SIR Elton John has earned a reputation as one of the biggest divas in showbiz over the course of his five decades in the spotlight.
And even at the age of 77, the star is still prone to a spectacular outburst from time to time.
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That famous temper got the better of him as he worked on surprise new album Who Believes In Angels? with rocker Brandi Carlile, super producer Andrew Watt and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin.
Holed up in Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Sound Studios, Elton had a meltdown, throwing down headphones in a huff and branding the recording session a “f***ing nightmare”.
In a trailer for a making-of feature, Elton admitted he “doesn’t want to coast” after coming off a hot streak that saw him play acclaimed sets at Glastonbury and Dodgers Stadium.
And it certainly proved a difficult undertaking, even for a man of his talents.
The quartet, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, put together the album in just 20 days at the tail end of 2023.
There were many fraught moments and when Watt asked if Elton was ready to record, he was met with a sharp: “Why do you think I am sitting here?”
Exasperated, Watt, who produced the Grammy-winning Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds, responded: “I am just trying to make the song as best as it can be… you are so impatient.”
Narrating the clip, Elton admitted: “The reality is I was exhausted. I had a lot of doubt. I was a nightmare. I was angry, I was tired, I was irritable… I felt I don’t want to do it.
“I felt there were other people involved, I can’t abandon it… finally it all started to flow. I wanted to play better, sing better, write better and challenge myself at the age I am.”
Carlile, who has been a fan of Elton since she was just 11 years old, said: “Elton is prone to bouts of insecurity especially where the stakes are high. I am having a hard time connecting to Elton.
“There were times when I thought, ‘Why does he want to do this?'”
At one stage, Elton threatened to go home, prompting Watt to shout “cut the mics!”
But when the “fog lifted” the music began to flow.
Taupin declared “in the fifty-plus years we’ve been doing this we’ve never made a record like this”.
Elton called it “one of the greatest musical experiences of my life”, while Carlile described it as “spectacular”.
There was so much emotion involved in the music that Elton burst out in tears behind the piano at one point and was comforted by his collaborators.
Elton, whose famous 1997 documentary Tantrums and Tiaras gave a glimpse into his glittering world, has never shied away from clashes with superstar adversaries.
Tina Turner and Madonna have both felt his wrath over the years.
In his autobiography, Elton reflected on a disastrous joint tour with Turner in 1997.
He said of a clash in rehearsals: “The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play Proud Mary became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f***ing song up her a**e and stormed off.
“I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***.”
However, Madge has received both barrels on multiple occasions.
In 2004 he slammed the Queen of Pop’s nomination for Best Live Act at the Q Awards.
Taking to the stage, Elton shocked guests and said: “Madonna, best live act? F*** off. Since when has lip-syncing been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot.”
Eight years later, Elton went off on her again, telling reporters: “Her career is over. Her tour has been a disaster and it couldn’t happen to a bigger c***. She looks like a f***ing fairground stripper.”
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