Elton John, music icon, and Darren Walker, Ford Foundation president, recently met up for a discussion at the Four Seasons in Washington D.C. that revolved around their commitment to eliminate HIV and AIDS.
Along the way, John spoke about his rough upbringing, and the New York Times was there to document the proceedings.
"My parents never should have gotten married, and I dreaded my father coming home," John said. "I knew there would be a fight, and it would be over me. My mother was more loving and lenient; my father was the real disciplinarian. He never wanted me to become a musician."
The "Rocket Man" said it wasn't necessarily a question of love.
"It was more like he didn't understand me," John said. "Still, he shaped the person I am today. My father's been dead for 15 years, and I'm still trying to prove something to him. I'd love for it to have been different, for him to have said, 'Well done.' But he never came to see me play. He never acknowledged my success. But I don't hate him. He did the best he could."
John, who came out as bisexual in the mid '70s and then gay in the late '80s, has been leading the charge for HIV/AIDS prevention and solutions for nearly a quarter-century.
He noted that getting off drugs — most notably cocaine — helped him refocus and begin working with others toward a noble goal.
"I've been sober for 24 years now, and one of the best lessons it taught me is to listen," he said. "When it comes to people like Rush Limbaugh, or people who might enrage you sometimes, dialogue is the only way. You have to reach out."
The road to better awareness and an eventual cure is a long one, but John is resolute.
'Whether you make an impact in one year or 30 years, it doesn't matter," he said. "You have to put your foot in the water and start the process."
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