Hercules Fanzine no. 52 - heimbecher . net

Elton’s sound engineer Clive Franks proudly points to hiscopy of Hercules The Mag, minutes before Elton takes the

stage at Hylands House, UK

inside this issue:

Elton hosts WhiteTie and Tiara Ball

EXCLUSIVE! Interview with EJsound engineerClive Franks

Elton speaks topress at HylandsHouse

UK Tour review

Elton visits Diana’s Grave

PLUS:

News, Trivia,Quizzes, YourLetters & more!

September 2000 Issue No: 52

THE MAG

since 1988

T SHIRT AUCTIONRESULTS

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000 27Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club2

Annual membership fee for the UK is £14 if paid byStanding Order/VISA/Mastercard. By Cheque/PostalOrder it is £15. For the rest of Europe it is £14, andfor the USA it is 17£/US$30. Please note that yourrenewal date is printed on your address label inEuropean format day/month/year.

Membership passes are available from your localHERCULES department: send a small photo ofyourself when requesting your pass.

Please don't send enquiries or fan mail to the EltonJohn management, but to HERCULES Coordination.Letters will be passed on if necessary.

HERCULES is a quarterly publication released inMarch, June, September and December. In event ofcircumstances beyond our control, there is noguarantee for punctual shipment. It is published inEnglish and German.

Printed articles do not necessarily reflect the editors'opinions. All information is based on the best ofknowledge and belief. Reproductions permitted onlyby prior arrangement with HERCULES.

Member participation is always welcome. We arethankful for your submissions of any kind: reports,articles, photos, drawings, and suggestions. Pleasesend them to the Editor, Tammi Law. Pleaseunderstand that we cannot always publish allcontributions. All photos will be returned.

UK Hotline 0906 888 20 20 (60p per minute)USA/Canada Hotline 815/293 3843Web site http://www.eltonfan.com

COPYRIGHT: HERCULES

Deadline for Issue No. 53 is 1 November 2000

No. 53 will be released December 2000

Front Cover: Elton on stage earlier this year, with the large video screen wall behind him.

FAN CLUB INFORMATION

Fanzine of the Elton John Fan Club

Issue No. 52SEPTEMBER 2000

Hercules is a registered memberof the National Association ofFan Clubs

THE MAG

CONTENTSFEATURESA Dog Named Johann

Sebastian BachKassel (Germany)concert review ............23

Clive Franks interviewExclusive interview with Elton’s soundengineer ......................14

Club at the End of the StreetLook-a-like Ray Johnson recalls a recent experience.......18

EltonJohn.comWebsite overview ........7

In His Own Words...Elton speaks to press at Hylands House ........8

Sir EltonPhilip Norman’s book reviewed ............13

Ten ways to tell......if you’re too much of an Elton Fan............24

UK Tour Review ..........10White Tie and Tiara Ball

Elton and David Furnish host a lavish ball in aid of EJAF ......20

REGULARSBetween 17 and 20

Elton trivia & gossip ..18Club Information ............2Kaleidoscope Eyes

Part 6 - Elton’s TV and Video appearances (The 80s) ......................17

Letters to the Editor......24Lyric Quiz ......................13News Bullets ....................4Small ads ........................26Tour Dates ......................27

HERCULES Chief Editor Tammi Law49 Horseshoe Crescent,PeatmoorSwindon SN5 5AX, U.K.Tel. +44 (0)1793 881 [email protected]

Editorial Assistants:George Matlock, Barbara TurnerDesign: Turnstyle Design

Translations:Sabine AsenkirschbaumerMireille Mölbert

For subscription details, pleasewrite to your local HERCULESdepartment or to HERCULESCoordinaton:

HERCULES Coordinationc/o Stephan HeimbecherOrleansstr. 59D-81667 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 48900369Fax +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES Fan Adviserc/o Mireille MölbertZaunweg 11D-80805 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES USA/Canadac/o Sharon KalinoskiP.O. Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, [email protected]

HERCULES U.K.c/o George MatlockP.O. Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, [email protected]

HERCULES Beneluxc/o Arjen BuikstraSav. Lohmannstr. 1NL-3214 XA ZuidlandTel. +31 (0)1881 [email protected]: Tim Blezer

HERCULES Italyc/o Luca ZerbiniVia Scheiwiller n.9/AI-20139 Milano, [email protected]

HERCULES FrancaisFrancoise Linden-GillesBP-22, B-4900 [email protected]

HERCULES NordicUrpu Kallioc/o Maria SjöholmBjörkkullavägen 3 A 307880 LILJENDALFINLAND

TOUR DATESEUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 200008-Sept..........Reggio Calabria

Italy

10-Sept ..........Athens, Greece Herodes Atticus Odeon

13-Sept ........Lisbon, Portugal Casino

15-Sept ..........Marbella, Spain

ELTON & BAND "GREATEST HITS LIVE"18-Oct ........Wilkes Barre, PA

20-Oct ............New York, NYMadison Square Garden


EUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 2000

(CONTINUED)

11-Nov ..............Paris, France Olympia

13-Nov ............Oslo, Norway Spectrum


16-Nov ......Antwerp, Belgium Sport Palais

18-Nov ................Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ahoy Arena

19-Nov ..Hannover, Germany Preussag Arena (Expo)

21-Nov....Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle

22-Nov..Dortmund, Germany Westfalenhalle

24-Nov....Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion

25-Nov ..........Vienna, Austria Stadthalle

28-Nov ................Milan, Italy Forum

US SOLO TOUR 2000

(CONTINUED)

05-Dec ........Johnson City, TN Freedom Hall

EUROPEAN TOUR 200103-April ............Paris, France

Bercy Arena

2000Please note: This is not an official Tour Schedule, as it containsunconfirmed dates at time of going to press.

In the June issue of The Mag,we gave all readers the

chance to send in a postal bidfor two very rare Elton Tour T-shirts. All proceeds from thisAuction benefited the EltonJohn Aids Foundation. Bids

were invited in Germancurrency, and the closing date

was July 31st.

Congratulations to the two successful

bidders:

1. Sharon Kalinoski, USA2. Jochen Loh, Germany

A T-Shirt has been postedto each of you.

All proceeds have beenforwarded to the EltonJohn Aids Foundation.

1. Shoulder Holster2. The Scaffold3. Valhalla4. The Fox5. Shoot Down The Moon6. The Retreat7. Made For Me8. Tortured9. Love So Cold10. The Camera Never Lies11. Made In England12. Passengers

LYRIC QUIZ ANSWERS

Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club26

Welcome to theSeptember issue of The

Mag. At the time of writing,Elton is taking a well-deservedsix week holiday at his villa inthe South of France. During thelast show before his holiday, atEdinburgh Castle in Scotland,Elton told the crowd "This is my140th Solo show." Which iswhy we think he deserves hisholiday!

In this issue, we are delightedto bring you the first part of anexclusive interview with Elton'slong-time sound engineer, CliveFranks. Clive spoke to Herculesduring Elton's UK Solo tour inJuly; and be sure to check outthe next instalment of thisinterview in our Decemberissue.

Many of us have been luckyenough to see Elton live thisyear - he has taken his Solo Touracross the USA, and thenextensively into Europe. Someof us are beginning to forgetwhat it's like to see Eltonperform with the band!However, there are two veryspecial shows with the bandscheduled to take place in NewYork, in October. These will berecorded for both a televisionbroadcast, and also a live CD, tobe released later this year. Seeour News section for moredetails.

Also, more Solo dates havebeen added for later this year.See our Tour Dates listing onpage 27 for full details.

For those of you who missedElton's shows, there are severalreports in this issue - anoverview of the UK tour, apersonal report by two fans whohanded Elton a special gift onstage in Germany, and somemore comments on our Lettersto Editor page. And if you DID

manage to see any of Elton'sshows, I'm sure these reportswill bring back happy memoriesof great concerts.

We are all looking forward toElton's new studio album, thefirst for a few years. It is beingrecorded in Atlanta this month(September), but as yet, there isno word on a release date.We'll keep you informed, and assoon as we know we'll put anannouncement on our website,www.eltonfan.com. In fact, thenews section of our website getsupdated daily, so it is a goodplace to keep up-to-date withcurrent Elton-related events.

Some of us may be worriedthat Elton may be working toohard, but as he told the pressduring the UK leg of the SoloTour, he has never felt better.Read one of the interviews withElton on pages 8 and 9 of thisissue.

I hope you enjoy reading thisissue of The Mag, as it is my lastissue as Editor for a while. I'vedecided to take a break from thedemanding role as Chief Editor,to spend some time doing otherthings. I will continue tocontribute articles to The Magthough - I'm not disappearingaltogether! I've asked Herculesmember and Watford Watchreporter, David Wright, to takeover the role as Chief Editorfrom the December issue, soyou'll see a new face on thispage. For now, please continueto send your contributions to me(address at top of page 2) asnormal, but this will changefrom December onwards.

Thank you for all your lettersand contributions over the pastthree years.

Happy reading!

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000. 3

FROM THE EDITOR...SMALL ADSELTON MEMORABILIA:

For Sale: Various EltonMemorabilia. Vinyl, CDs,Videos, Books, Magazines, plushuge archive collection. DannyHayes, 62 Swinley House,Redhill Street, Regents Park,London NW1 4BB, UK. Tel:0207 387 0082 or e-mail:[email protected] for list.

GERMAN CONCERT PHOTOS Selling/trading photos of the

concerts in Germany thissummer (revenue will bedonated to the EJAF). If you areinterested, write to ClaudiaHochmuth, Otto-Braun- Str. 85,D-10405 Berlin, Germany; e-mail: [email protected]

CDS LIVE For Sale: Double Cd : Live in

Brescia 2000. From Elton’s solotour, amazing sound quality. (20GBP) and All Alone in Baltimora(25 GBP). I've many other Eltonitems for sale. To receive mycomplete list write to :[email protected] or toAlessandro Perfumo, strMaggiora 65, 15011 AcquiTerme, Italy.

TICKING, TICKING, Hercules brings you an offer

for the Millennium. Count downto the next Elton concert withsuperb original Elton singles andalbums made into quartz clocksfrom The Original Vinyl Clock Co.7-inch singles £10.99, and albums£14.99, inclusive of UK postage.Overseas orders please add £3.Special Hercules offer waives thenormal £3 search fee for Eltonrecords. Don't ask for anythingobscure - or search fee may apply!Other artists available. For moreinfo, email: [email protected],website: www.vinylclock.co.uk.Or write to: Original Vinyl ClockCo, Land of Green Ginger, HullHU1 2EA, England. Tel: +44 1482229966. Please do not send yourorders to Hercules.

ELTON VINYL SINGLES & ALBUMS? Yes, there are still some

around! Ask for free sales listfrom [email protected] or:Bruno Kohli, Roessliwiese, CH-8854 Siebnen, Switzerland

PEN-PALS WANTED: I’m looking for pen-pals from

anywhere in the world,including the USA. Please writeto me at: Melissa Hodges, 10815Myrtice Drive, Dallas, Texas75228-2623, USA

'WRAP IT UP' PERMANENT HERCULES DISCOUNT

Our retail outlet 'Wrap it Up'now gives a 10% discount on allpurchases by 'Hercules'members, just quote yourmembership number. To obtaintheir lists that contain 1000's ofElton items for sale, just write to:-'Wrap it Up', PO Box 220,Lincoln, LN1 2RU, England, or e-mail '[email protected]'.Alternately visit their web site:-http://members.aol.com/eltonwrap

MORE PEN-PALS WANTED: I have been an Elton fan since

1990 when Sacrifice got mehooked. I would like an EJ pen-pal. mle or female. Write to meat: Liam Harrison, 10 HoldforthClose, Leeds, West Yorkshire,LS12 1YD, England

COMPLETE EJ COLLECTION For Sale - Picture discs, flexi

singles, maxi singles, scarfs,badges, rarities and all officialvinyl albums with originalcovers. More than 100 items,DM 1.500 plus postage. Formore information, contact PeterKraus, Am Roland 2c, D-40883Ratingen, Germany.

These are free to Hercules members. Send yours to Tammi Law, Editor, 49 Horseshoe Crescent, Swindon SN5 5AX, UK., or e-mail her at [email protected]

ALWAYS let us know the expiry date ofthe card, and the cardholders name.

ALWAYS state your membership numberif you send a cheque to Hercules, or pay

into one of the Club accounts.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

Please note that if you have paid yourMembership Fee by Credit Card, your cardwill automatically be charged again for therenewal fee, at the end of your membership

year. If your card has expired in themeantime, or if you have switched

companies, please forward your new CreditCard details to Hercules Coordination in

time for your next renewal.

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For up-to-the-minute news about Elton, callers in the UK can phone the

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20 Calls cost 60p per minute anytime

First of all I want to say that I love your mag!I got my second issue today and I think it's

the best fan club magazine I've ever seen - and iscertainly the best one for our Sir Elton that I'veever read! I've been an Elton fanfor 12 years and it never seemslike there's enough to read forElton fans.

I was very fortunate to obtainElton's autograph through a verydear young friend of mine in1992, named Matt Allen. Eltonread about him having AIDS andasked him to his show here inDallas, and gave him a backstagepass. Well, Elton signed somethings for Matt, and Matt askedElton to sign something for me,and he signed a brown paper bag.Matt said "Honest Elton, sheworships the ground you walkon!" Elton then said "Well then,

this will never do" and he wentinto his dressing room, broughtout a photo of himself, signed itand gave it to Matt to give to me,along with the paper bag! I'vesince had both the picture andthe bag framed.

Matt, who was 8, has sincedied from AIDS, but I'll neverforget the way he and Elton mademy life so very happy and I'llalways love both of them for that.Elton is every bit the wonderfuland kind man we all thought hewas.

Melissa Hodges, Texas, USA

It left Elton visibly emotionaland often sombre - but upbeat,too. He said: "I'm so glad I came.It's very peaceful and lovely,restful and so optimistic." Elton, aclose friend of the princess, spentnearly three hours at her finalresting place, during the weekendof his nearby Castle Ashby showsin Northamptonshire.

It marked a final softening ofhis once bitter view of her islandgrave on the Althorp estate. Twoyears ago he said: "I just feel sadthat she's on that island - it's as ifshe's all alone again." Elton andhis partner David were given atour of the estate by Diana'sbrother Earl Spencer. In virtualsilence, they strolled togetheralong a gravel path surroundingDiana's grave before visiting anexhibition dedicated to her.

As stunned visitors to theestate looked on, Elton paused ata temple in her memory andstood for several minutes readingmessages and floral tributes leftfor her. Then he briefly separatedfrom his partner and the earl infront of the monument andbowed his head as if in prayer.

His friendship with Dianadated from 1981, when they metat Prince Andrew's 21st birthdayparty. At her funeral Eltonfamously sang his reworkedversion of Candle In The Wind. Itraised millions for good causeswhen he gave the profits fromrecord sales to the Diana, Princessof Wales, Memorial Fund.

And Elton allowed himself asmile when he caught sight of thescore, signed by himself andbought at auction last year for£25,300, in a converted Althorpstable block now housing Dianaexhibits and film memories.

There were smiles too, whenElton and David viewed a gallery

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000. 25Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club4

Full details of the following news items have appeared on our Website and Hotline

of Diana's dresses. David lookedat the gowns in amazement andsaid: "She certainly knew how towear a frock." But inside theexhibition Elton avoided theattention of visitors, smiling andquietly moving away. Andoutside, where nearly 100onlookers burst into spontaneousapplause, he politely declined tosign autographs or chat, saying:"I'm sorry, this is a private visit."

Two years ago any Elton visitwould have seemed improbable.Attacking the decision to buryDiana at Althorp, he said: "It'snone of my business, but if I wasgoing to bury her anywhere Iwould have liked it to have beenin Westminster Abbey. Peoplecould say prayers or whatever theywanted. It would be very easy forthe boys to go and see her. I thinkit is very hard on them to go andvisit their mother."

But a new era began in Julywhen Elton and David arrived atAlthorp in their chauffeur-drivencar. They had lunch with the 36-year-old earl and his girlfriendCaroline Freud, before thepoignant pilgrimage. It left Eltonsinging the praises of Diana's lastresting place at her ancestralhome. He said: "It's wonderfulwhat has been done here."

PAVAROTTI AND GEORGEGeorge Michael performed

"Don't Let the Sun..." duet withtenor Luciano Pavarotti at theannual charity concert on June 6in Modena, Italy.

CHARTED SUCCESSElton is among those 17 artists

with a minimum 1 chart entry peryear in the German album chartsbetween 1990 and 1999. Othersinclude Chris Rea, Madonna, JoeCocker, Mike Oldfield, Queen,and Mariah Carey. Elton is alsoamong those 7 artists with aminimum 1 chart entry per year inthe German singles chartsbetween 1990 and 1999.

Iam not a member ofHercules, but I do visit your

Website on a very regular basis.I would just like to say that I alsovisit eltonjohn.com, and thatyour unofficial site is, in myopinion, far superior to theofficial site. In terms of content,options and presentation,Hercules totally eclipseseltonjohn.com in every way. Iespecially enjoy your 'news'section which keeps me up todate with Elton happenings.Please keep up the good work.

Simon Owens, USA

Just a short note to thankHercules for an excellent

day at Chatsworth on 3rd June.The pre-concert entertainmentwas superb, and to meet all theother fans was really good. Thetickets for the concert, boughtthrough Hercules, were on the3rd row, bang in the middle ofthe stage, right in line with thegreat man himself. They werethe best tickets anyone could

have wished for - thank you forthose, it’s the nearest I’ve beento the stage at an EJ concert.

And what a concert! ‘EmptyGarden’ and ‘The GreatestDiscovery’ nearly brought tears tomy eyes. A superb performancefrom a man who just gets betterevery time you see him. Thankyou for a great day.

Mike Bibby, Stockport, UK.

On Friday, 7th July, weheaded off to Künzelsau

at noon. Without tickets - theyhad been ordered and purchasedthrough eltonjohn.com - said tobe front row - but had nothing inhand. Could this turn out well?

After a three hour drive wereached a village in thecountryside, found the freeparking lot and walked to theevent. On our way there, wepassed the local soccer grounds- there was Elton's helicopter! Atthe venue, we looked for thebox-office where we weresupposed to collect our tickets.No box-office, just half a tent

where a few desperate girls fromthe local promoter were waitingfor the guys with the tickets!After a wait of about one hour, acar finally arrived - inside: a boxwith the awaited tickets!Envelope ripped open: Yippee!Front row!!! Into the venue - andthe seats were just in front of thepiano.

