''Me'' is the autobiography of the English singer, pianist and composer

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. It was released on 15 October 2019 by Macmillan Publishers. It was ghostwritten by journalist

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

, who worked on the book with John for three and a half years.

Overview

The book recounts events from John's childhood in Pinner through to his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road. He describes his depression and suicide attempts as well as drug addiction and his

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

diagnosis. He admits he spent his whole career "trying to show my father what I'm made of". He explains the reasons behind his advocacy against

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

Comments on Michael Jackson

In the book, despite being good friends with him, John said that the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson was "genuinely mentally ill" and "disturbing to be around". The comments arose from a lunch John hosted to introduce his husband David Furnish to Jackson in 1993.

Publication

''Me'' was released by Macmillan Publishers on 15 October 2019. Excerpts read by Taron Egerton (who portrayed John in the biographical film '' Rocketman'') aired on BBC Radio 4's '' Book of the Week'' in the first week of its release.

Reception

Hadley Freeman, a writer for '' The Guardian'', called the book "racy, pacy and crammed with scurrilous anecdotes", saying: "Elton makes fun of no one more than himself. He is utterly, astonishingly, hilariously self-lacerating." ''Variety'' dubbed the book "deeply dishy". A ''Time'' review said: "Like John’s songs, ''Me'' overflows with whimsical characters, twisted humor, winking self-aggrandizement and stark pathos. True to his spirit, it's a little silly and over the top, but it's also an absorbing and unfettered joy." In '' The Daily Telegraph'', Neil McCormick said: "If you are in the market for an autobiography crammed with sex, drugs and rock and roll, Elton is clearly your man." In '' The Times'', Will Hodgkinson said that John's "sad, funny memoir reveals the insecurities that drive his needy behaviour."

References

{{Authority control 2019 non-fiction books Elton John British autobiographies Music autobiographies Macmillan Publishers books