Elton John's Tip sheet

INTERVIEW: So, Elton, what music are you getting into?

ELTON JOHN: Ms. Dynamite. Her debut album, A Little Deeper, won the 2002 Mercury Prize in England and is coming out soon in America on Interscope. I've talked about this before, but it's sensational, the closest anybody in England has gotten to a really great female hip-hop vibe like Mary J. Blige's. It's still in my car's CD player after six months.

I: How would you explain the difference between English and American hip-hop?

EJ: It's like when rock 'n' roll first started. All the good rock 'n' roll came out of America at first, but then we took it and made something new out of it. Another album I absolutely cherish is by a guy called Lewis Taylor, who's also English. It's called Stoned: Part One, and it's like Marvin Gaye meets Jimi Hendrix.

I: Where is so-called bubble-gum music today? The teen-pop era almost feels over.

EJ: Some of the music those kinds of bands make--Sugababes and Mis-Teeq, for example--isn't bad at all. As well as those two, there are a couple of others, like Blue and Atomic Kitten, who are still really popular in England.

I: What kind of moment are we in, in terms of the cultural climate?

EJ: Singer-songwriters had an enormous success last year, and I think there's a bit of a return to music. I love the latest Coldplay record. It's sheer quality; that's why it's doing well. Other than that much of what is out there is poop. [laughs]

I: What do you think about the resurgence of the musical that's happening now? There's Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme, and Twyla Thar choreographing Billy Joel's hits on Broadway [in Movin' Out], just to name two.

EJ: The trend with musicals is for people to dig into their back catalogs. The Abba musical Mamma Mia! and Queen's We Will Rock You show are huge in England. There's a Madness one, too [Our House], and a Boy George one called Taboo. People are going out and choosing music that they already know is great.

I: Last year we had Norah Jones. Who do you think the big surprise will be this year?

EJ: Oh, God, I don't know. Radio stations are mostly owned by just two or three people now, and they play the same records for months. It's damaging artists' careers. If I were in charge I would fire every single radio programmer in America!

Elton John's Tip Sheet appears regularly in interview. Illustration: RISKO.

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