ABC/Randy HolmesElton John and Billy Joel are more frenemies than pals, having both spoken out of turn about each other in the press over the years. Now Elton has launched the latest shot in their ongoing war of words.
Elton was asked by U.K. paper The Sun how he feels about Billy’s comment last year that Elton is “dragging down” his legacy by continuing to release new albums. Elton joked, “Well actually, he hasn’t made anything since 1993 because he can’t.”
He continued, “I love releasing new music, it doesn’t sell but that’s the point — it’s like telling a painter not to paint. He’s just lazy. Yeah, I love him to death but he’s lazy.”
Elton underscores the fact that he, on the other hand, is far from lazy by telling the paper that he’s currently exhausted because he’s on his Farewell tour, where he performs nearly three hours a night, and he’s also “writing in the studio.”
He also notes, “I play tennis three times a week and walk in the pool three times a week, so I’m physically very fit, and that’s stamina.”
One reason Elton is saying farewell to the road is because he wants to spend more time with his two sons, eight-year-old Zachary and six-year-old Elijah. And while Elton’s one of the world’s most famous gay fathers, he’s not taking a gender-neutral approach to raising his kids.
“My boys are so boyish…they’re flirts — girl [crazy],” he tells the paper. “They said, ‘There was a new girl in class today and she really fancies me,’ and I said, ‘That’s great!’ They’re real boys and they’re just very athletic, normal kids.”
He adds, “They’re both [sports-crazy]…they don’t have video games. They’re always outside playing and kicking a ball around.”
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