefitingthe Elton John Aids Foundation.Here’s how it works:

Write on a postcard themaximum you are willing to pay inDM (German Currency), with bidincrements in 5DM. The highestbidder will get the shirt for thesecond-highest bid, plus DM5.

For example: The highest bid isDM 250. The second highest bid isDM 175. The highest bidder willget the shirt for DM 180. If wehave more than one highestbidder, we will draw the "winner".

Send your postcard, alsostating your name, address andmembership number to: StephanHeimbecher, Hercules T-ShirtAuction, Orleansstr. 59, D-81667Munchen, Germany.

Closing date: July31st 2000.

HUGE RESPONSE TO LASTISSUE’S TOUR T-SHIRT FREE

PRIZE-DRAW!

In the March issue of The Mag, wegave all readers the chance to win

one of two very rare Elton Tour T-shirts, by entering a Free PrizeDraw. We had an overwhelmingresponse to this Draw - the highestnumber of entries to any Herculesoffer in history!

CD

REVIEW

concert review ~ concert review ~ concert review


development will require theconsent of municipal authorityRunnymede Borough Council.The Council is due to meet incommittee in late May/earlyJune to consider the applicationfor demolition and to hear localresidents' views. Mr Whitemaintains, in a brief interviewwith George, that the propertyspecifications do meet planningrequirements, and precedent formaterial changes has been set -the property to the left iscurrently undergoing extensivework. Mr White explained thathe has already satisfactorilyworked on four properties inthe area.

However, there are also twobids for the estate which maysave the property from anysubstantial change. We do notwish to make any extensivedescription of those offers, norprejudice the council meeting.However, in order for you tomake a rational decision onwhether or not to volunteer aserious offer for the estate, wemust advise that both offersalready made are serious, andamount to close to the askingprice of £1.495m. The propertyis being marketed by estateagents Chancellors. Mr Whitehas kindly agreed to leave theoffer open to others after

Hercules'intervention.

Apparently,both potentialpurchasershave advisedMr White theyare willing toincrease theiroffers, but MrWhite is alsowilling to takeserious offersfrom otherparties.

The buyer, we hope, wouldbe an Elton John fan. We havealso advised Elton'smanagement of the saleopportunity. However, evensomeone known to a real fanwho may learn of this salethrough us would be welcome.Our only intention is to providefans with an opportunity topreserve the property if a buyercan be found speedily.

Hercules is not acting as anagent in this sale and stands tomake no financial gain. Wemerely bring this information toyour attention as a publicservice. Serious offers onlyplease, should be sent inconfidence to Robert White,White Developments, 33Hillsborough Park, Camberley,Surrey, GU15 1HG, UnitedKingdom. Tel. +44 1276683410.

Hercules cannot receive anyoffers. White Developmentsmust receive directly detailedbids by 16 June 2000, andinitial offers should preferablybe lodged before then. All otherenquiries to WhiteDevelopments. Hercules wouldlike to thank Mr White for hisassistance in access to theproperty, and wish all partiesan amicable resolution.

J U S T F O R F U N

1. She’s calculatedWith the kiss of death

2. We just breed and we lose our nerveAnd there’re bombs going off inevery corner of the world.

3. Just like a hustler when they lookattractive

It’s nothing much more than a slapon the back.

4. With a bottle of booze in the back ofmy car

You’re a song on the lips of an ageingstar.

5. And mother drops by MondaysJust to nag about the world

6. For that sweet bird of youthI could be great like TennesseeWilliams

7. And as her car pulled out of themotel

She felt the presence of someone8. Yellow blue green and blue

Settling on the window pane9. It’s meant a lot to me to start anew

Oh, the winter’s cold and I’m sowarm with you

10. There are caravans we followDrunken nights in dark hotels

11. Watched you kiss your old daddywith passion

And tell dirty jokes as he died12. Strangled by infatuation

Buried under someone’s thumb

Have a go at our popular lyric quiz.We give you a line - see if you can

name the song! (Answers on page 26)

LYRIC QUIZFebruary 5, 2000, at 4:00am

was a very dark and coldSaturday morning that found metravelling at break neck speed tothe Lakeland Civic Center inFlorida. I was about an houraway with a mission to be amongthe first of the local die-hard fansto purchase a ticket for theupcoming March 17 Elton Johnsolo concert. The tickets wouldbe available at 10:00am, but Ineeded to be in the line veryearly that morning. First comefirst served was the rule of theday. It was essential for me to getthere ahead of the crowd in orderto be seated in or near the frontrow. As I neared the CivicCenter, anticipation mounted inmy soul. My spirit was high withaccomplishment of having arrivedin record time. That is until I sawa large group of people alreadygathered at the ticket booth.

Disappointment immediatelyset in as I counted 55 peoplewaiting in line ahead of me.Eventually, I found out that someof them had been there as early as4:00pm the day before. I am atrue die-hard fan, but I could notimagine braving below freezingweather for 18 hours with verylittle protection. Since this samescene was probably taking placeat other ticket locations aroundFlorida, I could not help butwonder if I would even be able toget a floor seat.

Time pressed forward as Ibecame familiar with the otherfans in line. I discovered that afew of the people were theresimply because their partners had

sent them alone to brave theelements. One husband told methat his wife said, "Don't comeback without great seats!" Thatpoor fellow was just ahead of me.By 7:00am, a local radio stationhad set up a remote broadcast toreport on the fans that werewaiting to purchase tickets.Classic EJ songs filled the air as themorning sun began to glow. Ataround 9:00am, the line behindme stretched out to a sea of fansthat were not as smart as the restof us. I started to feel a little betterabout being number 56 in line.

Finally, 10:00am signaled theopening of the ticket booths. Asthe first few people received theirtreasures, I could hear shouts ofglee that they had gotten seats inthe seventh row. First in line atthe location of the concert and theclosest they could get was in theseventh row? What chanceswould I have of getting that closewhen I was so far away in line?At this point, I doubted that Iwould even be able to get one ofthe floor seats. Finally, I was thenext to receive the long awaitedticket! Row 39! Well, at least itwas a floor seat. As I walked backI passed the many fans that wouldstill be in line long after I foundmy way back to the main roadhome. I felt so sorry for them tohave to settle for less thanfavorable seats; this sorrow,

however, was misplaced when Ientered the auditorium on theevening of the concert.

When March 17 finallyarrived, I was so excited that Icould barely contain myself. Theplan was to meet up with a fellowHercules member (Barb Meadowsfrom Orlando) and arrive at theauditorium in plenty of time.Since Barb got sidetracked tryingto sneak into Elton's sound checksession, which she did notaccomplish, we were not able tomeet for dinner.

As I entered the main buildingof the Civic Center, the moodseemed rather hushed. Not atypical setting for an EJ concert.Everyone was just quietly walkingaround. This seemed odd to me,so I began to hand out Herculespostcards to anyone who waswearing an EJ concert T-shirt.Before long, Barb came over andintroduced herself, and showedme a wonderful creation that shehad commissioned to specificallygive to EJ during the concert. Itwas a marionette doll with aperfect rendering of EJ's face fromthe Made In England album. Theface was a remarkable detailedpainting and the rest of the dollwas equally crafted. This dollwould prove to be a show stopper.More about that in just a moment.

Earlier, I stated that my sorrowwas misplaced for the fans who

A personal account of one of Elton’s USA solo concerts, by Reggie Zippo

Zippo’s

USAFIRST EPISODE AT LAKELAND


MOST ELTON FANS WILLREMEMBER HE ONCEOCCUPIED A LOVELY

BUNGALOW-MANSION INVIRGINIA WATER, SURREY,

CALLED HERCULES.

Hercules, Elton's fan club,is delighted toexclusively advise that

this house is now up for sale.It's fate could belong to a non-fan purchasing it, or it couldeven face demolition. Theproperty's future lies in thehands of anyone with theasking price of £1.495m tospend on a purpose-built, well-maintained house, freeholdland andswimmingpool/garden.

The property issurrounded byother houses,separated by theusual walls,hedgerows andtwo gates servingthe drive to thefront of the 1960sproperty. It has awonderful horsestatue in the back garden,towering above the swimmingpool.

The fate of the property isnot a straight forward matter.Current owner, Robert White,partner in White Development,bought the house six weeks agofrom a Jordanian family whohad renamed the property moresuitably Villa Rayah. Theprevious owners also decidedto take most fixtures and fittingswith them.

The one act of sacrilege wasto remove the name of"Hercules" from a boulderwhich stands outside the mainentrance. The inscription waschiselled away. But don’t blameMr White - this was donebefore he had bought theproperty.

However, as the photosshow, the property itself is ingood decorative condition, andeverything was in working

order when Hercules UKmanager George Matlock andHercules web reporter DavidWright paid a visit to thepremises on May 7, 2000. Thefitted kitchen has been recentlymodernised.

Viewing this property showsthat marble is also much inevidence on the ground floor,and two elegant Roman pillarssupport the reception hall area.

Hercules (aka Villa Rayah),spanning 6,300 square feet onland of 0.845 acres, ispencilled for demolition by MrWhite, to make way for alarger, more functional propertywhich will utilise the existingland coverage but increaseheight by a total of 2,000 sq. ft.That's an increase of 30% ofthe existing property size.

A new swimming pool isalso planned. The property,which Elton sold in 1976 tomove into nearby Woodside,boasts 4 bedrooms, twobathrooms and an extensionbuilt by the recent owners tofacilitate a familyroom/conservatory - althoughwith less glazing than suchextensions typically afford. Oneof the bathroom showers hasroom for 5 persons standing!So, doubtless it will be usefulto the Watford football squad!

Demolition and re-

EXCLUSIVE: A HOUSE NAMED HERCULES - FOR SALE

would not get favorable seats.Well, the reason I said that isbecause as soon as I entered theactual concert area I realized thatALL of the seats were FANtastic!So, it really didn't matter if I hadfloor seats or otherwise. Theauditorium was so small (the sizeof a large school gymnasium) thatEJ was going to be close at anyangle.

