Bernie Taupin says Elton John “genuinely” loved his new memoir: “He went, ‘I didn’t know you did that!’

Bernie Taupin‘s memoir, Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me, an inside look at his life and career as the co-writer of Elton John‘s biggest hits, is out September 12. It features plenty of rock ‘n’ roll behavior and celebrity encounters, with everyone from John Lennon and Freddie Mercury to Princess Margaret, but what’s really amazing is that Elton didn’t know some of the details Bernie reveals in the book.

“He genuinely loved the book. I was so flattered by his compliments on it,” Bernie tells ABC Audio. “But the first thing he said to me when he called me after he finished the book, he went, ‘I can’t believe all of this. I mean, I didn’t know you did this. I didn’t know you did that.'”

“That’s a fan fantasy that we’ve lived in [each other’s] hip pockets for the last 55 years, ’cause it’s not true,” Bernie adds.

While the book isn’t in chronological order — hence the title Scattershot — it does cover all the major moments in Bernie and Elton’s career. It just does it from Bernie’s point of view.

“There are things in our collective lives that are bigger than life itself … they’re huge bullet points in our careers. You have to address them,” he says.

As for a new Elton album, Bernie says it’s being discussed.

“I’m sure somewhere in the not too distant future we’re going to be getting in the studio and doing something,” says Bernie. “We just have to figure out what we want to do.”

What he does know is that Elton really isn’t going to tour anymore.

“Believe me,” Bernie says. “He’s never going to be singing ‘Crocodile Rock’ … again.”