Pop goes friendship of rock’n’roll superstars
Elton John and Rod Stewart rt have long enjoyed their rivalry, but the fun has gone one from the feuding
FOR more ore than 50 years, Sir Elton John and Sir r Rod Stewart have indulged in playful l teasing as each has tried to write his name in lights as the more successful ssful pop superstar.
The e pair even refer to one another by affectionate ectionate drag nicknames: the pianist and nd songwriter is called “Sharon”, while the rasping rock singer with Scottish ish roots is known as “Phyllis”.
However, owever, their testy friendship appears s to have soured beyond repair after Stewart wart criticised John’s farewell retirement ment world tour as “money grabbing” g” and poked fun at Rocketman, the biopic pic about John’s life.
Stewart, tewart, 74, has now announced the pair r are “not talking” and described Rocketman cketman as “not very flattering” and d failing to match Bohemian Rhapsody, apsody, the recent Queen biopic.
In an interview with Scottish radio, o, he added: “I do love Elton, only nly we’re not talking at the moment. ent. We’ve had a spat.” Asked the he cause of the dispute, he replied: lied: “Because I criticised his tour our as being money grabbing.”
The falling out could bring an end nd to five decades of professional ional rivalry that has become the he stuff of rock ’n’ roll legend.
The pair became friends in the he Seventies, and their penchant hant for one-upmanship became ame evident in Las Vegas when John ohn spotted Stewart’s banner for his is Blondes Have More Fun tour outside utside Caesars Palace.
Not to be outdone, John put up a rival ival hoarding on the opposite building uilding which read: “But Brunettes Make More Money.” Stewart, famous for his bouffant hairstyle, exploited the theme by sending John a salon hair dryer to underline his hair loss.
In 1983, they were interviewed together and both insisted they were “actually very good friends”.
However, the theory that they were intensely competitive was confirmed when John revealed: “We’re all right until we both get in the Top 10.”
In 1985, Stewart hired gigantic football-shaped balloons to hoist above Earl’s Court in London to promote his shows there. John promptly hired a sniper with an air rifle who shot them down.
In 1998, Stewart was jealous when John became Sir Elton. He said: “Sharon’s been knighted. I don’t know why I haven’t … I do my bit for charity.”
In 2016, Stewart upped the ante by saying: “Our albums album came out at more or less the same time tim and we have been comparing how the th sales are … I’m winning.” He said they t text “back and forth – how many albums a I’ve sold and how many albums he h has sold”. However, it is believed b that John took exception to t Stewart’s catty comments last year y about the pianist’s farewell tour. t Appearing on an American te television chat show, Stewart was asked for his thoughts about abo his rival’s retirement, to be marked with 300 concerts as part of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. He replied: replie “I did email her [John, now 72] and said, ‘What, again dear?’ dear? And, I didn’t hear anything back.” ba
He criticised critic the tour because it “stinks “sti of selling tickets” and is “not “n rock ’n’ roll.” He added: “I’ve never spoken about retirement, retirem and if I do retire, I won’t make m an announcement. I’ll just fade away.” Stewart later la apologised. But his words m may have been too barbed for John J to forgive and forget this time. tim
‘I do love Elton, only we’re not talking at the moment. We’ve had a spat … because I criticised his tour’