About the Author

Bernie Taupin is an English lyricist who has worked in partnership with legendary singer, composer, pianist, and worldwide icon Elton John since 1967 and has written the lyrics for most of John's famous hits, including "Rocket Man," "Candle in the Wind," "Crocodile Rock", "Your Song," "I'm Still Standing," and countless others. One of the most successful and long-running musical collaborations in music history, John and Taupin received the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement Grammy, an Academy Award, and many more. In 2022, Taupin was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to music. He lives in Southern California.

Reviews

Orgasmic. Every page of Scattershot is a delight, a joy, a name-dropper fan's delight. Divine. I couldn't put it down
*Pete Townshend*

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
*Cameron Crowe*

Touching. Charming. Humble. Witty. And exquisitely written. Taupin's words need no musical accompaniment. They sing with a poets voice.
*Gary Oldman*

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
*Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life*

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.
*Brandi Carlile*

This is the most glorious of books. I am besotted by the life I never knew he had.
*Elton John*

Written in a highly entertaining, articulate style with a wickedly acidic sense of humor, this book sets a new standard for rock biographies.
*LIBRARY JOURNAL*

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...
*MOJO*

An entertaining ride that doesn't spare the horses
*RTE Guide*

Sharply Written
*The Independent*

Evocative
*The Guardian*

Engaging and poetic
*The Times*

Compellingly written - Scattershot is a thoroughly enjoyable read
*Record Collector Magazine*

Bernie is well-read, highly literate and, on the evidence of his memoir, a man of wise, sensitive intelligence.
*Roger Lewis, Daily Mail*

A wildly entertaining roller-coaster of a life story
*Daily Mail*

Brilliant memoir
*Daily Express*