According to Sir Elton John, the world could be a more compassionate place free of “hateful lemmings” if only all religion was banned. In an interview with Observer Music Monthly magazine, Sir Elton says that while he loves “the idea of the teachings of Christ,” he still believes that, as a whole, “organized religion doesn’t seem to work.”

With only a fleeting acknowledgment of the relief work being done in Africa with the help of many religious organizations, and with no recognition of the recent changes in the American Episcopal church regarding gays, the aging musician dedicated most of the interview to criticizing religous leaders and those who follow them.

As can be expected, John’s more flamboyant comments have been quickly picked up by conservative media outlets like The Drudge Report, leaving out the very few intelligent things John said toward the end of the interview. In the midst of his intolerant rant about the intolerance of religion, John does make a few coherent comments about the importance of citizens becoming more active in protesting social causes in the streets as opposed to online, and he articulates the need for more religious leaders to meet together to discuss world issues.

But for the most part, John sounds less like an informed activist and more like an aging Baby Booomer still stuck in the ’60s–someone who is more a part of the dreaded Establishment than he wants to acknowledge.