Interview With Elton John

from Larry King Live

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, legendary music superstar Sir Elton John.
Forget paying scalpers, because you've got a front row seat for free. Sir Elton John, in-depth conversation. Plus, an incredible live performance. All next on LARRY KING WEEKEND.
Thanks for joining us. Sir Elton John is one of the great music stars of any time. Gold albums. Platinum. He's won six Grammys. Has a new album out called Songs From the West Coast. That is a heck of a resume. He is one of the best names in the business.
We started our recent interview by asking how a man named Reginald Dwight became Elton John.: SIR ELTON JOHN, MUSICIAN: Well, I was making a record, and I had to choose a name, because they said, you know, you can't make a record under the name of Reg Dwight, because it's never going to -- you know, it's not attractive enough. And I agreed with that, and I couldn't wait to change my name anyway, because I'm not too fond of the name of Reginald. It's a very kind of '50s English name.
So I picked Elton because there wasn't -- nobody seemed to have the name Elton. And I picked John to go with it. And it was -- it was done on a bus going from London Heathrow back into the city. And it was done very quickly. So I said, oh, Elton John. That's fine.
KING: It'll never work for you.: JOHN: No it won't, it won't.
KING: The friendship with Princess Di, which the world knows about, how did that begin? When was the first time you met her?: JOHN: I met her at Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle, in which I was playing. I was doing the music, playing the concert with Ray Cooper, who was my percussion player. And it was very nerve-wracking. I was sitting on the stage looking at all these empty gold chairs, and then all of the royal family kind of came in and filled them up. And I played, and I came down. I was very relieved when it was over. And the first person I saw was Lady Diana Spencer, actually was at the time. And it was in an empty ballroom with a bounce (ph) band. And she said, would you like to dance? And we danced the Charleston -- or tried to dance the Charleston. And we had a great time and great fun, and she wrote me a beautiful letter afterwards saying how nice it was, and to meet me, blah blah blah. And...
KING: And then it endured?: JOHN: It endured, absolutely. We -- ironically, we had a kind of falling out just before -- well, about a year before she died, just over something, you know, we were both pretty stubborn. It was one of her charity things that I'd organized, and she pulled out of it. And I wasn't too happy, and I let her know that. And then she wrote me a very terse letter.
And it was only really when Gianni Versace was murdered that we both got on the phone to each other and said, this is so stupid. We haven't talked, you know. It's one of those things that friends sometimes do. You know, they're too proud to pick up the phone. And it was just due to a tragic event like Gianni's murder that brought us...
KING: Who...: JOHN: ... back together again?
KING: Who at that funeral was propping up who?: JOHN: She was propping me up. It wasn't really the funeral, but it was a memorial service. And I was -- I was a mess. Gianni was my best, one of my best friends. I loved him dearly, as did Diana. And there was a very famous scene in, with -- I'm -- got a bowed head.
Actually, she wasn't really propping me up. I had a roll of mints, and I was asking her if she'd like a mint. And she said yes. So we've both got our head bowed. But I was, I was very upset. I was crying, and she was incredibly supportive, and incredibly -- those years of being stoic and being kind of cool in the...
KING: Well...: JOHN: ... in the public eye served her very well at that occasion. It didn't serve me very well because I was a complete mess. Henceforth, when I had to play at her funeral, I had to -- could have -- get some of her stoicness and remain calm and collected while I was singing about her, which was the most surreal summer I've ever spent in my life. Six...
KING: One would imagine.: JOHN: Yeah.
KING: Yeah. We'll be right back with Sir Elton John. He's touring now with Billy Joel. His new album is Songs From the West Coast. He has been a legendary star for well over 30 years. You're watching LARRY KING LIVE. We'll be right back.
KING: We're back with Sir Elton John, comes to us from his home town -- American home town -- of Atlanta, Georgia. Was your relationship with Versace more than friendship? Was it romantic?: JOHN: No, it wasn't at all. I mean, Gianni had a long-time companion, Antonio D'Amico. And I was friends with both of them. It was, certainly wasn't sexual. It was just a real kind of a -- he was like a brother, really.
