Strawberry fields forever
Liverpool’s unique Beatles degree course aims to investigate the link between the two, asking wider questions about the intersection of fame, culture and tourism.
THE red iron gates of Strawberry Field, a former Salvation Army children’s home in whose grounds John Lennon used to play as a child, are just one of the many places Beatles fans can visit on a pilgrimage to Liverpool.
Even half a century after they split up, the band’s presence can still be felt throughout the city, attracting countless fans, though Beatles tours of the city include so many stops, that most visitors barely manage a quick selfie in front of the famous sign before continuing on their way through the city.
But one group intends to dig a little deeper than that – meet Holly Tessler and her students.
Tessler runs a postgraduate degree course at Liverpool University called “The Beatles: Music Industry and Heritage,” and is keen to do away with any preconceptions people might have about such a subject.
“You tell people there’s a Beatles MA and they think it’s going to be a pub quiz or that we listen to ‘Sergeant Pepper’ and comment on how fantastic it is,” she told dpa. “No one needs a degree for that.” The aim of the Beatles MA is to question the prevailing ideas about the band, she says, which becomes all the more important as contemporary witnesses grow older.
Only two members of the Beatles are still alive, with vocalist and guitarist Paul Mccartney turning
80 this year and drummer Ringo Starr turning 82. Off the record, experts say the remaining band members’ memories can change depending on their mood on any given day.
Tessler, who never misses a Mccartney performance herself, wants to promote a scientific approach and ensure the historiography of the band is objective.
That is part of the thinking behind her degree programme, and also for a journal due to begin publication this year.
Students on the course also consider such issues as the role the Beatles played in society, given their enormous influence on culture and fashion in the 1960s.
Ten students have enrolled for the first semester, with the full-time course set to last one year. There’s a broad range of ages, from some in their early 20s to others in their late 60s. Some are at the start of their careers, while others have already retired.
Steve, for example, hosts a podcast and a blog about the band in his spare time. While Susan, a former university lecturer from the US, moved to Liverpool just to take the course. Tour guide Damion, on the other hand, is taking the MA to deepen his knowledge about the city’s most famous sons.
All have one thing in common: they are huge Beatles fans. Case in point: two students have even named their sons Jude.
“We never get tired of them, we are mental on them,” says Alexandra Mason, one of the youngest students enrolled in the course.
Tessler freely admits she can’t tell her students anything new about the band members or their songs. Instead, she says, the course’s focus is on music and culture.
“How Liverpool reconciles and works with its Beatles heritage with its wider cultural sector is something we encourage students to explore.”
Visits such as the trip to Strawberry Field give students a behind-the-scenes look at the Beatles tourism industry.
They also look at how revenue earned from the phenomenon is spent. Strawberry Field, for example, is a charity that works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Lessons alternate between classroom-based teaching and excursions to landmarks such as Penny Lane. Meanwhile, assignments include devising a Beatles walking route through Liverpool or creating a pitch for a Beatles event.
The degree is not focused on a niche, Tessler says. “It’s not a degree celebrating the Beatles, but using the Beatles, tourism and the heritage industry of Liverpool as a template for other places that are known for a cultural phenomenon,” naming Salzburg and its connection to Mozart as one of countless other examples around the world.
Graduates of the course are likely to go on to work in the tourism leisure, culture or creative industries, Tessler says.
Just a short stroll through the city quickly reveals how closely Liverpool and the Fab Four are intertwined. Beatles tourism brings in an estimated ¤100mil (Rm475mil) to the city each year.
“One of Liverpool’s biggest industries is tourism and a huge chunk of our tourism is Beatles tourism,” says Roag Best, owner of a museum dedicated to the Beatles. “So the Beatles have created an economy in Liverpool that puts a structure there to create a lot of employment.”
The bright throbbing heart of the Scouse Beatles Mecca is Mathew Street, home to the legendary Cavern Club, where the Beatles played hundreds of times in their early years, and the nearby Grapes pub, where the band went for a pint beforehand.
Cafes and bars in the surrounding area nearly all contain references to the Beatles in their names from the Rubber Soul to Sergeant Peppers. Beatles songs can be heard on the streets as you walk between venues and it feels a bit like a Beatles Disneyland.
Roag Best, who has a unique connection with the band, being the stepbrother of the original Beatles drummer, Pete Best, says that there was never any question for him about the location of his Beatles museum – it had to be Mathew Street.
Best proudly shows off the exhibition, noting that only Paul Mccartney himself has a larger collection of Beatles memorabilia. Treasures housed in the museum include John Lennon’s lighter, the original plans of the Cavern Club, film props, instruments, clothes, letters and hotel guest lists from US tours.
The museum also traces the history of the band with thousands of documents, dating from their breakthrough with the public in Hamburg, the hysteria around the band members, and, of course, their acrimonious break up.
Best thinks the Masters course is an excellent idea.
“Studying the Beatles is not just about learning about a rock ‘n’ roll band,” he says. It’s about pushing boundaries. “The Beatles changed the culture at the time.” – dpa