Meanwhile, it started raining -but we could not have caredless. The show started - Eltonwas in a good mood, and Idecided that I would give my giftto Elton today! If I dared to...And I did it. Bravely, I walked upto the stage halfway through theconcert - Elton approached me,smiled at me, shook my handand said "Thank you very much"with his cutest smile. Of course,I was unable to articulate anysensible word, but happilyfloated back to my seat... If Ifeel like 15 years old during hisconcerts (I will soon be 40) thenI felt like I was 10 at thatmoment with Elton!

Patricia Schmidt, GERMANY

T O T H E E D I T O R A SMALL PRIZE WILL BE SENT TO THEWRITER OF EACH LETTERPUBLISHED.

Three years after his tribute to Princess Diana moved a nationto tears, Elton was close to them himself as he made his first

visit to Diana's grave, on July 23rd.

ELTON VISITS PRINCESS DIANA'S GRAVE FOR FIRST TIME

Editor (address on page 2) or e.mail her at [email protected].

Elton and Matt Allen

Elton and David, accompanied byDiana’s brother, Earl Spencer

Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club24 Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52, September 2000. 5

HERCULES ON THE RADIOOur UK manager, George

Matlock, was on BBC RadioNorthamptonshire, July 21, aswell as on BBC Radio Essex withHercules Francais' Fran, July 15,ahead of the Hylands Houseshow. Tour promoter MarshallArts were generous to provide 2front-row tickets to see Elton atCastle Ashby to radio listeners ina Hercules competition. RadioEssex also attended a UKConvention, and broadcastHercules members singing live "IGuess That's Why They Call it theBlues".

SATURDAY NIGHT'S NOT ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTIN'

A Canadian Elton fan wasawarded $500,000 (£330,850)after being assaulted as shedefended Elton’s honour during aconcert, reported the NationalPost newspaper, July 5. ShelleyArthur was at a concert inVancouver when she told JerryWechlin to stop shouting abusivecomments at Elton. After ascuffle, Shelley suffered injuries toher shoulder that have preventedher from working since theincident at the Sept 1995 concert.

PARTY IN THE PARKThe Backstreet Boys joined

Elton on stage at July 9, "Party inthe Park" at London's Hyde Parkin front of over 100, 000 musicfans, and 43 different acts, tobenefit the Prince's Trust Appeal.As he got down to play, therewas no sound! Elton gave up andwalked off stage. Rainwater wasto blame. After the techniciansworked their magic, Eltonreturned and performed with theBoys "Philadelphia Freedom","Friends Never Say Goodbye",and two Boys' tracks: new song"I'll be the One" and hit "I WantIt That Way".

PUPPET ON A STRING?Watford FC manager Graham

Taylor proved more valuable thanhis boss, club chairman Elton, inan auction of Spitting Imagepuppets. Taylor was ridiculed atthe hands of the televisionsatirical puppeteers in the 1990swhile England manager. Hispuppet fetched £1,472 - morethan twice the expected price of£600. “Elton” also sold for morethan his predicted £700, at a finalprice of £1,141.

ELTON & BAND "THE GREATEST HITS - LIVE"

Elton will perform two historicconcerts with the band at NewYork's Madison Square Garden onOctober 20/21, 2000. The showswill be entitled "The Greatest Hits- Live", and they will be recordedfor both a television broadcastand a live album which isexpected to be releasedNovember 13, 2000. Apart fromElton and the band (includingDavey Johnstone, Guy Babylon,Bob Birch, Nigel Olsson, JohnJorgenson, Curt Bisquera and JohnMahon) fans should expect a fewspecial guests on stage as well.Note that these shows will markElton's 50th and 51st performanceat world-famous Madison SquareGarden. Tickets went on sale onAugust 21.

THE RICH MAN SLEEPS.TIME WE PUT A FLAME TORCH...

Owner of Raby Castle inCounty Durham, Lord Barnard,revealed he had only heard a fewsongs by Elton ahead of theconcert staged on July 29. Hesaid: "I've heard very little of hismusic but despite that I'm lookingforward to this concert. Judgingfrom the little I have listened to Ifeel sure I will enjoy the RabyCastle event very much."

FILMS INSTEAD?!Elton told OK! Magazine why

he decided to move into film-making - because making recordsand touring the world isbecoming boring. In an interviewfor the celebrity magazine inJune, Elton said producing hisfirst picture, Women TalkingDirty, for Rocket Pictures was likehaving a three-year pregnancy (!)

Elton said he felt compelled toset up his film company: "Youknow I'm 53, making records,doing videos and going on tour,which is very nice, but it getsboring," he said. "I've alwaysloved film, and making them isextremely difficult. It's like havinga three-year pregnancy. I love thechallenge, I love creativity and Ilove the arts." Elton also said aftergiving up alcohol a decade ago,he had to drop his "hot-headed"persona and become a differentperson. He described his sevenyears with partner David as thefirst balanced relationship he hasbeen in, and he said: "I haveeverything I could possibly wantin life."

OLD FRIENDSJust six months after reuniting

with drummer Nigel Olsson,Elton met and embraced formerdrummer, Roger Pope, at his June7, concert at Broadlands,Hampshire, England.

HERCULES WEBCAMHercules Webcam came to

our website on July 7, featuring"hardcore" Elton fans enjoyingthemselves at StephanHeimbecher's Munich apartment.

10 ways to tell...

10If you could buy a car with all the money you’ve spent on Lalique Angels and Slatkin candles.

9 If you have ever traveled to 3 different countries in thesame week to attend Eltonshows-and did not receive apaycheck for doing so.

8 If you think you have come upwith a logical explanation to"Solar Prestige A Gammon".

7 If Dennis and Bruce know youby name - and are afraid of you.

6 If you listen to Victim of Loveon a regular basis.

5 If the number of emails youhave received from JohnJorgenson now are in tripledigits.

4 If you can name all of Davey’schildren in chronological order.

3 If you have ever had an Elton(or EJ Band member) autographtatooed on your body.

2 If Clive Franks dives under hissoundboard as soon as he spotsyou in the audience of a show.

1 If you know about appearancesElton will make with the band -before the band does.

by Brooke Murphy, Vice President/Co-Founder of theOfficial Nigel Olsson Fan Club

If you would like to submit yourown Elton-related Top Ten List, oradd to the above, then we’d loveto hear from you. Please send allcontributions to Tammi Law,Chief Editor (see page 2 fordetails).

A small prize will be sent to eachperson whose list is published.

in front of greatly picturesquecastle Ehrenhof had theatmosphere of a funeral. It musthave been very depressing forElton. No wonder he did notwrite a single autograph.Although we - along withanother fan - managed to outrunthe security people in order togive Elton roses and to shake the"Rocket Man's" hand once more,the concert was disappointing tous from the very beginningbecause we were treated likeoffenders being escorted back bya security guy (who lateradmitted to us that he was nothappy with the way thingshappened, too. He was merelyfollowing his orders.). Mannheimwas the perfect example of howtight security can ruin a concert.

Thank you, Elton, for all thosegreat concerts which we sawand will surely see in the future.We take this for granted. Youknow how happy you make yourfans with such shows and smallgestures - especially since wefound out that our dog travelledalong in the tour bus after theshow in Kassel.

It would be nice to be able tosee more shows with such littledistance to the stage. Elton surelyhas no fun sitting lonely at hispiano, hardly being able to spothis fans.

Top 10 ways to tell if you're too much of an Elton fan...

A dog named Johann Sebastian Bachcontinued

L E T T E R S

Iloved June issue of TheMag. I have one question

however: on page 9 there is aquiz, “Are You Sure?!” Q7:How many fish references arethere in the song "Solar PrestigeA Gammon"? Adam Buckleyanswers five. But he didn'tinclude Herring ("hair ring") inhis answer. Why not? Is this justa sad lack of English fish namesin my poor vocabulary? "SolarPrestige" is on the set list of mydreams!

Wouldn't you just haveLOVED IT if Elton did "SolarPrestige" instead of "Your Song"in a concert? Front row wouldhave fainted!!

Signe Norbotten NORWAY

Many thanks for the "do"at the White Horse pub

(Hylands House concert, 15July). I think it's great to meetup with the other membersbefore these shows, especiallyfor those travelling quite adistance. With Elton in greatform in the evening it was anexcellent day all round.

Now I'm home I can give youall the info on a DANCE recordincorporating Song for Guywhich other fans may want toknow about. Details: Title:SUNSTORM featuring Song forGuy. Re-recorded and remixedby HURLEY & TODD. Writtenby Elton John. Track 1 :Radioedit (3:52), Track 2: Mike KoglinRemix (8:12), Track 3:ClubCaviar Remix(5:28). An EnglishCD, on Multiply Records. Refno CDMULTY58. Taken fromthe forthcoming album "Best ofMultiply Records".

Released just recently, I’veonly heard it on Capital Radio95.8 after 10.00pm in theirDance/club slot. I bought it inHMV in Kingston, London.

Mark Giles, UK

Send your letters to Tammi Law,

Elto

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RECORD COMPANY RULINGA federal judge at US District

Court in San Francisco ruled infavour of major record companiesand issues a preliminary injunctionagainst Napster, which allegedlyoffers free downloads ofcopyrighted material. Protestwebsite Camp Chaos attacks therecord labels with a cartoon titled"Napster Bad, Money Good,'' inwhich animated recording artists -one of them resembling Elton -sing the lyrics "Sue All the World''to the music from "We Are theWorld".

WRONG SPELLING!Hercules has learned of a new

release compilation available inPoland. "Elton John - GreatestHits" on Selles Records, is a CDwith selections from GYBR,Honky Chateau, and Don't ShootMe. Duration 61 mins. Cat. SELL1219. The item reputedly has acouple of mistakes on the sleeve.One song is called EdelberryWine and another SaturdayNight's Alright For Evening!

ELTON INSPIRES TENNIS PAIRWimbledon Tennis officials

intervene twice to stop AlexandraStevenson and her motherexpanding on claims of racism inthe sport. The mother anddaughter team say they wereinspired to go public after theway Elton counter-attacked aScottish priest over the moralityof homosexuality.

WHITE TIE & TIARA PHOTOSOK! Magazine published a

myriad of great photos of Eltonand high society playing it up atElton's White Tie & Tiara Ball onJuly 6, held at his Windsormansion. The editions arenumbers 223, of July 28, and 224of Aug. 4.

NEW RECORDINGSThe cast recording album of

"Aida" was released on June 15by Buena Vista Records.

"Aida" actress Sherie ReneScott's debut album "Sherie Rene... Men I've Had" is out nowfeaturing songs by Elton, RandyNewman and Pete Townshend.Sherie, one of the performersduring the "Broadway Cares"concert April 3, selected: MonaLisas And Mad Hatters, ComeDown In Time, Midnight Creeper,and Honky Cat.

Bernie Taupin has written thetitle track for the new album ofthe Young Dubliners, titled "Red"(Higher Octave Music).Meanwhile, Elton fans awaitBernie teaming up with Eltonagain for a new studio albumplanned to be recorded inSeptember in Atlanta.

According to EntertainmentWeekly, Shawn Mullins is in LArecording "Beneath the velvetSun", a new album set forOctober release. The "Lillaby"singer duets with Elton on a newversion of "Border Song".

The "Road to El Dorado" filmfeaturing Elton songs written withSir Tim Rice was released inBritish cinemas on August 4,several months after the USrelease. The soundtrack albumwas released in the UK on July 11.

“THANK YOU FOR ELTON JOHN”Jazz giant Jimmy Scott

entertained at London's the JazzCafé, with rendition of "SorrySeems to be the Hardest Word",on July 19. "Thank you, England,for Elton John," said the Scott, inhis reinterpretation, which theUK press described as a "heart-stopping soliloquy."

SHORT TROUSERS!Elton wore shorts during his

encore at Margam Park, SouthWales, July 19 - but kept theshow uncut!

CONTROVERSYElton publicly accused

Cardinal Thomas Winning, thehighest Catholic priest in Scotlandand Archbishop of Glasgow, ofignorance over homosexuality onJune 15. Elton was responding toan article by the Cardinal in TheSpectator in which he said "gaysex is wrong, because suchbehaviour is not good for thehuman person". Elton in a letterin the next issue of the magazinewrote: "Cardinal Winning, and hisignorance, is totally representativeof why people are turning awayfrom the Church. I am astonishedto be told by Cardinal Winningthat my sexuality is not good forme. He argues that homosexuality'ensnares them in a lifestyle thatcan never respond to deepestlongings of the human heart'.From what practical perspectivedoes he form this point of view?"

Elton said: "As a gay man I amperfectly happy with my sexualityand my life. Like the Cardinal I,too, have hope for our country.Over the years, Britain has proveditself to be a more tolerant andopen-minded place to live. Goneis the outdated and ill-informednotion that homosexuality is aquestion of choice. The reality isthat homosexuals have no choice- and no amount of hectoring orhypnosis can make us change."A spokesman for the Cardinalreplied Elton's comments were"eminently predictable".

ELTON’S PHOTO IS THE BIGGEST!Elton accompanied Lulu to

the celebrity unveiling of a giantphoto of himself, in London'sOxford Street on June 12. Thepanoramic frieze by Sam Taylor-Wood spans the entire facade ofSelfridges store and depicts 21famous celebrities.

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52, September 2000. 23Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club6


Numerous fans had turnedup for the Hercules

convention in Kassel on 23 June2000 - to get to know eachother and talk about Eltonnonstop. Just before the concertof the Rocket Man on that sameday, we heard the great newsthat the concert promoter hadmade it possible for Herculesmembers to stand in front of thestage and the historic flower bedwhich set the stage apart fromthe audience's area. When thefan club entourage finally set offfor the strenuous 20 minuteuphill walk to the huge Herkulesmonument we got some quitefunny looks from passers-by:Our huge stuffed Afghan toydog, the banners, fan clubjackets, Elton T-shirts, and lastbut not least the German Eltonlook-a-like Andreas Herr clearlyprovoked interested and slightlyamused stares. At about 7pm,we received the longingly-awaited passes, which wouldmake it possible for us to bevery close to Elton that evening.We strolled to the stage whilethe envious masses watched us -among them the Hessiangovernor.

To the sounds of the"Orchestral Finale" the Masterwalked on stage, and we fans inthe front row could even catch aglimpse of his limo's brake lights.Elton seemed to be in a goodmood and played - perfectly asusual - the songs well-known tous, but partly as new versions.After a great rendition of "HonkyCat", Elton accepted the first fewgifts. Now we thought the righttime had come for us to lift ourhuge stuffed animal - an Afghandog we had christened "JohannSebastian Bach" years before (hewas bought in the composer'shometown) - onto the stage byhis hind legs. Elton took it. Hewas clearly moved and his eyeslit up. He thanked us with ahandshake. While we - close to

tears from happiness, slightlydizzy - stepped back, Elton tookour dog (which according toother Hercules members bore astriking resemblance to DaveyJohnstone due to his long hair!).He carried it to the piano andtold the guy who wanted to takeJohann Sebastian Bachbackstage, that he wanted tokeep him for the show and to ourgreat surprise put it down rightnext to himself in the spotlight.During the next song "RocketMan", Johann Sebastian Bachwas to be spotted hugelyenlarged on the video screen. Hewas allowed to remain there inthe first class position next to thepiano stool until the encores.

Elton amazed the audiencefor more than two hours andfinally during "Crocodile Rock",the Kassel Wilhelmshöhe became

a frenzied mass which evenpseudo-VIPs could not standapart from. During the final songof this totally successful show -"Candle In The Wind", theHerkules monument lit inturquoise once again shone inthe light of a sea of lighters.After the show, we werecontemplating what mighthappen to our stuffed toy dog.Meanwhile, the fan club met atthe Hotel again to conclude theevening in a relaxed atmosphere.

At this point, we should notethat the friendly security peoplewere of great help to us.Unfortunately, this is not alwaysthe case: On 4 July 2000 inMannheim, the security staffmade it impossible for us to getto the stage until just before thevery end. They acted like somekind of Military Troop. The show

A DOG NAMED JohannSebastianBachReport about the Eltonconcert in Kassel, Germany,by Lena Kristin Spies andJaqueline Theofel

Elton on stage at Kassel. The dog can clearly be seen to the right of Elton’s piano stool

Following ourmajor success

with the Hercules2000 Calendar,we're keeping thewishes of fans tobring them theHercules 2001Calendar. This time,packed with photosby the FANS. This isa rare collection ofthe finest photos bythe finestphotographers - hisfans.

We're keepingthe successful CD-case design, with specially-commissioned graphicartwork. A 13-card calendar,it covers each monthseparately. Important dates inElton's and Hercules' diaryare also noted overleaf eachcard. A grid format lets youstore important personaldates.

Here, we're giving youthe chance to pre-order yourcalendar in time for the NewYear. Hurry - it's a limitededition so order yours beforestocks run out of this rareitem! We cannot guaranteesupply on orders receivedafter 1 December 2000. Wewill despatch the Calendarsin December.

PRICES FOR HERCULES 2001

CALENDAR

Members:UK/Europe:

£8 for each item (includes postage).

USA/rest of world: £11 (or US$18) for eachitem (includes postage).

Non-Members:UK/Europe:


USA/rest of world:£12 (or US$19) for each item

(includes postage).

HOW TOORDER

Send details of

your name, address

and membership

number to the postal

OR internet address

below, together with

details of how many

Calendars you

require.

By Post:

Sterling cheque

orders, sterling bankers

drafts (for non-UK fans),

UK Postal Orders, US$

check orders, made

payable to "Hercules UK"

and mail us at:

Stephan Heimbecher

Hercules Co-ordination

Orleansstr. 59

D-81667 Muenchen

GERMANY

By Internet

Visit our Website at

www.eltonfan.com and

follow the instructions.

This is a secure Website for

your security.


One of the mostinteresting developments

for Elton John fans in recenttimes has been the launch ofElton’s official website,eltonjohn.com.

As one would expect theEmporium offers most CDs andvideos you probably alreadyhave. Interestingly it offers mosttribute and compilation albumsElton has featured on, usefulinformation for the completist.With a mouse-mat, t-shirts,candles galore and a pair ofsunglasses for a mere $260 thereis plenty for every credit card.

A number of fans have hadthe previously undreamt ofopportunity of backstagehospitality, with a few beinglucky enough to meet with theman himself. These events havetaken place at Woburn Abbey,Broadlands and ChatsworthHouse in England plus Hamburg,Cologne and Munich inGermany. Whilst Elton was onlyable to greet fans at Woburn andCologne in Europe, for the othersthe opportunity to meet FrankPresland, Clive Franks and seebehind the scenes was apleasure. EJ was also able tomake it into two of theHospitality Rooms in the USA,shortly after the launch of theRocket.

