FRESH AIR
Elton John has a flair for the extravagant, to say the least. Sunday night at the Emmys, he in a sequined jacket. John is currently performing in Vegas, at Caesar’s Palace, doing a show he calls The Million Dollar Piano. But his new album, The Diving Board, is the opposite of flashy. The songs are reflective, and the music is stripped down to piano, bass and drums. It’s a surprising return to a time when Elton John wasn’t Captain Fantastic, when he wasn’t one of the biggest rock stars in the world. The songs on the new -produced album were written with John’s longtime lyricist, Bernie Taupin. Their many hits include “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Tiny Dancer” (yes, ), “Bennie and the Jets” … the list just goes on. Here, he tells Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross about the “Elton John excess,” his fear of sex as a young man, and how Liberace’s example encouraged John to make the piano a star instrument. MORE