The crowd still seemed ratherhushed while they quietly waitingfor EJ to arrive. As theprerecorded intro music began toblare at about 8:15pm, however,the tranquil gathering turned intoa frenzied throng of die-hard fans.EJ was about to emerge! On cue,Elton entered the stage area andquickly made his way to histrademark black grand piano tobegin the familiar "Your Song"show starter.

To describe EJ's performancefor each song would be pointless,since we all already know howbrilliantly he performs each oldsong to sound brand new withmuch enthusiasm. Suffice it tosay, EJ was flawless throughout theentire concert. I was not surprisedby any of the selections because Ihad a copy of the set list firmly inhand before the concert evenstarted.

Hanging from the rafters aboveElton was a very large apparatus of

lights that had parachute typefabric extending outward to givethe impression of a hot airballoon, which had imprints ofgolden Lalique type angels allaround. After several songs, thelighting rig began to slowly extendoutward in all directions. The endresult was a magnificentchandelier of lights and goldenmetal.

Mid way through the concert,EJ did the usual signature walk inwhich he starts at the far end ofthe stage to begin shaking handsand autographing variousmemorabilia. As EJ neared theend of this autograph session, Ihappened to look up at one of thelarge video screens to see Barb'smarionette doll in full view. Eltonwas smiling and laughing as heplayed with the doll on stage. Thecrowd went wild. Everyonecheered as EJ worked themarionette until a stagehand cameto take it away from him. Barb'sgift was clearly a hit with EJ andthe entire audience.

As the nearly 3 hour concertcame to a close, and all of theencores had been exhausted, itwas finally time for Elton to saygoodbye. Everyone knew that"Candle In The Wind" would bethe last encore because EJ wasnow wearing his travelling outfitwhen he emerged onstage. It

seemed only a moment ago thatthe concert had started. Was itworth braving hours of chillingwinds to purchase a ticket? Was itworth taking a day off from workto travel to Lakeland to attend theconcert? I would not havechanged a single moment. Thewhole experience was, for lack ofa better word, awesome!

SET LIST FROM THE SPRING 2000 TOUR OF THE USA:

Your Song Skyline Pigeon

The Greatest Discovery Border Song

DanielHarmony

Honky Cat Rocket Man Tiny Dancer

Someday Out Of The Blue(accompanied with fresh video

scenes from El Dorado) Philadelphia Freedom

Blessed Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest

Word I Guess That's Why They Call It

The Blues Ticking

Carla/Etude Tonight

Burn Down The Mission The One Blue Eyes

Empty Garden (accompanied with a video tribute

to John Lennon)Take Me To The Pilot

Don't Let The Sun Go Down OnMe

Crocodile Rock Can You Feel The Love Tonight(accompanied with video scenes

from The Lion King)Bennie And The Jets Candle In The Wind

concert review ~ concert review ~ concert reviewH ERCULES H OUSE


Neil Sedaka was the veryfirst recording artist to

sign with Rocket Records.

Elton did not want torelease "Bennie And The

Jets" as a single in the USA,but Dick James insisted.

17-11-70 was released earlier than

planned in an effort toundermine the bootlegcopies that were already incirculation.

Dick James did not wantto release "Daniel" as a

single in the USA, but Eltoninsisted.

The original title for "RockOf The Westies" was

"Bottled and Brained".

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20ANOTHER VERSE OF OUR REGULAR COLUMN FEATURING TRIVIA AND


Elton has opened his heart onhis relationship with David; inan April interview with UK

daily newspaper The Mirror, hecalls David "the love of my life".

Elton also says his feelings forthe former advertising executivemay lead to him to cut back onhis workload. "If I don't starttaking it easier, David will

probably killme," he said."He misses mewhen I'm away.

"I'm so inlove with theguy. The pictureof him I keepbeside my bedis one of mymost treasuredpossessions. Ifthere was a firein myapartment - inAtlanta, where Ihave a beautifulphotographcollection - theone picture Iwould take isthe one of himas a little boy."

Elton laidbare hisemotions in hissuite at the LosAngelesCentury PlazaHotel. And hewent on tocredit David

with keeping his feet firmly on theground. "Drugs and drink nearlydestroyed me and I didn't knowhow to have a healthyrelationship," says Elton. "But I'vebeen sober now for ten years andwhat I love most in my life is mysobriety and my relationships withmy friends, family and partner.David is clever and intelligent andnot willing to put up with any shit.

He has his own identity and joband that's why it works. We haveour disagreements but it's a 50-50partnership. The worst thing youcan do is make someone followyou around the world because inthe end he'll feel like a lapdog. Imade that mistake so many times.

"I would fall in love afterseeing someone across the bar.Then he'd go through the EltonJohn treadmill and come out witha Cartier watch and no identity."

Elton, says he's a changed manin more than one respect. His loveof all things flamboyant is not asexcessive as it used to be. Heshudders when he's reminded ofthe Louis XIV costume he wore tohis 50th birthday party. The wigwas so big that Elton had to rideto the bash in a van.

"The driver went the wrongway to the party so I was stuck inthe van for an hour and a half. Iwas screaming with pain becausethe wig was stuck on with knittingneedles and glue and everything.

"When I was lowered from thevan I went, 'Aaaargh!' and racedin and took the wig off and said toDavid, 'If I ever do this again,please stop me.' I enjoy dressingup but things have changed andI'm much more mature now."

Adapted from The Mirror, April2000.

Please do not ask the Herculesstaff to supply copies of theoriginal newspaper interview.

Sting introduced Eltonperforming a tribute to the lateScreaming Jay Hawkins bysaying, "The group took a votebackstage as to who would singthe tribute. Elton said he woulddo it since he's been screamingall of his life." Elton thenentertained us with his versionof "I Put a Spell on You",wearing a darling version of anearly Halloween outfit, which

consisted of a black velvetcape, sunglasses and a voodoostick that had a lighted skeletonhead. Creeping about thestage, hiding beneath his cape,and singing in a growling"bluesey" tone, he stole theshow.

Elton also sang, "It TakesTwo," with Gladys Knight in thefirst half of the show. In thesecond half he appeared inwhat can be described as a"John Travolta Original" whitesuit with pink shirt and pinkpatent leather shoes. He did notdisappoint with the only disconumber in the show. Elton said,"We're going to go back to thedays of Studio 54, where I leftmy nose." He then sang lead on"Disco Inferno" with JamesTaylor, Sting, Ricky Martin, TomJones, and Sam Moore, backing

him up in a complete ensembleof neon colored afro wigs!!

In the finale, the entiregroup joined in a version of"Amen" and "Dancing in theStreets." Elton donned MacyGray's red feather boa, andalong with some of the otherperformers brought audiencemembers on to the stage. Eltongrabbed a lucky lady whoseemed to have the time of herlife participating with Elton andthe rest of the group on stage.

This was the last RainforestBenefit for awhile, as Trudieand Sting reassured they wereonly taking a break next year."We'll come back at it thefollowing year in a differentlocation and change it, " Trudiestated in a TV interview.Whatever and wherever it willbe, I'm sure it will gain our"RESPECT”!

CHORUS OF LIGHTPart of Elton’s famous art

collection is set to be thesubject of a Museum

Exhibition later this year........."I've become passionate

about this, more than anythingI've collected - and I collect alot of things!"

Elton is talking about his 10-year-old photography collection,being readied for its first publicshowing. Chorus of Light will beon view from Nov. 4 2000through to January2001 at theHigh Museum of Art in Atlanta,where Elton has a home.

The collection is heavy onvintage 20th century black-and-white photos, with surrealistwork, studies of natural formsfrom flowers to the human body,fashion pictures and celebrityphotos that include The Beatlesand jazz greats.

It will be installed in the wayElton displays the photographs athome, in mixtures of styles andperiods. Dressed in a plaidjacket, orange T-shirt and socks,and khakis, Elton was exuberantat a press event: "I've never beenso excited by a visual art form."His collection has swelled toabout 2,500 items; he hasexpanded from the 2,000-square-foot duplex he bought in1991 in Atlanta to 18,000 squarefeet, with wall space for 800 to900 photos. He's about to hire acurator to deal with it all.

Having a personal collection,he says, "is like having a child."It's hard to have it leave home:"I'll be sleeping at the museumevery night," he joked.

Elton, who never takes photoshimself, is thinking big about hispassion. London lacks a separatephotos-only gallery, and he says:"I'll pioneer for the rest of my lifeto get a proper photo museum."The High Museum plans a fundfor a permanent collection inElton’s name.

Asked if he has any piecesthat might be objected to by NewYork Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whohas taken issue with some art,Elton said, "Not in the exhibit. Butif you come to the apartment,there's a lot!" The High curatorfor his show said it does includemale and female nudes.

ELTON OPENSHEART ON HIS SOUL MATE


Pat Boone once sued Eltonfor the "la la la la"

passages in "Crocodile Rock".He claimed that they werestolen from his 1962 hit"Speedy Gonzalez".

When Elton was awardeda star on Hollywood

Boulevard's Walk Of Fameon November 21, 1975, itwas the first time in thehistory of 1,662 ceremoniesthat the whole street had tobe closed off because of thecrowds of fans.

During the summer of1979, at a rented house

in the south of France, Eltonwrote the words and musicfor a song about his Polaroidcamera. It remainsunpublished.

GOSSIP ABOUT ELTON - FOUND OF COURSE, BETWEEN PAGES 17 AND 20!!

Elton may haveoutgrown the duckcostume, but TheRoad to El Doradoproves he’s stillplayful. While R2Eisn’t necessarilythe best movie foryoung children, it’sgreat for teens, andof course Elton fans of allages. What fans can beoffended by a few “hells”,when Elton himself swearslike a sailor in Tantrums &Tiaras?

Set in Spain in 1519, Eltonnarrates this historical fiction,a story of Tulio and Miguel, asthey inadvertently find them-selves aboard Cortez’s shipheaded for the New World.

