since 1988 THE MAG GUS DUDGEON TRIBUTE ISSUE: Exclusive: The last interview Your memories of Gus A look back at his career AND European Tour review and Set List An interview with Bernie Elton: "I’ve no plans to slow down" Plus News, Lyric Quiz, Your letters, Small Ads, Cartoons, Photos, Tour Dates and more! September 2002 Issue No: 60 Fanzine of the Elton John THE MAG Fan Club Issue No. 60 FAN CLUB INFORMATION SEPTEMBER 2002 HERCULES Chief Editor IMPORTANT NOTICE TO MEMBERS Tammi Law 49 Horseshoe Crescent From 1st January 2002, membership rates will be Peatmoor charged in Euro. Fees will be: Swindon SN5 5AX Europe: Euro 20 Rest of the World: Euro 35 UNITED KINGDOM [email protected] Please be sure to change any standing orders Hercules is a registered member accordingly if you are paying into one of our accounts. Editorial Assistants: of the National Association of Barbara Turner, Michael S English Fan Clubs Design: Turnstyle Design Annual membership fee for the UK is £14 if paid by Translations: Standing Order/VISA/Mastercard. By Cheque/Postal Sabine Asenkerschbaumer Order it is £15. For the rest of Europe it is £14, and Mireille Mölbert for the USA it is 17£/US$30. Please note that your For subscription details, please renewal date is printed on your address label in write to your local HERCULES European format day/month/year. department or to HERCULES Coordinaton: Membership passes are available from your local HERCULES department: send a small photo of yourself when requesting your pass. HERCULES Coordination c/o Stephan Heimbecher Please don't send enquiries or fan mail to the Elton Berg-am-Laim-Str. 87 John management, but to HERCULES Coordination. D-81673 München, CONTENTS Letters will be passed on if necessary. GERMANY Tel. +49 (0)89 48900369 HERCULES is a quarterly publication released in Fax +49 (0)89 48900370 March, June, September and December. In event of [email protected] FEATURES circumstances beyond our control, there is no HERCULES Fan Adviser guarantee for punctual shipment. It is published in c/o Mireille Mölbert Gus Dudgeon English and German. Albrechtstr. 32 Personal tributes ..........9 D-80636 München, GERMANY Brief Biography ..........12 Printed articles do not necessarily reflect the editors' Tel. +49 (0)89 3244146 talks to Hercules ........14 opinions. All information is based on the best of [email protected] knowledge and belief. Reproductions permitted only European Tour HERCULES USA/Canada by prior arrangement with HERCULES. Barb Crowley review ..........................20 PO Box 692392 Member participation is always welcome. We are ORLANDO Talking Taupin ................22 thankful for your submissions of any kind: reports, FL 32869-2392 articles, photos, drawings, [email protected] No plans to slow and suggestions. Please HERCULES U.K. down... send them to the Editor, PLEASE REMEMBER... c/o David Wright ...yet ............................23 Tammi Law. Please 100 Winkworth Road understand that we cannot ALWAYS state your Banstead Take a long look always publish all membership no. if you Surrey SM7 2QR into the sky..................24 UNITED KINGDOM contributions. All photos send a cheque to [email protected] will be returned. Hercules, or pay into one of the Club accounts. HERCULES Benelux Web site c/o Tim Blezer ALWAYS let us know the Pastoor Pendersstraat 8 http://www.eltonfan.net 6262 PA banholt REGULARS expiry date of the card, and NETHERLANDS COPYRIGHT: HERCULES the cardholders name. Tel. +31 (0)43 4571703 Club Information ............2 Please note that if you have paid [email protected] your Membership Fee by Credit News Bullets ....................4 Card, your card will HERCULES Italy automatically be charged again c/o Luca Zerbini Lyric Quiz ......................24 for the renewal fee, at the end Via Scheiwiller n.9/A of your membership year. If I-20139 Milano, ITALY The Future of Hercules 25 your card has expired in the [email protected] meantime, or if you have Letters to the Editor......26 switched companies, please HERCULES Nordic forward your new Credit Card Urpu Kallio Small ads ........................27 Uudenklänpolku details to Hercules Coordination 05200 Rajämaki in time for your next renewal. Tour Dates ......................27 FINLAND email: [email protected] 2 Hercules. The Elton John Fan Club FROM THE EDITOR... s most of you will know by now, some very sad news Ahappened within the last few weeks. Gus Dudgeon, Elton’s extremely talented record producer, was tragically killed, together with his wife Sheila, in a car accident in July. In this issue of The Mag, we pay tribute to the memory of Gus by running the remainder of the