Recently the downloadssection has been extended withmore and more photos, exclusivePC wallpapers and concertfootage.

Fans have also been able tosecure premium tickets throughthe Membership section of theWebsite, which means anexcellent seat for the normalprice, or promotional tickets,meaning seats as good as fourthrow for free. Some of these freepromotional tickets have notbeen so good though - it variesfrom venue to venue, and somemembers in the USA weredisappointed when theirpromotional seats were way backfrom the stage. We think they

are allocated depending on howwell the tickets have sold for thatvenue - if they’ve got good onesleft, Rocket members can havethem - but if they’ve all sold,then it’s tough.

Tickets for some future showsmay be made available to RocketMembers before any other outlet,something we must all welcome.

The happiest fans of all mustbe the couples from Philadelphiaand Florida who won trips toEngland to see Elton perform.Fans in Europe are still awaitingtheir first chance to becompetition winners, as allcompetitions so far have been forAmerican members.

On top of all this is the joy ofplaying a few chords of Benny

and the Jets with the skillfulmovement of your mouse!

All this may have been souredby the chaos surrounding thesale of tickets for the GreatestHits Live shows at MadisonSquare Gardens. Many fans inthe US and elsewhere spent aweekend trying to buy tickets invain. Too few tickets, only 200,and technical problems left manypeople angry and frustrated.

Rocket have apologised but atthe time of writing it remains tobe seen how they will makeamends, though tickets for awarm-up show at Wilkes-Barremay provide the answer.

We’ll keep you updated aboutfuture happenings oneltonjohn.com....

HERCULES LAUNCHES THE 2001 CALENDAR

Please note credit card payments will be debited in German currency, and the rate of exchange whichapplies at time of transaction will be effective. Hercules reserves the right to refuse orders.

TThhee CCaalleennddaarr22 00 00 11






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by David Wright

Elton with ElizabethHurley


Elton spoke to the UK press at HylandsHouse, 15 July, just before going on stage toperform his Solo show. Here we bring you

the best parts of the interview.

hosting the raffle, Elton then wenton to sing “Raindrops KeepFalling On My Head”accompanied by Burt Bacharachon piano! The evening raised£575,000 for the Elton John AidsFoundation.

As you may know,eltonjohn.com had offered fansthe opportunity to bid for a pair oftickets for the Ball. Unfortunatelythey were unable to invite thesuccessful bidder to the Ball in theend, due to circumstances beyond

their control. However, wewould like to congratulateHercules member Rob Cargillwho very nearly made it - andwho handled the whole situationso well. Maybe next timeCinderella!

In his ownwords ... “

”As Elton paces round a

backstage dressing room, he castshis eye over a choice of 30Versace suits hanging from a railand smiles: "I'm like a Duracellbunny these days - mypacemaker's working really well."

It is exactly a year since heartsurgeons fitted Elton with apacemaker after he was taken illon a plane. "It's like a littlecomputer in there," he says."There's only one problem - Ican't walk through airport securitygates. I have to be friskedinstead." His eyes twinkle. "Areally good old frisk. When I wasill last year there was no build-up.It just suddenly happened. I feltdizzy.

"It was the day before DavidBeckham married Victoria. I wassupposed to play in Italy thatnight, but I got very giddy at thelunch table and had to cancel it.The doctor said I'd probably gotsunstroke or something.

"I came back to England andwas going off to David andVictoria's wedding in Irelandwhen I had a very bad attack onthe plane. I had three days of testsand eventually they found outwhat was wrong. I had theoperation a couple of days later.My grandmother had apacemaker for a long time andshe was fine with it, so I wasn't

scared. Now I feel very healthy. Ieven play tennis five times a weekfor at least an hour at a time."

Outside, around the stage, thecrowd is building. Elton isunfazed. "My mother is 75 andgoing strong," he says, as he looksthrough dozens of pairs of shoes."So maybe I'll reach 100 like theQueen Mum. The first time Iperformed for the Queen Mum Iwent to dinner at her Royal Lodgein Windsor Great Park, sat at thepiano and played," he saysmatter-of-factly.

"Afterwards I danced with herand she said, 'I suppose you meetsome unusual people in your lineof work'. I thought, 'My God!Here I am dancing with theQueen Mother. You couldcertainly say I meet people out ofthe ordinary!"

There is less than half an hourto go until he's on stage. "I'vebeen working non-stop all yearand I'm looking forward to havingsix weeks off," he says. "The onlyplace I can relax is the house inNice. It's a magical house, but Ican't lie on a beach. I get toorestless. I do enjoy some quietnights in watching TV with Davidthough."

"We'll have guests down whilewe're there," Elton continues. "I'llget to see them for a whole weekat a time for a change." So now

Tiara Ball

Elton, Karen Sinclair and David Furnish

Kenny Goss, Elton and GeriHalliwell

David Furnish and Bob Geldof

Elton and Dionne Warwick duet!

Jeanne Marine (Bob Geldof’s girlfriend)with Elton

White Tie and TiaraBall menu


that he and David have foundsuch stability, would theyconsider adopting children? "I'mtoo old and too set in my ways toconsider it," says Elton, nownarrowing his costume choice toa purple suit with emerald-encrusted lapels or a fluorescentorange jacket. "Kids are a hugeresponsibility. I could give a kid agreat home, but I don't think Icould give him or her theattention they need."

Elton is famous for throwingsome of the social calendar'shottest parties, but when thepartying is over, Elton is oncemore the quiet man. "I don't hangout that much with really famouspeople," he shrugs. "Though,having said that, Sting is probablythe person I love the most. I'd doanything for him. If he said I hadto get on a plane and fly toAmerica now to do a charityshow I'd do it.

"I also care about people inpain - like Robbie Williams andWhitney Houston. I'll have beensober for ten years on July 29 butaddiction is a terrible thing andyou'll only get better when you'reready. I've helped Robbie two orthree times - he's been to stay atmy house.

"Addiction is about runningaway from things you can't faceup to. My shyness and fear of

confrontation were heightened bymy drug-taking. Nowadays Iwon't even have a glass ofChablis because I'm a verycompulsive person. Still, it'sterrific that Robbie is now in thepeak of form."

Asked about his Solo tour,Elton said "Just me and a piano.It's great not to have therestrictions of a band with you.I've never played solo before, butI love it because I can do what Iwant without rehearsals. I sang toa backing tape at the Party In ThePark, which was a nightmare. ButI can understand with all thoseacts why most of us had to do it. Ilike to play live. It sharpens meartistically." As a lot of us know,the weather at most of his recentEuropean shows has been awful.

"Playing in a tent in Liverpoolwith an orchestra was thewarmest I've been on this tour,"he laughs. "It was the first timeI'd sweated. Otherwise I've beenfreezing for my art. I've even hadchilblains. The worst weather wasat Chatsworth and I wasconvinced no one would turn up.We went through hail and foggetting there - and so did theaudience.

"In Germany I was doing YourSong and the heavens opened up.I started laughing because no onewas paying attention, they were

all scurrying for pac-a-macs. Thenthe flexi-glass ceiling over thestage gave way and it was likesomeone had thrown four bucketsof water over me. I was drenchedfor the whole show."

Elton is proud that he currentlyhas the Number One and Twoshows on New York's Broadwaywith Lion King and the newly-opened Aida. "Tim Rice and Iwrote Aida from scratch," he says."It was hammered by some critics,but I'm very proud of it and I'veseen it ten times."

"I'm also going to be doing a'one night only' at MadisonSquare Garden in New York," hesays excitedly. "I'm hoping tohave people like Ronan Keatingand Mary Jane Blige with me. Itwill be a TV special which we'llrecord in October for transmissionin November. We'll be doing itaround the time of what wouldhave been John Lennon's 60thbirthday. It will also have been 25years since he and I playedtogether there. That turned out tobe his last performance."

But Elton is also a believer innew talent. "I like Macy Gray," hesays. "She's like James Brown onstage. I like Moby and FatboySlim too. I dance to them in theshower."

White Tie & Elton and David host a lavish

party at Elton’s UK countryhome, Woodside, to benefit theElton John Aids Foundation.

In July, a host of internationalcelebrities and Royalty wereinvited to the £1000-a-head

annual party, which the pressdubbed “The Party of The Year”.The weather stayed kind, andguests were able to stroll aroundthe grounds of Woodside andadmire Elton’s famous gardens,before enjoying a banquet in a

luxury marquee.Guests, who included George

Michael, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall,Joan Collins, Duchess of York,Geri Halliwell, Sean Connery, andLiz Hurley, were also treated to anafter dinner cabaret. With Lulu

Kate Hurley, Hugh Grant,Elton, Elizabeth Hurley andDavid Furnish. Elton greets Ronan Keating

Sarah, Duchess of York withElton

Elton with Sean Connery and Joan Collins

Elton and David with Mick Jagger andJerri Hall

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Ithought you might liketo know about a

recent appearance I madeat Watford Football Club,in my role as 'Elton'. I wasbooked to turn up andmingle with the crowds onthe touchlines and in theexecutive boxes, includingthe Elton John Suite, and tosurprise the punters in ourmidst.

The match was the lastgame of the season betweenSaracens (who share theVicarage Road ground with

Watford), and Bristol. Awin for Saracens would seethem secure a place in theHeineken European Leaguenext year. And win theydid, so it turned out to be afun festival.

At half time, I was askedto pick out the LotteryDraw on the centre of thepitch, which was alsofilmed by the Big Screen inthe corner of the stadium.As I walked onto the pitch,I got a standing ovation; butthen my cover was blownafter the announcer told thecrowd I was the EJ look-a-like as seen on TV. As Itrudged off the pitch afterdoing the deed, I still gotanother great receptionfrom the 10,000 strongcrowd.

It was great fun andmakes it all worthwhile forme to don the wig and seepeople smile.


In a 1997 interview, EJclaimed that he had never

teamed up with Tim Rice towrite and record a song forone of his own albums. Heclaimed that they have onlywritten "musicals" together. Iguess EJ forgot all about"Legal Boys", which appearedon his "Jump Up" album in1982.

Did you know that the bitsof the EJ recordings that

appear throughout the"Friends" movie are not thesame renditions that appearon the soundtrack album?The vocals are from anearlier recording session.

Elton recorded the vocalsfor every song on the

"Rock Of The Westies" albumonly to have to go back tothe studio and record themall over again. Apparentlythere was a mad rush torecord the vocals for thealbum, which showedthrough on the vocal tracks,so they had to be re-done.

GOSSIP ABOUT ELTON - FOUND OF COURSE, BETWEEN PAGES 17 AND 20!!

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20

"Welcome to the Britishsummer" was Elton's

first joke after he started withYour Song at Chatsworth Houseon June 3, 2000. But the rainwhich threatened the entire UKsummer open-air Stately Homestour didn't dampen anyone'sspirits when Elton was on stage.Beforehand, yes maybe, andafterwards, as we all struggledthrough the mud and rain on ourway to the car-parks. But whileElton was performing on stage?We couldn't have been happier.

I was fortunate enough toattend 13 of the UK solo showsthis year. After the brilliantLeeds Castle concerts in 1999, Icouldn't wait to do it all again.I won't go into every show indetail, but just tell you some ofthe highlights of the tour whichhave stayed in my memory.

Firstly, Elton himself. Lookingfit and well, the strength of his

voice was stunning. It just seemsto get better and stronger, and Inoticed he held the notes forlonger than last year. His moodchanged noticeably from venueto venue. Sometimes he wassubdued and really "into" themusic, other times he was havingan absolute party and messingabout like a teenager. It wasamazing how his moodtransferred itself onto the reactionof the audience.

The height of the purpose-built stage was particularly good

- it wasonly

chest-high with

no press/photographers

section in frontof it, so when it

came to the pointin the set when we

were able to stormthe stage, it was easy

to shake hands withElton. He did the

infamous autograph-sweep at every venue, and

often 'high-fived' the sectionsof the crowd who had

outstretched arms, as he ranpast the front of the stage.Apparently, these lower stages,without the press-box in front ofthem, were built at the request ofElton himself, who wanted moreaccess to the fans to be able to"meet" us.

Hercules organised a fewmeeting places before some of theshows - it was really nice to meet

the UK Solo Tour 2000,reviewed by HerculesEditor Tammi Law

"...whenI saw youvery muchalive, in theEnglish rainagain"

UKTOURREVIEW

Clubat the

End ofThe

StreetElton look-a-like and

Hercules member RayJohnson tells us about a

recent experience....

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Elton look-a-like Ray Johnson

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Bennie and the Jets" on theGBYBR album is not live!

It was all recorded in thestudio. EJ has always beenfascinated with making arecording "sound" like it wasrecorded live when it reallywasn’t. His first attempt atthis was with "Rock And RollMadonna".

Elton was in one of his"moods" minutes before he

recorded the lead vocals for"Don’t Let The Sun Go DownOn Me". In an angry fit, herecorded the vocal in onetake and then stormed out ofthe studio. Apparently hedidn’t want to record thevocals for the album.

Did you know that there isa third verse to "Holiday

Inn"? For some reason, it wasdropped during the finalrecording of the song. It fitwith the rest of the song anddidn’t make the song seem"too" long. So it’s a mysterywhy it was scrapped.

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20ANOTHER VERSE OF OUR REGULAR COLUMN FEATURING TRIVIA AND

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52, September 2000. 11

up with old friends to have a chatabout "all things Elton".Entertainment was provided atChatsworth in the form of livesound-a-like Dieter Graham, whowas commissioned especially forthe Hercules get-together. And inthe pub before the show atHylands House, BBC Radio Essexsent their live reporter tobroadcast the events leading up tothe concert - including a liverendition of "I Guess That's WhyThey Call It The Blues" performedby members of Hercules. Ohdear!

An overview report of the tourwouldn't be complete withoutmentioning the impact thateltonjohn.com has had. TheHospitality Rooms were organisedvery well at three of the concerts,Woburn Abbey, Broadlands andCastle Ashby. I attended all three,and the obvious highlight wasmeeting Elton (albeit VERY briefly)at Woburn, just minutes beforethe show started. The other twoevents were interesting andenjoyable too - with the chanceto chat to Elton's 'team', includingthe infamous Clive Franks. Thebest part for me was the chanceto see backstage in these open-airvenues - lorries and cablingeverywhere! I was struck by howbasic a lot of it is - when he runsout on stage, Elton first has to

climb up what is basically a metalstep-ladder! In hindsight, Isuppose I'd always imaginedplush extravagancies, with redcarpet and everything that goeswith it.

We learned some interestingfacts too; it takes a large team ofpeople three days to erect thestage - therefore there are basicallyTWO entire stages which leapfrogeach other from venue to venue.Elton has been using his Yamahagrand piano for the European tour,known as the 'A' piano. This isthe piano which he used forPrincess Diana's funeral, and is hisfavourite. There is another one,exactly the same, known as the 'B'piano, which Elton doesn't like asmuch. This is used if he needs todo a special appearance inanother country, and they can'ttransport the 'A' piano quicklyenough.

Frank Presland was inattendance at most shows too,and made the effort to meet andspeak to many of us. Beforeseveral of the shows, he mingledwith the fans in front of the stage,and made a point of saying helloto the regulars. After the years ofdistant displeasure from previousmanagement, it was nice to meetsuch a genuine man, who seemedto be enjoying himself as much aswe were.

Elton seemed pleased to seethe Hercules banners in the crowdevery night, and made a point ofwaving at the Hercules fanswhenever he saw one. Personally,the best bits for me were the timeswhen Elton obviously recognisedme. At the Hyde Park show (mylast), when he saw me, he pointedand smiled, and said “Hello,you!!” and several times duringthe tour I got a “thumbs up” whenhe saw me. I have yet to comedown to earth....!

The Set List basically remainedthe same throughout the entiretour. There were plenty of “crowdpleasers” for the casual fan, and afew less well-known songs, whichI actually prefer to hear. It’sdifficult to say which song was thebest; I can only comment on theones which made a particularimpact on me - I loved to hearHarmony, and the ever-brilliantBennie & The Jets. And oh dear,yes there were tears during theheavily nostalgic Someone SavedMy Life Tonight, which was myfavourite record during my teens.

Interestingly, Take Me To ThePilot and Empty Garden weredropped a couple of times.Indeed, during the whole UK tour,these were the only songs whichsometimes changed in the set. AtHylands House he left them outall together on the Saturday night,

MEMBERSHIP PASS RENEWAL

The current version of theHercules membership pass willexpire at the end of the year(December 31, 2000). In orderto renew your membership pass,we need to ask you to send us anew passport photo (approx. 3.5cm x 4.5 cm). It is not possibleto re-use the old photo in yourcurrent membership pass as itwill be destroyed by opening thelaminated pass.

There is no need to returnyour old pass (keep it as asouvenir), but we need to ask

you to include a self-addressedenvelope and an InternationalResponse Coupon (which youcan buy in the post office). Sendeverything to the followingrelevant address, and you willreceive your new membershippass (valid through December31, 2002) in the mail shortlyafterwards:

USA/Canada members send to:Sharon KalinoskiHercules USA/CanadaP O Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, USA

UK members send to:George MatlockHercules UKPO Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, UK

All other members send to:Stephan HeimbecherHercules Co-ordinationOrleansstr. 59D-81667 Muenchen, GERMANY

If you never ordered amembership pass before, youcan do so by following theinstructions above. Please notethat resignation from the fanclub is only possible after theexpiration date or by return ofthe membership pass.

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The new Membership Pass for 2001

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(Month is statedwhere known)

1980Jan: American MusicAwards "SorrySeems..." &"Elton's Song"April: Hollywood Nights(Olivia Newton-John Special). (4 songs)September: Tomorrow withTom Snyder (3Live Songs,Interview)October: Phil DonohueShow (Your Song,interview)November: Tonight Show withJohnny Carson Sydney RomeShow "SartorialElloquence"Paul Gambacinniinterview fromElton's UK HomeTonight Show.Performs "SorrySeems to Be..."

