Now if only he could write this down and get Elton John to sing it from a piano, too. Bernie Taupin, whose extraordinary songwriting partnership with John has amassed over five decades of hits, was inducted into this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Musical Excellence Award for his “dramatic impact on music.†(During John’s own induction back in 1994, he presented Taupin with his trophy from the stage and remarked: “I kind of feel cheating standing up here accepting this, because without Bernie, there wouldn’t be any Elton John at all.â€) Putting aside a “Your Song†here and a “Tiny Dancer†there, Taupin’s impact on the 2023 ceremony was indeed dramatic for another reason entirely: He was the sole inductee who addressed and condemned Jann Wenner’s recent comments about female and Black musicians, which got Wenner, a Rock Hall co-founder, removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
“Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, are you listening? I acknowledge all these people because they and so many others are why I write,†Taupin said from the podium. “I guess you could say my being inducted is a paradox, perhaps, but either way, I’m honored to be in the class of 2023 alongside a group of such profoundly articulate women and outstanding articulate Black artists along with all of the other music masters here tonight.†It was previously reported that Taupin and his wife, Heather, emailed a missive to Rock Hall officials to demand Wenner’s resignation over the comments.
While promoting his interview-collection book The Masters in September, Wenner said that his seven subjects, all white men, were chosen because female musicians were never “articulate enough on this intellectual level.†Similarly, the Rolling Stone co-founder stated Black artists “just didn’t articulate at that level.†Wenner apologized and acknowledged he would “accept the consequences,†which now includes enduring this three-prong beatdown by a man who once expertly paired the words “electric boots†with “mohair suit.†Oh yeah, and Cyndi Lauper dismissing him as senile.