Through the past brightly
John Lennon, from the stage, with a sardonic grin, after Paul Mccartney finishes singing his mega-hit, “Yesterday”: “Thank you, Ringo.”
REMUS » The first installment of famed director, Peter Jackson’s, long-awaited Beatles documentary, “Get Back,”; began streaming on Disney Plus last week and by pure coincidence, my last two columns chronicled my great affection for the music of the “Fabs”; in particular and Rock and Roll in general. When it comes to defining Rock, I cast a wide net, that includes artists from Paul Simon to the Bad Brains.
It was my intention to finish up that topic with this article, then move on. We can hear about the rise and fall of the Harris Tweed some other time. For now, I want to say a word or two about live performances.
I’ve been fortunate to attend probably 100 live shows, a list that would likely fill this entire space. Although I’m certain that would delight an autistic friend of mine out in California, it would doubtless bore the rest of you senseless, so we’ll leave it at this.
Although I’ve thrilled over the years, to performances by musical legends like
Bob Dylan, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Warren Zevon, I never saw the Beatles. Who did? My wife, Debbie..
The following story tells you everything you need to know about Deb. 1966 turned out to be the Beatles last tour. Their lives had been turned upside down by the ferocity of their meteoric popularity. The din of the screaming fans that accompanied every live show, combined with the limitation of the primitive equipment available in those days, made it difficult for them to hear each other, let alone get across the nuances that were creeping into their compositions.
More to the point, they felt that the four of them, standing alone onstage would never be able to reproduce the groundbreaking sounds they and Producer, George Martin, were coming up with in the studio
In 1966, Debbie was a petite, blonde ragamuffin of 16 and the very definition of a “Beatle Maniac”; She had their every record album, every fan magazine and the walls of her bedroom were papered with posters of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Especially John. He was witty, tough and rebellious. Just like her. When the band came to Detroit, she and two girlfriends managed to score tickets up near the stage and convinced one of the girl’s parents to drive them down to Olympia Stadium.
They girls were beyond ecstatic. The boys played their early hits along with newer material like “Help” and “Nowhere Man.”
And here’s where we get to meet the girl I’ve been married to for 43 years.
Somehow, Debbie ascertained that the band had begun their last number.
She glanced at each of her friends and shouted, “I’m going!” With that, she leaped from her seat and raced to the stage. She scaled the barrier that had been erected to prevent exactly what she was doing, jumped onto the stage and in an effort to reach John Lennon, clambered up Ringo’s drum riser.
For one brief, shining moment, she was with “her Beatle.” A nanosecond later, she was set upon by a pack of beefy security ruffians, dragged from the stage, along with her best friend who had been close on her heels and the two of them were unceremoniously deposited in the alley behind Olympia.
It had been worth it— before she was hauled off, she saw John smile at her. Sixteen years later, her friend, who now resides in Wales, moved to Liverpool and started the Beatles Museum. Deb’s been over to visit her many time during the ensuing years. One crazy night, the two of them spent a wild evening carousing with Alan Williams, the Beatles’ first manager. Williams had driven the van that took the boys to Hamburg, Germany, in 1960 for their early seminal gigs. Later, the unlucky sod fell out with the group over his commission on a later trip. On the eve of their explosion as the biggest pop group of all time, he gave them up.
Shortly after Deb and I were married, I drew a sketch of Ringo’s father, Big Ritchie that was hung in his home over the mantle.
That’s my true story of Debbie and the Beatles.
And so it went.