We were both very much the same. We were both very impulsive. We both loved life. We both loved shopping. We both had a love of clothes, obviously, because he was the designer that I kind of wore forever and ever. I mean, I haven't really switched allegiances since. Even since his death I've, you know, I still wear Versace a lot. And, no, he was just the brother I never had. And we had such a great time together.
KING: He was older or younger?: JOHN: He was the same, really, about the same age, yeah.
KING: Now the Di funeral. What emotionally were you going through? You were closer to Versace, were you not?: JOHN: Yes, because I used to speak to Gianni on practically a daily basis, or, you know, at least twice or two or three times a week. Whereas...
KING: First, where were you the night Lady Di had the accident?: JOHN: I was in Nice with my partner David. And we woke up the next morning to a fax from one of our friends saying, so sad to hear about the tragic news. And we'd gone to bed early that night. And so we switched on CNN, and there was the news which we could hardly believe. I mean, we were in total shock, I mean, as was everybody.
But, so, I mean, because it was six weeks, literally, after Gianni was murdered, it seemed the most bizarre string of events. And you had to pinch yourself. We kept looking and saying, this just can't be true. This can't be true.
KING: Candle in the Wind, which you performed at the funeral -- why that song?: JOHN: Well, when I was initially approached to play at the funeral, which is, you know, kind of like a first at one of these state occasions -- usually they're very, they're very meticulous in what they have as far as music. And it's usually classical music, and sacred music, which it should be. And the music chosen for her funeral was beautiful.
But when I was asked -- approached by Richard Branson, if I would be interested in singing at her funeral, I said yes, but what? Should I write something new? Should I -- I didn't know what to do.
And having watched the news and seeing the people lining up outside Saint James' palace, signing the books of condolence and then writing passages from the original song, Candle in the Wind, we came up with the idea of maybe -- Bernie came up with the idea -- of maybe writing a completely different lyric, which would -- appertaining to her, instead of using the Marilyn Monroe homage, which would have been completely inappropriate, obviously. So we decided to, as quick as we can, or as quick as we could, rewrite Candle in the Wind...
KING: And...: JOHN: ... referring to Princess Diana.
KING: You have said you'll not perform it again unless asked by her children. Is that true?: JOHN: Yeah, I mean I -- to be honest with you, I didn't sing Candle in the Wind for a couple of years afterwards, the Marilyn Monroe version, because I just thought it was too close and inappropriate. And now I do. But I -- the Diana version, I really don't think I'll ever sing again.
KING: What is it like to sing at a funeral?: JOHN: Well, I'd been -- Sting and I actually sang at Gianni's memorial service. We sang the 23rd Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd. But this one was the biggie. I mean, you know, all eyes were on you.
KING: All the world.: JOHN: All the world. And also being, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as a commercial, pop singer to be asked to do this was kind of revolutionary. And so when I did the rehearsal the day before, I insisted on a teleprompter, because I thought, if I sing this, and I sing "Goodbye Norma Jean," because I didn't know what kind of state I was going to be in on the day of the actual funeral. I just thought, I've got to get this right.
And it was an amazing thing. I mean, it was -- I had to call on all my kind of years of professionalism, and all my experience, because I didn't want to break down and become emotional. I thought that was -- I was doing the job of making everybody else feel emotional. And if I started to be emotional, I thought that would make it -- it would denigrate the occasion, and it would make it more morguish than it maybe already was, you know.
KING: Did you know, Sir Elton, of all her problems?: JOHN: Yes, I did. We were both bulimic. I was also a bulimic. We exchanged letters about things like that. I think she had a lot of other problems. She had a lot of trust problems with people. I think she, you know, because living in the environment where you've got courtiers in the palace. You don't know whose side they're on. And I think -- and that makes you really, really paranoid.
And -- and, you know, it used to get her down tremendously. And I think living that kind of life and not knowing who your friends are sometimes is, you know, is kind of medieval in a way.
KING: Why did you like her so much?: JOHN: I liked her compassion, that she was so much fun. I remember throwing a party at my house in Windsor with my partner David. And we threw it for Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn. And we invited Princess Diana who came, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, George Michael -- a lot of people came. And, you know, it was a really wonderful evening. And my recollections of Princess Diana just curled up on the floor talking to Richard Gere, and she was very -- she was just really easy to deal with as far as protocol went.
