The Week Of... Captain Fantastic: 50 Years of Magic and Memory

Half a century ago, in May 1975, Elton John released one of the most personal, ambitious, and artistically complete albums of his career — Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. A record that chronicled his and Bernie Taupin’s journey from struggling songwriters to international superstars, Captain Fantastic remains a cornerstone of Elton’s legacy: introspective, daring, and musically rich.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, we’re proud to present “The Week Of… Captain Fantastic 50th Anniversary”, a special series dedicated to exploring the stories, memories, and creative spirit behind this extraordinary album. Throughout the week, we’ll publish features, insights, and reflections that revisit not only the music, but also the people and moments that made Captain Fantastic such a singular work of art.

At the heart of this celebration is our special section, “Fifth of a Kind”, which brings together four distinguished voices in the Elton John world — George Matlock, Jim Turano, Andrea Grasso and Keith Hayward. Each of them has granted us an exclusive interview to share their perspective on the making, legacy, and timeless power of Captain Fantastic:

On Thursday:

George Matlock is a British journalist, broadcaster, and long-time Elton John enthusiast. He co-funded EltonJohn.World in 2002, a leading online hub dedicated to Elton’s music, news, and global fan community. A professional journalist since 1990, Matlock has worked across media and public relations, combining his communication skills with a lifelong passion for Elton John’s artistry.

In 2004, he began working with community radio in the UK and Poland, and later launched Radio Orla, a bilingual Anglo-Polish radio station serving listeners across the UK, Ireland, and Poland. Building on this experience, he created Radio Elton John, the official podcast channel of EltonJohn.World. There, he hosts the acclaimed interview series Saturday Night’s Alright (for Podcasting), where he speaks with musicians, producers, artists, and fans who have helped shape Elton John’s world — from early collaborators like Ray Williams to modern contributors and collectors.

Beyond broadcasting, Matlock is also the founder of London Scottie Club (2016) recently renamed Scottie Club UK and Scottie Radio UK, showcasing his versatility and creative curiosity. Through his work on Radio Elton John, he continues to connect fans and insiders alike, preserving stories and voices that celebrate Elton John’s remarkable career and legacy.

On Friday:

James "Jim" Turano, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois in the United States, has been an Elton John fan for more than 52 years. Since 1976, he has attended 215 Elton John concerts throught the United States and several foreign cities, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Prague, and Stockholm.  Since 2003, he has written the text for eight official Elton John concert programs sold throughout the world, and was a contributor to Elton’s official website, eltonjohn.com, since its inception in 2001.  From 1992-2003, he was a contributing writer and later, editor of the respected Elton John fanzine, East End Lights.  He also co-hosted four East End Lights “Elton Expo” conventions in Atlanta, Cleveland, Los Angeles and New York. Turano has interviewed many important players in Elton John’s career including his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, and original band members Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson, John Mahon, Guy Babylon, Bob Birch, Paul Buckmaster, Clive Franks, Alan Aldridge, among many others.  He wrote the liner notes for the award-winning, 1998 album release, “Crop Circles,” by Johnstone and John Jorgenson, and contributed 40 album reviews to the book, “The Elton John Scrapbook.”  He also is an avid Elton John memorabilia collector, and his collection includes the white and black lapeled Tommy Nutter-designed jacket featured on the “Blue Moves” inner album sleeve, and a pair of Elton’s Sir Winston white framed glasses from 1976. In November 2001, Turano was featured on VH1’s series “Fan Club,” on an episode that highlighted Elton John and his fans (this segment can be viewed at www.youtube.com, and searching for “Elton Jim”), and in 2020, he and his collection were featured on the national television show, “Collector’s Call.” He was known as “Elton Jim” on “The Garry Meier Show,” a popular daily afternoon drive time radio talk show on WGN-AM-720 in Chicago, and since 2016 has hosted a weekly podcast titled, “Elton Jim’s Captain Pod-tastic.”  He has worked in the Chicago media and arts for almost more than 40 years as a newspaper and magazine writer, columnist, reporter and editor, radio talk show host, and a public relations executive. He also is a multiple Jeff Award-nominated actor in the Chicago area.

On Saturday:

Andrea Grasso is an Italian fan and collector, whose lifelong passion for Elton John has made him one of the foremost experts on the artist’s discography and related items. Born and raised in Italy, Grasso knew who Elton John was in 1988, started listening to his music in 1992 and after a few months began collecting his records, building for over 30 years one of the most extensive and carefully curated private collections in the world. Over the years, he has specialized in researching and cataloguing the physical and artistic dimensions of Elton John’s career — from CDs to vinyl records (album, singles and other releases from all over the world, including a complete collection of collaborations between Elton and other artists), from press materials to books, tourbooks and rare promotional items. In 2023, he was featured in Record Collector Presents, a special one-off issue dedicated to Sir Elton John, highlighting his extensive collections and expertise.

In 2025, he published his first book, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Making of an Epic Album, co-authored with Luca Perasi, a richly detailed study on Elton John’s 1973 album. Combining historical research, musical and lyrical analysis, lots of interviews from Andrea's own archive, and including lesser-known facts, the book explores in great detail the making, artwork, and influence of one of the most important albums in rock history. Today, Andrea Grasso remains an active and respected figure within the international Elton John community (he also runs since 2012 his own Italian fanclub on Facebook, Elton John Italia), collaborating with writers, curators, and enthusiasts around the world.

On Sunday:

Keith Hayward is a British music historian, writer, and respected authority on Elton John’s early career. His work documents the formative years of Elton’s musical journey — from his days as Reg Dwight and his time at Dick James Music, through the creation of his first albums and the landmark tours that defined the 1970s sound.

Hayward has authored several acclaimed books providing a detailed and intimate view of Elton’s rise to fame. Tin Pan Alley: The Rise of Elton John (2013) explores Elton’s early years in London’s songwriting scene, chronicling his collaborations with musicians such as Caleb Quaye and Roger Pope. This was followed by From Tin Pan Alley to the Yellow Brick Road (2015), tracing Elton’s creative and personal evolution through the end of the 1970s. His most recent work, Elton John: From The Inside (2023), draws on over fifteen years of research and interviews with key figures — musicians, managers, producers, and crew — offering fresh insights into the artist’s inner world.

A dedicated collector of music and photographs, Hayward has gathered rare archival material and firsthand accounts that bring Elton’s early career vividly to life. He was also part of the archive team for Elton’s official documentary Never Too Late, contributing his expertise and deep knowledge of Elton’s formative years. Based in the United Kingdom, Keith Hayward’s publications have become essential reading for Elton John fans, collectors, and scholars seeking to understand the creative, cultural, and human context behind one of the most successful music careers of all time.

Soon the fifth expertise ......

Welcome to The Week Of... Captain Fantastic 50th Anniversary!!

This marks just the beginning of our journey through Captain Fantastic — a week filled with stories, interviews, and tributes that honor not just an album, but a turning point in Elton John’s artistic life. As we celebrate fifty years of this masterpiece, we invite you to rediscover its brilliance through the words of those who know it best — the fans, historians, and insiders who keep its spirit alive.

Let’s step once again into the world of the Captain and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.