Rocket Man Explained

I have an unusual job as a writer covering the gambling beat (poker and sportsbetting). This past week I'm covering a festival of online tournaments. My bosses enjoy music and also have wonderful senses of humor (since most of them are British, make that "humour"), so I can get away with a few musical references and word play with lyrics. Just the other day, a Phishead with the screen name Tweeprise made a final table of one tournament and I snuck in a Cavern reference when he busted out

Anyway, last night, I was feeling saucy and I embedded my recap with a few Rocket Man references. I cranked up Elton John's song on a loop while I wrote. The song reminded me of an old conversation I once overheard in the lot of a Panic show...

Head #1: "Wait, Rocket Man is about astronauts?"

Head #2: "Yeah, going to Mars. It's part of the same story David Bowie was telling in his Space Oddity. The same producer produced both albums."

HEad #1: "Wow, astronauts to Mars? And the whole time I thought Rocket Man was about being wasted drugs."

Anyway, here's Sir Elton performing Rocket Man in Scotland circa 1976...



More Elton... here's a version from MSG in 2000...



Here's Bill Shatner performing Rocket Man circa 1978...



The Gin Blossoms performing an acoustic cover in Vegas from 2008...



This has no video (just audio) but Jim James and My Morning Jacket giving their rendition....



And here's a fucking hispter with a ukulele...



No disrespect to Elton John, but Shatner wins. Hands down.