She made you completely feel at ease, or anybody else in the room. There wasn't a stiffness or an awkwardness, which there can be sometimes with other members of the royal family, because you're so aware of protocol. She was funny. She was, you know, she was...
KING: Yeah.: JOHN: ... and compassionate. I mean, you know, and I just felt very much -- I had a lot of things in common with her, I thought, and especially her AIDS crusading and...
KING: Are you, are you concerned about young Harry?: JOHN: I'm not really concerned. I think his father did exactly the right thing, and he took, you know, he said listen. I think he was -- he handled it very, very well. I mean, it's part of being young these days.
And, you know, if you think your kids aren't going to try drugs sooner or later, you're living in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) land. They're so available and, you know, it's common knowledge. And, you know, it's good that he did what he did by taking to a kind of treatment center and saying, listen, if you carry on like this, this is what can happen. And, you know, he'll keep a closer eye on him, I'm sure. But it's just -- it's part of how we live nowadays.
KING: From your own standpoint, how have you dealt with what might be called the glare, the spotlight, the tabloids, being in them a lot, stories? How do you deal with that?: JOHN: Well, I've had my fair share in Britain of battling the tabloids. I've successfully sued the "Sun" newspaper, and got a front page apology in the same type face, but it took a year-and-a-half of my life to do that, and it was very, very uncomfortable. It was very, very upsetting. The stories they were printing were upsetting, and -- but I was rich enough and fortunate enough to be wealthy enough to fight them. I mean, in some cases with libel laws, you know, they can write things about people who have no course of action, because they can't afford to take legal action against them. I've also sued the "Sunday Mirror." It's been a national pastime for me in England. I've...
KING: But do you deal with it well emotionally?: JOHN: Not sometimes, no. It still hurts. I have a much better relationship with the press than I did, I think because I stood my ground. They respected that and -- because I've been successful. And I think, you know, I think as you get older you mature a little bit.
And -- but, you know, when you -- I don't mind people's opinions of you. You know, that's fair game. You're a public figure. People can have an opinion. They have a right to write what they think. And that's -- I can deal with that. It's when they write something that's completely untrue. And if you're a journalist, surely the thing that you should be writing is the truth, or at least checking your facts. And that's what drives me crazy.
KING: We'll be right back with more of Sir Elton John. Don't forget, he'll perform for us before this hour is over. His new album is Songs From the West Coast. And he's touring with Billy Joel -- and that's not a bad quinella. We'll be right back.
KING: We're back with Sir Elton John. He's in Atlanta, we're in Los Angeles. Your heart situation. I never get personal on this show, but I have had quintuple bypass, and have had a heart attack. You didn't have any of those, right?: JOHN: No. I just had a -- I was in the south of France at my house. And I was going to be -- I was getting on a plane going to play at a friend's wedding, and I just felt very, very -- really sick, and very, very faint. And they had to get an ambulance and take me to a hospital. And I got checked out, and they sent me back to England. And I had three days of tests, and one of them involved wiring a tape recorder up to me for 24 hours.
And they didn't seem to find anything. And I went to France, and I was on the tennis court when David, my partner, came down and said, "Elton, they'd rather you not play tennis." And I said, "why is that?" And they said, "well, you've got to go back. They've found something wrong, that they want to do with your heart." And I just went nuts. I thought, oh, great.
And I talked to my doctor, and I must admit, you know, I'm sometimes quite renowned for my outbursts and I was just very frustrated, maybe a little frightened. But I -- at -- the upshot was, I went back and he said, "listen, all you've got to do is have this pacemaker put in." It took an hour-and-a-half. I was back in France within 36 hours, recovering. And it's been fine.
KING: So you've had the pacemaker for how long now?: JOHN: For a couple of years. My grandmother had one, as it was, so...
KING: Do you feel it?: JOHN: Yeah, you can feel the bump in my chest, absolutely.
KING: Do you know when it's working? I mean, do you know when it counteracts something? Or nothing?: JOHN: No. You don't feel that at all. I mean, I go in and have it -- every -- it's kind of like being the bionic man or the bionic woman. You go in there, and they put this thing on you, and all the information goes into a computer, and it tells you how much they've used, how...
KING: But it...: JOHN: ... how much it's used it...
