“Johnny didn’t ever go to space, so he never got the chance to find the Great Cat in the sky - but wherever he is, you can be sure that on every clear and moonlit night, he’ll be out there looking up at the sky, just in case.Johnny Rockets' Credits Brand Refresh for 2016 Growth Just a normal life in suburbia with no aspirational hopes and dreams, just a ‘happy ever after’. With no time to spare he was transported to a ‘destination unknown’ to start life again, with his new bride-to-be and their new identity - no more Mr & Mrs Rocket, no more silly ideas about becoming a spaceman. Tiptoeing back into the arms of his beloved. Time passed, and as planned, Johnny returned in secret. ( cue pt VI ‘YESTERDAY’S NEWS’) (cue handkerchief) So now, whilst relieved and overjoyed, Twilight had to 'play along', acting as if Johnny was truly lost forever. It was on the day of the funeral for the fallen heroes that the letter finally turned up on the doormat… The disaster, as planned, was broadcast worldwide and Twilight’s heart was broken, along with a grieving nation. 'The letter' to fiance Twilight for whatever reason, was delayed for many weeks.
Johnny, however planned to send a letter to his beloved Twilight explaining that he had never really been in any Spaceships, he had in fact just been acting the part in a small TV studio and, after some time in a secret hideaway, he would eventually come home without celebration or acknowledgement. This heinous hoax was supposed to be a secret from everyone. A national tragedy concocted to keep the country on-side and supportive.
It was no more than an elaborate way of fooling the world, boosting TV ratings and putting America back at the top. It was not long before Johnny and the crew were sworn to secrecy as the mission ‘had’ to end in disaster. Did man really land on The Moon or was it all just a ruse? Johnny was clearly entering a world of fakery, conspiracy and deceit. Move forward to the 1980s, the ‘Space Race’ was hotting up, and growing tensions around the world meant that the U.S.A had to be number one. The star-struck lovers barely had any time for each other, although they did have the promise that, after his mission they could settle down and live happily ever after. His new found love had to wait for him whilst he was immersed in the intense NASA training program. He hated everything about it, however as he was about to leave, he saw her - Twilight! - could the timing have been any worse? ( cue pt II ‘THUNDER IN THE NIGHT’) He was finally going to be a spaceman and to celebrate before camp started, he reluctantly followed his fellow graduates to a DISCO in the city. It was now the late 1970s and Johnny had worked his way through college and made it to ‘Space Camp’, a privilege reserved only for the elite. ( cue pt I ‘JOHNNY ROCKET - GONNA BE A SPACEMAN!" they all laughed at him and dubbed him ‘Johnny Rocket’. Johnny was going to be a Spaceman (or so he told everyone who would listen) and one day he would fly to the stars. When he wasn’t star-gazing, Johnny often spent his time alone acting out space stories in his bedroom with his hand-made pair of cardboard ‘space wings'. Every clear night he would gaze up into the sky, making out the shapes of the star constellations - one of which he knew was the ‘Great Cat’. Johnny was a dreamer, and he dreamed of Space. His only companion was a stuffy, old toy cat that he took everywhere. An ‘A-grade student’ but a loner, who was teased at school.
It was the 1960s - Johnny was an only child. “I’ve seen the 'big cat in the sky', I wanna go and find it.” ( Johnny Riley - 6¼ yrs old) 'The Story of Johnny Rocket', a young bespectacled child that knew no boundaries when it came to following his dreams. (keep it with your albums or even tuck into your Limited Edition Narnia Box) Print these liner notes off to follow the uplifting Story of Johnny Rocket drama on side 2 of 'DAYTRIP to NARNIA'. The Story of JOHNNY ROCKET - A 'read as you listen' guide.