The partners befriendCortez’s horse, Altivo, and thethree are on their way to theQueen of Cities. Of course,by the end of the journey, theyrealize that friendship is morevaluable than the gold of ElDorado. The city of ElDorado resembled the Mexicoride at Epcot - a little toomuch for my comfort.Fortunately, I wouldn’t expectDisney to embrace the movieand renovate, so I guess we’re

still safe from thebad guy, Tzekel-Kan, at Epcot.

But, back tothe movie...

M u s i c a l l y ,Elton’s “sound-track” album ismuch more enjoy-able than the

music in the actual film. Keepyour ears open for “WithoutQuestion.” It begins, andends, with the first few mea-sures of “Daniel.” (Could thisbe a reference to Daniel head-ing for Spain??)

This will be an excitingmovie to rent on DVD.Hopefully the producer willinclude several of the deletedscenes. It would be interest-ing to see the scenes thatwe’ve heard the music for,such as “Hey Armadillo!,”and “The Panic In Me.”

In summary, WITHOUTQUESTION, I have to giveR2E double thumbs up.TRUST ME!

Whilst the movie is ongeneral release in the USA,European fans will have towait until later this year to seeit for themselves.

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20

Sir Eltonheadlined a

major concertevent at Broadway's

New AmsterdamTheater, where a cast of

celebrity performers fromBroadway joined him in all startribute in his honor on April 3,2000. The Elton John Bandprovided the accompaniment toall the performers and NigelOlsson joined in on backingvocals and as a drummer aswell.

Having had the pleasure ofattending this once-in-a-lifetimeevent, I was dazzled as the starsof Broadway performed thehottest hits of Sir Elton's career.He returned the praise by singingsome of Broadway's greatestshowtunes, including, "Diamondsare a Girl's Best Friend,"(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes),"Somewhere," (West Side Story),and closing with "Circle of Life."

Hosted by Nathan Lane andChristine Baransky, Broadway'sbrightest stars participated in theall star tribute by providing theirbreathtaking interpretations ofElton's music through the years.Highlights included, AdamPaschal (AIDA) singing "SomeoneSaved My Life Tonight," SamHarris, "The Bitch Is Back,"Andrea McArdle with "Bennieand the Jets”.

Wearing Harry Winstondiamonds valued at $5 milliondollars, Elton made a glitteringentrance with a tiara, danglingearrings and necklace. His blackVersace suit with glittering stonescomplemented his diamondsplendor. Elton graced the stagewith an entourage of attractivemen to perform "Diamonds are a

Girl's Best Friend," and set theaudience roaring!! He trulyappeared to have a great time,allowing himself a few pausingmoments and a good chuckle toenjoy his dancing male chorus. Itwas a pleasure to see Sir Eltonperform in this type of repertoire,as his talent is immense andmore complex than as he puts it,"being stuck behind the piano."

Following the event, whichraised $450,000 for BroadwayCare/Equity Fights AIDS and theElton John AIDS Foundation, aparty was held at Barney's onMadison Avenue in New YorkCity. The famous departmentstore prepared special windows,using costumes popularized byElton during his three decadecareer. The display included theDonald Duck outfit from CentralPark 1980, early 70's costumes,and various stage costumesrecognizable as vintage Elton.One that particularly impressedme was the spaceman costumewith a train that encompassedthe entire floor of the displaywindow.

I think it's gonna be a longlong time before an opportunitycomes along like this again.Bravo to all the performers andcongratulations Sir Elton on onelong and illustrious career.

But it doesn’t stop there! Tendays later, and I had the greatpleasure of attending the annualRAINFOREST BENEFITSHOW.....

Carnegie Hall rocked withthis year's Rainforest Benefit onApril 13, 2000. This yearmarked the 10th consecutiveyear that Sting and his wifeTrudie Styler have sponsored theannual event. "Respect" was thetheme which included Sting,Elton, James Taylor, Billy Joel,Macy Gray, Percy Sledge, GladysKnight, Martha Reeves, SamMoore (of Sam and Dave), RickyMartin and the Impressions. Twosurprise guests included DanAkroyd, and last but not leastStevie Wonder.

This year's 10th annualCarnegie Hall event was, in myopinion, the best I have seen todate. Having had the pleasure of

seeing the event since 1995, thisevent was the most memorable,tripping down the fantasticMotown memory lane.

The show opened with Sting,Elton, Billy, James and theImpressions singing, "People GetReady," which set the tone forthe soulful sounds of the musicof the 60's and 70's that was tofollow.

My Trip Down The Road to El Dorado

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by Reggie Zippo

On Elton’sbirthday, March

25th, Hercules heldconventions inLondon, Chicago andFlorida. It’s a greatexcuse for fans ofElton to get together,swap stories, buy orsell merchandise, andgenerally have a lot offun.

In the UK, Eltonlook-a-like RayJohnson turned a fewheads when he walkedinto the bar of theAnna Hotel in Londonto join in the fun.Some Americanvisitors to the UK, whohappened to be staying in thesame hotel, thought that it wasElton himself who had arrived. Somuch so, that one lady ran outand bought him a bunch offlowers to show her appreciation!

The new CD, The Road to ElDorado was played loudly in thebar; it was the first time many fans

had had the chance to hear

it. And the usual quizzes andgames were played to test theknowledge of even the mostardent fan!

In the USA, members had thechance to talk about recent EJshows they had attended, and asyou can see from the photo, theparty in Florida celebrated withElton’s favourite - the infamous

Diet Coke!The next Convention will be

held in Germany, prior to Elton’sconcert in Kassel on 23 June2000.. All fans are welcome at theHotel Schweizer-Hof from noon toapprox 6pm, which is withinwalking distance of the concertvenue.


QUESTIONSQuestion 1: At which gig did Elton

perform "The Benedict CanyonBoogie"?

Question 2: Has Elton ever performedthe Thom Bell song "Mama Can'tBuy You Love" live on stage?

Question 3: Who did Elton dedicatehis rendition of Pinball Wizard toon Christmas Eve at theHammersmith Odeon in 1982 ?

Question 4: Portland, Oregon, USA,October 1975 - the West of theRockies tour; Elton starts playingGoodbye Yellow Brick Road. Afew lines into the chorus, the bandstop. Then Elton himself suddenlystops playing. Elton insists it isbecause the crowd are not joiningin to help him out with the highnotes. What was the real reason?Was it because,a.) A herd of buffalo were charging thestage? b.) There was a power cut? c.) Someone threw a firecracker onto stage?

Question 5: Elton once famously said on stage that The Fox albumhad not been a major sales success. Did he say it had gone :-a.) Plastic? b.) Cardboard? c.) Senile?

Question 6: In which year was the song Chameleon, which featureson the Blue Moves album, written?

Question 7: How many "fish" references are there in the song "SolarPrestige A Gammon"?

Question 8: What year was Elton’s version of Pinball Wizardrecorded? It was put out as a single in 1976 right? But whenwas it recorded ?

Question 9: Why was the Yellow Brick Road album not recorded inJamaica, as originally planned? Bernie Taupin once explainedwhy in an interview, what did he have to say?a.) "Elton preferred the Chateau instead - with it's tennis courtsand on-site catering."b.) "Because the Jamaicans are all jerk-offs."c.) "Things were pretty funky in Jamaica at that time."

Question 10: What is Elton's most performed live song of all time? a.) Burn Down The Mission. b.) Your Song. c.) Daniel.

Question 11: In 1978, Elton performed a novel rendition of RocketMan before a stunned Australian audience. During this 25minute marathon, Elton apparently slagged off a whole gamut ofcelebrities and dignitaries. Can you select the correct trio whowere most on the receiving end of Elton's acid tongue that night?a.) Mother Teresa, the Ayatollah and the Pope.b.) Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the Prince of Wales.c.) Madonna, David Bowie, and Rod Stewart.

Question 12: In what year and with whom did Elton write theGoaldiggers song? And what was it's aim?

Thanks to David Bisese and Ted Walters for their contribution

ANSWERS: Answer 1: The Century Plaza, New York,

October 1978, where Elton unveiledA Single Man album to the executivesand staff of MCA Records. A memberof the audience shouted out "Play theBenedict Canyon Boogie, Elton!".Elton didn't know this number, but,ever one to please the crowd, hegave it his best shot, and so he madeup the words.... with hilariousconsequences.....

"Oh the Benedict CanyonBoogie, is better than cold water,

oh the Benedict CanyonBoogie is a better than cold water.....

but I don't give a sh*t....... costhe song's not a hit!"

Answer 2: Surprisingly, yes, at leastonce - he played it at a solo gig at theUniversal Amphitheatre in LosAngeles in October 1979.

Answer 3: "Pussy from Scotland". Doesanyone know who this is?!

Answer 4: = c.)

Answer 5: = b.) Cardboard

Answer 6: Although it did not appear onBlue Moves until 1976, Chameleon'slyrics can be traced back to at least1974. The melody itself wassupposedly written in 1974 whileElton was aboard the cruise liner theSS France. A most fruitful trip forElton, that same stint aboard shipproduced much of the music thatgraced the beautiful Captain Fantasticalbum.

Answer 7: Five (Turbert (Turbot); Salmon;Sardin (Sardine); Cod; Ray.)

Answer 8: 1974.

Answer 9: = c.)

Answer 10: = b.) Gotta be! Have anyfans out there been to an Elton showwhen he HASN’T done Your Song?!

Answer 11 = a.) And despite there beinga recording, Elton maintains we shallnever get to see or hear that one - buthe still loves to talk about it anyway!

Answer 12: 1977 - with Gary Osborne. Itwas written to raise money for moreand improved football andrecreational grounds throughout the UK.

Areyousure?!

A light-hearted look at some of the facts & trivia behind Elton’s live performances and recordings over the years.

Compiled by Adam Buckley

conventionally speaking...