KING: It's a pacemaker. It's not a defibrillator like Vice President Cheney has.: JOHN: I don't think so. No, it's just a -- it's common. It's a very common thing to have.
KING: All right. How about the reports of Sir Elton John and excess?: JOHN: Yeah...
KING: Houses, cars, furs, anything goes. True?: JOHN: I always liked spending my money, even when I was a kid, when I had a paper round -- or paper route, as they call it over here. I used to get my money at the end of the week, buy my mum something, or buy a record, and that was it.
I'm a very wealthy man. I have a lot of money stashed away, but I do live my life from day to day. And I think, with Gianni being murdered and seeing so many things happen in the last few years -- yeah, I have homes in Atlanta, London, Windsor, and Nice, and now in Venice in Italy. And I love collecting art. I've got a great collection of photography. I spend my money but I don't, you know, I do -- I'm a lavish kind of guy, and that's the way I am.
KING: But you also give of your time and money, do you not?: JOHN: Yeah. I'm very generous. I hope I'm very generous. The whole point of being in this business and being blessed and being successful is that you're able to do things for your friends or your family, which means that they can have something special in their lives, too. And I, you know, I'm a -- quite a generous man.
KING: What about, there were some reports that you had financial problems?: JOHN: There were some -- yeah, that was some reports, when I left -- parted company -- with my ex-manager, Mr. John Reid, and it led to a lawsuit against Price Waterhouse in England, which is still going on. It's gone to the court of appeal and it will be heard in June. There were reports that, you know, that I was short of cash and blah blah blah.
And there was a, you know, having gone through the books and looked at what was happening, my instincts were right. I called my lawyer in and said, I don't there's, you know, the money's going where it should be. And we were proved right. And consequently we parted ways. I have a new management team. I have my own office now. I kind of run my own affairs. And there was a, you know, there was a scare. It was like, where has all this money gone? And, you know, I'm not -- I've only been interested in the artistic side of life. And I trusted someone to look after me on the business side of life. And that went on for 27 years. And it went on for 27 years too long without me taking an interest. And I'm afraid, in this day and age, trust, which I count so, you know, I love loyalty. I love trust. And that was one of the biggest blows to me, when that parting happened, because, you know, when someone's been with you for 27 years, it's hard to say good-bye. But it...
KING: Yeah.: JOHN:... you know, it was a necessity.
KING: And it's painful.: JOHN: It's very painful. It's upsetting. It wasn't -- it wasn't about the money or anything like that. It was about the trust.
KING: Yeah. Who do you like, Elton? What male vocalist flips you today?: JOHN: Well, I'm a huge fan of Ryan Adams, who's from North Carolina. And he's beginning to break really quite big. He's had an album out called Heartbreaker, which was one of the big influences that made me to make this album, Songs From the West Coast, much simpler and much more back-to-basics.
KING: And what female artist?: JOHN: God, female artists. There's so many of them. India Arie has bee nominated for a lot of Grammies. And she's from Georgia, too. And I think she's brilliant.
KING: Boy, you're really into the South.: JOHN: Yeah. But, I mean, there are so many. I mean, Sting is one of my great buddies and I love him to death. You know, I love -- there's so much good music. I mean, there's Tony -- from Tony Bennett down to Sting, down to this Ryan Adams guy.
KING: You like Britney Spears?: JOHN: I do like Britney Spears. I think she's cute. I think she's fun. And I like her records. You know, I'm not a pop snob whatsoever. I think she makes great pop records.
KING: We'll take a break, we'll be back with more of Sir Elton John. Don't forget, music is coming. The new album is Songs from the West Coast. Don't go away.
KING: We're back with Sir Elton John in a conversation about the life and times of this extraordinary talent. You battled drug addiction and alcoholism, bulimia. How did you get through those hurdles? How -- you know, we -- when you hear about it, you read about getting clean, going from being unsober to being sober. What is that process like?: JOHN: It's really, I mean, it took me 16 years of drug addiction and alcoholism to actually have the humility to say, "I need help." Because, I figured that, because I was a successful man, I was wealthy, I was, you know, seemingly intelligent -- even that I am not intelligent enough to ask for help. It took me 16 years to say those three words -- I need help.
