Elton John has said that his years as owner and chairman of Watford FC gave him so much and 'grounded' him.
The iconic rocker has supported the club for almost all his life and he was owner and chairman throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
"I'm an optimist about human beings. People can always surprise you in a positive way" - Arsène Wenger talking with @eltonofficial https://t.co/rEk5fNaOr0 ⚽ #HayWinterWeekend pic.twitter.com/mxWGJ8zXfq
— Hay Festival (@hayfestival) November 29, 2020
He was the big-name proprietor and Graham Taylor was the manager, and under their steerage the club made its plucky way from the Fourth Division to the First Division. They came second behind champions Liverpool in the 1982-83 season.
Speaking to Arsene Wenger at the Hay Festival Digital Winter Weekend, 73-year-old Elton was said, "It's part of my life that gave me so much. When I was a big star and a big musician it grounded me, because people who go to football, they'll tell you the truth."
The relationship with Watford does seem to have had its ambivalent aspects as the fans were not so kind about the outrageous outfits he wore in that era.
"The fans will say, 'I don't like your new record, I wish you wouldn't look like that . . '. They didn't mean (anything). It was just something that levelled me out. The passion of the crowds and the horrible things they said about me were part and parcel and it was wonderful."
The singer, born Reginald Dwight grew up in Pinner in north London, which is close to Watford, says he is "extremely proud" of how far the club has progressed.
"Arsene said about leading Arsenal out into the cup final - when we got to the cup final and played Everton I cried because when I took over Watford we had two little grandstands and a greyhound track."
The singer recently told Goldmine that he owns over 120,000 CDs and 15,000 pieces of vinyl. "They are stored in my home shelves so I can access whatever I want, whenever I want." He said he "definitely prefers LPs"
The singer revealed that he was lucky to have had the opportunity "to continue doing what I love so much for the last 50 years".
He was living, he said, 'one of the very best times of my life and really, it all changed when David and I had our boys. With children, you can’t help but look retrospectively at how we got here today and the beauty of where my life is now.
"They have helped me focus on the present and surely make me appreciate my past."