Ray ‘Elton’ Johnson and Nigel Coleman relaxing in the bar at the UK Convention (Photo: N Coleman)

All smiles at the USA Convention (Photo: Barb Crowley)(Photo: Barb Crowley)

5 q’s?


rose on March 23 on Disney's"Aida," with a pop score by Eltonand Tim Rice. A week later, TheRoad to El Dorado was releasedin cinemas across the USA. (seeIssue 50 for more details).

The soundtrack "Elton John'sThe Road to El Dorado" has sixsongs from the movie. "I decidedto write more and 11 made thecut," he said. "It's more like anElton John album than asoundtrack, and I'm very happywith the result."

Besides juggling his musicalprojects, he's also passionateabout charity work. The EltonJohn AIDS Foundation wasformed in 1992. "When I gotsober and clean, I wanted to dosomething positive with my life,"said Elton, whose annual Oscarnight party in West Hollywoodraises about $400,000. Hisannual US tennis tournament"Smash Hits" also adds to thecoffers.

1. A month before your 53rdbirthday, you were presented withthe Grammy Legend Award bythe National Academy ofRecording Arts and Sciences.Does it make you think moreabout your mortality?

Elton: Oh, I take these thingswith a pinch of salt. I've neverreally taken them too seriously.What I take seriously is my work."The Lion King" was a piece ofmagic for me. It opened a lot ofdoors for me, like the film scorefor "The Muse" with AlbertBrooks and "Aida". I'm notfinished."

2. How's your health? Elton: I'm fine. I've never felt

better. I play tennis every dayabout eight in the morning. Ialways have to watch my weight.It's always up and down. It willbe 10 years this July that I'mclean and sober. I stay awayfrom alcohol and drugs.

3. How does Hollywood reactto your commitment to AIDSresearch and your Oscar party?

Elton: People here are veryAIDS conscious. There's a fund-raiser every night in this town,you know. The consciousness isalways there, though. We comeaway with about $350,000 to$400,000. It's an evening whereyou meet and greet people andschmooze and have fun.Everyone just walks across thestreet from the Vanity Fair party.In Style magazine is our sponsor.We have dinner to watch theceremony, and then we wait forpeople to arrive after the show.I'm busy making sure people arecomfortable and providing soundbites for people outside. I love it.I get to meet people I've nevermet before.

4. “The Lion King'' won twoOscars and three Grammys andsold more than 10 millionalbums. Is it tough to live up tothose expectations with your new"El Dorado" album?

Elton: "The Lion King" is whateverybody aims for. But youcan't make another Lion King.No one can. I think the songs onthis album are actually betterthan “The Lion King.” But themovie is an enigma, really. TheRoad to El Dorado is a funmovie, but it's not The Lion King.

5. You are awake at dawn todo this interview. Do you everwant to sit back and relax?

Elton: Well, I think about it.On my days off, I know how tochill. It's very hard for me to sitstill. I'm not one to sit still andread a book, although I do read.Instead of reaching 50 with acareer and concerts, I've got myfingers in different pies. I can'tjust sit down and write rock 'n'roll songs anymore. I've evolved.This is fabulous.

Don't talk to Elton Johnabout slowing down. "It'svery hard for me to sit

still," he said as he embarked ona USA promotional campaign fora new album, and his Broadwaymusical "Aida."

On the eve of his 53rdbirthday, it is obvious he hasmellowed a bit. That's due toeither maturity or physicalrealities: he was fitted with apacemaker last year to overcomewhat he called "a minorimbalance in my heart."

During his stay at his home inAtlanta, he goes shopping,browses record stores and staysaccessible to fans and the media.He doesn't understand thosereclusive celebrity types. "I thinkthat's more of an Americandisease - Barbra Streisand,Michael Jackson, people likethat. I like going out. People arealways very pleasant. I'm notgoing to shut myself off. It keepsyou grounded a bit,'' Elton saidin a telephone interview from hisWest Hollywood hotel.

Although his outfits are nowrelatively conservative in black orwhite - and no glitter - Elton isnot resting on his numerouslaurels, including Oscar, Tony,Golden Globe and Grammyawards, and, of course, thatBritish knighthood bestowed byQueen Elizabeth. But he's stillenergetic. The Broadway curtain

5 q’s5 QUESTIONS WITH ELTONIN MARCH, ELTON TOURED THE USA PROMOTING HIS NEW CD ‘THE ROAD TO ELDORADO’. DURING THIS TIME, HE SPOKE EXTENSIVELY TO THE MEDIA, AND HEREWE HIGHLIGHT THE BEST PARTS FROM ONE OF THE MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS:

Adapted from an interview by J Wilson, Los Angeles (AP).

Please do not ask members of the HerculesTeam to supply copies of the originalinterview.

WWWWatfordatch

CLUB AT THE END OF THE TABLE

It seemed inevitable thatWatford’s stay in the

Premiership would be briefand so it was. The Hornetsfinished seven points adriftat the bottom of the table,where they have been formost of the season, and tenpoints from safety. Theseare the depressing statistics:

Played 38, Won 6, Drawn 6, Lost 26, Goals for 35, Goals Against 77, Points 24.

But it wasn’t all doomand gloom. In the thirdgame they pulled offarguably the shock result ofthe season with a 1-0 win atLiverpool. Then there wasthe 1-0 home defeat ofChelsea. Combined withanother 1-0 win againstfellow relegation candidatesBradford, it didn’t look toobad. Two wins from thefollowing twenty two gamespainted a more realisticpicture.

They suffered injuriestoo. Nick Wright, scorer ofthat wonder goal in lastyear’s play-off final, startedjust two league games andhas a question mark

hanging over his career. BartNoel-Williams, TomMooney and Allan Smartplayed only one, seven andthirteen games respectively.Crucially these were theplayers central to Watford’ssurvival hopes. With asquad already short of thenecessary quality, injurieslike this were a killer blow.

So what are Watford’schances for next season?Good, if the playersmentioned above play amajor role. Add promisingyoungsters like CharlieMiller, David Perpetuini andDarren Ward and thestrength of £1.5 millionsigning Heidar Helgusonand they might just do itagain.

The final word goes tothe fans. At Middlesbrough,the final away game, theycarried a self-mockingbanner reading “We’re OutOf Your League”.

You can keep up to dateon Watford’s progressthrough their excellentwebsite –www.watfordfc.co.uk<http://www.watfordfc.co.uk/>- as well as the weeklyWatford Watch on our ownHercules site.

David Wright takes a look back over WatfordFootball Club’s season


ELTON RECEIVES

VITO RUSSO AWARDElton was honoured by the

Gay and Lesbian AllianceAgainst Defamation (GLAAD) atthe 11th Annual GLAAD MediaAwards. He was presented withthe Vito Russo Award at aceremony in New York City April2. Named after foundingmember of GLAAD and authorof The Celluloid Closet, the VitoRusso Award is presented to anopenly lesbian or gayentertainment or mediacommunity member foroutstanding contributions incombating homophobia.

Elton, wearing a leatherblazer and pants and redeyeglasses, accepted his awardfrom Judy Shepard, the mother ofmurdered gay student MathewShepard. He said he keeps aphoto of Mathew in his kitchen."It breaks my heart to look at thatphotograph,'' he told theaudience of some 1,500 at aManhattan hotel. "That he had todie -- but he didn't have to diein vain,'' he said.

8TH OSCAR NIGHT PARTYElton hosted the 8th Annual

In Style Oscar Night Party toBenefit the Elton John AIDSFoundation on March 26. Thisyear, the event was held at 8800Melrose Ave. (formerly PaganiRestaurant). The gala partybegan with a benefit dinner andviewing of the Academy Awardstelecast, followed by an after-party in honour of the Oscarnominees and winners. Theevent raised approx. $500,000and had a guest list thatincluded Gloria Estefan,Elizabeth Hurley, LeeleeSobieski, Jane Seymour, JamesWoods, Jay Leno, Janet McTeer,Martina Navratilova and OliviaNewton-John.

ELTON ON TODAY SHOWElton performed at 8:30 am

on NBC's Today programmeMarch 31, outside on the streetin New York. He and fellowband mates, including NigelOlsson, sang the first three songsfrom The Road To El Doradosoundtrack.

Elton then performed CircleOf Life to the huge crowd thathad David Furnish among thefans. For the finale, Elton and theband offered Crocodile Rock, butNBC pulled the plug on theshow before he could finish it!

OSCAR TANTRUM?

According to a report onMSNBC, Elton was spotted onOscar night “having a major hissyfit” when one of Los Angeles’finest police officers refused to lethim drive through a roped-offarea. “He was screaming hislungs out at the cop,” says anOscar-party-going source. “Hewas calling him all sorts ofnames.” Elton’s spokeswomanhad no comment. The sourcesays the police officer didn’t seemcowed by Elton. “The cop wasjust smiling at him,” says thesource, “and saying, ‘Go on, Mr.John, you are making my day!’ ”

NEW UK SINGLEThe much-awaited new

Elton single from soundtrack ElDorado "Someday Out of theBlue" comes out in the UKMonday, July 17, 2000. Thesingle was released in the USAin April.

GERMAN VOLUME CHARTS OF

THE 90S Elton holds position 7 in the

German charts of the mostlongplay entries in the Ninetieswith a total of six albums.That's only two albums lessthan Joe Cocker at number one,followed by Queen, Madonnaand some German artists with 7entries.

Q MAGAZINE PUTS ELTON IN

TOP BRITSThe May edition of Q

Magazine puts Elton's GoodbyeYellow Brick Road album at84th in a poll of its expertwriters to gauge Britain's best100 albums of all time. Thepoll involves only UK bandsand artists. Surprisingly, noother Elton albums made thegrade.

WATFORD VIGIL OVERWatford suffered relegation

from the Premiership Divisionin May, after a late season burstof some wins and draws wasn'tenough to placate a string ofNew Year losses. Even knowingit was heading back down toDivision 1, Watford gaveformidable championsManchester United a fright onApril 29.

HEALING people in the industry were verycut-throat.

