Everybody lives for the music-go-round

Kim Wilde has said the sort of thing that Elton John needs to hear every so often - that he sometimes only has the vaguest connection with everyday life. Something Elton has admitted himself from time to time, between sacking florists and reworking songs about dead drug-addicted film stars into plodding hymns to dead princesses.

Victoria Newton, though, throws a fit, damning Kim from the public prints:

"I always had her down as a mild-mannered, softly spoken elder stateswoman of cheesy pop.

But frumpy Kim, now a gardening expert, has dished out a completely unprovoked public pruning."

Hang about... Kim Wilde may be a gardening expert, but frumpy? Victoria Newton, do you even know what frumpy means?

So, what did Kim have to say?

“He’s deluded. The man has always been deluded.

“He’s lived a very unreal life for so many, many years, with so much excess that he’s lost touch with some realities of life. He’s become a self-indulgent person.”

“He should refer all his criticism to himself. I won’t abide tantrums in my children and I can’t bear them in an adult. It’s disgusting.”

“I’ve always been aware that he hasn’t written any lyrics himself.

“You never get much of Elton, but I wonder if there’s very much to have. But he’s a great musician.”

All of which is fair enough - Elton shoots his mouth off, and relies on his lyricists.

Victoria, though, is fuming. Doesn't Kim know that Elton puts money in the poor box?:

A huge part of Elton’s appeal is due to the way he speaks his mind.

He has also shown incredible generosity, donating millions to charity.

Some of the millions, of course, included a large payout from The Sun when the paper ran a story claiming he'd cut his dog's vocal cords, if you want to get into examining "vicious unprovoked attacks" on Elton.

Incidently, Kelvin McKenzie, who was editor of the Sun at the time, thinks that Elton John should repay that money:

In 1987, The Sun had falsely alleged that the singer had his “vicious Rottweiler dogs” silenced by a "horrific operation” to remove their larynges.

[Kelvin] says: “Bloody Elton John. I think The Sun should have its million quid back. It hasn’t damaged him at all, has it?

“Libel can only have a value if there has been some kind of damage, right? Where is the damage? Where? There’s nothing wrong with him. So no, I don’t feel bad about him, not at all.”

The suggestion that a man's reputation would be unharmed if the public were to believe - falsely - he inflicted cruel operations on animals to protect his peace and quiet? Oddly, Victoria Newton didn't seem to be bothered that unprovoked attack.

music kim wilde elton john kelvin mckenzie