exclusive interview that Gus gave to Hercules just weeks before he was killed. As members of the fan club, we are all lucky to be able to remember that Gus had a refreshing attitude towards the fans, and always made a point of being accessible to us all – he seemed to appreciate who the fans are, and how we play our part in the success of any great music artist. He attended several fan conventions and Expos over the years, and it is interesting to note that the final interview he ever gave turned out to be when he invited Hercules into his home, and spoke to the fans. Thank you all for your comments and memories of Gus – I know that a lot of you drew comfort from contacting us and each other after the shocking news. As one member said to me "We shouldn’t ever underestimate the importance of Gus in Elton’s songs – the music was created by Elton, Bernie AND Gus." We have printed a selection of your comments about Gus on page 9. After the success of the European Tour with the band in May, June and July, Elton took a well-deserved holiday in July and August, spending several weeks at his home in the South of France. The European tour included shows in Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and Ireland. An eye-witness review of every show in Europe was on the Hercules website (www.eltonfan.net) within hours of Elton coming off stage, complete with set-lists. These fan reviews will remain on the website for several months so don’t worry if you haven’t had chance to read them yet. A review of one of the UK shows in Birmingham, plus the set list, can be found on page 20. Refreshed after his holiday, Elton started work again at the end of August with a handful of shows in Canada. The next leg of the tour takes in the USA for the rescheduled Face to Face dates with Billy Joel during September and October. As mentioned in previous issues of The Mag, this is the last proper issue of the fanzine. There will be a special farewell issue in December to ensure that we go out with a bang! You can read all about the changes to the fan club on page 25. Thanks for all your comments and photographs of Elton. Keep them coming and we’ll see you in December. Quarterly Fanzine. Issue 60. September 2002. 3 Full details of the following news items have appeared on our Website A Tragic Accident... IN THE EARLY HOURS OF SUNDAY 21 JULY, GUS DUDGEON, WITH HIS WIFE SHEILA, DIED IN A TRAGIC ROAD ACCIDENT. Elton outside the funeral children, left behind Gus's brother, Murray, and Sheila’s brother, Edward Bailey, who both gave readings at the service. Gus and Sheila lived in a beautifully restored cottage in Cobham, where they were able to indulge in their shared passion for gardening. They were buried in Cobham cemetery. A full page tribute to Gus from Elton and Bernie appeared in Gus and Sheila Dudgeon USA's Billboard Magazine after the accident. With a black and ometime after 4am, returning and former mentor as the "the white photo of the trio at work from a party, their Jaguar XK8 greatest producer of a generation". S behind a studio production board veered off the M4 motorway "In 1970, I had my first hit and in the 1970s, the message at the between Reading and it was all down to Gus - that was bottom read: "You will be missed. Maidenhead ending up on its my career, he was a loving and All our love, Elton and Bernie." roof. They were pronounced dead inspiring man and between 1970 at the scene. and 1975, we made 17 albums A Thames Valley Police together. I can't remember a spokesman said: "The car was happier time." spotted overtaking and moments He also read a message from TRUE LOVE later it was seen leaving the Bernie Taupin. Elton's moving Elton says he will leave his carriageway between junctions 10 tribute gave way to tears when huge fortune to his partner David. and 8/9 of the motorway near High Flying Bird was played out Elton is currently worth £150 Reading. to the packed church. million. Elton told German "Although the accident was Among the mourners were magazine Bunte: "I know I am as reported as soon as it happened, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, rich as a king and love being able both occupants of the car died Sir Cliff Richard, Paul Gambacini, to buy nice things and give them instantly. It took almost an hour The Zombies, Joan Armatrading as presents. But I'll leave for fire-fighters to release their and John Reid. everything behind for David." bodies from the wreckage." Outside the church, amid a Elton insists he has found true The Funeral mountain of floral tributes, was a love with the 39-year-old and will The funeral took place on bouquet of white lilies.