The man who has spent his entire career telling stories through his lyrics, Bernie Taupin‘s life is being turned into a feature-length documentary.
The as yet untitled project will reveal the man behind the music with vital commentary from Elton John, Ringo Starr, Annie Lennox, and more.
In a statement about the forthcoming bio pic, Taupin said “Reticent as I am to scrutiny, this project has been enlightening both on an emotional and analytical level.” “The originality of all parties involved has made participating in it much easier as I loosen my grip on the cards I hold closest to my chest.”
Matthew Miele will direct the film using archival materials spanning Bernie’s life and legacy along with interviews from fellow music icons Brandi Carlile, Alice Cooper, James Hetfield, Lulu, Gary Oldman, and Pete Townshend.
About his involvement, Miele said “I think many people are unaware that the phenomenon that is Elton John is really two people.” “And as talented and flamboyant as the melody maker of that duo has become, one can’t help but be curious about the one who writes the words, the storyteller. Having the opportunity to chronicle the brown dirt cowboy, aka Bernie Taupin, has been a story I have been working toward my entire career.”
Notwithstanding his writing for other artists, Taupin has released three solo full lengths, the first of which was a self-titled project in 1971 when he’d already been working with Elton for four years after the singer came across an envelope of poems he’d written after an audition with Liberty Records. What unfolded from that chance encounter is decades worth of hits including “Your Song,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Rocket Man,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”, “Candle in the Wind,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “The Last Song,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Tiny Dancer,” and more all bear the mark of Taupin’s signature songwriting.
Network Entertainment will produce the documentary in association with Universal Music Group partner Polygram Entertainment, and President of Network Entertainment, Brian Gersh, said in a statement “What a gift to make a film in which Bernie Taupin, arguably one of the most revered and prolific songwriters of the modern era, brings us inside his life, his creative process, and his half-century career working with Elton John,”
Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2023 about his autobiography Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, And Me, Taupin shared “It’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. If I died tomorrow, I’d be happy that I left this behind.”
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Shawn Miller/Library of Congress – Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication