Generally speaking, I do not use the word 'poor' when discussing multi-millionaire rock stars. These guys are some of the wealthiest men on the planet, so using the word 'poor' is so often inaccurate.
Elton John has always been the most culturally entertaining of this lot, because he is not afraid to be in the public eye and spout his opinions. Elton is an activist. He uses his fame and fortune to change the world. I learned in 1979 that Elton was personally responsible for funding the gay liberation movement in London. An impressive commitment. Elton's AIDS foundation work is without equal, and his outpouring to Ryan White in the 1980s was a beautiful thing. His commitment to making the world a better place can not be questioned.
Rod is rather a dullard, and I suspect a bit too conservative to be acting-out in public at his age. Anyhow, he can't decide if he's Rod Stewart or a Tina Turner clone, so it's all for the best that he remain out of the public eye. He is an amateur football player and is alleged to have had a try-out with a top-flight English team in his youth.
Freddie was quite a character. Though Queen released more sports/rock anthems than any other rock band, they have not enjoyed the enshrinement that these others have in the pantheon of rock gods. I don't know why, but maybe it's an American thing. I think Queen (not THE Queen, but Queen) is held in higher esteem by Brits than Americans. For good reason! Queen was amazing and Freddie was quite a guy. Did you know he experimented with heterosexuality?
Mick is a god. Mick can do anything. Screw girls from the convent, go to jail for drugs, father children around the world, sing racist/misogynist songs that women and people of color actually like, he can flirt in public with men, be knighted, attend PTA meetings at posh boarding schools, marry and divorce wealthy and famous women, and nothing seems to penetrate his standing as one of the world's supreme rock gods.
David . . . well, I can't say enough about David Bowie. His music and art changed my life. There is no rock god more deserving of accolade than David Bowie. No other person in the entertainment industry has crossed so many lines and pushed the envelope further than David Bowie. Even his most boring work is leaps and bounds ahead of most work produced in that industry. He's a painter, a writer, an actor, a singer and musician. He is a devoted father and husband, and an innovator non-pareil. The American media could be kinder to Bowie, but I suspect he is happy as things stand.
So . . . now that I have gone on my rock star love fest, what the hell is my point? I think I forget . . . hmmmmmmmmmm . . .
OH YEAH!
Sadly, Elton John is developing his own sitcom about an aging rock star and the people around him. The show is not necessarily based on him, but the character is a combination of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Rod Stewart.
Oh well.
Let's hope he makes a ton of money on it and (unlike the others) uses it to make the world a better place for those unable to defend themselves.
Below is some press about it.
Peace.
Elton John Developing Sitcom
(from WNBC)
Legendary singer-songwriter Elton John is helping to develop his own sitcom about an aging rock star and the people around him.
John tells Variety that the rock star wouldn't necessarily be based on him, but would be a combination of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Rod Stewart.
John has already written a song for the show, "Him and Us."
The song will also be on his upcoming album "Peachtree Road."
Elton John to become sitcom superstar with 'Spinal Tap'-style TV comedy
(from Yahoo!)
Fri Nov 5, 3:44 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Elton John's life is a sitcom. Or it soon will be, as the singing superstar is planning to produce a television comedy show based on the life of an ageing rock star, industry reports said.
The colourful 57-year-old British musical icon is helping develop a show for the American ABC network that pokes fun at himself and his superstar rock pals, industry bible Daily Variety said.
But, John said, the lead character would not necessarily be based on his own frequently stranger-than-fiction life, but on a composite of "male divas" such as Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Freddy Mercury and David Bowie.
"It's not about me, but about everybody we've encountered over the past 30 years," John told the daily.
"We've met every star and seen every misbehavior. And it's about the people around the star, who have to put up with them. It's an upmarket 'Spinal Tap'," he said.
"Spinal Tap," a 1984 spoof documentary which was directed by Rob Reiner and has become a cult classic, told the exaggerated tongue-in-cheek story of a fiction rock band that took itself far too seriously.
The weekly half-hour show, the brainchild of John and his longtime business manager Bob Halley, will revolve around the relationship between a veteran rock star and his eccentric entourage, Variety said.
The show is expected to draw on John's own unusual household includes his longtime boyfriend David Furnish, a valet, a hairdresser and SWAT-style bodyguards.
"I think it will be one of the funniest things on TV in a while," John said.
The planned show's five executive producers are assembling a full history for the lead character that includes a back catalogue of his music dating from the 1970s to the 21st century, Variety said.
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