1981April: The Fox TelepressconferenceJune: Tomorrow WithTom Snyder(Nobody Wins,Belgium,Breaking/Barriers,Interview).Best of Brit:Captain Fantasticand the DJ (3Songs, Interview)Lip Syncs: LovingYou Is Sweeter (w.Kiki Dee)

1982April: Saturday NightLive (Ball & Chain,Empty Garden.Note: The original'live' broadcasthad EJ singing'Empty Garden'first, then singing'Ball and Chain'later in the

program.However, insubsoquentrepeatedbroadcast, 'Balland Chain' camefirst, 'EmptyGarden' second) May: EntertainmentTonight - (EJ's LAhome sale, showsempty house)June: EntertainmentTonight (Ejreceives key tocity of L.A.)November: Pebble Mill atOne, UK TVChristmas Eve:Elton John inConcert at theHammersmithOdeonToday Show

1983March: UK BBC TV BluePeter video clip of"I Guess That'sWhy They Call..."& brief EltoninterviewMay: EntertainmentTonight: Too LowFor Zero Promo Noel EdmundsShowToday Show : TwoLow For ZeroPromo pt 1&2Top of the Pops:Cold as ChristmasRonnie Corbet.BBC TV. Cold asChristmas &interview

1984March: Paul GambacciniOther Side of TheTrack. InterviewJuly: Cinemax AlbumFlash BreakingHearts September: Elton John Live InToronto BreakingHearts TourChristmas Day: Terry Wogan: In

Neon & InterviewTop of the Pops (1Song)Montreaux RockFestival (2 Songs)Main Presenter ofBBC SportsPersonality of theYear AwardsPolish TV, meetingdissident LechWalesaFA Cup Final atWembley Stadium,Watford v EvertonMTV Interview w.Jools HollandJools HollandinterviewSassoon Advert USTV commercial

1985February: Terry Wogan,Breaking Hearts &interviewBBC TV and ITNreport on LondonHigh Courtcopyright casefailure, w. BernieMay: Montreaux GoldenRose Festival. ActOf War w. MillieJacksonJuly: Live Aid: I'm StillStanding, Bennie,Rocket, Don't GoBreak, Don't/SunNovember: UK TV "The Tube",4 Songs andinterviewGood MorningBritain: Making ofAct of War videoBBC SaturdaySuperstoreSaturday PictureShow Pop Profile,UK TVUK Soul Train "ActOf War"BBC TV Blue Peterfrom Elton's HomeJools Holland TVshow

1986February: International BPIAwardsFebruary: WoganBBC TV. "Cry toHeaven" andinterviewJune: London, UK(Prince's Trust)August: Kansas CityconcertOctober: U.S. TV JoanRivers Late Nite (3Live Songs,Interview)US showing ofPrinces TrustconcertUS Rock and RollEvening News (3Part interview &clips of currenttour)November: U.K. TV BBC 2interviewDecember: UK TV SkyChannel interviewUK TV NoelEdmonds "SlowRivers"Cliff from the Hip"Leather Jackets &Slow Rivers"The Tube: ThisTown, Sad Songs,Nikita,Burn/MissionCilla Black ShowUK TVCadbury'sChocolate Ad. UKTV commercialThe MelbourneTapes. Interviewfrom Australiaconcert. AustralianTV

1987January: BBC1 & ITN Newson throat operationApril: Parkinson One toOne. InterviewJune: 2nd AnnualPrince's Trust:London, UK (YourSong & Saturday

Night)Elton & JenniferRush on TerryWogan Show:"Flames ofParadise" &interviewSeptember:MTV SpecialRecognitionAwardUS airdate of 2ndAnnual PrincesTrust 1987 Stand ByMe:AIDS Benefit(Interview, WillYou Still Love Me,I Guess...)1987 JoolsHolland TV show

1988January: BBC TV Top OfThe Pops: CandleIn the WindMarch: Totally Minnie(Don't GoBreaking My Heartw. Minnie Mouse)May: French TV "I Don'tWanna Go OnWith You"Jonathan RossJune: Wired "JapaneseHands" &interview2nd AnnualPrince's Trust- ARoyal Gala(Saturday Night's& Candle)July: LA Aids BenefitConcertNews AID Benefit Sept: VH1 Conversationwith Elton JohnMiami, FL (MTVAwards, Don'tWanna Go On...October: Yoruno Hit StudioLondonUSA WeekendInterviewMTV John LennonRemembered(interview)November: Best Hit USA:

interview & videoEric Clapton &Friends in Tokyo(Candle, IGuess/Blues, IDon't Wanna,Daniel)Washington, DC(Kennedy Center,That's WhatFriends Are For)Steve Blame ShowVH1 Story of RockfeatureReg Strikes Backpress conferenceCBS This Morninginterview

1989January: Ryan White Story May: Good MorningBritain (TV AM)with PaulGambaccini fromLAAugust: Los Angeles, CA(UniversalAmpitheatre, 2Live Songs withThe Who). PinballWizardTerry WoganShow, HealingHands & WhispersElton John inConcert,MeadowlandsNew JerseyKansas CityconcertGood MorningAmericaOctober: Music Box:Germany TVShow "HealingHands"New Haven, CT.concertABC TV InConcert (4 LiveSongs)Sleeping with ThePast "Press Kit"Sky TV Verona,ItalyGood Rock'nTonite w. BernieCanadian TVinterview EJ&BT

Part 6 of our Collector’s Series onElton’s TV and Video appearances, byGeorge Matlock & Sharon KalinoskiShould you be able to add or correctany details, please email:

[email protected], or write to:Hercules UK, PO Box 315, Richmond,Surrey, TW9 3QX, EnglandPlease note that Hercules is unable tooffer for sale or exchange items listed.

We provide the list for information recordonly. The series is mainly a compilationof US and UK performances. However,we welcome news of other broadcasts.Thanks to Wayne Martin for hisinvaluable contribution to this series.

The 80sThe 80sKaleidoscope Eyes (part 6)and at the second night at CastleAshby, he replaced them bothwith Song For Guy. The first timethis happened, at Hylands House,a crowd of us were down thefront of the stage, and startedshouting "Where's The Pilot?!"which made Elton laugh. He justlooked at us, laughed and shookhis head. At the next venue, I tookthe opportunity to ask CliveFranks whether this suddenchange in the Set List was pre-decided by Elton, and he said no,that Elton actually decides whenhe's on stage, depending on howtired his voice is. It certainlykeeps Clive on his toes!

The weather was good atHyde Park, the only Londonshow, and stayed sunny thewhole time Elton was on stage. AsElton himself commented, itcertainly made a change from therest of the tour! The maindifference between this show andthe previous UK gigs was the sizeand position of the stage itself.

The Route of Kings venue inHyde Park has been built toaccommodate several actsthroughout the summer of 2000,so it wasn't Elton's own purpose-built stage. It was therefore muchhigher, and much further awaythan we have been used to. Infact, there was a black cage-typebarrier preventing us from gettingany closer than 20 feet (c. 7metres) to Elton himself. Those ofus who had got used to shakinghis hand, and receivingautographs during the show werea bit disappointed - but then wehave been spoilt by the unusuallysmall stages of the recent tour.

I was sitting near to Elton'smum, Sheila, who appeared to be

having a great time. She wassinging, dancing and clappingalong with the Hercules membersin the audience. In fact, she wasthe first person on her feet toapplaud Elton at the end of EmptyGarden! It was great to see. FOR ME, THE BEST ASPECTS OFTHE TOUR:

The low stage (more please!!).Elton’s strong performances.Shaking hands with Elton

every night.The fun and camaraderie of

being with other fans, who haveall become great friends.FOR ME, THE WORST ASPECTOF THE TOUR:

Security not letting us stormthe stage until the show’s nearlyover. Well, we could write abook on this one. We know theyare only acting on instructions,but WHO do these instructionscome from? Elton himself? Overrecent years, I’ve heard rumoursthat it IS Elton who issues theseorders prior to each show. Butthen we hear from other sourcesinside Elton’s team that he LOVESit when we’re all down the front,partying along with him. Sowhat’s the answer? This is my lastgreat burning question of beingan Elton fan.

As a final note, I’d like tothank Elton for a fantasticsummer. We have had a trulybrilliant time, and we’re verygrateful that you put so mucheffort into bringing us so muchpleasure. More please!!

With special thanks to: DaveWilson, Sharon Doran-Thorpe,Crispin Hunt of Marshall Arts,Lynne Dicks and Andy Thorpe formaking the tour so enjoyable andsuccessful for me and otherHercules members.

UK Stately Homes SOLO TOUR 2000

Set List

Your Song

The Greatest Discovery

Skyline Pigeon (1st leg of tour)

Someone Saved My Life Tonight(2nd leg of tour)

Border Song

Daniel

Harmony

Honky Cat

Rocket Man

Tiny Dancer

Philadelphia Freedom

Nikita

Sacrifice

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Ticking

Carla/Etude

Tonight

Burn Down The Mission

The One

Blue Eyes

Empty Garden (not 15 or 23 July)

Take Me to the Pilot (not 15 or 23 July)

Song For Guy (23 July only)

Crocodile Rock

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Circle of Life

Bennie And The Jets

Candle In The Wind

UK Tour Review Continued

Hercules members enjoying themselves at the front of the crowd at Chatsworth House


a little talk about whetherDaniel should come before orafter some song? Should we dosuch song? That would go on fora couple of shows. And he veryrarely talks anyway. Sometimeswe don't even say a thing afterthe shows.

GM: Talking of airports, weheard Elton went back to theSouth of France after most of hisGerman gigs. Is that true?

CF: Yes, on a private charterplane.

GM: And what of the otheringredient that makes a show,the crowd?

CF: He works so hard to getthe audience to their feet. Theseshows are more of a challengebecause they're intimate shows,solo. If the audience isn'tmoving, he works them. It'sharder without the band, as heperforms more ballads. He can'tdo "Saturday Night's" or "TheBitch is Back". So it's harder forthe crowd to get enthusiastic inany part of the world - exceptthe USA. They seem go nuts ateverything! But I've noticed inEngland and Europe they'll sitand listen to him. Veryappreciative and wonderfulaudiences between songs, butduring songs they don't emotemuch.

GM: Except for that smallband of fans Hercules marshallto the front!

CF: He loves that. I wouldwish people would go upsooner.

GM: We would, but securitywon't let us!

CF: Yeah, but you have torealise that there are peoplenear the front who paid fortickets and can't see a thing. Wewere in Austria, in the show justbefore Bregenz in June, and we

were in a town square and noseating. It was like a festival.The atmosphere was the bestwe've had the whole tour.Everyone was up and with himfrom the very start. I'm surecountless barrels of beer hadsomething to do with it too! Atotally different, American vibe.They picked up on everythingand went nuts. But when we gotback to Germany, we had goodaudiences, but the rain wasawful.

GM: Most of the fanscomplained there were so manyshows this year, and theycouldn't afford to go to all ofthem.

CF: What I don't understandis why does anyone want to goto all of them?

GM: You're right, he'salready bringing the music tosmaller venues, closer to the fansand accessing more territory. Butthe fans still come again andagain! I was at Germany'sKassel, Hamburg and Cologneshows, but perhaps because Ihadn't heard Elton indoors for along time, the Cologne showwas a disappointment. Themusic all just merged.

CF: Acoustically, it's a verydifficult room. It's cavernous.We used our own sound systemand supplemented with theirs tofill up in the Gods. But that wasone of my favourite shows,believe it or not. The fans weregreat and Elton loved that showbecause he could feel thefeedback from the audience. Iwas pleased with the results. Ifyou were at the front, you heardonly his loud monitors, whichare trained for him, and anyoneslightly away from that distance,such as the crowds in the firstsix rows, will get a very strangesound. You would have heardhis monitors rather than my

mix. So it was reflective sound,very mushy.

GM: And Munich, whereElton's throat was rough. Whathappened there?

CF: Things sometimes do gowrong, as you know. I checkedeverything. Elton started to sing.I could hear his voice comingfrom the monitors but not themixed PA. I freaked out! Thefirst few lines didn't come out. Iuse a limiter on Elton's voicewhich keeps the volumeconstant and controls anyunexpected loud peaks.Unfortunately, the dampweather had caused moisture toget onto the jackplug whichthen cut out Elton's voice fromthe PA, so we had to carefullypull the plug in and out a fewtimes to get it working, andthen it was fine. Makes liveshows exciting andunpredictable!

The second part of thisexclusive interview with Clivewill appear in the Decemberissue of The Mag. Part 2 willfocus on a flashback to concertsand antics over the years.

Book Review

reviewed by Wayne Martin

For the casual fan, there isno better book on the life

and career of Sir Elton John thanthis. However, for any seriousfan this "updated" re-issue is awaste. Mr. Norman never didappear to have his heart inwriting the original and overnine years later all he hasmanaged to add is about a halfdozen pages of quotes fromElton's stepmother Edna Dwight,with whom he secured aninterview, following the death ofElton's father Stanley. Mrs.Dwight's reflections, including apicture and some letters betweenfather and son, are veryinteresting. They shed a verydifferent light on her latehusband's relationship with Eltonfrom the version Elton has giventhrough the years. But that's it.

Mr. Norman has come upwith NOTHING on Elton'sbreakup with longtime managerJohn Reid. He merely includeswhat has been reported in thetabloid press. (Mr. Norman's ideaof research?) While this story isstill evolving, as any industryinsider will tell you, it'sdynamite. A book in and of itself.An author with the ego of PhilipNorman's should be ashamed forreleasing an updated versionwithout including the REAL storyof what Reid has done. But thenagain, this is the same authorwho released the book in it'soriginal form without includingany information on Elton'smultiple addictions that nearlycost him his life. Everyone in thebusiness was fully aware of thesituation at the time, yet Mr.Norman's reaction was one oftotal shock, learning of thecondition when Elton went publicafter the books initial release.

The book in it's first printing,while giving a good overview ofElton's life and career was riddledwith errors, including misquotes,wrong dates and fabrications. (In

particular, events pertaining toElton's career in the U.S.) Theseerrors were made known at thetime, to both author andpublisher. As far as I can tell,NONE have been corrected.

As for Elton's quote "He's gotme spot on", that the publisher isso fond of including in ads, well,Elton did say this. However, Eltonwas referring to what Mr.Norman describes as "Elton's littlemoments", not the book as awhole. At the time he invitedPhilip Norman to his Londonresidence for tea, Elton had notyet read the entire book. He saidat the time that he was only halfway through it. Elton is also onrecord as being very angry thatMr. Norman took what wasintended to be a privatediscussion and included thetranscript as an additional chapterin the paperback editions thatfollowed. Ironically, it's the onlyaccurate chapter Mr. Norman'stome has.

This is all truly disappointing.At 581 pages, and as the titleitself promises, this should havebeen "The Definitive" Sir EltonJohn bio. Unfortunately, it is not.

J U S T F O R F U N

1. They should have had a picture of Dolly’s face

As she drove across country

2. For open crypts to silenceNylon knots to sway by prayer

3. There’s long boats in the harbour

Which arrive there every hour.

4. Winter’s heavy and partly cloudy

And the snowfall leaves thetracks that catch a few

5. We can build a bridge between us

But the empty space remains

6. There were white sails on the water

For the crippled on the beach

7. If I couldn’t hear your secretsMy ears would both be sealed

8. Although your friends couldsee I’m dying

Slowly from the knife you leftin me

9. Due to natural causes shebecame despondent

And she tried to leave

10. I’ll take my wounded prideI’ll take it on the chin

11. You had a scent for scandalWell here’s my middle finger

12. Non commercial nativeIt’s tattooed in your veins.

Have a go at our popular lyric quiz.We give you a line - see if you can

name the song! (Answers on page 27)

LYRIC QUIZClive Live - Marry a Music Man continued

Ten years on - Philip Norman's latest book

SIR ELTON

phot

o: N

Bac

.


Clive live Marry a Music Man

Elton's sound engineer CliveFranks talks to Hercules' GeorgeMatlock in the first of a three-part exclusive interview.

It's not every day thiscultured and profoundtechnician provides aninterview opportunity. In fact,after 28 years on the road asElton's tour sound engineer, andproducer of three Elton albumshe's only ever given threeinterviews.

So understand Hercules'pride that Clive Franks, who inhis own words doesn't seekfame and likes to stay in theshadows, agreed to shine andnot fade away. By his ownadmission the three albums heproduced, A Single Man, 21 at33, and The Fox, are "all theone's that never sold!" He alsomixed The Thom Bell Sessions.

Clive Franks has anunassuming air, and a modestythat disguises his great talentwhich Elton's biggest fans everattempt to quantify, while manymore will at least acknowledge.I was under the impressionElton Solo was just that. Elton atthe keyboard. Checking outClive's box of tricks during therecent Hyde Park, London show

on July 27, 2000, was an eye-opener. I realised there weretwo magical artists at work, twopairs of dexterous hands movingto the beat of music.

The soundboard looks like anuclear warhead arsenal, or achess board. And yet, Cliveknows which knob to tweak,and which fader to drive, andwhen. He fills in, singing thepercussion sounds of theoriginal recording as he hearsthe new, pared-down piano soloversions on stage.

Although not pre-recorded,when Elton played his sell-outsummer 2000 tour, he did sowith the help of Clive'sjudicious offering of specialeffects. Clive apologised thesound system at Hyde Park wasa hired item used by the seriesof non-Elton shows that week atthe venue, rather than hispreferred equipment. Those actsincluded Steps, Five, and BuenaVista Social Club. But the mixerwas his. A daunting console,with labels under faders like"ME", "X", "Spare", "EJ", "LO","HI", "Piano Yam", "PianoStrings", "EFX", and "TC". Clivewas keeping some 12 metersflicking at between -5 and -3 onhis Yamaha Mixing Console

PM4000 behemoth.While most fans like to get

close to Elton in the front row -Clive is happy knowing he's gotthe best seat in the house. Mid-way back is where the sound offthose awesome amplifierspeakers, or PAs intechnospeak, finally optimises.

In a more relaxedatmosphere between shows inLondon, July 12, 2000, Clivegave a 2 and a half hourinterview - that's the length ofElton's recent shows!

Clive Franks: I'll just takethis nice Coke from the fridge(free publicity to a recentsponsor of the tour). I have asore throat after talking with afriend for four hours today.

George Matlock: What wentwrong at Hyde Park (Party in thePark, July 9, 2000)?

CF: Mainly the weather, forthe crowds. Half an hour beforeElton was to go on there wasthis massive downpour. Therewas a 3-inch puddle outside hisdressing room. Something gotdamp. There was chaos. Theproblem was that I wasreceiving (sound) on everything,so I assumed the piano was fine.

I think it was something to dowith the monitors. It wasn't ourmonitors. We were jumping inon the venue's common systemfor all the 30-odd actsperforming that day. You'rebusking it in a situation likethat. Then when the monitorscame through it was so loud ittook everyone's head off! It wasembarrassing. Elton came on,sat for a bit, couldn't hearanything, went off, came backon again. Once they got going[with the Backstreet Boys] theywere fine.

GM: When Kylie Minoguecame on, there was a noticeabledelay between movements andsound.

