Elton John: ‘My kids aren’t interested in being in the limelight’

Music legend Elton John and American singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile join Kate Thornton on Greatest Hits Radio on Friday for the first play on the station of his new single Never Too Late.

Taken from a new Disney+ documentary – out in cinemas today ahead of a 13th December release on the streamer – the song, written by Brandi for Elton, plays out over the credits of a film that looks back at Elton’s astonishing 50-year career and reflects on him finally finding happiness thanks to true love and his family.

In a revealing and personal chat with Kate, the superstar discusses getting sober, how he’s a different person from the one in his Tantrums & Tiaras documentary and why his children would pick Eminem over Elton John if asked for their favourite song…

Elton John quotes:

Family life is the best thing in the whole world for me – that’s why I decided to come off the road and spend the rest of my life with my boys…

When I saw the lyric [to new song Never Too Late] it kind of described how I am. I look forward, I’m tough and I probably am an ‘iron baby’ after what I’ve been through.

The documentary was originally called Farewell Yellow Brick Road, the name of the tour, and I just thought that was a really boring title… Never Too Late sums up the doc itself as well as the historical footage and where I am now. It’s never too late for anybody to change their lives around

It’s been an amazing journey. I’ve had the most incredible life – you can’t really make it all up. It all turned around when I did get sober in 1990. I had an awful lot of work to do and I was determined I would put as much work into getting sober as I did in to not getting sober.

I’ve got to the other side because I asked for help and its very important when you’re really on your own and you’re desperate to pick up the phone and ask for help. I couldn’t do that for such a long time but when I did everything changed and so here I am today with this beautiful family, my beautiful friends and my beautiful kids.

ON TANTRUMS & TIARAS: ‘I do recognise that guy and Brandi will recognise that guy too! I found it so funny, and its honesty and I just think being honest that was how I was. Somebody of my stature had never put out a thing like that before – it’s a piece of history and that’s how I was at that time. I’m a completely different person now.

When the kids were born I didn’t want them to have any fear. I grew up in the 1950s and everything was ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ I was treading on eggshells everywhere and I didn’t ever want my children to feel like that.

They’re not interested in being in the limelight. In fact Zachary, our eldest, didn’t really want to be filmed at all, he doesn’t like it, but we explained the situation to him and he agreed to be filmed at the Dodgers Stadium

At the end of the day what matters most? My career and my success or my family and I’ve got it in perspective now – my family matters most. I’m lucky enough to have had the career I’ve had and still have but now it’s being able to enjoy that part of my life and really focus on the important things.

My boys would choose Ghetto Gospel because they love Eminem so much because they love hip hop and rap – not my song but they would choose that…