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Scattershot

On sale

11th November 2023

Price: £750

Genre

The Arts / Music

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781800962026
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‘This is the most glorious of books. I am besotted by the life I never knew he had.’ -Elton John

Half of one of the greatest creative partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin is the man who wrote the lyrics for Elton John, who conceived the ideas that spawned countless hits, and sold millions and millions of records.

An exciting, multi-decade whirlwind, Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me whizzes around the world as we ride shotgun with Bernie on his extraordinary life. Visiting New York with him and Elton on the cusp of Global Fame, late night hours with John Lennon, Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, and almost in residency at an infamous rock ‘n’ rock hotel in Australia, in a blizzard of drugs. Beyond the world of popular music, we witness memorable encounters with writers like Graham Greene, painters like Andy Warhol, and scores of notable misfits, eccentrics and geniuses, known and unknown. Unique and utterly compelling, Scattershot will transport the reader into the vivid imaginings of one of music’s most legendary lyricists.

This beautiful, exclusive collector’s edition of Scattershot is a bespoke design perfect for Elton and Bernie fans.

Limited to only 100 numbered copies and presented in a vivid red, Scattershot debossed clamshell case, this deluxe edition include:

· A hand-signed and numbered special edition book, cloth-bound in an original artwork created by Bernie Taupin himself, with bespoke endpapers and bright blue sprayed edges
· A limited edition giclée print of Bernie Taupin’s ‘Love Me Again’ artwork, hand signed by Taupin and enclosed in an acid-free glassine envelope within a bespoke, printed wallet
· A large special print of the epilogue handwritten by Bernie
· A custom printed USB stick containing a never-before-heard audio recording of an exclusive unpublished story written and read by Bernie Taupin
· A print of the original handwritten lyrics to ‘Scarecrow’, printed on Chlorine-free art stock
· A custom-made VIP backstage pass enclosed in a lanyard for the ‘Scattershot tour’
· Uniquely designed vintage-style concert ticket for a seat on the 22nd row
· A certificate of authenticity signed by the publisher

Reviews

Pete Townshend
Orgasmic. Every page of Scattershot is a delight, a joy, a name-dropper fan's delight. Divine. I couldn't put it down
Cameron Crowe
In Bernie Taupin's miraculous memoir Scattershot you'll meet legends, cowboys, geniuses, unforgettable faces in the night, shady purveyors of outrageous fortune, warriors of the heart, and most of all, Taupin himself. Hilarious and so emotionally true, Scattershot is like a letter from a cherished friend. You'll want to keep it close, so you can read it again and again
Gary Oldman
Touching. Charming. Humble. Witty. And exquisitely written. Taupin's words need no musical accompaniment. They sing with a poets voice.
Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life
Eloquent and inspiring, Scattershot is a freewheeling memoir that is as warm and evocative as Bernie Taupin's most memorable lyrics. A born storyteller, Taupin gives us the life of an artist whose outlook was shaped by a rare but fascinating blend of lifelong innocence and endless intellectual curiosity
Brandi Carlile
I simply wouldn't write songs without Bernie Taupin. I've read every word he's ever written and there could never be enough of them to satiate my need for Bernie's way of seeing the world. Scattershot, though, is a lifting of the veil, as beautifully written as it is honest and rugged. Reading this book brought me face to face with who he truly is: an empathic genius who speaks to the everyman.
Elton John
This is the most glorious of books. I am besotted by the life I never knew he had.
LIBRARY JOURNAL
Written in a highly entertaining, articulate style with a wickedly acidic sense of humor, this book sets a new standard for rock biographies.
MOJO
Scattershot takes a non-linear approach and is all the better for it. It's funny too (one cokey chapter is titled Days Of Wine And Noses), and encounters with Salvador Dali and Princess Margaret colour the zippy narrative. There's a sense Taupin can't quite believe it all happened...
RTE Guide
An entertaining ride that doesn't spare the horses
The Independent
Sharply Written
The Guardian
Evocative
The Times
Engaging and poetic
Record Collector Magazine
Compellingly written - Scattershot is a thoroughly enjoyable read
Roger Lewis, Daily Mail
Bernie is well-read, highly literate and, on the evidence of his memoir, a man of wise, sensitive intelligence.
Daily Mail
A wildly entertaining roller-coaster of a life story
Daily Express
Brilliant memoir