GM: I want to ask about yourroots. You haven't lost yourSunderland accent. How do youkeep it polished?

NO: You know, I don't know. Mymum, who passed away threeyears ago, would always notice anAmerican word, and would say'you're losing your accent. Don'tforget where home is'!

GM: It's definitely more WestCountry than West Coast[laughter] Do you spend all yourtime in the States, or do you evercome back to Sunderland?

NO: I've had a Green Card since1972. And lived all over the States,here in Los Angeles, Atlanta fornine years, North Carolina for nineyears, Nashville for seven years,and now I'm back here. Socoming home is rare and farbetween. The last time was formum's memorial. And she wouldhave been proud of us. All thebrothers and family members gottogether and had a great piss-up! Itwas great. We celebrated life, notmourned passing away. That wasthe last time for me in England.But now I have BBC America oncable television, so I keep up withwhat's going on in England.Especially when I see these showsin the English countryside, I getthis urge to come back and enjoywhat I've missed. When you're ontour you're worn out. You see justarenas. In the latter period on tour,we'd have the whole stage anddressing rooms flown with us. Wecould be in Los Angeles one day.Two days later we'd be inAustralia, and ask whether after a17-hour flight we left anywhere!

GM: Do you have a view over thesea?

NO: No, we're in one of thevalleys. I live in a cosy Spanish-style house with my wife and son,Justin. We're just a short driveaway from the beach, Malibu andSanta Monica.

GM: How do you put up with thesmog? Or isn't that a problemwhere you're living?

NO: It's great now, because wehad some rain two days ago, andkind of washes it away. But youfind normally about three inchesof dirt on top of your car. I've got

HEALING

This issue featuresPart 2 of theinterview. SeeHercules Issue 50 forPart 1.

George Matlock: Oneof the things I wanted todiscuss was how the emphasisof the band changed, to focusmore on Elton. Charlie Morganwas recounting to me that hefound the musicians were treatedas session musicians, hired andfired at will. The sleeve of"Philadelphia Freedom", actuallyrefers to the "Elton John Band". Sothis began to change. Would thisbe around the mid-seventies?

Nigel Olsson: It was really in theearly 1980s, when it became moreof a business than the enjoymentof the music. We still pulled themusic off. When he first let Deeand I go, when he went to Caribouto cut "Rock of the Westies" thatwas both a kick in the pants andtotal shock. He hadn't told us whatwas going on. In fact, he called methe week before, and he wasraving that we're going to doDodger Stadium, it was a sold-outgig, and nobody plays at DodgerStadium, especially rock and rollbands. The next week I got thiscall from Steve Brown saying'Elton doesn't want you guysinvolved in gigs or recordinganymore, what are you going todo?' all in one sentence. I wasfloored.

GM: Did you feel that was Eltonspeaking or management? Howdid you interpret it?

NO: I've had many years to grindmy teeth about it. I think it camefrom the hierarchy. I never got toknow why that decision wasmade. Me and Dee were calledback a few years later, and let goagain in that sudden way. We werecalled by someone. I had wishedElton had made the call himself. It

would have beenmuch easier. Thereason for why he letus go, as far as I readin the press, was that

Elton wanted tochange musical

direction. And I don'tthink he's quite got that

together yet. Still the recordssound like me and Dee play in thebackground. And Dee went to hisgrave not knowing why the change[Dee died in 1992]. We were veryclose and living in Nashville. Afew weeks before Dee died, Ivisited him. He was very sick, andwe would reminisce about ourcareers. One of the last things Deesaid to me was: 'Nige, I wish we'dbeen told what the hell we did tobe fired. We never got the rightstory.' That really saddens me, andthere's really not a day that goesby I don't think about Dee. It wasthe best band Elton's had - ever.

GM: Elton's had many highlightssince, but it was, I suppose, anamazing era because the band wasproducing up to three albums ayear, and all were consistentlygood. Going back to the 1970ssplit, you at least had Steve Browncontacting you. But did youalready feel then that managementor the record company wascommercialising?

NO: Yes, I already felt that a littlebefore, because when Dee and Icame back from the second tourwe did here (USA), we were calledinto the office, and got told wewere earning too much money assidemen and that we'd have totake a break in our wage packets.In those days we didn't think twiceabout it. We were so into thetours, recording, we were playingan album ahead of ourselves ontour. It was fine. I had money inthe bank, a house and a MiniCooper car! Whereas now I'mabsolutely fuming about it. Inthose early days the management

HANDS

TALKS EXCLUSIVELY TO HERCULESnigel olssonnigel olsson

FROM CALIFORNIA, 13 NOVEMBER 1999

nigel olsson

P A R T T W O



ELTON’S HOUSES SHOW-CASEDMirroring our Elton look-a-like

Ray Johnson (who is a qualifiedcarpenter and cab driver) "If Iweren't a musician, I would loveto be a decorator,'' real Eltonrevealed to Architectural Digestin the May issue. Each one of hishomes - in Old Windsor, London,Atlanta and Nice - conveys adistinctive identity and rock starglamour.

Rumour has it that Elton made"diva-like demands" toArchitectural Digest forpermission to publish exclusivepictures of his villa in Nice.Elton, who also gave themagazine access to his threepreviously covered houses in OldWindsor, London and Atlanta,was hoping A.D. would devote awhole issue to him, sources say.When he learned otherwise,editors mollified him by puttinghis portrait on the May cover - atleast for newsstand issues.

Subscribers got a less People-like picture of one of his gardensinstead. Conde Nast rep LaurieMiller denies John was a

"demanding diva." In fact, shesays, "He was very happy withthe photos and everything. Wewere given a lot of access, andthe Nice photos were a big coup

for the magazine." "It was themagazine's idea to include allfour houses," says Elton’sspokeswoman, Fran Curtis, "andthey've had lots of celebrities ontheir cover." The beautifully-shot19-page spread showcasesElton's aesthetic philosophy,"Less is less, more is more, moreis good and a lot more is verygood." He loves classical nudestatues, Versace fabrics, andRobert Mapplethorpe photos.

Please do not ask Hercules forcopies of this magazine.

AN "UNFORGETTABLE EVENING"Elton was part of the

"Unforgettable Evening",contributing a one-hour concertat Cedars-Sinai Research forWomen's Cancers benefit, at theBeverly Wilshire on March 28.Reportedly, ex-manager JohnReid was at Cedars-Sinai foralcoholic abuse in 1988. Thebenefit was not an indication ofthawing relations! See Sotheby'sauction news. The event,underwritten by Saks Fifth Ave,raised $1.4m. When asked byRita Wilson to perform, there wasno hesitation in Elton's reply -plus a promise to return for 'emwhenever they call again. In hisrepertoire, he included a specialtribute to honouree HillaryRodham Clinton.

BRITISH PAPER WINS BATTLE OVER ELTON JOHN SOURCE

Britain's Daily Express won acourt battle April 19 over itsrefusal to reveal the source ofdocuments leaked from Elton'slawyers. Express Newspapers hadasked the Court of Appeal tooverturn a High Court ruling thatit must reveal how it obtained theconfidential dossier, whichrelates to Elton’s forthcomingaction against his formeraccountantsPriceWaterhouseCoopers.

CINEMA AGAINST AIDSFashion and celebrity came

together at amfAR's CinemaAgainst AIDS benefit during theCannes Film Festival on May 18.Luxury goods e-tailerMondera.com co-sponsored astar-studded gala with honorarychairs Elton and Elizabeth Taylor.Celebrities wore more than $20mof jewellery that evening.

BROADWAY CAREDElton was feted by Broadway

stars at the New AmsterdamTheatre in a concert to benefitBroadway Cares/Equity FightsAIDS (BC/EFA) April 3. NathanLane and Christine Baranski werethe hosts. They were joined byartists including Aida's HeatherHeadley and Sherie René Scott.“This is Your Son - BroadwaySings Elton John” saw SandraBernhart perform a dark versionof Madman Across the Water,Betty Buckley sang CountryComfort, Honky Cat wasperformed by Deborah Gibson,Andrea Mcardle did Bennie andthe Jets, and Adam Pascalperformed Someone Saved MyLife Tonight. Heather Headleycame on stage for a version ofEasy As Life from AIDA.

At the start of the second half,Elton appeared in one of the VIPside boxes. He watched most ofthe second half from there.Making his grand entrance in his"traditional style", Elton marchedon stage, with his diamondcovered shoes leading the way.The audience was cracking up tohis version of Diamonds Are AGirls Best Friend.

HERCULES GERMAN CONVENTIONHercules will host a fan

Convention during Elton's SoloTour in 2000. It takes place atHotel Schweizer Hof in Kassel,Germany, June 23.

a white Range Rover, but now it'skind of a smoggy yellow [laughter].It really takes the paint off.

GM: What makes you want to livein a place like that? Think of yourlungs!

NO: I know. Well of course I'msmoking ciggies! It's close to themusic business, and close to myracing interests. I've been racingcars for 10 years now. I've got abig race in Las Vegas nextweekend. It's also close to otherband members. If I was in theband, where I lived wouldn'tmatter as I'd commute wherever.Of course, the tax situation here ismental. We pay a state tax, and afederal tax.

GM: So you're happy where youare!

NO: Well I'd love to end up in thesouth of France somewhere. But,hey, God loves a trier and adreamer, and that's me!

GM: For the new album withDavey and friends, have you gotsongs together? And what style arethey?

NO: Well, I'm a great balladeer."Yellow Brick Road", "SomeoneSaved My Life Tonight", those aremy forte. And I love doingbackground vocals. I have enoughsongs now to do two albums.Some are mine. Some are fromfriends. David Foster given me asong, there's also Bill Champlin,who plays with the band Chicago.In fact, I saw him at thesupermarket the other day, and hesaid 'I've loads more songs. Comeup to the house and we'll gothrough them.' I want to use realstrings. I'm not going to be singinglead vocals on all the tracks. It'svery hard on stage to sing and useyour hands and feet throughouttwo hours. So I want to have acouple of really strong femalevocalists.