CF: I noticed the videoscreens were out of time withthe vocals. This happens whenyou're a long way from a videoscreen, because sound travelsslower than light. There is noexcuse for that on television[the programme was televisedby Channel 4]. A lot of peoplecomplained to me about that. Ican't answer that one. You see,I'm not sure everyone wassinging. I think there was somemiming going on. Some peoplearen't that good at lip synching.All this dance routine these daysreally annoys me. Some peopleare so focused on their dance,they can't deliver a good vocalperformance. Elton is not havingto dance, he's behind a piano.Of course, he did get up afterPhiladelphia Freedom [to standand dance with the Boys]. Butno, he's totally live.

GM: You can vouch for Eltonnever miming?

CF: Never mimed in a liveperformance.

GM: How about the pre-recorded BBC TV show Top ofthe Pops ?

CF: Early days, yes [he did].They wouldn't let you do itotherwise! They couldn'treproduce the sound, and somany people didn't want to doit live because they couldn't.And the record companieswanted the audience to hearexactly how the recordsounded. But Elton wouldalways want to sing it live. Andwhere possible he did. But he'sa brilliant lip syncher, sosometimes even for myself itwas difficult to tell whether hewas miming or live. He does itso well. But [on tour] I can tellfrom the sound whether it's alive recording or not withoutlooking up at the stage. And Ican tell you he's never mimedon tour.

Clive was often to fill-in formissing band members on Top ofthe Pops. He's seen himself onGoodbye Yellow Brick Road inplace of bassist Dee Murray.

CF: On those early Top ofthe Pops, some bands wouldrecord a version an hour beforethe performance, then mime asthe TV cameras recorded it all.

GM: [at July 9 performance]When Elton sang Friends NeverSay Goodbye, the first time hesang "never say goodbye" it wasdelivered very slowly. Did younotice that?

CF: When we're on tour, wepick up on the little nuancesday after day. But this was gottogether only at midday forrehearsals. We were at therehearsal studios for two and ahalf hours, minus one of theBackstreet Boys who wasmissing. Elton was concernedlyrically not to mess up andordered an auto-cue. Whetherhe got one I'm not sure. Elton'ssuch a perfectionist. As youknow, he's forever mouthingsideways "more of this, less of

that" and "turn this up". It wasalso difficult for me to focusbecause there were threemixing consoles, and eachalternated between acts. Of thethree consoles, two are ones Iuse on tours and the third is thetype I dislike, and which shallremain nameless. That's the oneI had to use! So, I wasconcentrating on their balanceand level, rather than lyricallyto what's going on. Elton'sreverb wasn't right. I didn'tactually see him after the show,because he had interviews to dobackstage. Meanwhile, me,Elton's assistant and the crewwere taken out to a wonderfulIndian restaurant. And I've notseen Elton since. I asked hisassistant Bob, who said Eltonwas a little tense but heenjoyed it.

GM: For the final two songs,Elton seemed to really enjoythings. He was not seated at thepiano, even gave a wiggle withhis backside! His voiceprojected better, he looked morerelaxed, as though the piano hadbeen a ball and chain! Do youhave post mortems aboutperformances?

CF: No. He has to be themost consistent performer -ever. I've worked with him since1972. And perhaps half a dozengigs were below par - but that'son HIS standard. If we're doinga quick getaway to the airportafter a show, in the car, Eltonwill rather focus on thehighlights. He might say,beaming like a child: "Oooh,that was great wasn't it? Whatabout that little bit on RocketMan, or that solo bit." But it'srarely ever an inquest going theother way, because there'snever anything negative to focuson. Maybe at the start of a tour,when we haven't locked in a setlist he's happy with, we'll have

exclusive...

Clive Franks (right), with George Matlock at Hylands House,with Elton’s stage in the background.


a little talk about whetherDaniel should come before orafter some song? Should we dosuch song? That would go on fora couple of shows. And he veryrarely talks anyway. Sometimeswe don't even say a thing afterthe shows.

GM: Talking of airports, weheard Elton went back to theSouth of France after most of hisGerman gigs. Is that true?

CF: Yes, on a private charterplane.

GM: And what of the otheringredient that makes a show,the crowd?

CF: He works so hard to getthe audience to their feet. Theseshows are more of a challengebecause they're intimate shows,solo. If the audience isn'tmoving, he works them. It'sharder without the band, as heperforms more ballads. He can'tdo "Saturday Night's" or "TheBitch is Back". So it's harder forthe crowd to get enthusiastic inany part of the world - exceptthe USA. They seem go nuts ateverything! But I've noticed inEngland and Europe they'll sitand listen to him. Veryappreciative and wonderfulaudiences between songs, butduring songs they don't emotemuch.

GM: Except for that smallband of fans Hercules marshallto the front!

CF: He loves that. I wouldwish people would go upsooner.

GM: We would, but securitywon't let us!

CF: Yeah, but you have torealise that there are peoplenear the front who paid fortickets and can't see a thing. Wewere in Austria, in the show justbefore Bregenz in June, and we

were in a town square and noseating. It was like a festival.The atmosphere was the bestwe've had the whole tour.Everyone was up and with himfrom the very start. I'm surecountless barrels of beer hadsomething to do with it too! Atotally different, American vibe.They picked up on everythingand went nuts. But when we gotback to Germany, we had goodaudiences, but the rain wasawful.

GM: Most of the fanscomplained there were so manyshows this year, and theycouldn't afford to go to all ofthem.

CF: What I don't understandis why does anyone want to goto all of them?

GM: You're right, he'salready bringing the music tosmaller venues, closer to the fansand accessing more territory. Butthe fans still come again andagain! I was at Germany'sKassel, Hamburg and Cologneshows, but perhaps because Ihadn't heard Elton indoors for along time, the Cologne showwas a disappointment. Themusic all just merged.

CF: Acoustically, it's a verydifficult room. It's cavernous.We used our own sound systemand supplemented with theirs tofill up in the Gods. But that wasone of my favourite shows,believe it or not. The fans weregreat and Elton loved that showbecause he could feel thefeedback from the audience. Iwas pleased with the results. Ifyou were at the front, you heardonly his loud monitors, whichare trained for him, and anyoneslightly away from that distance,such as the crowds in the firstsix rows, will get a very strangesound. You would have heardhis monitors rather than my

mix. So it was reflective sound,very mushy.

GM: And Munich, whereElton's throat was rough. Whathappened there?

CF: Things sometimes do gowrong, as you know. I checkedeverything. Elton started to sing.I could hear his voice comingfrom the monitors but not themixed PA. I freaked out! Thefirst few lines didn't come out. Iuse a limiter on Elton's voicewhich keeps the volumeconstant and controls anyunexpected loud peaks.Unfortunately, the dampweather had caused moisture toget onto the jackplug whichthen cut out Elton's voice fromthe PA, so we had to carefullypull the plug in and out a fewtimes to get it working, andthen it was fine. Makes liveshows exciting andunpredictable!

The second part of thisexclusive interview with Clivewill appear in the Decemberissue of The Mag. Part 2 willfocus on a flashback to concertsand antics over the years.

Book Review

reviewed by Wayne Martin

For the casual fan, there isno better book on the life

and career of Sir Elton John thanthis. However, for any seriousfan this "updated" re-issue is awaste. Mr. Norman never didappear to have his heart inwriting the original and overnine years later all he hasmanaged to add is about a halfdozen pages of quotes fromElton's stepmother Edna Dwight,with whom he secured aninterview, following the death ofElton's father Stanley. Mrs.Dwight's reflections, including apicture and some letters betweenfather and son, are veryinteresting. They shed a verydifferent light on her latehusband's relationship with Eltonfrom the version Elton has giventhrough the years. But that's it.

Mr. Norman has come upwith NOTHING on Elton'sbreakup with longtime managerJohn Reid. He merely includeswhat has been reported in thetabloid press. (Mr. Norman's ideaof research?) While this story isstill evolving, as any industryinsider will tell you, it'sdynamite. A book in and of itself.An author with the ego of PhilipNorman's should be ashamed forreleasing an updated versionwithout including the REAL storyof what Reid has done. But thenagain, this is the same authorwho released the book in it'soriginal form without includingany information on Elton'smultiple addictions that nearlycost him his life. Everyone in thebusiness was fully aware of thesituation at the time, yet Mr.Norman's reaction was one oftotal shock, learning of thecondition when Elton went publicafter the books initial release.

The book in it's first printing,while giving a good overview ofElton's life and career was riddledwith errors, including misquotes,wrong dates and fabrications. (In

particular, events pertaining toElton's career in the U.S.) Theseerrors were made known at thetime, to both author andpublisher. As far as I can tell,NONE have been corrected.

As for Elton's quote "He's gotme spot on", that the publisher isso fond of including in ads, well,Elton did say this. However, Eltonwas referring to what Mr.Norman describes as "Elton's littlemoments", not the book as awhole. At the time he invitedPhilip Norman to his Londonresidence for tea, Elton had notyet read the entire book. He saidat the time that he was only halfway through it. Elton is also onrecord as being very angry thatMr. Norman took what wasintended to be a privatediscussion and included thetranscript as an additional chapterin the paperback editions thatfollowed. Ironically, it's the onlyaccurate chapter Mr. Norman'stome has.

This is all truly disappointing.At 581 pages, and as the titleitself promises, this should havebeen "The Definitive" Sir EltonJohn bio. Unfortunately, it is not.

J U S T F O R F U N

1. They should have had a picture of Dolly’s face

As she drove across country

2. For open crypts to silenceNylon knots to sway by prayer

3. There’s long boats in the harbour

Which arrive there every hour.

4. Winter’s heavy and partly cloudy

And the snowfall leaves thetracks that catch a few

5. We can build a bridge between us

But the empty space remains

6. There were white sails on the water

For the crippled on the beach

7. If I couldn’t hear your secretsMy ears would both be sealed

8. Although your friends couldsee I’m dying

Slowly from the knife you leftin me

9. Due to natural causes shebecame despondent

And she tried to leave

10. I’ll take my wounded prideI’ll take it on the chin

11. You had a scent for scandalWell here’s my middle finger

12. Non commercial nativeIt’s tattooed in your veins.

Have a go at our popular lyric quiz.We give you a line - see if you can

name the song! (Answers on page 27)

LYRIC QUIZClive Live - Marry a Music Man continued

Ten years on - Philip Norman's latest book

SIR ELTON

phot

o: N

Bac

.


(Month is statedwhere known)

1980Jan: American MusicAwards "SorrySeems..." &"Elton's Song"April: Hollywood Nights(Olivia Newton-John Special). (4 songs)September: Tomorrow withTom Snyder (3Live Songs,Interview)October: Phil DonohueShow (Your Song,interview)November: Tonight Show withJohnny Carson Sydney RomeShow "SartorialElloquence"Paul Gambacinniinterview fromElton's UK HomeTonight Show.Performs "SorrySeems to Be..."

1981April: The Fox TelepressconferenceJune: Tomorrow WithTom Snyder(Nobody Wins,Belgium,Breaking/Barriers,Interview).Best of Brit:Captain Fantasticand the DJ (3Songs, Interview)Lip Syncs: LovingYou Is Sweeter (w.Kiki Dee)

1982April: Saturday NightLive (Ball & Chain,Empty Garden.Note: The original'live' broadcasthad EJ singing'Empty Garden'first, then singing'Ball and Chain'later in the

program.However, insubsoquentrepeatedbroadcast, 'Balland Chain' camefirst, 'EmptyGarden' second) May: EntertainmentTonight - (EJ's LAhome sale, showsempty house)June: EntertainmentTonight (Ejreceives key tocity of L.A.)November: Pebble Mill atOne, UK TVChristmas Eve:Elton John inConcert at theHammersmithOdeonToday Show

1983March: UK BBC TV BluePeter video clip of"I Guess That'sWhy They Call..."& brief EltoninterviewMay: EntertainmentTonight: Too LowFor Zero Promo Noel EdmundsShowToday Show : TwoLow For ZeroPromo pt 1&2Top of the Pops:Cold as ChristmasRonnie Corbet.BBC TV. Cold asChristmas &interview

1984March: Paul GambacciniOther Side of TheTrack. InterviewJuly: Cinemax AlbumFlash BreakingHearts September: Elton John Live InToronto BreakingHearts TourChristmas Day: Terry Wogan: In

Neon & InterviewTop of the Pops (1Song)Montreaux RockFestival (2 Songs)Main Presenter ofBBC SportsPersonality of theYear AwardsPolish TV, meetingdissident LechWalesaFA Cup Final atWembley Stadium,Watford v EvertonMTV Interview w.Jools HollandJools HollandinterviewSassoon Advert USTV commercial

1985February: Terry Wogan,Breaking Hearts &interviewBBC TV and ITNreport on LondonHigh Courtcopyright casefailure, w. BernieMay: Montreaux GoldenRose Festival. ActOf War w. MillieJacksonJuly: Live Aid: I'm StillStanding, Bennie,Rocket, Don't GoBreak, Don't/SunNovember: UK TV "The Tube",4 Songs andinterviewGood MorningBritain: Making ofAct of War videoBBC SaturdaySuperstoreSaturday PictureShow Pop Profile,UK TVUK Soul Train "ActOf War"BBC TV Blue Peterfrom Elton's HomeJools Holland TVshow

1986February: International BPIAwardsFebruary: WoganBBC TV. "Cry toHeaven" andinterviewJune: London, UK(Prince's Trust)August: Kansas CityconcertOctober: U.S. TV JoanRivers Late Nite (3Live Songs,Interview)US showing ofPrinces TrustconcertUS Rock and RollEvening News (3Part interview &clips of currenttour)November: U.K. TV BBC 2interviewDecember: UK TV SkyChannel interviewUK TV NoelEdmonds "SlowRivers"Cliff from the Hip"Leather Jackets &Slow Rivers"The Tube: ThisTown, Sad Songs,Nikita,Burn/MissionCilla Black ShowUK TVCadbury'sChocolate Ad. UKTV commercialThe MelbourneTapes. Interviewfrom Australiaconcert. AustralianTV

1987January: BBC1 & ITN Newson throat operationApril: Parkinson One toOne. InterviewJune: 2nd AnnualPrince's Trust:London, UK (YourSong & Saturday

Night)Elton & JenniferRush on TerryWogan Show:"Flames ofParadise" &interviewSeptember:MTV SpecialRecognitionAwardUS airdate of 2ndAnnual PrincesTrust 1987 Stand ByMe:AIDS Benefit(Interview, WillYou Still Love Me,I Guess...)1987 JoolsHolland TV show

1988January: BBC TV Top OfThe Pops: CandleIn the WindMarch: Totally Minnie(Don't GoBreaking My Heartw. Minnie Mouse)May: French TV "I Don'tWanna Go OnWith You"Jonathan RossJune: Wired "JapaneseHands" &interview2nd AnnualPrince's Trust- ARoyal Gala(Saturday Night's& Candle)July: LA Aids BenefitConcertNews AID Benefit Sept: VH1 Conversationwith Elton JohnMiami, FL (MTVAwards, Don'tWanna Go On...October: Yoruno Hit StudioLondonUSA WeekendInterviewMTV John LennonRemembered(interview)November: Best Hit USA:

interview & videoEric Clapton &Friends in Tokyo(Candle, IGuess/Blues, IDon't Wanna,Daniel)Washington, DC(Kennedy Center,That's WhatFriends Are For)Steve Blame ShowVH1 Story of RockfeatureReg Strikes Backpress conferenceCBS This Morninginterview

1989January: Ryan White Story May: Good MorningBritain (TV AM)with PaulGambaccini fromLAAugust: Los Angeles, CA(UniversalAmpitheatre, 2Live Songs withThe Who). PinballWizardTerry WoganShow, HealingHands & WhispersElton John inConcert,MeadowlandsNew JerseyKansas CityconcertGood MorningAmericaOctober: Music Box:Germany TVShow "HealingHands"New Haven, CT.concertABC TV InConcert (4 LiveSongs)Sleeping with ThePast "Press Kit"Sky TV Verona,ItalyGood Rock'nTonite w. BernieCanadian TVinterview EJ&BT

Part 6 of our Collector’s Series onElton’s TV and Video appearances, byGeorge Matlock & Sharon KalinoskiShould you be able to add or correctany details, please email:

[email protected], or write to:Hercules UK, PO Box 315, Richmond,Surrey, TW9 3QX, EnglandPlease note that Hercules is unable tooffer for sale or exchange items listed.

We provide the list for information recordonly. The series is mainly a compilationof US and UK performances. However,we welcome news of other broadcasts.Thanks to Wayne Martin for hisinvaluable contribution to this series.

The 80sThe 80sKaleidoscope Eyes (part 6)and at the second night at CastleAshby, he replaced them bothwith Song For Guy. The first timethis happened, at Hylands House,a crowd of us were down thefront of the stage, and startedshouting "Where's The Pilot?!"which made Elton laugh. He justlooked at us, laughed and shookhis head. At the next venue, I tookthe opportunity to ask CliveFranks whether this suddenchange in the Set List was pre-decided by Elton, and he said no,that Elton actually decides whenhe's on stage, depending on howtired his voice is. It certainlykeeps Clive on his toes!

The weather was good atHyde Park, the only Londonshow, and stayed sunny thewhole time Elton was on stage. AsElton himself commented, itcertainly made a change from therest of the tour! The maindifference between this show andthe previous UK gigs was the sizeand position of the stage itself.

The Route of Kings venue inHyde Park has been built toaccommodate several actsthroughout the summer of 2000,so it wasn't Elton's own purpose-built stage. It was therefore muchhigher, and much further awaythan we have been used to. Infact, there was a black cage-typebarrier preventing us from gettingany closer than 20 feet (c. 7metres) to Elton himself. Those ofus who had got used to shakinghis hand, and receivingautographs during the show werea bit disappointed - but then wehave been spoilt by the unusuallysmall stages of the recent tour.

I was sitting near to Elton'smum, Sheila, who appeared to be

having a great time. She wassinging, dancing and clappingalong with the Hercules membersin the audience. In fact, she wasthe first person on her feet toapplaud Elton at the end of EmptyGarden! It was great to see. FOR ME, THE BEST ASPECTS OFTHE TOUR:

The low stage (more please!!).Elton’s strong performances.Shaking hands with Elton

every night.The fun and camaraderie of

being with other fans, who haveall become great friends.FOR ME, THE WORST ASPECTOF THE TOUR:

Security not letting us stormthe stage until the show’s nearlyover. Well, we could write abook on this one. We know theyare only acting on instructions,but WHO do these instructionscome from? Elton himself? Overrecent years, I’ve heard rumoursthat it IS Elton who issues theseorders prior to each show. Butthen we hear from other sourcesinside Elton’s team that he LOVESit when we’re all down the front,partying along with him. Sowhat’s the answer? This is my lastgreat burning question of beingan Elton fan.

