Sir Elton John was thrilled to get a call Monday from Russian president and Photoshop pioneer Vladimir Putin, after John had criticized Russia’s abysmal record on LGBT rights. Their chat went well, Sir Elton reported on Instagram, and a face-to-face meeting was in the offing. If that sounds suspiciously unlike the unyielding, stone-faced Vladimir Putin with whom we all coexist in precarious detante, that’s because it wasn’t.