Elton John believes his son Zachary’s childhood is going to be “very difficult,” battling homophobia and the impact of his father’s fame, the pop icon said in an interview published on Tuesday.
The 65-year-old British star and his Canadian civil partner David Furnish, 49, became parents on Dec. 25, 2010 to a child conceived using a donor egg and born via a surrogate mother.
But the singer-songwriter said he was preparing himself for what would be a tough time growing up for his son, who is now 19 months, he told the weekly British magazine Radio Times.
Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社
“At school other children will say, ‘You don’t have a mummy’,” John said.
“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still homophobia and will be until a new generation of parents don’t instill it in their children.”
He added on his son’s upbringing: “It’s natural for him. He calls me ‘Daddy’ and David ‘Papa’.”
John, whose 1997 remake of his 1973 hit “Candle in The Wind” sold 33 million copies, said the toddler did not yet have an understanding of his father’s fame.
“When he finds out, he’ll look at me as if I’m bonkers,” he said.
“Being the child of someone famous is a huge ball and chain around your ankles. It’s going to be very difficult.”
John explained how he was trying to give his son a musical upbringing.
“I want music to be a huge part of his life. I sit him on my lap and he doesn’t bang the piano,” he said.
“He tries to copy me but he’s not formed enough yet to know what I do, thank God.”
John said that he introduced Zachary to classical composers Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven — as well as the children’s song “Nellie The Elephant” — at a very young age, but that his son was more interested in football and cooking.
“I won’t push Zachary into anything. So far, he just loves kicking a ball and watching people cook,” he said.
John also praised Madonna — despite recently reigniting his spat with the US singer in an Australian television interview when he said she looked like a “fairground stripper” whose career was over.
“Madonna took the industry by the scruff of the neck, made opportunities for other women, like (Lady) Gaga and Katy Perry,” he told the Radio Times.
He said of his own singing career: “I would (give up) if I felt the voice had gone, but at 65 it’s getting better and I’m in the prime of life.”
John has sold more than 250 million records in a career spanning four decades and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
(AFP)
艾爾頓‧強在一則週二刊登的專訪中表示，他認為兒子札克里的童年將「非常難熬」，因他不僅要對抗外界的恐同症，還要承擔活在父親光環下的影響。
現年六十五歲的英國巨星在二○一○年十二月二十五日，與現年四十九歲加拿大籍的同性伴侶大衛‧費尼許結為連理，他們以捐贈卵子及代理孕母方式，產下一子。
這位歌手兼作曲家告訴英國週刊《廣播時報》表示，他正為自己面對兒子未來將面臨難熬的成長過程一事做好準備。他兒子目前是十九個月大。
強表示：「在學校裡，其他小孩可能會說：『你沒有媽咪』。」
他表示：「一路走來的漫漫長路雖已有所進展，但社會仍充斥恐同歧視，而這般歧視將持續到下一代為人父母，且不再灌輸子孫恐同觀念後，此問題才能改善。」
對於兒子教養部分，他補充道：「對他是自然的。他稱我為『爹地』，而稱大衛為『爸爸』。」
強在一九九七年重製其一九七三年的熱門單曲「風中之燭」，銷售量達三千三百萬張。他表示，其襁褓中的小孩尚未能夠理解父親的聲望。
他表示：「當他理解後，他將會以我瘋了的眼光看著我。」
「身為名人的小孩要承受很大的束縛。這將會是很難熬的。」
強也解釋他是如何給兒子一個音樂的成長環境。
他表示：「我希望音樂將是他生命中的一大部分。我將他抱在膝上，而他並未敲打鋼琴鍵盤。」
他說：「他試圖要模仿我，但他年紀還太小，不知道我在做什麼。謝天謝地。」
強表示在札克里非常年幼的此時，就對他介紹古典作曲家蕭邦、莫札特與貝多芬─也教他唱兒歌「大象奈麗」─但是兒子似乎對足球與烹飪較感興趣。
他表示：「我不會強迫札克里做任何事。到目前為止，他只喜歡踢球，並且看人烹調食物。」
強也稱讚瑪丹娜─即便他最近在一個澳洲電視專訪中，說她看起來像一位「野台脫衣舞孃」且職涯告吹，而引燃與這位美國歌手的口水戰。
他告訴《廣播時報》表示：「瑪丹娜掌控這個產業，並帶給像是（女神）卡卡與凱蒂‧佩芮等女性出頭的機會。」
對於自己的歌唱事業，他則表示：「只要我感到聲音不再，我將會（隱退），但是年屆六十五歲，我的聲音越來越好，而且我正值人生的全盛時期。」
強在長達四十年的職涯中，已賣出二點五億張唱片，並在一九九四年被選入搖滾流行樂名人殿堂。
（法新社/翻譯：林亞蒂）
If you’ve recently spotted adults parading around with cuddly toys dangling from their designer handbags, your eyes haven’t been deceiving you. The playful trend of adorning bags with cute charms has become popular among people of various ages. Plushies like Labubu and anime and manga characters such as Chiikawa have become must-have accessories that make personal statements. The practice of attaching charms to personal items has been common across cultures throughout history. In ancient civilizations, charms were often used as symbols of protection, good luck, or identity. Fast-forward to more modern times, and style icons like Jane Birkin, a
A: So you’re reading Jin Yong’s martial arts novel again? B: Yup, Jin’s novels are so fascinating, especially the trilogy: “Legends of the Condor Heroes,” “Return of the Condor Heroes,” and “Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.” A: The late novelist published his first story in 1955, which means this year marks the 70th anniversary of his “wuxia” world. B: Wasn’t an English version of “Legends of the Condor Heroes” also released in 2018? A: Yes, but the debate over the translation of kung fu moves continues — like the evil move “Nine Yin Skeleton Claw.” A: 你又在重讀金庸的武俠小說啦？ B:
A: Apart from Jin Yong, the late martial arts novelists Liang Yusheng and Gu Long were also very popular. B: Wasn’t Liang a pioneer of the “new school” wuxia genre in the 20th century? A: Yup, I really like his Tianshan mountain series. All the characters — such as the “White Haired Demoness” — are so vivid. B: The roles in Gu’s books are lively, too — like the “Fragrant Commander” Chu Liuxiang. A: And the TV drama adapted from the Chu Liuxiang series swept across Taiwan in the 1980s, with ratings surging over 70 percent at that time.
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang If plushie charms are cute little nods to people’s interests, ita bags are full-on declarations. The term “ita” comes from the Japanese word itai, which means “painful” and reflects the overwhelming visual intensity of these bags. An ita bag is essentially a handbag, backpack, or tote meticulously decorated with an extensive collection of merchandise dedicated to a specific character or idol. These bags usually feature a clear plastic window to display carefully arranged pins, badges, keychains, or fan art. Both the interior and exterior may be covered in fandom memorabilia, creating an aesthetic so intense that it’s almost “painful”
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