Elton John and David Furnish talk Music On Apple Music’s Rocket Hour

The host of Apple Music’s Rocket Hour, Elton John sits down with his husband David Furnish to play some of their favourite electronic music and share anecdotes about Donna Summer, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk and more.

All soundbites are used courtesy of Elton John on Apple Music.

Elton John and Husband David Furnish on Love for Electronic Music

David Furnish: “I’ve always been a big electronic music fan, and I remember the first time I heard Kraftwerk sing ‘Autobahn,’ and I’d heard nothing like it before in my life. And I was a big science fiction TV fan. I loved Star Trek and science fiction films, and suddenly there was music that just captured the future in a way that I’d never heard before. And I’m still a big electronic music lover today.”– Speaking on Elton John’s Rocket Hour

Elton John and David Furnish Talk Pet Shop Boys

David Furnish: “Huge fan of the Pet Shop Boys. I remember the original Bobby Orlando version of ‘West End Girls’ and loving that. But I thought when they collaborated with Stephen Hague they just went to a whole new level. The production was so modern.”
“Another great studio band who are fantastic live, Neil and Chris’ shows. What they put together visually. And the way they sound on stage is magnificent.”

Elton John: “It’s the same as their album covers. They’re very art conscious. Chris started architecture and Neil has got a literal mind. He’s a bit like Noel Coward in a sense, he’s kind of cut from that same cloth and they’ve been friends of ours for a long time and their live shows now are even more extravagant and better than they’ve ever been. And in fact, they didn’t like to perform live very much and then Neil got the bug and their shows go from strength to strength. Well done, boys.”

Elton John on Playing With Depeche Mode Live

Elton John: “I did a concert once in Ludwigshafen at the football stadium to 40,000 people on a very sunny day, and there were three people on the bill. It was Joan Baez, with an acoustic guitar, Depeche Mode at their finest, and me, and it was just an eclectic bill, and everyone went down so well, I’ll never forget it, and that’s the first time I’d seen Depeche Mode live and they were amazing.”

Elton John On Donna Summer and Disco Music

Elton John: “Do you remember the night we had the Elton John AIDS Foundation summer party in our garden in a huge marquee when Donna Summer performed with my band and Barry Manilow, and I got to sing with both of them? It’s one of the greatest nights of my life. She was incredible.”
“One of the greatest voices, without question. It’s outrageous that she wasn’t put into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before she was, but there you go. That’s what they think of disco music. It wasn’t disco music. It was great music.”

Elton John on Kraftwerk’s Sound and Seeing God

Elton John: “ ‘Autobahn’ Kraftwerk from 1975 from their album of the same name. I love that because it was the first record I ever heard that really sounded German as far as pop music went. It just is a seminal record in electronic music. I think their album ‘Trans-Europe Express’ it’s one of my all-time favourite records. I remember smoking a joint and listening to it on really loud speakers and I thought I saw God during that album.”

Tune in and listen to the full episode Rocket Hour, Elton John on Apple Music today(Saturday, July 4th) at 9am LA / 12pm NY / 5pm London at apple.co/_RocketHour

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