As soon as I said those words, I knew that I was going to get better, and I was determined to get better. But it was just a relief to be able to say those. My pride was killing me. It's -- you think you don't have a problem. And then you think, if I do have a problem, and I'd stop for a while, and then...
KING: What...: JOHN: ... when I went back to it, it got worse.
KING: What took 16 years?: JOHN: It's 16 years of being able to say, I've got a problem here. And it was a friend of mine, a relationship that I was having with someone in Atlanta who was the catalyst for me getting sober, who actually went into a treatment center first, which I was very angry about, because, hey, it was like telling me that I had a problem as well, which of course I did. And I think, when I was with the Ryan White family in Indianapolis when Ryan died...
KING: Yeah.: JOHN: ... and I played the funeral, and I was probably at the height of my unhappiness. If you look back at footage of me there, I looked like a 75-year-old white-haired man, about 300-pound man playing the piano. And I was really ashamed of myself. And as soon as I got my courage to say I need help, and I went to a facility in Chicago, which was excellent -- it was a hospital. It wasn't really like a treatment center, not like one of the posh ones anyway, which is not what I needed. I needed just to, you know, to share my room, my small room with someone. To -- I wasn't ashamed about going in and talking about my drug addiction. I was more ashamed that I couldn't work the washing machine than the fact that I was taking drugs. And I've been sober now and clean for 11 years. And it was the best thing I ever did. But, you know, those three words -- I need help. If only I'd said them earlier.
KING: Was that tougher than saying, coming out of the closet and saying, I am gay.: JOHN: Yeah, absolutely. Because, you know, you think you know everything. And you think, you know, I can fix this. I can fix this. And of course, it got worse and worse and worse. And that wasn't a problem coming out of the closet at all. My parents accepted it. I had, you know, I was very lucky in that respect. My family were very accepting. I'm in an industry where people -- it's not unusual for people to be gay or whatever. But actually, my drug addiction thing, I was so stubborn. And I regret that, but to hell, I've been sober 11 years, now, so, whatever.
KING: Does -- as a gay person who before having -- you have a permanent relationship now, do you not?: JOHN: Yeah. I have been with David Furnish for eight years, now.
KING: OK. Before that, when a gay person sees the AIDS thing...: JOHN: Yeah.
KING: ... do you count yourself lucky "I didn't get this?": JOHN: Absolutely. I mean, When you take a drink and when you take a drug, your whole thinking changes immediately. And you do things that you normally wouldn't do if you were sober. And so, I came out of this whole situation HIV negative. And it was one of the reasons why, that prompted me to start the Elton John AIDS Foundation, is because I felt, God, you've been so lucky that you haven't got this. So many of your friends are dying or have died because they've done the same thing as you, but you just played Russian roulette and you just didn't get the bullet in your head. So, I said, you know, I've been given another chance. I've got to do something about this. I've got to do something to make up for all those self-absorbed and selfish years when I just, you know, was taking drugs, sitting in my room, doing bad things, whatever.
KING: Do you know -- do you think that the AIDS now gets played down? That we hear much less about it?: JOHN: Well, I think you do. There are so many other issues that, you know, people are -- breast cancer, which I'm also very involved in and raising money for. The things that happened on September the 11th were so shocking, that people's attention gets put away from, you know, deserving causes everywhere. But I think the AIDS thing -- I think, because of the medicine that's available now, and the treatments available that prolongs people's lives, thank goodness, that a younger -- the younger people now are beginning to say, well, you know what? If I have unsafe sex, it doesn't really matter because there's a cure. But there isn't a cure, actually.
KING: I know.: JOHN: There's no cure. It's -- they're still playing Russian roulette, and this AIDS virus is so devious, it reinvents itself so many times, and just, you know, it's having a game with these treatments and beating them. And there's no guarantee that if you get HIV and you take these triple therapies, or whatever comes along next, that they're going to be successful for you. And thank God, it has been successful...
KING: Did...: JOHN: ... for lots of people, but it's not over. And the danger is -- and it's happening -- is we're seeing an incredibly big rise amongst young gay people, young heterosexual people as far as catching HIV, which is, you know, in an educated country like this or in Britain, it's frightening.
KING: And in South Africa, it's horrible.: JOHN: Well, I mean, throughout the rest of the world, it's a pandemic of enormous and disastrous proportions.
