The artist David Bowie called “the token queen of rock”
Whilst David Bowie is known for being one of the most bewitching figures in rock, who provided many moments of musical genius, he could also be a tough customer when he wanted to.
Bowie might have provided fans with numerous fascinating accounts in his time, such as the prescient comments he made about the future development of the internet when speaking to Jeremy Paxman in 1999, yet, in his time, he was also known to be damning of some of his most prominent peers. This was to such an egregious extent that you might even call it childish.
Across his life, the likes of Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain and even Paul McCartney were met with the cutting side of David Bowie. However, aside from Gary Numan – an artist he derided for allegedly ripping him off – another came under fire from Bowie in an incredibly snide way. Surprisingly, this is his glam counterpart, Elton John, another one of the most influential musicians of their era.
It’s strange that Bowie did not have time for Elton John, as he and T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan would frequent clubs with John in their younger years. However, when speaking to Rolling Stone in 1976, Bowie admitted that things had soured between him and the ‘Rocket Man’ singer years prior, a time when he revealed that he had called John “the Liberace, the token queen of rock”, a line that would undoubtedly have offended his target.
The barbs Bowie sent in Elton John’s direction did not stop there. He even claimed that his quarry had ripped him off. He said: “I consider myself responsible for a whole new school of pretensions — they know who they are. Don’t you, Elton?”
Later, Elton John would provide more insight into what happened between him and Bowie. He recalled: “We started out being really good friends. We used to hang out together with Marc Bolan, going to gay clubs, but I think we just drifted apart.”
Adding: “David and I were not the best of friends towards the end.”
Elton John eventually forgave Bowie, although they never properly reconciled. He went as far as to attribute Bowie’s comments to his cocaine addiction, which was reaching its most destructive in 1976. Discussing the ‘Starman’ once more in 2016, he said of his remarks: “I thought it was a bit snooty. He wasn’t my cup of tea. No, I wasn’t his cup of tea”.