As a final note, I’d like tothank Elton for a fantasticsummer. We have had a trulybrilliant time, and we’re verygrateful that you put so mucheffort into bringing us so muchpleasure. More please!!

With special thanks to: DaveWilson, Sharon Doran-Thorpe,Crispin Hunt of Marshall Arts,Lynne Dicks and Andy Thorpe formaking the tour so enjoyable andsuccessful for me and otherHercules members.

UK Stately Homes SOLO TOUR 2000

Set List

Your Song

The Greatest Discovery

Skyline Pigeon (1st leg of tour)

Someone Saved My Life Tonight(2nd leg of tour)

Border Song

Daniel

Harmony

Honky Cat

Rocket Man

Tiny Dancer

Philadelphia Freedom

Nikita

Sacrifice

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Ticking

Carla/Etude

Tonight

Burn Down The Mission

The One

Blue Eyes

Empty Garden (not 15 or 23 July)

Take Me to the Pilot (not 15 or 23 July)

Song For Guy (23 July only)

Crocodile Rock

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Circle of Life

Bennie And The Jets

Candle In The Wind

UK Tour Review Continued

Hercules members enjoying themselves at the front of the crowd at Chatsworth House


Bennie and the Jets" on theGBYBR album is not live!

It was all recorded in thestudio. EJ has always beenfascinated with making arecording "sound" like it wasrecorded live when it reallywasn’t. His first attempt atthis was with "Rock And RollMadonna".

Elton was in one of his"moods" minutes before he

recorded the lead vocals for"Don’t Let The Sun Go DownOn Me". In an angry fit, herecorded the vocal in onetake and then stormed out ofthe studio. Apparently hedidn’t want to record thevocals for the album.

Did you know that there isa third verse to "Holiday

Inn"? For some reason, it wasdropped during the finalrecording of the song. It fitwith the rest of the song anddidn’t make the song seem"too" long. So it’s a mysterywhy it was scrapped.

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20ANOTHER VERSE OF OUR REGULAR COLUMN FEATURING TRIVIA AND

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52, September 2000. 11

up with old friends to have a chatabout "all things Elton".Entertainment was provided atChatsworth in the form of livesound-a-like Dieter Graham, whowas commissioned especially forthe Hercules get-together. And inthe pub before the show atHylands House, BBC Radio Essexsent their live reporter tobroadcast the events leading up tothe concert - including a liverendition of "I Guess That's WhyThey Call It The Blues" performedby members of Hercules. Ohdear!

An overview report of the tourwouldn't be complete withoutmentioning the impact thateltonjohn.com has had. TheHospitality Rooms were organisedvery well at three of the concerts,Woburn Abbey, Broadlands andCastle Ashby. I attended all three,and the obvious highlight wasmeeting Elton (albeit VERY briefly)at Woburn, just minutes beforethe show started. The other twoevents were interesting andenjoyable too - with the chanceto chat to Elton's 'team', includingthe infamous Clive Franks. Thebest part for me was the chanceto see backstage in these open-airvenues - lorries and cablingeverywhere! I was struck by howbasic a lot of it is - when he runsout on stage, Elton first has to

climb up what is basically a metalstep-ladder! In hindsight, Isuppose I'd always imaginedplush extravagancies, with redcarpet and everything that goeswith it.

We learned some interestingfacts too; it takes a large team ofpeople three days to erect thestage - therefore there are basicallyTWO entire stages which leapfrogeach other from venue to venue.Elton has been using his Yamahagrand piano for the European tour,known as the 'A' piano. This isthe piano which he used forPrincess Diana's funeral, and is hisfavourite. There is another one,exactly the same, known as the 'B'piano, which Elton doesn't like asmuch. This is used if he needs todo a special appearance inanother country, and they can'ttransport the 'A' piano quicklyenough.

Frank Presland was inattendance at most shows too,and made the effort to meet andspeak to many of us. Beforeseveral of the shows, he mingledwith the fans in front of the stage,and made a point of saying helloto the regulars. After the years ofdistant displeasure from previousmanagement, it was nice to meetsuch a genuine man, who seemedto be enjoying himself as much aswe were.

Elton seemed pleased to seethe Hercules banners in the crowdevery night, and made a point ofwaving at the Hercules fanswhenever he saw one. Personally,the best bits for me were the timeswhen Elton obviously recognisedme. At the Hyde Park show (mylast), when he saw me, he pointedand smiled, and said “Hello,you!!” and several times duringthe tour I got a “thumbs up” whenhe saw me. I have yet to comedown to earth....!

The Set List basically remainedthe same throughout the entiretour. There were plenty of “crowdpleasers” for the casual fan, and afew less well-known songs, whichI actually prefer to hear. It’sdifficult to say which song was thebest; I can only comment on theones which made a particularimpact on me - I loved to hearHarmony, and the ever-brilliantBennie & The Jets. And oh dear,yes there were tears during theheavily nostalgic Someone SavedMy Life Tonight, which was myfavourite record during my teens.

Interestingly, Take Me To ThePilot and Empty Garden weredropped a couple of times.Indeed, during the whole UK tour,these were the only songs whichsometimes changed in the set. AtHylands House he left them outall together on the Saturday night,

MEMBERSHIP PASS RENEWAL

The current version of theHercules membership pass willexpire at the end of the year(December 31, 2000). In orderto renew your membership pass,we need to ask you to send us anew passport photo (approx. 3.5cm x 4.5 cm). It is not possibleto re-use the old photo in yourcurrent membership pass as itwill be destroyed by opening thelaminated pass.

There is no need to returnyour old pass (keep it as asouvenir), but we need to ask

you to include a self-addressedenvelope and an InternationalResponse Coupon (which youcan buy in the post office). Sendeverything to the followingrelevant address, and you willreceive your new membershippass (valid through December31, 2002) in the mail shortlyafterwards:

USA/Canada members send to:Sharon KalinoskiHercules USA/CanadaP O Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, USA

UK members send to:George MatlockHercules UKPO Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, UK

All other members send to:Stephan HeimbecherHercules Co-ordinationOrleansstr. 59D-81667 Muenchen, GERMANY

If you never ordered amembership pass before, youcan do so by following theinstructions above. Please notethat resignation from the fanclub is only possible after theexpiration date or by return ofthe membership pass.

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The new Membership Pass for 2001

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Ithought you might liketo know about a

recent appearance I madeat Watford Football Club,in my role as 'Elton'. I wasbooked to turn up andmingle with the crowds onthe touchlines and in theexecutive boxes, includingthe Elton John Suite, and tosurprise the punters in ourmidst.

The match was the lastgame of the season betweenSaracens (who share theVicarage Road ground with

Watford), and Bristol. Awin for Saracens would seethem secure a place in theHeineken European Leaguenext year. And win theydid, so it turned out to be afun festival.

At half time, I was askedto pick out the LotteryDraw on the centre of thepitch, which was alsofilmed by the Big Screen inthe corner of the stadium.As I walked onto the pitch,I got a standing ovation; butthen my cover was blownafter the announcer told thecrowd I was the EJ look-a-like as seen on TV. As Itrudged off the pitch afterdoing the deed, I still gotanother great receptionfrom the 10,000 strongcrowd.

It was great fun andmakes it all worthwhile forme to don the wig and seepeople smile.


In a 1997 interview, EJclaimed that he had never

teamed up with Tim Rice towrite and record a song forone of his own albums. Heclaimed that they have onlywritten "musicals" together. Iguess EJ forgot all about"Legal Boys", which appearedon his "Jump Up" album in1982.

Did you know that the bitsof the EJ recordings that

appear throughout the"Friends" movie are not thesame renditions that appearon the soundtrack album?The vocals are from anearlier recording session.

Elton recorded the vocalsfor every song on the

"Rock Of The Westies" albumonly to have to go back tothe studio and record themall over again. Apparentlythere was a mad rush torecord the vocals for thealbum, which showedthrough on the vocal tracks,so they had to be re-done.

GOSSIP ABOUT ELTON - FOUND OF COURSE, BETWEEN PAGES 17 AND 20!!

BETWEEN 17 AND 20 • BETWEEN 17 AND 20

"Welcome to the Britishsummer" was Elton's

first joke after he started withYour Song at Chatsworth Houseon June 3, 2000. But the rainwhich threatened the entire UKsummer open-air Stately Homestour didn't dampen anyone'sspirits when Elton was on stage.Beforehand, yes maybe, andafterwards, as we all struggledthrough the mud and rain on ourway to the car-parks. But whileElton was performing on stage?We couldn't have been happier.

I was fortunate enough toattend 13 of the UK solo showsthis year. After the brilliantLeeds Castle concerts in 1999, Icouldn't wait to do it all again.I won't go into every show indetail, but just tell you some ofthe highlights of the tour whichhave stayed in my memory.

Firstly, Elton himself. Lookingfit and well, the strength of his

voice was stunning. It just seemsto get better and stronger, and Inoticed he held the notes forlonger than last year. His moodchanged noticeably from venueto venue. Sometimes he wassubdued and really "into" themusic, other times he was havingan absolute party and messingabout like a teenager. It wasamazing how his moodtransferred itself onto the reactionof the audience.

The height of the purpose-built stage was particularly good

- it wasonly

chest-high with

no press/photographers

section in frontof it, so when it

came to the pointin the set when we

were able to stormthe stage, it was easy

to shake hands withElton. He did the

infamous autograph-sweep at every venue, and

often 'high-fived' the sectionsof the crowd who had

outstretched arms, as he ranpast the front of the stage.Apparently, these lower stages,without the press-box in front ofthem, were built at the request ofElton himself, who wanted moreaccess to the fans to be able to"meet" us.

Hercules organised a fewmeeting places before some of theshows - it was really nice to meet

the UK Solo Tour 2000,reviewed by HerculesEditor Tammi Law

"...whenI saw youvery muchalive, in theEnglish rainagain"

UKTOURREVIEW

Clubat the

End ofThe

StreetElton look-a-like and

Hercules member RayJohnson tells us about a

recent experience....

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Elton look-a-like Ray Johnson

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White Tie and TiaraBall menu


that he and David have foundsuch stability, would theyconsider adopting children? "I'mtoo old and too set in my ways toconsider it," says Elton, nownarrowing his costume choice toa purple suit with emerald-encrusted lapels or a fluorescentorange jacket. "Kids are a hugeresponsibility. I could give a kid agreat home, but I don't think Icould give him or her theattention they need."

Elton is famous for throwingsome of the social calendar'shottest parties, but when thepartying is over, Elton is oncemore the quiet man. "I don't hangout that much with really famouspeople," he shrugs. "Though,having said that, Sting is probablythe person I love the most. I'd doanything for him. If he said I hadto get on a plane and fly toAmerica now to do a charityshow I'd do it.

"I also care about people inpain - like Robbie Williams andWhitney Houston. I'll have beensober for ten years on July 29 butaddiction is a terrible thing andyou'll only get better when you'reready. I've helped Robbie two orthree times - he's been to stay atmy house.

"Addiction is about runningaway from things you can't faceup to. My shyness and fear of

confrontation were heightened bymy drug-taking. Nowadays Iwon't even have a glass ofChablis because I'm a verycompulsive person. Still, it'sterrific that Robbie is now in thepeak of form."

Asked about his Solo tour,Elton said "Just me and a piano.It's great not to have therestrictions of a band with you.I've never played solo before, butI love it because I can do what Iwant without rehearsals. I sang toa backing tape at the Party In ThePark, which was a nightmare. ButI can understand with all thoseacts why most of us had to do it. Ilike to play live. It sharpens meartistically." As a lot of us know,the weather at most of his recentEuropean shows has been awful.

"Playing in a tent in Liverpoolwith an orchestra was thewarmest I've been on this tour,"he laughs. "It was the first timeI'd sweated. Otherwise I've beenfreezing for my art. I've even hadchilblains. The worst weather wasat Chatsworth and I wasconvinced no one would turn up.We went through hail and foggetting there - and so did theaudience.

"In Germany I was doing YourSong and the heavens opened up.I started laughing because no onewas paying attention, they were

all scurrying for pac-a-macs. Thenthe flexi-glass ceiling over thestage gave way and it was likesomeone had thrown four bucketsof water over me. I was drenchedfor the whole show."

Elton is proud that he currentlyhas the Number One and Twoshows on New York's Broadwaywith Lion King and the newly-opened Aida. "Tim Rice and Iwrote Aida from scratch," he says."It was hammered by some critics,but I'm very proud of it and I'veseen it ten times."

"I'm also going to be doing a'one night only' at MadisonSquare Garden in New York," hesays excitedly. "I'm hoping tohave people like Ronan Keatingand Mary Jane Blige with me. Itwill be a TV special which we'llrecord in October for transmissionin November. We'll be doing itaround the time of what wouldhave been John Lennon's 60thbirthday. It will also have been 25years since he and I playedtogether there. That turned out tobe his last performance."

But Elton is also a believer innew talent. "I like Macy Gray," hesays. "She's like James Brown onstage. I like Moby and FatboySlim too. I dance to them in theshower."

White Tie & Elton and David host a lavish

party at Elton’s UK countryhome, Woodside, to benefit theElton John Aids Foundation.

In July, a host of internationalcelebrities and Royalty wereinvited to the £1000-a-head

annual party, which the pressdubbed “The Party of The Year”.The weather stayed kind, andguests were able to stroll aroundthe grounds of Woodside andadmire Elton’s famous gardens,before enjoying a banquet in a

luxury marquee.Guests, who included George

Michael, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall,Joan Collins, Duchess of York,Geri Halliwell, Sean Connery, andLiz Hurley, were also treated to anafter dinner cabaret. With Lulu

Kate Hurley, Hugh Grant,Elton, Elizabeth Hurley andDavid Furnish. Elton greets Ronan Keating

Sarah, Duchess of York withElton

Elton with Sean Connery and Joan Collins

Elton and David with Mick Jagger andJerri Hall

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Elton with ElizabethHurley


Elton spoke to the UK press at HylandsHouse, 15 July, just before going on stage toperform his Solo show. Here we bring you

the best parts of the interview.

hosting the raffle, Elton then wenton to sing “Raindrops KeepFalling On My Head”accompanied by Burt Bacharachon piano! The evening raised£575,000 for the Elton John AidsFoundation.

As you may know,eltonjohn.com had offered fansthe opportunity to bid for a pair oftickets for the Ball. Unfortunatelythey were unable to invite thesuccessful bidder to the Ball in theend, due to circumstances beyond

their control. However, wewould like to congratulateHercules member Rob Cargillwho very nearly made it - andwho handled the whole situationso well. Maybe next timeCinderella!

In his ownwords ... “

”As Elton paces round a

backstage dressing room, he castshis eye over a choice of 30Versace suits hanging from a railand smiles: "I'm like a Duracellbunny these days - mypacemaker's working really well."

It is exactly a year since heartsurgeons fitted Elton with apacemaker after he was taken illon a plane. "It's like a littlecomputer in there," he says."There's only one problem - Ican't walk through airport securitygates. I have to be friskedinstead." His eyes twinkle. "Areally good old frisk. When I wasill last year there was no build-up.It just suddenly happened. I feltdizzy.

"It was the day before DavidBeckham married Victoria. I wassupposed to play in Italy thatnight, but I got very giddy at thelunch table and had to cancel it.The doctor said I'd probably gotsunstroke or something.

"I came back to England andwas going off to David andVictoria's wedding in Irelandwhen I had a very bad attack onthe plane. I had three days of testsand eventually they found outwhat was wrong. I had theoperation a couple of days later.My grandmother had apacemaker for a long time andshe was fine with it, so I wasn't

scared. Now I feel very healthy. Ieven play tennis five times a weekfor at least an hour at a time."

Outside, around the stage, thecrowd is building. Elton isunfazed. "My mother is 75 andgoing strong," he says, as he looksthrough dozens of pairs of shoes."So maybe I'll reach 100 like theQueen Mum. The first time Iperformed for the Queen Mum Iwent to dinner at her Royal Lodgein Windsor Great Park, sat at thepiano and played," he saysmatter-of-factly.

"Afterwards I danced with herand she said, 'I suppose you meetsome unusual people in your lineof work'. I thought, 'My God!Here I am dancing with theQueen Mother. You couldcertainly say I meet people out ofthe ordinary!"

There is less than half an hourto go until he's on stage. "I'vebeen working non-stop all yearand I'm looking forward to havingsix weeks off," he says. "The onlyplace I can relax is the house inNice. It's a magical house, but Ican't lie on a beach. I get toorestless. I do enjoy some quietnights in watching TV with Davidthough."

"We'll have guests down whilewe're there," Elton continues. "I'llget to see them for a whole weekat a time for a change." So now

Tiara Ball

Elton, Karen Sinclair and David Furnish

Kenny Goss, Elton and GeriHalliwell

David Furnish and Bob Geldof

Elton and Dionne Warwick duet!

Jeanne Marine (Bob Geldof’s girlfriend)with Elton

Following ourmajor success

with the Hercules2000 Calendar,we're keeping thewishes of fans tobring them theHercules 2001Calendar. This time,packed with photosby the FANS. This isa rare collection ofthe finest photos bythe finestphotographers - hisfans.

We're keepingthe successful CD-case design, with specially-commissioned graphicartwork. A 13-card calendar,it covers each monthseparately. Important dates inElton's and Hercules' diaryare also noted overleaf eachcard. A grid format lets youstore important personaldates.

Here, we're giving youthe chance to pre-order yourcalendar in time for the NewYear. Hurry - it's a limitededition so order yours beforestocks run out of this rareitem! We cannot guaranteesupply on orders receivedafter 1 December 2000. Wewill despatch the Calendarsin December.

PRICES FOR HERCULES 2001

CALENDAR

Members:UK/Europe:


USA/rest of world: £11 (or US$18) for eachitem (includes postage).

Non-Members:UK/Europe:


USA/rest of world:£12 (or US$19) for each item

(includes postage).

HOW TOORDER

Send details of

your name, address

and membership

number to the postal

OR internet address

below, together with

details of how many

Calendars you

require.

By Post:

Sterling cheque

orders, sterling bankers

drafts (for non-UK fans),

UK Postal Orders, US$

check orders, made

payable to "Hercules UK"

and mail us at:

Stephan Heimbecher

Hercules Co-ordination

Orleansstr. 59

D-81667 Muenchen

GERMANY

By Internet

Visit our Website at

www.eltonfan.com and

follow the instructions.

This is a secure Website for

your security.


One of the mostinteresting developments

for Elton John fans in recenttimes has been the launch ofElton’s official website,eltonjohn.com.

