Elton John, who has been sober since 1990, believes marijuana never should’ve been legalized. “I maintain that it’s addictive,” he said in a new interview with Time, which named him Icon of the Year. “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned — and I’ve been stoned — you don’t think normally. Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”
In the feature, John didn’t address the infection in his right eye that’s rendered him nearly blind, but his husband, David Furnish, told Time he was hopeful. “I just think it’s just gonna take time, right?” Furnish said.
Elsewhere in the interview, John blames the rapid closure of his Broadway musical, Tammy Faye, in part on critics’ post-election mood. “It’s a shame for everyone who put so much work in it,” he said. “But that’s what happens when you take a chance … It’s a fairly political piece of work. And with that, you have to press somebody’s buttons. The buttons we pressed last night with the critics weren’t the right ones.”
John also explained why he turns down invitations to be a judge on talent shows. “Being on TV all the time kills your career, kills your vibe, kills your charisma totally,” he said.
Chappell Roan told Time that John has been a key mentor to her, calling him “one of the original queens.” “The advice he gave me was that the songs will come,” said Roan, adding that John spoke of the period after his first album. “He thought that he wouldn’t have the ideas, but they were absolutely there. He just had to let them come to him. So that’s a good reminder.”
Dua Lipa, who collaborated with John on the hit “Cold Heart,” also offered praise for the legend in the piece. “When Elton and David called me about the collaboration, for me, it was because of our friendship,” she said “And of course, singing alongside one of my musical heroes was a no-brainer. His music has been able to soundtrack my life from the very beginning.”
In the story, John offered a harsh assessment of his late mother. “She was probably one of the biggest liars I’ve ever met,” he said. “But that’s because she was a sociopath, and I got to understand it.” After his mother hired an Elton John impersonator for her 90th birthday party, she told him the impersonator was “as good as you are.”
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