KING: Did you get a lot of flack performing with Eminem at the Grammys?: JOHN: Yes, I did. I didn't get...
KING: Why did...: JOHN: ... too much flack...
KING: ... why did you perform? I mean he -- many in the gay community and the non-gay...: JOHN: Yeah.
KING: ... community consider him homophobic.: JOHN: Well, I didn't. And I listened to the album. It made me laugh. It made me gasp. But I thought it was a brilliant piece of writing. And I knew that -- I do a column for Interview magazine. And I said in my interview that -- in my column -- when I reviewed -- I recommend records -- I thought that it was a work of genius, and that I, you know, I supported him, and I thought it was brilliant. And I thought it was the most exciting album I'd heard since Nirvana Never Mind in 1990, or whenever that came out.
I knew I'd get a lot of flack, because, you know, it's not everyone's cup of tea, and a lot of people jumped to the conclusion that he was homophobic. I did a thing with Axl Rose many years ago at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, when he was also considered homophobic. And I did a couple of songs with him, and he inducted me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And I really got on like a house on fire. I wanted to -- I looked at -- I think you can tell by your instincts. I looked at Eminem being interviewed.
I didn't think this guy is an evil guy. And when I was approached to do this, I wanted to work with one of the, you know, the brightest and most urgent voices of our age, no matter what you think. But I knew I was going to get flack. And I just -- I didn't find him to be homophobic...
KING: No.: JOHN: ... whatsoever. He was charming to me. We spent two or three days together. I got a, you know, the only bad thing I got was from GLAD, you know, and, you know, they have their point, but also...
KING: Well...: JOHN: ... the...
KING: ... one would never accuse you of not going to the hunt.: JOHN: Well, I just, you know, I have to say, I put my, you know, if I feel something...
KING: You do it.: JOHN: ... if I thought, if he was a homophobic man and was a really evil person, I would never have done it in a million years. I don't think so. I think he's a great kid. I like him a lot.
KING: We'll take a break and come back and talk about Songs From the West Coast and hear a couple. From the lips of Sir Elton John. Don't go away.
KING: We thought it most appropriate on this evening with Elton John to close things out musically. And we got some great selections coming. Tell me first, before we hear the first one, about Songs From the West Coast. What's the theme?: JOHN: All the songs were written in Los Angeles and performed, recorded there, except for the vocals, which I did in England. I call it Songs From the West Coast because that seemed appropriate. I never really made a full album in Los Angeles before. Everybody who worked on the album lived there. My band lived there.
KING: Written with who? Who writes with you?: JOHN: Oh. Well, Bernie Taupin, who wrote all the lyrics and now -- originally came from Lincolnshire, in England and now, lives in Santa Inez, has a ranch -- right -- he has cutting horses, goes to rodeos and has become the brown dirt cowboy and lives out that life.
KING: All right. The first one we're going to hear you're going to do is I Want Love, nominated for a Grammy for best male pop vocal for this song. Robert Downey Jr., by the way, appears in the video for this song. So, Elton, lay it on us.: JOHN: OK.
(MUSIC, ELTON JOHN, I WANT LOVE)
KING: Wow. I don't like to predict, but that's going to win. The next one we are going to hear is This Train Don't Stop There Anymore. It's also from the album Songs From the West Coast. And N Sync's, my man, Justin Timberlake, plays you in the video version of this set in the 1970s. Sir Elton, give us This Train Don't Stop There Anymore.: (MUSIC, ELTON JOHN, THIS TRAIN DON'T STOP THERE ANYMORE)
KING: Wow. When we come back, we'll close it out, this hour with Elton John with an old favorite. By the way, he's won both a Tony for Aida and an Oscar for The Lion King. He's been knighted too. Not a bad career. Back with our remaining moments. Don't go away.
KING: Sir Elton, thanks for a great hour. We're going to close it out with you doing one of my favorites, Your Song, from the One Night Only greatest hit album. Again, Elton, thanks for everything.: JOHN: Thank you very much, Larry. It's been a real pleasure. Thank you very much.
KING: The new album, Songs From the West Coast. He's touring with Billy Joel. Here is our closing number with Elton John, as we say good night with Your Song.: (MUSIC, ELTON JOHN, YOUR SONG)

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