Elton John: ‘There’s more spirit in the human body than you could think’

As Elton John and Brandi Carlile grace the cover of Rolling Stone UK, the pair have spoken about the importance of never losing hope, as well as offering a message of defiance for LGBTQ+ people across the world.

The pair appear on the April/May issue of Rolling Stone UK (order your copy here) to discuss Who Believes In Angels?, their anticipated joint album which arrives later this month.

The record offers a powerful paean to the importance of never losing hope, and Elton says the human spirit should never be underestimated.

“The human spirit has endured the most grisly things you could ever imagine — the Holocaust, Vietnam, famine in Africa,” he offers.

“It is an amazing, enduring spirit. There’s more spirit in the human body than you can ever
think. And if it comes to the fore, it will come up in the right way. I’m a great believer in that… You have to have hope because the whole world will be all over the place.

“When I go to bed at night and I say my prayers, which I do, I focus on the good things and hope. I believe that it’s going to be all right. It’s going to be fucking hard, but it’s going to be OK. You have to. Otherwise, where do you go down — into the fucking pity pit? No, I’m not going to be like that.”

Elsewhere in our chat, Carlile also offers a message for LGBTQ+ people, in the wake of government oppression currently heating up in the country.

“It’s something I wake up thinking about every day. I don’t think that people like us have a choice about whether or not to be political. We just wake up political by being gay, especially in America,” Carlile said.

“And I live in a house full of women. I’m raising women, and I’m not going to pretend that I am not worried… I think every toxic belief system is loudest and scariest right before it dies. And I really do believe we’re witnessing the last throes of a dying animal when it comes to hatred for LGBTQ people. And if we can just get through this ‘darkest before the dawn’ moment, I really do believe that this is the evolution of what’s going to happen before these ideas are gone. It’s bad right now because it’s dying.”

Elton, who lived through the worst of the AIDS crisis before emerging stronger from it to start his world-changing Elton John AIDS Foundation, adds: “Gay people are very strong. It’s like, don’t fuck with them, don’t fuck with us. When it comes to what actually matters, don’t fuck with us. They’re going to make a noise.”  

The interview also sees the pair shared their key tips for making it as a new artist, while Elton discusses how music saved his life.

Taken from the current issue of Rolling Stone UK. You can buy it here.