The Many Lives of Elton John [Hardcover]

Susan Crimp (Author), Patricia Burstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

A probing biography of the unlikely superstar looks beyond Elton John's flamboyant costumes and famous temper tantrums to focus on his stormy relationship with his father, his battles with alcoholism and overeating, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ponderous and overburdened with unnecessary detail, this biography makes Elton John, one of the most flamboyant performers in rock 'n' roll history, seem flat and uninteresting. Crimp and Burstein ( Hollywood Sisters: Jackie and Joan Collins ) present the already well-chronicled facts of John's career and private life credibly enough but couch them in a style that rarely rises above tabloid commentary. Dead ends abound: there are depictions of hotel rooms ("the seven room, faux Louis XIV suite") and lengthy descriptions (such as a painful cataloguing of articles John auctioned off at one point) that do nothing to illuminate the subject. Only when John is quoted directly--his bantering on New York's WNEW-FM with deejay Scott Muni, for example--do readers glean intimations of his multifaceted personality. Bright spots--sensitive treatment of John's involvement with AIDS victim Ryan White, John's reaction to John Lennon's death--are not enough to overcome the flaws that affect most of the book. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Second, and weaker, bio of Elton John this season. Crimp and Burstein (Family Holiday, 1982) have also written bios (not reviewed) of Jackie and Joan Collins and of Caroline and Stephanie Rainier. Crimp/Burstein come in second to Philip Norman's Elton John (p. 38), which is longer, far denser in detail, richer with interviews, and boasts a thorough discography. Norman also writes better--not great, but better--and his length soaks you so deeply in John that the entertainer, despite his flaws, draws you in with considerable warmth. Aside from a double handful of interviews (none with John, whom Norman failed to land as well), Crimp and Burstein rely largely upon info from secondary sources. John himself can carry any bio, as his ebullient stage persona overrides his deep shyness, baldness, and often puffy face and his battles with alcohol, bulimia and fat. (A recent TV interview with David Frost found him trim as a greyhound, enjoying an ongoing sobriety in A.A.) Crimp and Burstein note that John, the issue of a broken home, has spent his life attempting to assuage his natural father, an archly stiff RAF flight-lieutenant, while enjoying close ties with his mother (with whom he discussed his first homosexual affair when it happened). John and his younger lyricist, Bernie Taupin, met while John was working at Dick James Music (then the Beatles' publishers) and then roomed together for 18 months while John hid out from a financ‚e he did not want to marry. Garishly outrageous costumes and madcap glasses camouflaged his shyness during stage appearances, while his pounding musicality and high visibility drove his record sales higher than all others in the British empire. A late marriage failed, and going public about his bisexuality brought unexpected pain. Thinly done, though John makes it all easy reading. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Birch Lane Pr; First Edition edition (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559721111
• ISBN-13: 978-1559721110
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,660,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Fill-In-The-Gaps Book, April 5, 2008

By 

Paul Petty "Elton and Laura fan" (Marshall, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Many Lives of Elton John (Hardcover)

Even though it's not as detailed as Philip Norman's bio of Elton, it still had some points that weren't covered in Philip's, like some of Elton's darker side, and a couple of relationships.
It is more like a fan-written, third person point-of-view book. A few spelling errors and song title errors such as instead of "Who Wears These Shoes?" it was put down as "Whose Shoes Are These".

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Book On Elton John's Life (Or Lives), February 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Many Lives of Elton John (Hardcover)

This Book is a pretty thorough look at the life of pop superstar Elton John. From his early days as Reginald Kenneth Dwight to his tenure in the London group Bluesology, To his transformation Of New Singing/Piano Playing Sensation known as Elton John. The Book is interesting enough to hold your attention for the most part. But there is also a lot of negativity surrounding Elton's life. There are too many details. The book divulges more of Elton's personal life than I want to know. Some of the information is just too straightforward and direct. Don't get me wrong, I still think this book is worth reading, It's just that it gets a little too personal at times, and sometimes it's a little hard to take. But judge for yourself. Don't just take my word for it.

3.0 out of 5 stars the many tales of elton john, September 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Many Lives of Elton John (Hardcover)

Although this book is somewhat entertaining, it is also very impersonal. Most of the interviews are from a second person point of view. The other problem I have with this book is that the persons asked about Eltons problem's weren't that important to him. And finally the last problem was that it was like reading an issue of Rolling Stone(where most of the first quotes came form). If are a true Elton John fan, this would make a nice nightstand book(or paper weight), depending on what side of elton you love the most.