Beatles London Walk

Our most excellent Great Britain adventure is physically over, but lives on in blog. We are now safely back in the U. S. of A. after a 3 ½ week whirlwind of England evolution travel adventure. We started with the British Musical Experience, which gave us an overview of music in the 60s and how the Beatles both influenced it and were influenced by it. From there, we visited Liverpool to understand where the Beatles came from, where they were born and raised and got their start. By the early 60s, they had outgrown their hometown and moved to London, where there was more opportunity. London was the place to be. London had the recording studios and was the center of British entertainment.

London was a happening place in the 60s. It has since been dubbed ‘Swinging London.’ After the devastation of WWII in the 30s and 40s, the rebuilding and economic hardships of the 50s, the 60s were a time of cultural growth and individualism. There was a change in attitude from the austerity and negativity of a war-torn country to the optimism and vibrancy of youth and the modern, hip music reflected that. The younger generation was ready for a positive, energetic change, and the Beatles delivered.

We covered a lot of Beatles’ ground in London. As in Liverpool, it was surreal to know we were walking where the Beatles walked. It seemed a little less amazing to me at this point, however, because they were already famous. In Liverpool, there was the wonder of how it all happened. How a bunch of normal kids from a normal town could come together and grow into something so big. In London, they were already adults. As adults and celebrities with a voice that could be heard, they had a hand in shaping London’s music, art, and fashion scenes. 

As evidence of their impact on fashion and art, I recall visiting Abbey Road. What a crazy place! It’s a wonder there are any Beatles’ fans left, as I’d expect them to all be killed trying to reenact the famous Abbey Road album cover. This album cover shows how the Beatles had progressed from the identical, clean-cut, suit-wearing boys of Brian Epstein’s influence, to their more individualistic and self-expressive mindset of the late 60s. They were no longer dressing to be successful, but instead, since they had already come into their own, were dressing as they pleased and influencing not only Londoners, but fans all over the world. Prior to Abbey Road, their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was also cutting edge artistically and reflected their involvement and leadership in the psychedelic experience. I was surprised to learn that psychedelic means “soul-manifesting,” which accurately sums up their search for enlightenment with mind-altering drugs and religious dabblings.

They became adults, as their homes and offices we saw revealed. This gave them the ego and courage to form opinions and use their famous platform to speak on issues they felt strongly about. They questioned the Vietnam war, society, and authority. One of my favorite Beatles’ quotes was when they were performing at the London Palladium, which we saw, and Lennon had the nerve to say (with the queen in attendance), “For our last number I’d like to ask your help: Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewellery…” He was great at those little jabs, as well as the bigger ones like “Give Peace a Chance” and his Two Virgins album (which I must admit I don’t quite get) that was made while living in Ringo’s impressive Montagu Square apartment.

3 Savile Row was a rather sad site to visit knowing that it was the location of the Beatles’ last performance in public. The building held the offices of The Beatles’ Apple Corps and the rooftop concert was included in their last film “Let It Be.” I found it surprising that neighbors would call the police on a free Beatles’ serenade, but our guide put that in perspective when he pointed out that the police listened till the end before dispersing the crowd. “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we’ve passed the audition” was Lennon’s fitting closing comment that day on their success story. It was the end of the 60s and the Beatles had been together over a decade. It seems a shame to me that such a successful group should come to an end when they still seemed able to write #1 songs and fans still wanted more, but realistically they had an unbelievable run that continued with individual success afterwards. 

Life in Liverpool

I was a few years too young to experience Beatlemania first hand. I’ve always enjoyed the Beatles' music, but was never one to get obsessed. I’ve rarely taken the time to look into the meaning of lyrics (except my recent research of “men chunder”) or the personal lives of stars. Yet, I enjoyed the songs, and music is an integral part of my life, as it is for most people. Music binds people together. Music has meaning. Music is emotional. Music is moving. To hear a song can take me back in time to remember certain occasions in my life. When I hear “How Great Thou Art,” I think of my grandma, because it was her favourite song. Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” reminds me of my mom teaching me to do the twist when I was probably 10-years-old. My cousin Todd and I became rebellious with “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” belting out that obscenity in song that we were forbidden to normally say.  The Beatles’ song “Yellow Submarine” brings back memories of exhausting  hiking in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in junior high with 40 pound backpacks made easier with its cadence sung by David Gourdine (Whatever happened to that crazy David Gourdine?)

