A Rocket Man and His Brand

Nov 2

“I think it's gonna be a long, long time, 'til touchdown brings me 'round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. I'm a rocket man … Rocket man burnin' out his fuse up here alone”

- BERNIE TAUPIN

It’s a story about fame, loneliness and seeing space travel as a 9–to-5 job.

Written by Bernie Taupin, turned into music by the piano keys of Elton John, this 1972 classic was inspired by a collection of science fiction short stories from Ray Bradbury. In the book, Taupin came across a 1951 story called The Rocket Man, and while driving to his parents' house, the famous opening lines came to him. For two lonely hours on a British highway, he kept repeating that stanza over and over and upon arrival, rushed inside to grab a pen and capture those lyrics on paper.

Astronauts aren’t the heroes they’re made out to be on Earth. Many struggle to cope with the enormous gulf that exists between public adulation and their own self-image as ordinary, flawed human beings. Not surprisingly, the same holds true for rock stars and highly successful CEO’s.

The public never sees the thousands of hours of isolated work along with the personal anguish of having to be away from home and family for extended periods of time. In many ways, the song is a perfect metaphor for a boy named B.J. who grew up dreaming about space and what it would be like to work for NASA. Smart as a whip with math and physics, he voraciously consumed every morsel of inter-planetary academic knowledge, thinking he would launch his life and career into orbit by enrolling at Penn State to study aerospace engineering. However, life has a funny way of changing the trajectory you’re on. Before long, B.J. was focused on launching an entrepreneurial mission from a 500-square-foot store front in a small central Pennsylvania town with nothing more than a toolbelt and a landline telephone. One small step that turned into a giant business leap.

Since 2006, B.J. Werzyn has established a ‘Category of One’, building West Shore Home into a billion-dollar juggernaut that is 20 years in the making. Join us at mission control for A Rocket Man & A Brand on Leaders & Legends.

“Man must understand his universe in order to understand his destiny”

- NEIL ARMSTRONG

p.s…. Originally released as the lead single to the album Honky Château, the song would become regarded as Elton’s John's signature anthem. Rolling Stone lists it at No. 149 of its 500 greatest songs of all time. In January of 2024, Rocket Man surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. In many respects Rocket Man perfectly reflects loneliness and emotional detachment while reframing the astronaut as a working-class professional. That haunting feeling of a deep psychological void and isolation of being millions of miles from home is something any entrepreneur can relate to as they are often greatly misunderstood by those closest to them. Few people can truly relate to the level of expectations placed on their mortal shoulders and the enormous weight of responsibility they carry for ensuring their employees and families are well taken care of.

Which is what makes B.J. Werzyn’s mission to become America’s Most Admired Home Re-Modelling Brand all the more remarkable.

PLANNING A CONFERENCE OR SPEAKING EVENT?

Could enduring principles from the origin of legends be applied to your company or industry association? In the face of frantic, unforgiving change? BIG LITTLE LEGENDS offers a deeper dive into timeless principles that NEVER change. If you have an in-person event on the 2027 or 2028 horizon, watch the ‘Movie Trailer’ and discover the endlessly fascinating, universally applicable message of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS.

“Heroes get remembered. Legends never die” - BABE RUTH

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BIG LITTLE LEGENDS: SPOTLIGHTED IN FORBES 🌟

BIG LITTLE LEGENDS - Unveiling the Art of Crafting Magnetic Brands for Everyday Leaders - is at your fingertips anytime, anywhere, thanks to our esteemed distribution powerhouses, including AMAZON, AUDIBLE and Wal-Mart. Empower your leadership and brand with boundless insights! 📚🎧

Read: Dive Into Forbes here.

BRAND STRATEGY: ON PURPOSE & ON TRACK.

It’s been called a metaphorical road trip that is both journey and destination. THE BRANDING HIGHWAY is designed for larger companies and organizations looking to emerge as an undeniable, undisputed, "Category of One.” This proven, market-tested process is an avenue for Executive Teams to discover both a highly distinctive Brand Identity as well as develop the foundation for your own Media Company. Impossible to describe. Filled with many twists and turns, here is a quick preview:

“No one remembers who took second place. That will never be me" -ENZO FERRARI

FULL THROTTLE VIDEO:

Every week, someone asks a question about our videos and our media partner responsible for the storyboarding, production, and editing. Headquartered in Toronto, ON with a Western Canadian office in Calgary, AB, DEFIANT ASTRONAUT MEDIA is uniquely positioned to help business leaders all over the continent rethink what's possible with this art form.