Elton John to Queens of the Stone Age: ‘The Only Thing Missing From Your Band Is an Actual Queen’

Earlier this year Dave Grohl revealed that Elton John would join his band Queens of the Stone Age on a song when the rock album hit stores later this year. Frontman Josh Homme had a chance to explain how that collaboration came about during a recent interview.

The scene Homme describes sounds straight from a movie. The classic rocker was riding in his car listening to Them Crooked Vultures (another Grohl side project) when his assistant recommended he turn to Queens of the Stone Age. "The guy driving the car was an old roommate of mine," Homme told London's XFM radio. "So all of a sudden, I get a phone call at my house on a Sunday. I picked it up and he said, ‘Hello Josh, this is Elton.’ I thought someone was messing with me.”

Elton John cut through any potential nervousness by quickly saying, "The only thing missing from your band is an actual queen." When John joined the rockers in the studio, he expected to be handed a ballad, but was delighted to get a chance to rock out. "We just had a blast," Homme adds. "He became part of our band."

In February Elton John described the experience with similar enthusiasm. “I was in Vegas and I flew back to L.A. and Engelbert Humperdinck had written me a very sweet letter and asked me to sing a duet with him,” John explained to Grohl, who was guest-hosting 'Chelsea Lately.' “Then I drove three blocks and went from Engelbert to Queens Of The Stone Age, which was a bit of a mindf---.”

The album, called '…Like Clockwork,' will be out on June 4.

Listen to John Homme Talk About Working With Elton John