As one would expect theEmporium offers most CDs andvideos you probably alreadyhave. Interestingly it offers mosttribute and compilation albumsElton has featured on, usefulinformation for the completist.With a mouse-mat, t-shirts,candles galore and a pair ofsunglasses for a mere $260 thereis plenty for every credit card.

A number of fans have hadthe previously undreamt ofopportunity of backstagehospitality, with a few beinglucky enough to meet with theman himself. These events havetaken place at Woburn Abbey,Broadlands and ChatsworthHouse in England plus Hamburg,Cologne and Munich inGermany. Whilst Elton was onlyable to greet fans at Woburn andCologne in Europe, for the othersthe opportunity to meet FrankPresland, Clive Franks and seebehind the scenes was apleasure. EJ was also able tomake it into two of theHospitality Rooms in the USA,shortly after the launch of theRocket.

Recently the downloadssection has been extended withmore and more photos, exclusivePC wallpapers and concertfootage.

Fans have also been able tosecure premium tickets throughthe Membership section of theWebsite, which means anexcellent seat for the normalprice, or promotional tickets,meaning seats as good as fourthrow for free. Some of these freepromotional tickets have notbeen so good though - it variesfrom venue to venue, and somemembers in the USA weredisappointed when theirpromotional seats were way backfrom the stage. We think they

are allocated depending on howwell the tickets have sold for thatvenue - if they’ve got good onesleft, Rocket members can havethem - but if they’ve all sold,then it’s tough.

Tickets for some future showsmay be made available to RocketMembers before any other outlet,something we must all welcome.

The happiest fans of all mustbe the couples from Philadelphiaand Florida who won trips toEngland to see Elton perform.Fans in Europe are still awaitingtheir first chance to becompetition winners, as allcompetitions so far have been forAmerican members.

On top of all this is the joy ofplaying a few chords of Benny

and the Jets with the skillfulmovement of your mouse!

All this may have been souredby the chaos surrounding thesale of tickets for the GreatestHits Live shows at MadisonSquare Gardens. Many fans inthe US and elsewhere spent aweekend trying to buy tickets invain. Too few tickets, only 200,and technical problems left manypeople angry and frustrated.

Rocket have apologised but atthe time of writing it remains tobe seen how they will makeamends, though tickets for awarm-up show at Wilkes-Barremay provide the answer.

We’ll keep you updated aboutfuture happenings oneltonjohn.com....

HERCULES LAUNCHES THE 2001 CALENDAR

Please note credit card payments will be debited in German currency, and the rate of exchange whichapplies at time of transaction will be effective. Hercules reserves the right to refuse orders.







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by David Wright

RECORD COMPANY RULINGA federal judge at US District

Court in San Francisco ruled infavour of major record companiesand issues a preliminary injunctionagainst Napster, which allegedlyoffers free downloads ofcopyrighted material. Protestwebsite Camp Chaos attacks therecord labels with a cartoon titled"Napster Bad, Money Good,'' inwhich animated recording artists -one of them resembling Elton -sing the lyrics "Sue All the World''to the music from "We Are theWorld".

WRONG SPELLING!Hercules has learned of a new

release compilation available inPoland. "Elton John - GreatestHits" on Selles Records, is a CDwith selections from GYBR,Honky Chateau, and Don't ShootMe. Duration 61 mins. Cat. SELL1219. The item reputedly has acouple of mistakes on the sleeve.One song is called EdelberryWine and another SaturdayNight's Alright For Evening!

ELTON INSPIRES TENNIS PAIRWimbledon Tennis officials

intervene twice to stop AlexandraStevenson and her motherexpanding on claims of racism inthe sport. The mother anddaughter team say they wereinspired to go public after theway Elton counter-attacked aScottish priest over the moralityof homosexuality.

WHITE TIE & TIARA PHOTOSOK! Magazine published a

myriad of great photos of Eltonand high society playing it up atElton's White Tie & Tiara Ball onJuly 6, held at his Windsormansion. The editions arenumbers 223, of July 28, and 224of Aug. 4.

NEW RECORDINGSThe cast recording album of

"Aida" was released on June 15by Buena Vista Records.

"Aida" actress Sherie ReneScott's debut album "Sherie Rene... Men I've Had" is out nowfeaturing songs by Elton, RandyNewman and Pete Townshend.Sherie, one of the performersduring the "Broadway Cares"concert April 3, selected: MonaLisas And Mad Hatters, ComeDown In Time, Midnight Creeper,and Honky Cat.

Bernie Taupin has written thetitle track for the new album ofthe Young Dubliners, titled "Red"(Higher Octave Music).Meanwhile, Elton fans awaitBernie teaming up with Eltonagain for a new studio albumplanned to be recorded inSeptember in Atlanta.

According to EntertainmentWeekly, Shawn Mullins is in LArecording "Beneath the velvetSun", a new album set forOctober release. The "Lillaby"singer duets with Elton on a newversion of "Border Song".

The "Road to El Dorado" filmfeaturing Elton songs written withSir Tim Rice was released inBritish cinemas on August 4,several months after the USrelease. The soundtrack albumwas released in the UK on July 11.

“THANK YOU FOR ELTON JOHN”Jazz giant Jimmy Scott

entertained at London's the JazzCafé, with rendition of "SorrySeems to be the Hardest Word",on July 19. "Thank you, England,for Elton John," said the Scott, inhis reinterpretation, which theUK press described as a "heart-stopping soliloquy."

SHORT TROUSERS!Elton wore shorts during his

encore at Margam Park, SouthWales, July 19 - but kept theshow uncut!

CONTROVERSYElton publicly accused

Cardinal Thomas Winning, thehighest Catholic priest in Scotlandand Archbishop of Glasgow, ofignorance over homosexuality onJune 15. Elton was responding toan article by the Cardinal in TheSpectator in which he said "gaysex is wrong, because suchbehaviour is not good for thehuman person". Elton in a letterin the next issue of the magazinewrote: "Cardinal Winning, and hisignorance, is totally representativeof why people are turning awayfrom the Church. I am astonishedto be told by Cardinal Winningthat my sexuality is not good forme. He argues that homosexuality'ensnares them in a lifestyle thatcan never respond to deepestlongings of the human heart'.From what practical perspectivedoes he form this point of view?"

Elton said: "As a gay man I amperfectly happy with my sexualityand my life. Like the Cardinal I,too, have hope for our country.Over the years, Britain has proveditself to be a more tolerant andopen-minded place to live. Goneis the outdated and ill-informednotion that homosexuality is aquestion of choice. The reality isthat homosexuals have no choice- and no amount of hectoring orhypnosis can make us change."A spokesman for the Cardinalreplied Elton's comments were"eminently predictable".

ELTON’S PHOTO IS THE BIGGEST!Elton accompanied Lulu to

the celebrity unveiling of a giantphoto of himself, in London'sOxford Street on June 12. Thepanoramic frieze by Sam Taylor-Wood spans the entire facade ofSelfridges store and depicts 21famous celebrities.



Numerous fans had turnedup for the Hercules

convention in Kassel on 23 June2000 - to get to know eachother and talk about Eltonnonstop. Just before the concertof the Rocket Man on that sameday, we heard the great newsthat the concert promoter hadmade it possible for Herculesmembers to stand in front of thestage and the historic flower bedwhich set the stage apart fromthe audience's area. When thefan club entourage finally set offfor the strenuous 20 minuteuphill walk to the huge Herkulesmonument we got some quitefunny looks from passers-by:Our huge stuffed Afghan toydog, the banners, fan clubjackets, Elton T-shirts, and lastbut not least the German Eltonlook-a-like Andreas Herr clearlyprovoked interested and slightlyamused stares. At about 7pm,we received the longingly-awaited passes, which wouldmake it possible for us to bevery close to Elton that evening.We strolled to the stage whilethe envious masses watched us -among them the Hessiangovernor.

To the sounds of the"Orchestral Finale" the Masterwalked on stage, and we fans inthe front row could even catch aglimpse of his limo's brake lights.Elton seemed to be in a goodmood and played - perfectly asusual - the songs well-known tous, but partly as new versions.After a great rendition of "HonkyCat", Elton accepted the first fewgifts. Now we thought the righttime had come for us to lift ourhuge stuffed animal - an Afghandog we had christened "JohannSebastian Bach" years before (hewas bought in the composer'shometown) - onto the stage byhis hind legs. Elton took it. Hewas clearly moved and his eyeslit up. He thanked us with ahandshake. While we - close to

tears from happiness, slightlydizzy - stepped back, Elton tookour dog (which according toother Hercules members bore astriking resemblance to DaveyJohnstone due to his long hair!).He carried it to the piano andtold the guy who wanted to takeJohann Sebastian Bachbackstage, that he wanted tokeep him for the show and to ourgreat surprise put it down rightnext to himself in the spotlight.During the next song "RocketMan", Johann Sebastian Bachwas to be spotted hugelyenlarged on the video screen. Hewas allowed to remain there inthe first class position next to thepiano stool until the encores.

Elton amazed the audiencefor more than two hours andfinally during "Crocodile Rock",the Kassel Wilhelmshöhe became

a frenzied mass which evenpseudo-VIPs could not standapart from. During the final songof this totally successful show -"Candle In The Wind", theHerkules monument lit inturquoise once again shone inthe light of a sea of lighters.After the show, we werecontemplating what mighthappen to our stuffed toy dog.Meanwhile, the fan club met atthe Hotel again to conclude theevening in a relaxed atmosphere.

At this point, we should notethat the friendly security peoplewere of great help to us.Unfortunately, this is not alwaysthe case: On 4 July 2000 inMannheim, the security staffmade it impossible for us to getto the stage until just before thevery end. They acted like somekind of Military Troop. The show

A DOG NAMED JohannSebastianBachReport about the Eltonconcert in Kassel, Germany,by Lena Kristin Spies andJaqueline Theofel

Elton on stage at Kassel. The dog can clearly be seen to the right of Elton’s piano stool


HERCULES ON THE RADIOOur UK manager, George

Matlock, was on BBC RadioNorthamptonshire, July 21, aswell as on BBC Radio Essex withHercules Francais' Fran, July 15,ahead of the Hylands Houseshow. Tour promoter MarshallArts were generous to provide 2front-row tickets to see Elton atCastle Ashby to radio listeners ina Hercules competition. RadioEssex also attended a UKConvention, and broadcastHercules members singing live "IGuess That's Why They Call it theBlues".

SATURDAY NIGHT'S NOT ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTIN'

A Canadian Elton fan wasawarded $500,000 (£330,850)after being assaulted as shedefended Elton’s honour during aconcert, reported the NationalPost newspaper, July 5. ShelleyArthur was at a concert inVancouver when she told JerryWechlin to stop shouting abusivecomments at Elton. After ascuffle, Shelley suffered injuries toher shoulder that have preventedher from working since theincident at the Sept 1995 concert.

PARTY IN THE PARKThe Backstreet Boys joined

Elton on stage at July 9, "Party inthe Park" at London's Hyde Parkin front of over 100, 000 musicfans, and 43 different acts, tobenefit the Prince's Trust Appeal.As he got down to play, therewas no sound! Elton gave up andwalked off stage. Rainwater wasto blame. After the techniciansworked their magic, Eltonreturned and performed with theBoys "Philadelphia Freedom","Friends Never Say Goodbye",and two Boys' tracks: new song"I'll be the One" and hit "I WantIt That Way".

PUPPET ON A STRING?Watford FC manager Graham

Taylor proved more valuable thanhis boss, club chairman Elton, inan auction of Spitting Imagepuppets. Taylor was ridiculed atthe hands of the televisionsatirical puppeteers in the 1990swhile England manager. Hispuppet fetched £1,472 - morethan twice the expected price of£600. “Elton” also sold for morethan his predicted £700, at a finalprice of £1,141.

ELTON & BAND "THE GREATEST HITS - LIVE"

Elton will perform two historicconcerts with the band at NewYork's Madison Square Garden onOctober 20/21, 2000. The showswill be entitled "The Greatest Hits- Live", and they will be recordedfor both a television broadcastand a live album which isexpected to be releasedNovember 13, 2000. Apart fromElton and the band (includingDavey Johnstone, Guy Babylon,Bob Birch, Nigel Olsson, JohnJorgenson, Curt Bisquera and JohnMahon) fans should expect a fewspecial guests on stage as well.Note that these shows will markElton's 50th and 51st performanceat world-famous Madison SquareGarden. Tickets went on sale onAugust 21.

THE RICH MAN SLEEPS.TIME WE PUT A FLAME TORCH...

Owner of Raby Castle inCounty Durham, Lord Barnard,revealed he had only heard a fewsongs by Elton ahead of theconcert staged on July 29. Hesaid: "I've heard very little of hismusic but despite that I'm lookingforward to this concert. Judgingfrom the little I have listened to Ifeel sure I will enjoy the RabyCastle event very much."

FILMS INSTEAD?!Elton told OK! Magazine why

he decided to move into film-making - because making recordsand touring the world isbecoming boring. In an interviewfor the celebrity magazine inJune, Elton said producing hisfirst picture, Women TalkingDirty, for Rocket Pictures was likehaving a three-year pregnancy (!)

Elton said he felt compelled toset up his film company: "Youknow I'm 53, making records,doing videos and going on tour,which is very nice, but it getsboring," he said. "I've alwaysloved film, and making them isextremely difficult. It's like havinga three-year pregnancy. I love thechallenge, I love creativity and Ilove the arts." Elton also said aftergiving up alcohol a decade ago,he had to drop his "hot-headed"persona and become a differentperson. He described his sevenyears with partner David as thefirst balanced relationship he hasbeen in, and he said: "I haveeverything I could possibly wantin life."

OLD FRIENDSJust six months after reuniting

with drummer Nigel Olsson,Elton met and embraced formerdrummer, Roger Pope, at his June7, concert at Broadlands,Hampshire, England.

HERCULES WEBCAMHercules Webcam came to

our website on July 7, featuring"hardcore" Elton fans enjoyingthemselves at StephanHeimbecher's Munich apartment.

10 ways to tell...

10If you could buy a car with all the money you’ve spent on Lalique Angels and Slatkin candles.

9 If you have ever traveled to 3 different countries in thesame week to attend Eltonshows-and did not receive apaycheck for doing so.

8 If you think you have come upwith a logical explanation to"Solar Prestige A Gammon".

7 If Dennis and Bruce know youby name - and are afraid of you.

6 If you listen to Victim of Loveon a regular basis.

5 If the number of emails youhave received from JohnJorgenson now are in tripledigits.

4 If you can name all of Davey’schildren in chronological order.

3 If you have ever had an Elton(or EJ Band member) autographtatooed on your body.

2 If Clive Franks dives under hissoundboard as soon as he spotsyou in the audience of a show.

1 If you know about appearancesElton will make with the band -before the band does.

by Brooke Murphy, Vice President/Co-Founder of theOfficial Nigel Olsson Fan Club

If you would like to submit yourown Elton-related Top Ten List, oradd to the above, then we’d loveto hear from you. Please send allcontributions to Tammi Law,Chief Editor (see page 2 fordetails).

A small prize will be sent to eachperson whose list is published.

in front of greatly picturesquecastle Ehrenhof had theatmosphere of a funeral. It musthave been very depressing forElton. No wonder he did notwrite a single autograph.Although we - along withanother fan - managed to outrunthe security people in order togive Elton roses and to shake the"Rocket Man's" hand once more,the concert was disappointing tous from the very beginningbecause we were treated likeoffenders being escorted back bya security guy (who lateradmitted to us that he was nothappy with the way thingshappened, too. He was merelyfollowing his orders.). Mannheimwas the perfect example of howtight security can ruin a concert.

Thank you, Elton, for all thosegreat concerts which we sawand will surely see in the future.We take this for granted. Youknow how happy you make yourfans with such shows and smallgestures - especially since wefound out that our dog travelledalong in the tour bus after theshow in Kassel.

It would be nice to be able tosee more shows with such littledistance to the stage. Elton surelyhas no fun sitting lonely at hispiano, hardly being able to spothis fans.

Top 10 ways to tell if you're too much of an Elton fan...

A dog named Johann Sebastian Bachcontinued

L E T T E R S

Iloved June issue of TheMag. I have one question

however: on page 9 there is aquiz, “Are You Sure?!” Q7:How many fish references arethere in the song "Solar PrestigeA Gammon"? Adam Buckleyanswers five. But he didn'tinclude Herring ("hair ring") inhis answer. Why not? Is this justa sad lack of English fish namesin my poor vocabulary? "SolarPrestige" is on the set list of mydreams!

Wouldn't you just haveLOVED IT if Elton did "SolarPrestige" instead of "Your Song"in a concert? Front row wouldhave fainted!!

Signe Norbotten NORWAY

Many thanks for the "do"at the White Horse pub

(Hylands House concert, 15July). I think it's great to meetup with the other membersbefore these shows, especiallyfor those travelling quite adistance. With Elton in greatform in the evening it was anexcellent day all round.

Now I'm home I can give youall the info on a DANCE recordincorporating Song for Guywhich other fans may want toknow about. Details: Title:SUNSTORM featuring Song forGuy. Re-recorded and remixedby HURLEY & TODD. Writtenby Elton John. Track 1 :Radioedit (3:52), Track 2: Mike KoglinRemix (8:12), Track 3:ClubCaviar Remix(5:28). An EnglishCD, on Multiply Records. Refno CDMULTY58. Taken fromthe forthcoming album "Best ofMultiply Records".

Released just recently, I’veonly heard it on Capital Radio95.8 after 10.00pm in theirDance/club slot. I bought it inHMV in Kingston, London.

Mark Giles, UK

Send your letters to Tammi Law,

Elto

n an

d R

oger

Pop

e

First of all I want to say that I love your mag!I got my second issue today and I think it's

the best fan club magazine I've ever seen - and iscertainly the best one for our Sir Elton that I'veever read! I've been an Elton fanfor 12 years and it never seemslike there's enough to read forElton fans.

I was very fortunate to obtainElton's autograph through a verydear young friend of mine in1992, named Matt Allen. Eltonread about him having AIDS andasked him to his show here inDallas, and gave him a backstagepass. Well, Elton signed somethings for Matt, and Matt askedElton to sign something for me,and he signed a brown paper bag.Matt said "Honest Elton, sheworships the ground you walkon!" Elton then said "Well then,

this will never do" and he wentinto his dressing room, broughtout a photo of himself, signed itand gave it to Matt to give to me,along with the paper bag! I'vesince had both the picture andthe bag framed.

Matt, who was 8, has sincedied from AIDS, but I'll neverforget the way he and Elton mademy life so very happy and I'llalways love both of them for that.Elton is every bit the wonderfuland kind man we all thought hewas.

