While browsing a department store catalog, I noticed a page featuring tee-shirts. On the front of those shirts were pictures of different popular bands, including one that had a photo of The Beatles leaping into the air. I believe the image came from their movie “A Hard Day’s Night.”
What struck me was, first of all, the staying power of this musical group. Fifty-plus years after they debuted in America on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964, merchandisers are still making money off their celebrity. My other thought was that these tee shirts are most likely being worn by a much younger crowd than “we” aging Baby Boomers who were teenagers back then. I construed this to mean that The Beatles’ songs resonant not only with the older folks who are contemporaries of the group’s members, but also with our children and even our grandchildren.
I was a Johnny-come-lately when it came to being a fan of that music. I liked several of their
songs when they were first being featured on the radio, but I liked the songs of other singing groups much more. Only after going off to college, about the same time that they split up, and during that time listening more closely to the lyrics, did I come to appreciate what they’d accomplished, how they’d both reflected and influenced the youth culture of the ‘60s, and how they’d evolved from early pop hits like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to much more reflective creations like “A Day in the Life.”
A couple of memories popped into my head as I thought about how the group has proven to be endurable and transcendent.
One involved the annual junior high talent show back when I was in eighth grade. Students, equipped with enough courage to get up in front of an audience of their peers, competed for our approval by displaying their various abilities. Generally the performers in these shows either sang or played a musical instrument.
An exception occurred that 1964-65 school year. The Beatles were at the height of their early popularity, a fact that prompted four of my classmates (and good friends)—Andy Showerman, Mel Lewis, Bob Coll, and Bob Allen—to sign up for the show. They dressed up in white shirts and black trousers, and, more importantly, wore black mop-top wigs.
Their intent was to resemble the lads from Liverpool. Upon entering the stage, one of them (I think it was Bob Allen) walked over and sat behind a drum set, while the other three carried electric guitars. As far as I know, none of them had a clue of how to play these instruments. They then waited for another classmate to start playing the record, and, once it started, the four of them lip synced the Beatle’s song that was playing on the loud speaker. They also pretended, with great gusto and much gyrating, to be playing the guitars and drums.
As soon as the music began, the girls in the audience did a wonderful job of mimicking the young ladies who had been attending The Beatle’s sold-out concerts since the group’s initial TV appearance. They screamed, waved their arms, and jumped up and down. I think even the teachers who were present laughed at the performance. As did most of the guys.
The act won the show “hands down.” At the time I was beside myself. I thought the screaming to be silly and wondered what talent was on display here. Talk about a stick-in-the-mud. Probably envy was more my problem. Here were these four guys, basking in the applause of all those girls, while I sat like a wallflower in the bleachers. The esteem of young ladies was, of course, an intense priority in junior high. We (boys) might be friends, but we were also competitors.
In the end, though, friendship usually prevailed.
I realize now that I had missed the fun of it all; just like I had missed the fun of The Beatles when they first exploded upon the scene. The Fowlerville foursome—in the best spirit of this madcap group from England, as The Beatles then portrayed themselves--had done their act with a tongue-in-the-check attitude. They were having a blast pretending to be The Beatles, while the girls in the audience were having an equally good time portraying their hysterical fans.
The truth be known, I would have loved being one of the Beatle impersonators. Certainly I was as cute as Paul, as opinionated as John, and as remote-acting as George, but with my nose I would have been a perfect Ringo.
The following year, when I was in ninth grade, an assignment for one of the classes was to do a survey. The question I picked was ‘Who is your favorite musical group?’ I believe there was a follow-up question of ‘Why?’
Secretly, I hoped enough others would choose my favorite band, The Four Seasons, making them the winner. I suspected, however, that those darn old Beatles would top the list.
As I recall, no one else picked The Four Seasons besides yours truly. People liked their songs, but they liked the songs of other groups much more. The Beatles, as it turned out, came in second. I believe The Supremes deservedly got several mentions in the survey. However, the favorite band by far and away turned out to be The Beach Boys.
Well, I couldn’t fault that choice then, and certainly not now. Their music was fun to listen to, and, like The Beatles, they have endured.
As for The Fab Four from Fowlerville, I am still hopeful that a reunion might eventually occur . . . an encore performance. If so, then I’ll be in the front row, screaming loudly.
No comments:
Post a Comment