ABC/Randy Holmes
With so many legendary performers passing away this year, you’d think Elton John might be considering what kind of legacy he’ll be leaving behind. But in fact, Elton tells Clash magazine it’s not something he likes to dwell on.
“I couldn’t care less,” he says. “I couldn’t give a f***. Everything I’ve recorded has come out. I’m gone.”
He adds that he doesn’t spend time poring over his old tracks. “I’m not interested,” he says. “I’m more interested in listening to other people’s stuff, to be honest with you. I don’t want to listen to mine.”
Elton does admit that the passing of icons like David Bowie put him in touch with his mortality. He also says it reminds him that great artists are few and far between these days. “There are not that many great artists around today — not as great or in the same league as Bowie,” he says. “No one. Kanye West? Forget it. No way.”
One young artist whose new music Elton does admit to liking is Justin Bieber. John calls Bieber’s latest album, Purpose, “a great pop record,” while adding that he’s glad that the 22-year-old singer seems to have turned his life around. “I’m so happy for him, because I don’t like to see anyone f****** fall off the edge of a cliff and lose everything, and he was very close to doing that,” Elton maintains. “I think he smartened himself up.”
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