GM: Have you kept your fingersnimble in the past few years? Haveyou recorded any solo albums?

NO: No. You know, after I got letgo in 1985 I got kindadisillusioned with the musicbusiness. There was a lot of back-stabbing going on. Me and Deestayed in Nashville for a while, butworking in Nashville is a wholedifferent thing to LA. Mostproducers in Nashville have their

own clique of musicians they'refrightened to get away from. So itwas very tough to get into thesession musicians thing there. So Iwent into racing. The FerrariChallenge, sponsored by Ferrari inBeverley Hills. I then did someendurance testing for the BMWMotorsport 3. I then did a thing forFord's 35th anniversary of theMustang, taking people around thetrack, and basically scaring thepants off them! And hopefullythey'd go out and buy the car.

GM: Did people know you wereElton's drummer?

NO: Well, I kept it low profile, butword got out and I was doingautographs for the fans, which isgreat. I'm very appreciative of thefans who've put me where I am. Sonow I've got the surge again, andI'm doing these Drum Clinic Tours.These are sponsored by my cymbalcompany, which is Paiste, as wellas my microphone company,Sennheiser, and Rhythm Tech, whoare a percussion company out ofNew Jersey.

GM: Do you keep in touch withother band members?

NO: With Davey I keep in touch atleast once or twice a week. Helives only 30 minutes' drive fromme, and that's about it. I talked toKiki Dee a couple of weeks agoabout whether she'd like to recorda song on the new album, andabout a tentative appearance at theNAMM convention in January,where new musical devices aredisplayed. She's shown interest.And that's great, because I'vealways loved Kiki, she's like asister. I've also tried but failed tohook up with Ray Cooper. I thinkRay's gone back into the filmsbusiness. Ray was a big wheel forHandmade Films, when GeorgeHarrison was involved. The lasttime I saw Ray was when I wasinvited over to Brunei to jam withPrince Hakim. Ray was undercontract to the Prince, about threeyears ago. I've been trying to gethold of him for this record, and todo a couple of clinics together. Theelusive Raymond!

GM: In a Hercules interview twoyears ago in Zurich, Davey calledit "The Ghost of Ray". Hisinfluence lives on, he said. Do youkeep in touch with CharlieMorgan?

NO: The last time I met Charlie

was five years ago when the bandplayed MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

GM: He's actually in Nashvilleright now. Are you an Elton fan anddo you collect his recentrecordings?

NO: I'm a massive fan, obviously,of his older stuff. I've heard "TheOne" and that sticks in my mind.I'd love to have played on that, andit even sounds very much like meplaying, so there you go! I'm still abig fan.

GM: You refer to the song "TheOne", as much of the materialincluded drum machine.

NO: Right. He kind of went hi-techon it, and it lost something in thetransition.

GM: What other music do you like?

NO: Beatles, Jeff Lynne, StevieWonder. Newer stuff, I love poprecords. Britney Spears. It's great tosee kids coming through and notbeing treated like a joke. I listen toBrandy. She has a great huskyvoice, and it's the type of thing I'mlooking for on my record. I'd alsolove to work with Shania Twain.And also (US Country singer) FaithHill. I knew her back in Nashville.She was a shy, laid-back girl, asecretary at a record company. Andnow she's big. Also heard ofEternal, Oasis.

As Hercules reaches issue number50, it seems opportune to askNigel what he thinks ofHERCULES The Mag.

GM: Do you receive The Mag andwhat do you think of it?

NO: I do, and read it all the time. Ithink it's very well put together.

GM: I'll pass that on to our editor.

NO: Please do. I think weneed to upgrade it to colour[laughter]. Colour inside.And bigger writing pleasebecause I'm 50 years old[laughter] I need to upgrademy glasses! It's got all thestuff in that the fans wouldwant to hear about. And I'mso glad that we've finallyconnected.

GM: I'm very grateful as well; it’sbeen my pleasure.


NORMAN BOOK GETS A FACE LIFTPhilip Norman's Elton

biography - originally released in1991 - is now available as"updated" re-release, titled SirElton. The paperback book(Sidgwick & Jackson; ISBN:0283063548, 592 pages) tells thestory up to his performance at thefuneral of Diana, Princess ofWales. The book also includes an(updated) discography. Price£14.99.

JOHN REID AUCTION AT SOTHEBY'SIn a bid to shed himself of

Elton memorabilia, his ex-manager John Reid is auctioningsome rarities from his personalcollection via Sotheby's in thenext few months. There are 84lots, most of which are salesawards ranging from the 1970s-90s. Many of Elton's albums andsingles are represented and pricesrange from $700-$1600 for whitematte format US gold awards to arange of modern CD formatawards from various Europeancountries, prices $150-400. Mostare named to John Reid, withsome to Rocket Records andothers. The rest appears onSotheby's website in batches overthe next few months. Thoseinterested should go to:sothebys.amazon.com

TIME UPLuxury goods e-tailer

Ashford.com partnered withXemex USA to be the exclusiveInternet vendor of the XemexOffroad Millennium Elton JohnAIDS Foundation Watch. Theinitial issue is a limited edition of200 watches, with all profitsgoing to EJAF, and was releasedon Elton's birthday, March 25.The sale of these watches isexpected to generate more than$100,000 for EJAF. Go towww.ashford.com for details.

RECORDING NEWSElton was in the studio in

Atlanta with Earl Scruggs onMarch 6, 2000 recording for his50th anniversary tribute project,for which Earl Scruggs hadchosen to include CountryComfort. Elton plays the pianotracks on the song and also doessome (backing) vocals.

On March 10, 2000 Elton wasin the studio again - this time inNew York - recording vocals forMoby’s next US single Why DoesMy Heart Feel So Bad. Theroyalties from the sales of thesingle will be donated to theElton John AIDS Foundation.

On the new official website,Elton also reports that he will bein the studio again in Septemberthis year for a new EltonJohn/Bernie Taupin album.Producer will again be PatLeonard who has worked withElton on the "El Dorado"soundtrack.

ELTON CONCERT BROADCAST LIVERiffage.com partnered with

BBC Worldwide, hosting thepremier BBC Music Live musicfestival running May 25-29, asthe event's exclusive webcasterfor North America. Performancesincluded a concert from Eltonfrom Woburn Abbey, UK on May29th, and thousands of stagesand 40 outside broadcasting unitsacross BBC's entire TV and radionetwork.

LOUDER THAN CONCORDE? According to Swedish

medicine magazine"Läkartidning", Elton John was theloudest performer of a researchstudy undertaken in 1998. Theaudience at Elton's concert"experienced" an average level of107,5 decibel. Almost as loudwas Elton's buddy Rod Stewartwith 104,5 decibel. It should beadded that the research studyonly included eight concerts andall of them were at the NyaUllevi arena (an outdoor venue)in Gothenburg during 1998.

ELTON'S PICTURE SNAPSChorus of Light: Photographs

From the Sir Elton JohnCollection will be at the HighMuseum of Atlanta, USA fromNov 4 to Jan 8, 2001. Theexhibition, which will not travelelsewhere, will fill the museum'sfourth floor and spill over to itsdowntown branch in theGeorgia-Pacific Center. 150celebrity photographs will be onview. "Elton John feels anattachment to the city," said anexhibition spokesman. “He hasbeen a member of the museum'sDirector's Circle, which is thehighest level of membership.”

LION KING GOES LADisney Theatricals (Peter

Schneider and ThomasSchumacher, Producers)announced tickets for the LosAngeles production of The LionKing; they went on sale May 3.Tickets are available at thePantages (Hollywood Blvd. andVine) Theatre Box Office, throughTicketMaster, +1 213-365-3510,or online at www.lionkingla.com.Preview performances begin Sept28, and opening night isscheduled for Oct 19, for thislimited Los Angeles engagement.

The website is graded from 0 to 4 Stars.

Rating: � � � �

The moment the new URLwas revealed, I hurried tobe among the first to

catch a glimpse of its infancy.The flash animated previewpage was quite impressive withclassic EJ circular photosappearing in tandem to theintro of Elton's original "Bennieand the Jets" recording. Thefinale prompted me to "RideThe Rocket", but that commandpromptly brought a feeling ofapprehension, which wasconfirmed after an automatedemail response revealed that anannual membership fee wouldbe required to access the fullbenefits of the site. I had noreservations in paying the feebecause the benefits wereexceptional. Free rare MP3downloads, a free T-shirt, anexclusive live CD, with thepromise of more perks tocome.

The only problem was that Iwas required to pay the feewith a credit card online. Noother alternatives were offered.I simply refuse to use a creditcard online. So, I sent amessage to the site's staffmembers requesting to pay viapersonal check, but I neverreceived a response.Undaunted, I visited the siteagain after its doors were fullyopen to the public. Excitementquickly followed as Idiscovered that many aspectsof a true fan site were in place.If you have the most up-to-datecomputer equipment andsoftware downloads, (and that’s

a big ‘If’!) the welcome pagewas an outstanding array ofimpressive graphics, flashanimations, and the sounds of"Philadelphia Freedom" enticingme to venture further.

I found that I had access toread the latest EJ news andconcert updates, watch videodiaries direct from EJ and the"Some Day Out Of The Blue"music video, absorb EJ'spersonal messages and musicreviews. By this time, I wasnot upset that I wouldn't bereceiving the "free" perks thatcame along with themembership fee. My onlydisappointment is that I willnot have the backstage accessto EJ's concerts (exclusive to alimited number of members).

Members also have theopportunity to purchase ticketsto Elton shows via the website,and a limited number of“promotional” tickets are givenaway to members on a first-

come, first-served basis shortlybefore a few selected shows.There is some concern that thewebsite is American-biased,and indeed, it is run by anAmerican Website Designcompany. Some fans in Europehave expressed disappointmentover this. The only otheraspect which caused concern isthe hi-tech computerequipment required to accessall areas of the site.

