The renowned musician, recently honored as Time magazine's Icon of the Year, discussed his illustrious career with the publication, which was notably impacted by his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. His personal experiences have shaped his resolute opposition to marijuana use.
"I believe it’s addictive," he stated. "It can lead to the use of other drugs. When you’re under the influence—and I’ve experienced that—you don’t think clearly."
He further remarked, "The legalization of marijuana in the United States and Canada is one of the biggest mistakes ever made."
According to Time, when John was queried about his views on alcohol, he hesitated and glanced at his husband, David Furnish, who was also part of the interview, for assistance in formulating a response. Furnish suggested that while alcohol is ingrained in societal norms, research indicates it may be less healthy than commonly perceived.
In 1974, the same year John released iconic songs such as "Bennie and the Jets" and "Candle in the Wind," he was introduced to cocaine, which ultimately led to his addiction.
"You make terrible decisions on drugs," he recalled. "I wanted love so badly, I’d just take hostages. I’d see someone I liked and spend three or four months together, and then they would resent me because they had nothing in their life apart from me. It really upsets me, thinking back on how many people I probably hurt."
Bernie Taupin, Elton John's long-standing songwriting collaborator, commented to the publication, stating, "I was deeply concerned for him. The situation was undeniably dire. Consequently, some of our collaborative work during his most challenging periods did not reflect our optimal creative output."
He added, "I wasn’t able to creatively invest any time in writing material that related to him until he actually found himself, and then it was easier for me to reflect upon it."
In 1990, John achieved sobriety and has successfully remained clean since that time. In July, he celebrated this milestone by sharing an Alcoholics Anonymous chip, accompanied by the message, "34 years clean and sober. My life has never been better."
"It’s tough to tell someone that they’re being an a--hole, and it’s tough to hear," he admitted in his interview with Time. "Eventually I made the choice to admit that I’m being an a--hole."
During the later part of the interview, John revisited the topic of sobriety, starting his remarks with, "I’ve always maintained the thrill of acquiring a new record, a new book, a new photograph."
He further expressed that if faced with the decision to either stop playing music or stop listening to it, he would choose to stop playing, emphasizing that listening to music has been the source of his motivation.
John explained, "I don’t really believe in the biblical God too much, but I have faith. My higher power has been looking after me all my life; he’s got me through drugs, he’s got me through depression, he’s got me through loneliness, and he got me sober. He’s been there all the time, I think. I just didn’t acknowledge him."
He and Furnish are the parents of two sons, Zachary, who was born in 2010, and Elijah, born in 2013. In an interview with Time, he expressed that he would not wish to pass on his talent and the accompanying fame to them.
"I’ve lived an incredible life, but it’s been a hell of a life, and it’s been a slog," he said. "I wouldn’t want that amount of pressure on them."
He added, "If people remember that we tried to change the world a little bit, we were kind, we tried to help people," he said, that would be good enough for him. "And then, apart from that, there was the music."