Elton John - Tantrums and Tiaras

1995 was a very busy year for Sir Elton John; a new album, a world tour, awards shows, hissy fits. He allowed his (now longtime) partner David Furnish to film the goings on, and the result was the 1997 documentary Tantrums and Tiaras.

In retrospect, the project was ground breaking, though in this post "Osbournes" era that may be hard to remember. Up until that point, no celebrity had permitted such an intimate look at their off stage and back stage lives. Madonna had her "Truth or Dare" film in 1991, but as Elton points out on the DVD's commentary track, she was always playing to the camera.

There many fascinating scenes captured in this documentary. Here's Elton getting an Academy Award for "The Lion King"; here is his Mum talking about Elton's darkest days in the mid 1970's; here's Miss Elton walking offstage in South America at the end of his tour, unable to catch his breath. And yes, there are tantrums; Elton flips out on a tennis court in the South of France because an annoying fan won't stop waving at him. At that point I started to think of this film as "Tampons and Tiaras" cause the bitch was really ragging, but I guess it's understandable. The man works hard.

He also shops hard; we are treated to a look at Elton's massive wardrobe, hundreds of pairs of shoes, several drawers of sunglasses (grouped by tint and frame color) and thousands of CDs. My favorite moment was when Elton said he wanted to register at the Four Seasons Hotel in L.A. under the name "Fanny Beaver Snatch Clit" because he can be "a bit of a cunt." And of course, there is a healthy dose of music, as Elton rocks out onstage with classic audience favorites, and songs from "Made in England", the album he was promoting at the time. There is some interesting thoughts from Elton on the commentary track about how much the music business has changed in the dozen or so years between the filming of the documentary and now. There are also a few deleted scenes, but they are best left deleted; I'm not all that interested in watching Elton write down everything he ate that day.

"Tampons and Tiaras" will be especially enjoyed by Elton John fans, but also by anyone interested in a riveting look at the work and minutiae of a rock stars life. It ain't all parties and Versace shopping sprees, but it sure looks fun.