Elton John has compared his songwriting process to the act of masturbation.
The Rocket Man hitmaker is currently promoting his upcoming memoir Me: Elton John, and sat down for an interview with The Guardian, for which some of his celebrity pals supplied their own questions.
When music icon Bob Dylan asked the star a technical question about his 1971 hit Tiny Dancer, however, Elton gave a surprising insight into how he views his compositions.
“Writing a song like that’s a bit like having a w**k, really,” he said. “You want the climax to be good, but you don’t want it to be over too quickly – you want to work your way up to it.”
The new book details Elton's rise to fame and battles with substance abuse, his experience of coming out as gay, and his life and relationship with husband David Furnish - something rapper Eminem cheekily asked the star about in the interview, as he revealed the apt gift he sent the pair for their wedding.
Responding to the Stan hitmaker's enquiry as to whether he'd made use of the present, the Candle in the Wind star laughed: "Eminem bought me and David matching c**k rings when we got married. That was his gift.
"They sit there, like the crown jewels, in this beautiful box on satin cushions. They’re wonderful to look at," he continued. "I don’t know if any guests we’ve had have used them. God, I hope not.”
Me: Elton John is released on 15 October (19).