I’ve found it interesting that many of the students in this group, although younger than I am, know more about the Beatles than I do. I’ve also found it interesting to learn that it wasn’t just screaming female fans that enjoyed the Beatles, but guys, too, found them cool and therefore followed and imitated them. The days in Liverpool were fun for me to immerse myself in the Beatles and become a knowledgeable fan.

Our Beatles Liverpool experience started with a tour of The Beatles Story museum. This was a great introduction to the Beatles. Through pictures, written stories and captions, audio commentary, and displays (including some original instruments played by the Beatles) their story was presented. We’ve read about the Beatles (606 pages worth!), we’ve talked about the Beatles in class (and at the pub!), but actually seeing Beatles’ belongings made a big impression on me. Their early guitars looked like kid’s toys, which made sense, because they were kids ranging from age 14 to 16! Those first instruments, frowned on by John's aunt Mimi, but encouraged by his mother and by Paul's father, gave them a positive pursuit that united the diverse boys.

After The Beatles Story and a lunch break, we hopped on a bus for our Magical Mystery Tour. The tour itself got its name from the album and movie the Beatles produced after the death of their manager Brian Epstein. The tour took us to each of the Beatle’s childhood homes, their schools, and some of the locations mentioned in their songs, like Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. What struck me most about these locations was how normal they were. I think it’s easy to idolize stars and forget that they are just regular people like you and me. My dad always said about famous people, “They put their pants on every morning just like we do, one leg at a time.” Seeing these locations and the roads they traveled, just as we were, really brought that home. We saw that John lived in the most well to do environment, which was still only middle class. Paul, George and Ringo’s houses were very modest and would be considered working class. They lived fairly close to each other making it easy to meet up, compose and practice together.

After our entertaining tour led by a personal friend of Paul McCartney (he made sure to show us the picture of Paul and him together on his phone), we walked over to the Cavern Club on Mathew Street. We had learned about The Cavern in our reading, class, and at The Beatles Story, but actually being there was something else entirely. It was like stepping back in time descending the stairs into The Cavern. When we got down there, there was a performer playing guitar, singing Beatles’ songs, and encouraging the audience to sing along. It didn’t take much encouragement. Next, a John Lennon Tribute Band of two brothers who resembled John and Paul, both in looks and sound, played and sang. Although it’s been over 50 years since the Beatles started playing in The Cavern, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the atmosphere-crowded, loud, hot, sweaty, smelly, and filled with great music and fun- the hip place to be in Liverpool. This familiar, local stage had to improve their performance, feed their ego, and give them a taste of stardom.

Our hostel was just a few doors down from the register office where John’s parents, Julia and Alfred, and John and Cynthia were married. We saw the church where Paul was denied acceptance as a choir boy and another where Paul’s brother was married. These everyday places and events are actual pieces of their early childhood environment. Liverpool was a rough place to grow up after being hard hit by World War II. Times were tough, and these boys felt it. Not only did they have to deal with life in post war, bombed Liverpool (St. Lukes still stands unrepaired in the city centre as a war memorial), John and Paul also had the added burden of dealing with the early death of their mothers. I believe these factors played heavily into how important the band was to the Beatles. The band gave the young boys an income, it gave them a purpose, it allowed them expression, and it gave them close friends to navigate through their difficult teenage years to develop into the Beatles that we know and love. 

