I've Always Loved Elton John And That

You've Just Got To Focus On What You Have To Do.

Michael, From 'six Dance Lessons...' He Was Somebody Who Had A Lot Of Self-loathing; Being A Gay Man Who Lost His Family And Felt Ostracized. It Was An Interesting Character To Play. He Was So Bitter And Jaded About Life. Even Though I'm Not Like That Personally, Everybody Has A Side Of Themselves That Tends To Look At The Negative Side Of Things. He Was An Interesting Character To Play.

I've Always Loved Elton John And That Is One Of My Favorite Songs By Him And Bernie (taupin). The American Songbook Is Ever-expanding And I Feel Like It Works Well With What I Was Trying To Say.

A Few Years Ago, When I Was Writing Songs For My First Album, I Was Staying With Michael Feinstein As I Often Did. I Was Working On A Pilot. My Grandma Was Very Sick At The Time. She Died Of Complications From Alcoholism. She Always Used To Say [in His Grandma's Voice], "red Wine Is Good For My Heart. That's What My Doctor Said." And We'd Say, "yeah, But Not For Breakfast." Unfortunately, It Was The Thing That Killed Her. I Felt Inspired To Write A Song About Her And What That Meant For Her Life And For All Of Us. I Was Writing It In Michael's House.

I Was A 12 Year Old Kid In Northern Idaho Listening To Billie Holiday And Lena Horne And Sarah Vaughan And Nat King Cole. This Whole Genre Of Music Is A Part Of Who I Am.