Melissa Hodges, Texas, USA

It left Elton visibly emotionaland often sombre - but upbeat,too. He said: "I'm so glad I came.It's very peaceful and lovely,restful and so optimistic." Elton, aclose friend of the princess, spentnearly three hours at her finalresting place, during the weekendof his nearby Castle Ashby showsin Northamptonshire.

It marked a final softening ofhis once bitter view of her islandgrave on the Althorp estate. Twoyears ago he said: "I just feel sadthat she's on that island - it's as ifshe's all alone again." Elton andhis partner David were given atour of the estate by Diana'sbrother Earl Spencer. In virtualsilence, they strolled togetheralong a gravel path surroundingDiana's grave before visiting anexhibition dedicated to her.

As stunned visitors to theestate looked on, Elton paused ata temple in her memory andstood for several minutes readingmessages and floral tributes leftfor her. Then he briefly separatedfrom his partner and the earl infront of the monument andbowed his head as if in prayer.

His friendship with Dianadated from 1981, when they metat Prince Andrew's 21st birthdayparty. At her funeral Eltonfamously sang his reworkedversion of Candle In The Wind. Itraised millions for good causeswhen he gave the profits fromrecord sales to the Diana, Princessof Wales, Memorial Fund.

And Elton allowed himself asmile when he caught sight of thescore, signed by himself andbought at auction last year for£25,300, in a converted Althorpstable block now housing Dianaexhibits and film memories.

There were smiles too, whenElton and David viewed a gallery

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000. 25Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club4


of Diana's dresses. David lookedat the gowns in amazement andsaid: "She certainly knew how towear a frock." But inside theexhibition Elton avoided theattention of visitors, smiling andquietly moving away. Andoutside, where nearly 100onlookers burst into spontaneousapplause, he politely declined tosign autographs or chat, saying:"I'm sorry, this is a private visit."

Two years ago any Elton visitwould have seemed improbable.Attacking the decision to buryDiana at Althorp, he said: "It'snone of my business, but if I wasgoing to bury her anywhere Iwould have liked it to have beenin Westminster Abbey. Peoplecould say prayers or whatever theywanted. It would be very easy forthe boys to go and see her. I thinkit is very hard on them to go andvisit their mother."

But a new era began in Julywhen Elton and David arrived atAlthorp in their chauffeur-drivencar. They had lunch with the 36-year-old earl and his girlfriendCaroline Freud, before thepoignant pilgrimage. It left Eltonsinging the praises of Diana's lastresting place at her ancestralhome. He said: "It's wonderfulwhat has been done here."

PAVAROTTI AND GEORGEGeorge Michael performed

"Don't Let the Sun..." duet withtenor Luciano Pavarotti at theannual charity concert on June 6in Modena, Italy.

CHARTED SUCCESSElton is among those 17 artists

with a minimum 1 chart entry peryear in the German album chartsbetween 1990 and 1999. Othersinclude Chris Rea, Madonna, JoeCocker, Mike Oldfield, Queen,and Mariah Carey. Elton is alsoamong those 7 artists with aminimum 1 chart entry per year inthe German singles chartsbetween 1990 and 1999.

Iam not a member ofHercules, but I do visit your

Website on a very regular basis.I would just like to say that I alsovisit eltonjohn.com, and thatyour unofficial site is, in myopinion, far superior to theofficial site. In terms of content,options and presentation,Hercules totally eclipseseltonjohn.com in every way. Iespecially enjoy your 'news'section which keeps me up todate with Elton happenings.Please keep up the good work.

Simon Owens, USA

Just a short note to thankHercules for an excellent

day at Chatsworth on 3rd June.The pre-concert entertainmentwas superb, and to meet all theother fans was really good. Thetickets for the concert, boughtthrough Hercules, were on the3rd row, bang in the middle ofthe stage, right in line with thegreat man himself. They werethe best tickets anyone could

have wished for - thank you forthose, it’s the nearest I’ve beento the stage at an EJ concert.

And what a concert! ‘EmptyGarden’ and ‘The GreatestDiscovery’ nearly brought tears tomy eyes. A superb performancefrom a man who just gets betterevery time you see him. Thankyou for a great day.

Mike Bibby, Stockport, UK.

On Friday, 7th July, weheaded off to Künzelsau

at noon. Without tickets - theyhad been ordered and purchasedthrough eltonjohn.com - said tobe front row - but had nothing inhand. Could this turn out well?

After a three hour drive wereached a village in thecountryside, found the freeparking lot and walked to theevent. On our way there, wepassed the local soccer grounds- there was Elton's helicopter! Atthe venue, we looked for thebox-office where we weresupposed to collect our tickets.No box-office, just half a tent

where a few desperate girls fromthe local promoter were waitingfor the guys with the tickets!After a wait of about one hour, acar finally arrived - inside: a boxwith the awaited tickets!Envelope ripped open: Yippee!Front row!!! Into the venue - andthe seats were just in front of thepiano.

Meanwhile, it started raining -but we could not have caredless. The show started - Eltonwas in a good mood, and Idecided that I would give my giftto Elton today! If I dared to...And I did it. Bravely, I walked upto the stage halfway through theconcert - Elton approached me,smiled at me, shook my handand said "Thank you very much"with his cutest smile. Of course,I was unable to articulate anysensible word, but happilyfloated back to my seat... If Ifeel like 15 years old during hisconcerts (I will soon be 40) thenI felt like I was 10 at thatmoment with Elton!

Patricia Schmidt, GERMANY

T O T H E E D I T O R A SMALL PRIZE WILL BE SENT TO THEWRITER OF EACH LETTERPUBLISHED.

Three years after his tribute to Princess Diana moved a nationto tears, Elton was close to them himself as he made his first

visit to Diana's grave, on July 23rd.

ELTON VISITS PRINCESS DIANA'S GRAVE FOR FIRST TIME

Editor (address on page 2) or e.mail her at [email protected].

Elton and Matt Allen

Elton and David, accompanied byDiana’s brother, Earl Spencer


Welcome to theSeptember issue of The

Mag. At the time of writing,Elton is taking a well-deservedsix week holiday at his villa inthe South of France. During thelast show before his holiday, atEdinburgh Castle in Scotland,Elton told the crowd "This is my140th Solo show." Which iswhy we think he deserves hisholiday!

In this issue, we are delightedto bring you the first part of anexclusive interview with Elton'slong-time sound engineer, CliveFranks. Clive spoke to Herculesduring Elton's UK Solo tour inJuly; and be sure to check outthe next instalment of thisinterview in our Decemberissue.

Many of us have been luckyenough to see Elton live thisyear - he has taken his Solo Touracross the USA, and thenextensively into Europe. Someof us are beginning to forgetwhat it's like to see Eltonperform with the band!However, there are two veryspecial shows with the bandscheduled to take place in NewYork, in October. These will berecorded for both a televisionbroadcast, and also a live CD, tobe released later this year. Seeour News section for moredetails.

Also, more Solo dates havebeen added for later this year.See our Tour Dates listing onpage 27 for full details.

For those of you who missedElton's shows, there are severalreports in this issue - anoverview of the UK tour, apersonal report by two fans whohanded Elton a special gift onstage in Germany, and somemore comments on our Lettersto Editor page. And if you DID

manage to see any of Elton'sshows, I'm sure these reportswill bring back happy memoriesof great concerts.

We are all looking forward toElton's new studio album, thefirst for a few years. It is beingrecorded in Atlanta this month(September), but as yet, there isno word on a release date.We'll keep you informed, and assoon as we know we'll put anannouncement on our website,www.eltonfan.com. In fact, thenews section of our website getsupdated daily, so it is a goodplace to keep up-to-date withcurrent Elton-related events.

Some of us may be worriedthat Elton may be working toohard, but as he told the pressduring the UK leg of the SoloTour, he has never felt better.Read one of the interviews withElton on pages 8 and 9 of thisissue.

I hope you enjoy reading thisissue of The Mag, as it is my lastissue as Editor for a while. I'vedecided to take a break from thedemanding role as Chief Editor,to spend some time doing otherthings. I will continue tocontribute articles to The Magthough - I'm not disappearingaltogether! I've asked Herculesmember and Watford Watchreporter, David Wright, to takeover the role as Chief Editorfrom the December issue, soyou'll see a new face on thispage. For now, please continueto send your contributions to me(address at top of page 2) asnormal, but this will changefrom December onwards.

Thank you for all your lettersand contributions over the pastthree years.

Happy reading!

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000. 3

FROM THE EDITOR...SMALL ADSELTON MEMORABILIA:

For Sale: Various EltonMemorabilia. Vinyl, CDs,Videos, Books, Magazines, plushuge archive collection. DannyHayes, 62 Swinley House,Redhill Street, Regents Park,London NW1 4BB, UK. Tel:0207 387 0082 or e-mail:[email protected] for list.

GERMAN CONCERT PHOTOS Selling/trading photos of the

concerts in Germany thissummer (revenue will bedonated to the EJAF). If you areinterested, write to ClaudiaHochmuth, Otto-Braun- Str. 85,D-10405 Berlin, Germany; e-mail: [email protected]

CDS LIVE For Sale: Double Cd : Live in

Brescia 2000. From Elton’s solotour, amazing sound quality. (20GBP) and All Alone in Baltimora(25 GBP). I've many other Eltonitems for sale. To receive mycomplete list write to :[email protected] or toAlessandro Perfumo, strMaggiora 65, 15011 AcquiTerme, Italy.

TICKING, TICKING, Hercules brings you an offer

for the Millennium. Count downto the next Elton concert withsuperb original Elton singles andalbums made into quartz clocksfrom The Original Vinyl Clock Co.7-inch singles £10.99, and albums£14.99, inclusive of UK postage.Overseas orders please add £3.Special Hercules offer waives thenormal £3 search fee for Eltonrecords. Don't ask for anythingobscure - or search fee may apply!Other artists available. For moreinfo, email: [email protected],website: www.vinylclock.co.uk.Or write to: Original Vinyl ClockCo, Land of Green Ginger, HullHU1 2EA, England. Tel: +44 1482229966. Please do not send yourorders to Hercules.

ELTON VINYL SINGLES & ALBUMS? Yes, there are still some

around! Ask for free sales listfrom [email protected] or:Bruno Kohli, Roessliwiese, CH-8854 Siebnen, Switzerland

PEN-PALS WANTED: I’m looking for pen-pals from

anywhere in the world,including the USA. Please writeto me at: Melissa Hodges, 10815Myrtice Drive, Dallas, Texas75228-2623, USA

'WRAP IT UP' PERMANENT HERCULES DISCOUNT

Our retail outlet 'Wrap it Up'now gives a 10% discount on allpurchases by 'Hercules'members, just quote yourmembership number. To obtaintheir lists that contain 1000's ofElton items for sale, just write to:-'Wrap it Up', PO Box 220,Lincoln, LN1 2RU, England, or e-mail '[email protected]'.Alternately visit their web site:-http://members.aol.com/eltonwrap

MORE PEN-PALS WANTED: I have been an Elton fan since

1990 when Sacrifice got mehooked. I would like an EJ pen-pal. mle or female. Write to meat: Liam Harrison, 10 HoldforthClose, Leeds, West Yorkshire,LS12 1YD, England

COMPLETE EJ COLLECTION For Sale - Picture discs, flexi

singles, maxi singles, scarfs,badges, rarities and all officialvinyl albums with originalcovers. More than 100 items,DM 1.500 plus postage. Formore information, contact PeterKraus, Am Roland 2c, D-40883Ratingen, Germany.

These are free to Hercules members. Send yours to Tammi Law, Editor, 49 Horseshoe Crescent, Swindon SN5 5AX, UK., or e-mail her at [email protected]

ALWAYS let us know the expiry date ofthe card, and the cardholders name.

ALWAYS state your membership numberif you send a cheque to Hercules, or pay

into one of the Club accounts.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

Please note that if you have paid yourMembership Fee by Credit Card, your cardwill automatically be charged again for therenewal fee, at the end of your membership

year. If your card has expired in themeantime, or if you have switched

companies, please forward your new CreditCard details to Hercules Coordination in

time for your next renewal.

Phot

o: Ji

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For up-to-the-minute news about Elton, callers in the UK can phone the

HERCULES Hotline on 0906 888 20 20 Calls cost 60p per minute anytime

T SHIRT AUCTIONRESULTS

Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 52. September 2000 27Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club2

Annual membership fee for the UK is £14 if paid byStanding Order/VISA/Mastercard. By Cheque/PostalOrder it is £15. For the rest of Europe it is £14, andfor the USA it is 17£/US$30. Please note that yourrenewal date is printed on your address label inEuropean format day/month/year.

Membership passes are available from your localHERCULES department: send a small photo ofyourself when requesting your pass.

Please don't send enquiries or fan mail to the EltonJohn management, but to HERCULES Coordination.Letters will be passed on if necessary.

HERCULES is a quarterly publication released inMarch, June, September and December. In event ofcircumstances beyond our control, there is noguarantee for punctual shipment. It is published inEnglish and German.

Printed articles do not necessarily reflect the editors'opinions. All information is based on the best ofknowledge and belief. Reproductions permitted onlyby prior arrangement with HERCULES.

Member participation is always welcome. We arethankful for your submissions of any kind: reports,articles, photos, drawings, and suggestions. Pleasesend them to the Editor, Tammi Law. Pleaseunderstand that we cannot always publish allcontributions. All photos will be returned.

UK Hotline 0906 888 20 20 (60p per minute)USA/Canada Hotline 815/293 3843Web site http://www.eltonfan.com

COPYRIGHT: HERCULES

Deadline for Issue No. 53 is 1 November 2000

No. 53 will be released December 2000

Front Cover: Elton on stage earlier this year, with the large video screen wall behind him.

FAN CLUB INFORMATION

Fanzine of the Elton John Fan Club

Issue No. 52SEPTEMBER 2000

Hercules is a registered memberof the National Association ofFan Clubs

THE MAG

CONTENTSFEATURESA Dog Named Johann

Sebastian BachKassel (Germany)concert review ............23

Clive Franks interviewExclusive interview with Elton’s soundengineer ......................14

Club at the End of the StreetLook-a-like Ray Johnson recalls a recent experience.......18

EltonJohn.comWebsite overview ........7

In His Own Words...Elton speaks to press at Hylands House ........8

Sir EltonPhilip Norman’s book reviewed ............13

Ten ways to tell......if you’re too much of an Elton Fan............24

UK Tour Review ..........10White Tie and Tiara Ball

Elton and David Furnish host a lavish ball in aid of EJAF ......20

REGULARSBetween 17 and 20

Elton trivia & gossip ..18Club Information ............2Kaleidoscope Eyes

Part 6 - Elton’s TV and Video appearances (The 80s) ......................17

Letters to the Editor......24Lyric Quiz ......................13News Bullets ....................4Small ads ........................26Tour Dates ......................27

HERCULES Chief Editor Tammi Law49 Horseshoe Crescent,PeatmoorSwindon SN5 5AX, U.K.Tel. +44 (0)1793 881 [email protected]

Editorial Assistants:George Matlock, Barbara TurnerDesign: Turnstyle Design

Translations:Sabine AsenkirschbaumerMireille Mölbert

For subscription details, pleasewrite to your local HERCULESdepartment or to HERCULESCoordinaton:

HERCULES Coordinationc/o Stephan HeimbecherOrleansstr. 59D-81667 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 48900369Fax +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES Fan Adviserc/o Mireille MölbertZaunweg 11D-80805 München, GERMANYTel. +49 (0)89 [email protected]

HERCULES USA/Canadac/o Sharon KalinoskiP.O. Box 398La Grange, IL 60525, [email protected]

HERCULES U.K.c/o George MatlockP.O. Box 315RichmondSurrey TW9 3QX, [email protected]

HERCULES Beneluxc/o Arjen BuikstraSav. Lohmannstr. 1NL-3214 XA ZuidlandTel. +31 (0)1881 [email protected]: Tim Blezer

HERCULES Italyc/o Luca ZerbiniVia Scheiwiller n.9/AI-20139 Milano, [email protected]

HERCULES FrancaisFrancoise Linden-GillesBP-22, B-4900 [email protected]

HERCULES NordicUrpu Kallioc/o Maria SjöholmBjörkkullavägen 3 A 307880 LILJENDALFINLAND

TOUR DATESEUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 200008-Sept..........Reggio Calabria

Italy

10-Sept ..........Athens, Greece Herodes Atticus Odeon

13-Sept ........Lisbon, Portugal Casino

15-Sept ..........Marbella, Spain

ELTON & BAND "GREATEST HITS LIVE"18-Oct ........Wilkes Barre, PA



EUROPEAN SOLO TOUR 2000

(CONTINUED)

11-Nov ..............Paris, France Olympia



16-Nov ......Antwerp, Belgium Sport Palais

18-Nov ................Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ahoy Arena

19-Nov ..Hannover, Germany Preussag Arena (Expo)

21-Nov....Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle

22-Nov..Dortmund, Germany Westfalenhalle

24-Nov....Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion

25-Nov ..........Vienna, Austria Stadthalle

28-Nov ................Milan, Italy Forum

US SOLO TOUR 2000

(CONTINUED)

05-Dec ........Johnson City, TN Freedom Hall

EUROPEAN TOUR 200103-April ............Paris, France

Bercy Arena

2000Please note: This is not an official Tour Schedule, as it containsunconfirmed dates at time of going to press.

In the June issue of The Mag,we gave all readers the

chance to send in a postal bidfor two very rare Elton Tour T-shirts. All proceeds from thisAuction benefited the EltonJohn Aids Foundation. Bids

were invited in Germancurrency, and the closing date

was July 31st.

Congratulations to the two successful

bidders:

1. Sharon Kalinoski, USA2. Jochen Loh, Germany

A T-Shirt has been postedto each of you.

All proceeds have beenforwarded to the EltonJohn Aids Foundation.

1. Shoulder Holster2. The Scaffold3. Valhalla4. The Fox5. Shoot Down The Moon6. The Retreat7. Made For Me8. Tortured9. Love So Cold10. The Camera Never Lies11. Made In England12. Passengers

LYRIC QUIZ ANSWERS

Elton’s sound engineer Clive Franks proudly points to hiscopy of Hercules The Mag, minutes before Elton takes the

stage at Hylands House, UK

inside this issue:

Elton hosts WhiteTie and Tiara Ball

EXCLUSIVE! Interview with EJsound engineerClive Franks

Elton speaks topress at HylandsHouse

UK Tour review

Elton visits Diana’s Grave

PLUS:

News, Trivia,Quizzes, YourLetters & more!

September 2000 Issue No: 52

THE MAG

since 1988

Hercules Fanzine no. 52 - heimbecher . net

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