Even though the "news"section was quite informative, Ifind that the news section ofthe Hercules web site is keptup-to-date at a faster rate. Theflash animation is still prevalentthroughout, but does notdistract from the content. Irecommend this site as acompanion to all other EJrelated web sites. Overall, Imust give this site 4 stars as itmet with every expectation.

eltonjohn.comWEBSITE REVIEW

Elton and his management have recently launched an official Website. Here, we bring you a review of the main features... by Reggie Zippo and Tammi Law

The Official Elton John Web Site, http://www.eltonjohn.com



ELTON CLOSES US SOLO TOUR Elton closed his Medusa tour

in America in Atlanta April 29,with proceeds from ticket salesgoing to Atlanta charities.Members of eltonjohn.com whowere given complimentarytickets were not invited to thepre-show reception, and wereseated on the far end of thevenue on the "ten yard line,"much to everyone'sdisappointment. After the show,Elton thanked everyone for theirsupport and gifts, but surprisinglyneither accepted gifts nor signedautographs during the show,which he had done at allprevious shows on the tour. (ForUSA Set List, see page 17)

JUST LIKE STRANGE

RAINFOREST SHOWSting, Elton, Billy Joel and

James Taylor performed atCarnegie Hall in New York onApril 13. The audience paid acombined $2.5m in tickets -withall proceeds benefiting therainforest. Stevie Wonderappeared just in time for a finalstar chorus of Amen. Elton stuckout in a white suit and pinkshoes. Sting introduced him as"my boyfriend Elton John.”

ELTON AT TOWER RECORDS Elton sat down at Tower

Records on 8801 Sunset Blvd.and signed copies of "The Roadto El Dorado" as the album hitthe street on March 14, 2000.Lyricist Tim Rice was alsoannounced, but didn't show up.It was a well organised eventwith all major radio and TVstations at place, and even theweather was perfect. It was 5years almost to the day sinceElton and Bernie Taupin did theirlast autograph party at TowerRecords in LA.

TROUBLE WITH AIDA

"I walked out to make apoint," Elton explained during aninterview on "Good MorningAmerica" "They didn't listen towhat I had to say in December,and I wrote the music and it'smy bloody name on thebillboard, and I don't want to beassociated with something I didnot write."

The superstar singer says hebolted a performance of the $15million mega-musical last monthafter Disney execs turned a deafear to his requests for changesin the show's score.

"I was absolutelyincandescent with rage," he said."After I'd seen the show inChicago, I wasn't very happywith the music. So we had a bigmeeting in December in LosAngeles and I said, 'Here aretwo things that I really don't likein the show...' "

Two major songs that he hadwritten, "Another Pyramid" and"My Stronger Suit," weredramatically changed, he says,with the addition of techno-music. Elton told the producers,

"'I don't like it. I didn't write it,and you know, it's my music inthere, and please change it.'"

Well, they didn't. And whenElton attended a preview inFebruary and saw that the songswere unchanged, "I was soincensed. And I just walked out,I walked calmly out, and Ismiled on my way out and I gotout in the street and went,'Rrrrhhhh.' "

Elton said he told Disney, "'Ifyou don't listen to what I'msaying, I'm going to get mad.'And so I got mad." He alsoacknowledged that thefrustration wasn't pretty. "I wearmy heart on my sleeve; I wasannoyed," he said.

These days, though, all iswell with Elton and "Aida." Thechanges he requested have beenmade, and he says he enjoyed arecent performance of the show."It was brilliant," he says of howthe music plays now. "I don'thave to worry about thisanymore."

There were a few rumours doing the rounds that Eltonwalked out of a preview performance of Aida in February.Here, Elton explains all........

Hercules Coordinator StephanHeimbecher informed me that a

German TV channel was looking forsomeone to play in their quizshow “Risiko"recently, with the subject being Elton John.I applied to the casting company, and aftera short general knowledge test on the phonethey invited me to the casting in Hamburg.The casting worked well and three dayslater they invited me to the studiorecording.

I arrived at the studio with othercontestants, who were specialising in othersubjects. The general knowledge questionspassed without any problem and I wasthrough to round two. The second roundwas OK too, except the last question, whichI unfortunately didn’t know: which song onthe John Lennon album “Walls and Bridges”did Elton play the piano? I was thereforeknocked out of further rounds, butnevertheless I won a nice prize and had alot of fun.

Juliane Kessing, Germany

I would like to tell the story of how mylife changed when I became an Elton

fan and ‘Reghead’. I was born and grew upin the ‘second’ German state - the GermanDemocratic Republic.

It was impossible for the people here tosee a superstar like Elton. The border wasinsurmountable - no hope for a good life. Asa teenager, I would often hear Daniel andYour Song on the radio. I became an Eltonfan in 1997 when I bought the book "RocketMan" and was fascinated. In summer 1998, Ihad the Moment Of My Life; I was so proudto be able to see my idol live on stage inMunich. I just knew I had to see him again!

As a Hercules member, I have met manynew friends by placing a Small Ad in TheMag. It’s a great feeling to meet up withthese friends at concerts in Germany. Lastyear, Sir Elton gave me three autographs onmy membership pass and fanzines atconcerts. Now I’m looking forward to theMedusa Solo Tour this summer. Sir Elton isthe best thing in my life and ‘My GreatestDiscovery’.

Carmen Wernicke, Germany

In the last installment of KaleidoscopeEyes, I've noticed that in the list of Elton’s

70s TV appearances you haven't included thefirst Italian appearance that he did in 1972,and that I proudly have in my collection. Itwas to promote Crocodile Rock, his newsingle and his Italian tour. He was guest in ashow presented by Gino Bramieri togetherwith Nigel, Davey and Dee. The instrumentswere all pre-recorded (but it wasn't the usualstudio version) but he sang it live. Beautiful!! Ithink this will be a nice contribution for thevideo list.

All the best!!Christian, Italy

Like every other Elton fan, I was veryexcited to learn about the launch of the

official web-site, eltonjohn.com. In fact, itprompted me to purchase my first home PC,and I duly paid up and became a member assoon as I could. Needless to say, I also joinedthe on-line membership for the Herculeswebsite.

However, I have a small problem with theofficial site. Although it is great to receivenews and personal messages from Eltonhimself, I can’t help feeling that as a non-USAmember, I am treated as a second-classcitizen. As far as I can see, the Website is verymuch geared towards the American fans. Thedates which are listed (Tour Dates, Launchesetc) are all written the American way(month/day/year); I would be interested toknow whether there is any reason at all forthis, or why they simply can’t state the monthNAME. It wouldn’t be any fairer if it were theother way round (ie European format), butsurely by writing March, June etc, it wouldkeep everyone happy.

I’ve also discovered (to my cost!) that themerchandise available for purchase is subjectto a huge shipping tax for non-USA members.It would perhaps be better if some of themerchandise was also kept at a second centraloffice somewhere in Europe (Elton’smanagement office?), to be sent to Europeanmembers who purchase the items.

Come on, eltonjohn.com, stop making usEuropeans feel that we are visitors at someoneelse’s party! Our money is as good as thosefans living in the USA. The Hercules Websiteseems far more aware of the Internationalinterest and appeal of Elton.

Andy Thorpe, Brentford, UK

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1. L’il ’frigerator2. Restless3. Just Like Belgium4. Razor Face5. Poor Cow6. Lies7. Religion8. Just Like Strange Rain9. Seasons10. The One11. The Cage12. Easier to Walk Away

LYRIC QUIZ ANSWERS

Most of us this year willbe lucky enough tohave the opportunity

to see Elton in concert, as hetakes his hugely enjoyableSolo Tour from country tocountry. This surely must bein the running for the longestElton tour of all time! Havingcompleted the second leg ofthe United States, Elton isnow bringing the Solo Tourback to Europe this summer.Check out the Tour Dates onpage 27 for full details of hisbusy schedule. Let’s just hopefor his sake that he’s not over-doing it!

With Elton’s increasinglyraised profile, and the adventof Elton’s new official Website,news and information aboutElton is easier to obtain thanever before. Particularlywelcome is the news that Eltonwill be back in the Studio inSeptember, to record a newJohn/Taupin album. Moreinformation about this can befound in our News Bulletssection.

Hercules Fan Clubcelebrated our 12th birthdayin May. This coincided withanother milestone for Elton’sfan-club; the Hercules Websiteachieved a total of 400,000hits since it’s launch two yearsago. That’s an average of 530people visiting our Websiteevery day! Check it out foryourself at www.eltonfan.com

As part of the service whichwe offer to fans, Hercules haveagain been able to securegroup allocation premium

tickets to many of Elton’sshows this year. We don’tmake any profit on the ticketswhich fans buy throughHercules, it’s purely a way ofensuring that great seats areavailable for real fans. A freeHercules banner was mailedwith the UK tickets toeveryone who ordered throughHercules. The mailingcommenced on 22 May, assoon as we received the ticketsfrom the Tour Promoter. Besure to wave your banners atthe concerts - Elton lovedthem last year! If you needtickets for any of Elton’sGerman shows in the Autumn,details of how to purchasethem through Hercules are onpage 27.

We’ve had a lot offeedback from you to say howmuch you enjoyed ourexclusive interview with NigelOlsson in the March issue.Part 2 appears in this issue,see page 22. We have acouple of interviews with Eltonfeatured in this issue too. Hetalks about current projects,and how happy his personallife is now, after years of well-documented unhappiness.

Keep your letters coming into The Editor, it’s always niceto hear from you (address onpage 2). In the meantime, Ilook forward to seeing asmany of you as possible atElton’s European shows thissummer!


FROM THE EDITOR...SMALL ADS

LIVE IN NY FOR SALE: Double CD import "ELTON JOHN LIVEIN NY CITY, OCTOBER 1998". 20GBP. I've got other Elton's items forsale. E-mail to [email protected] (forlist) and [email protected] (ifyou're intersted to double cd) or writeto Alessandro Perfumo, str Maggiora65, 15011 Acqui Terme AL, ITALY .

