Scot Fin's Blog - Posts Tagged "elton-john"

My imagination, Paris and Elton John, how do they all come together.
First, as a writer having completed my first novel (Ralph and the Girl From Mayfair Towers), I felt it time to become involved in blogging as well. I know my way around computers and programs; social media, however, not so much. So, here is me taking a shot at blogging.
Having completed that first novel, I got to thinking about imagination. Where did all those things I wrote come from? I have also recently returned from a trip to Paris. The main reason for this particular trip to Paris was to see an Elton John concert. From my interests you will see Europe travel is high on the list and Paris is a regular destination since my wife had whisked me off quite a few years ago to briefly (too briefly) live there (actually the wonderful Isle de France banlieue of St. Germain en Laye, perhaps the topic of future blogs or perhaps the future residence from which to blog and write).
As such, Paris is a regular destination and, in December, a destination to see an Elton John concert. Wonderful concert; Elton’s still got it, and a wonderful venue, the Olympia, good size and acoustics to really enjoy a great performance.
So what does Elton John and my imagination have to do with each other? Not so much really, but one old song (don’t tell Elton I used the term old, would not want him thinking himself old) did get me thinking about how imagination works or at least the similarity to how my imagination might work and my perception of how Elton John’s might have worked for this particular song. The song is the early 1970’s song ‘Benny and the Jets.’ The question is who are the Jets? Now certainly the Jets in the song are a fictitious Rock n Roll band. From my memory, which could be somewhat distorted from the early 1970s, I remember a story about that song, which Mr. John could correct if my memory is truly distorted and he happened to see this. You see, I’m Canadian and know a little bit about Winnipeg, Canada. Winnipeg has an NHL team called the Jets (New York Jets were not part of this story). In the early ‘70s Winnipeg also had a hockey team called the Jets, not NHL but an offshoot league, the WHA. The WHA in general and the Winnipeg Jets in particular, were best known for having lured a prominent NHL player, Bobby Hull, to play for them and provide some credibility. The story, as I remember it, is Elton John, Bobby Hull, the rest of the Winnipeg Jet team and their owner where all in, I believe, New York at the same time although certainly there was no tie in to Elton John and the team. A newspaper headline, however, did have an impact on Elton John or someone associated with Elton John. It was about the Winnipeg Jets and their owner. The owner of the Winnipeg Jets, well, his name was Ben Hatskin. You may see where this is going, the headline, Benny and the Jets.
Elton John did perform this song at the concert I attended, and, in my mind I sang (you would not want to hear me sing out loud), ‘Hatskin, Hatskin, Hatskin and the Jets.’ Now, unfortunately, Elton and I were not able to hook up after the concert so I couldn’t confirm my memory. He seemed he might be a little busy and my wife and I had the walk back to our apartment so meeting up just didn’t work out.
I, however, can just imagine those catchy lyrics forming in Elton John’s head. The factual headline, Benny and the Jets, Ben Hatskin, owner, Winnipeg Jets WHA hockey team leading off into a totally unrelated song about a fictitious Rock n Roll band. And there I see my imagination, perhaps imagination in general. Some factual, real event catching the mind but leading off in some other interpretation. As I write, real experience, real memories or real events cross my mind but lead off into true unrelated fiction. I think those realities are taken over by my imagination and, voila (to keep with the French theme here), that is where the fiction that I write comes from.