British Musical Experience at the O2

On Wednesday, June 15th, we, the Raymond Walters College British Study Abroad Group, went to the British Musical Experience in Greenwich, England at the O2, a state-of-the-art concert arena and entertainment district. The British Musical Experience is a hands-on, interactive, music museum that spans the history of popular music in Britain from the 40's through today. Listening to the many genres of music was fascinating, but seeing many of the performer's actual costumes was especially entertaining to me. Thinking about these fashions impressed on me the influence that popular performers have on the cultural evolution of society's fashion and how popular culture also impacts performers. Through many album covers and authentic outfits worn by performers on display, it was interesting to see the evolution of clothing styles that performers progressed through and fans emulated. 

The Beatles started their long running success dressed in a style adopted from the Mod youth cult that was popular in the United Kingdom when they began performing. In this regard, the culture impacted how they first presented themselves to the public. In the Mod youth style, Mod stands for Modernist and was a term used to describe the more modern and progressive look of a style-conscious jazz fan with an Italian taste, rather than the Trad, short for traditional, attire. It was a classy look that proclaimed importance and taste. Ringo Starr's black Mod suit was on display at the British Musical Experience. Also, one of their very first albums, Introducing The Beatles, pictured them in the Mod style. This Mod style worn by the Beatles progressed from black suits to gray suits and then went out of style when it became too commercialized and pushed from the top down rather than being created by the young people making their statement.

As the political and social unrest intensified due to opposition of the Vietnam war, young people started rebelling against the establishment. This rebelling took the form of anti-war protests and developed into promotions of peace and love. Drugs were a logical way to buck the establishment, assert independence, escape pressures, unite, and supposedly pursue an enlightened perspective. This drug use led to the more flamboyant and colorful attire of the psychedelic era. The Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album shown at the British Musical Experience was a good example of this flamboyant and colorful time in the Beatle's career. The anti-war culture of the day influenced the Beatles in this change, but they in turn influenced their fans and expanded the hippie subculture.

The hippie subculture was also influenced by the Beatle's spiritual quest. With their maturing, the advent of this more enlightened global perspective and the materialistic life the Beatles were living, it's easy to see how they would need to seek out a more significant and meaningful existence. Their search for peace led them to Transcendental Meditation, and it was a trend that stabilized them toward the end of the Sixties. George Harrison especially became interested in Eastern music and taught himself to play the sitar. A sitar like George Harrison's was on display in the British Musical Experience. With this trend, the Beatles started wearing Indian-influenced fashions like their Transcendental Meditation leader, Maharisi Mahesh Yogi, including collarless shirts and sandals. Long hair and facial hair was also a result of this quest. These fashions were additionally assimilated into the hippie culture. 

Cultivating this attitude of peace and non-materialism naturally led to more down-to-earth and casual fashions including t-shirts and blue jeans. This also led to a minimalistic style reflected in the white suits that John Lennon made popular. Both of these clothing styles are displayed on the Beatle's Abbey Road album where George Harrison is wearing jeans and John Lennon is wearing his white suit crossing Abbey Road.  This minimalistic style was even carried over to a completely white cover on their album called The Beatles. (Since I negligently forgot to pack my white suit, I’ll have to pretend to be George Harrison in my imitation of the Beatles Abbey Road walk on July 2nd.) 

When each of these styles are analyzed with the culture and the progression is followed, it is interesting how the fashions proceed. It seems to me that some of the Beatle's styles, like the Mod, were fed by the culture, while others like the psychedelic, were fed by the culture and the culture was also fed by the performers. Each fashion evolved into the next logical fashion style. The Beatles also grew from being influenced by culture, because of a desire to be liked and successful, to a more confident display of their own tastes that instead influenced the culture. One last fashion element that exemplifies a performer’s potential impact on the cultural fashion, that I would be remiss in not mentioning, is John Lennon's round glasses. These glasses were on display at the British Musical Experience. I think they are a perfect example of how a beloved performer can influence fashion culture as evidenced by the amount of people who started wearing similar spectacles trying to emulate John Lennon. 

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