PEN-FRIENDS WANTED!I am looking for any Elton fans tobecome pen-friends. Please write tome at: Susan Fisher, 86 Ridgeway,Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 8JG. UK.

EJ CELSSimilar to the way animation Cels aremade. Matted and presented inshadow box frames. 16 titles available.Some in limited edition! SPECIALFREE OFFER! Write to: CartoonCreations, PO Box 396, Dunedin, FL34697 USA or visit our website atwww.angelfire.com/biz/celebritycelOur home since 1996!

FOR SALE / TRADEUpdated 7 page list includes, 7", 12"vinyl, CDs, Videos, Books, Photos, T-Shirts and more. Please write to StevenBetts 75A Coillesdene Avenue,Edinburgh EH15 2LN, Scotland U.K. ore-mail [email protected]

HERCULES MEMBER DISCOUNTS AT WRAP IT UP!Hercules has negotiated a permanentdiscount package worth up to 25% toclub members buying selected Eltongoods from our retail outlet Wrap ItUp! Quote your member number (onyour passes) to Wrap It Up!, PO Box220, Lincoln, LN1 2RZ, England.Tel/fax +44-1522-529275 or email:[email protected] for a list of Eltonmerchandise.

FOR SALE: Tour programme The One. Maxi

CD Runaway Train, Chicago. A StepToo Far CD and all maxi CDs of TheOne. Does anyone know who sellssigned copies of El Dorado CD in theUSA? Or press material/picturesregarding the making of El Dorado.Write or call. Rainer Petersen,Strandstr. 105, 23669 Niendorf,Germany.

These are free to Hercules members.Send yours to Tammi Law, Editor, 49 Horseshoe Crescent, SwindonSN5 5AX, UK., or e-mail her [email protected]

ALWAYS let us know the expiry date ofthe card, and the cardholders name.

ALWAYS state your membership numberif you send a cheque to Hercules, or pay

into one of the Club accounts.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

Please note that if you have paid yourMembership Fee by Credit Card, your cardwill automatically be charged again for therenewal fee, at the end of your membership

year. If your card has expired in themeantime, or if you have switched

companies, please forward your new CreditCard details to Hercules Coordination in

time for your next renewal.

“Broadway Cares” (Photo: N Bac)

Hershey, PA (Photo: N Bac)

Dresden 1996

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by Reggie Zippo

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Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 51. March 2000 27Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club2

Annual membership fee for the UK is £14 if paid byStanding Order/VISA/Mastercard. By Cheque/PostalOrder it is £15. For the rest of Europe it is £14, andfor the USA it is 17£/US$30. Please note that yourrenewal date is printed on your address label inEuropean format day/month/year.

Membership passes are available from your localHERCULES department: send a small photo ofyourself when requesting your pass.

Please don't send enquiries or fan mail to the EltonJohn management, but to HERCULES Coordination.Letters will be passed on if necessary.

HERCULES is a quarterly publication released inMarch, June, September and December. In event ofcircumstances beyond our control, there is noguarantee for punctual shipment. It is published inEnglish and German.

Printed articles do not necessarily reflect the editors'opinions. All information is based on the best ofknowledge and belief. Reproductions permitted onlyby prior arrangement with HERCULES.

Member participation is always welcome. We arethankful for your submissions of any kind: reports,articles, photos, drawings, and suggestions. Pleasesend them to the Editor, Tammi Law. Pleaseunderstand that we cannot always publish allcontributions. All photos will be returned.

UK Hotline 0906 888 20 20 (60p per minute)USA/Canada Hotline 815/293 3843Web site http://www.eltonfan.com

COPYRIGHT: HERCULES

Deadline for Issue No. 52 is 1 August 2000

No. 52 will be released September 2000

Front cover: “Broadway Cares” (see review page 10)(Photo: Lynn Sykes)

Back cover: Wilkes-Barre(Photo: Nannette Bac)

FAN CLUB INFORMATION

Fanzine of the Elton John Fan Club

Issue No. 51JUNE 2000

THE MAG

CONTENTSFEATURES

Chorus of Light Elton’s photo collection to beexhibited ......................11

eltonjohn.comWebsite review ..........24

Healing HandsNigel Olsson interview (part 2) ......22

Hercules House...for sale!! ..................12

Road to El DoradoCD review....................14Movie review ..............19

Soul MateElton talks about his relationship with David Furnish ....18

This is Your SongBroadway sings Elton John ....................10

USA concert reviewLakeland reviewed by Zippo ......................16

REGULARS

Between 17 and 20Elton trivia & gossip ..18

Club Information ............2

Convention Photos........20

Letters to the Editor......25

Lyric Quiz ......................13

News Bullets ....................4

Small ads ........................26

Tour Dates ......................27

Watford Watch ..............21

HERCULES Chief Editor Tammi Law49 Horseshoe Crescent,PeatmoorSwindon SN5 5AX, U.K.Tel. +44 (0)1793 881 [email protected]

Editorial Assistants:George Matlock, Barbara Turner

Design: Turnstyle Design

Translations:Sabine AsenkirschbaumerMireille Mölbert

For subscription details, pleasewrite to your local HERCULESdepartment or to HERCULESCoordinaton:

HERCULES Coordinationc/o Stephan HeimbecherOrleansstr. 59D-81667 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 48900369Fax +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES Fan Adviserc/o Mireille MölbertZaunweg 11D-80805 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES USA/Canadac/o Sharon KalinoskiP.O. Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, [email protected]

HERCULES U.K.P.O. Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, [email protected]

HERCULES Beneluxc/o Arjen BuikstraSav. Lohmannstr. 1NL-3214 XA ZuidlandTel. +31 (0)1881 [email protected]: Tim Blezer

HERCULES Italyc/o Luca ZerbiniVia Scheiwiller n.9/AI-20139 Milano, [email protected]

HERCULES FrancaisFrancoise Linden-GillesBP-22, B-4900 [email protected]

HERCULES NordicUrpu Kallioc/o Maria SjöholmBjörkkullavägen 3 A 307880 LILJENDALFINLAND

TOUR DATESEUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 200001 June ......Reykjavik, Iceland

Laugardalsvollur03 June ..........Derbyshire, UK

Chatsworth House04 June ..........Derbyshire, UK

Chatsworth House06 June ............Hampshire, UK

Broadlands07 June ............Hampshire, UK

Broadlands11 June ..............Berkshire, UK

Highclere13 June ..........Lincolnshire, UK

Burghley Park14 June ..........Lincolnshire, UK

Burghley Park17 June ..........Loeben, Austria

Hauptplatz18 June ..........Bregenz, Austria

Seebühne20 June ..............Brescia, Italy

Stadio Rigamonti23 June ..........Kassel, Germany

WilhelmshöheHercules fan convention

24 June ....Hamburg, GermanyDerbypark

27 June ......Cologne, GermanyKölnArena

28 June ........Coburg, GermanySchlossplatz

30 June ........Leipzig, GermanyVölkerschlachtdenkmal

01 July ......Stuttgart, GermanySchlossplatz

04 July ..Mannheim, GermanySchloss Ehrenhof

05 July ......Koblenz, GermanySchlosshof

07 July ....Künzelsau, GermanySchlosspark

08 July ........Munich, GermanyKönigsplatz

13 July ..............Liverpool, UKKings Dock



19 July ............Port Talbot, UKMargam Park



27 July ..................London, UKHyde Park

29 July ..........Co. Durham, UKRaby Castle



18 Nov..Rotterdam, NetherlandsAhoy Arena

19 Nov ....Hannover, GermanyPreussag Arena *

21 Nov ....Frankfurt, GermanyFesthalle *

22 Nov ..Dortmund, GermanyWestfalenhalle *

24 Nov ....Zurich, SwitzerlandHallenstadion

US SOLO TOUR 2000 (CONT.)05 Dec ..........Johnson City, TN

Freedom Hall

2000

MS. UNDERSTOODby Barb Crowley

I'd like to introduce you toMs. Understood, who, until now,was offered exclusively to Eltonfans who accessed our website.If you ever thought you knew thewords to an Elton song, only tofind out later that you were totallywrong, then you're in goodcompany! Enjoy these lyrics(from eltonfan.com). Our nextissue of the fanzine will featuremisunderstood lyrics from GYBRalbum. E-mail your lyrics to me,[email protected], or mail toMiss Understood, c/o BarbCrowley, 3039 Lazlo Lane,Orlando, Florida 32837 USA.

Ms. Understood from The One:Casey: In the second that youhave her kids, (in the second that the hammerhits)Alexa: When life holds the gun,(where wild horses run)Jennifer: When studs collide likeyou and I (when stars collide)Kay: In the moment that theyhave a kiss (that the hammer hits)

Ms. Understood from Your Song:Megan: It's a little bit sunny(funny)

Ms. Understood from The Bitch is Back:Daniel: I'll eat a light steak on astack of knives (I even like steak on a Saturdaynight)(Daniel again!): I was just a pie,then I was five (I was justified, when I was five)Ron: I entertain my pickin'brains, sell my dope by droppin'names. I don't like to throw mycar wash hats. Oh andsomething likes to grab me whenthe bitch gets back.

Ms. Understood from Bad Side Of The Moon:Jeannie: Who's in my light?Ann: Losin' my life!

* A limited number of fan tickets are available for the threeNovember shows in Germany. Interested fans please contact StephanHeimbecher, Hercules Co-Ordination (address on page 2)

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20

For up-to-the-minute news about Elton, callers in the UK can phone the

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20Calls cost 60p per minute anytime

inside this issue:

Elton talks abouthis relationshipwith David

EXCLUSIVE! Part 2 of our NigelOlsson interview

The truth aboutthe Aida tantrum

El Dorado CDreviewed

Competitionresults

USA Spring Tourreview & Set List

PLUS:

News, Trivia,Quizzes, YourLetters & more!

June 2000 Issue No: 51

THE MAG

since 1988

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