Blog Assignment #2: Roll up!!!!!

Our group trip to Liverpool was jam packed full of stuff to do, but we did it all in the short time we were there. After the long busride from Harlaxton, we got to our hostel and dropped off our stuff. Soon we had to walk over to where The Beatles Story was. The Beatles Story is a walk through museum full of different displays that literally explain the story of The Beatles. What I really liked about this walk through was that we got to have the headphones with the audio explaining different displays. I think that having the audio really helped me get the most out of the experience. Although I love looking at all of the Beatles things and learning more about their history as a band and individuals, I really enjoyed going on The Magical Mystery Tour. That was the bus ride that took us around Liverpool to show all the different Beatle locations. Some of the places we visited included Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, George Harrison’s childhood home, Paul McCartney’s childhood home, and we ended at Mathew Street. However, we did see John’s childhood home, Ringo’s childhood home and other locations that were important to their lives.

First we drove by Ringo Starr’s childhood home. It was pink and white and very cute. Unfortunately we weren’t able to stop there, so we kept on going. The first place we stopped was at Penny Lane. Apparently the signs are stolen quite regularly from Beatle fanatics. The picture I have wasn’t of the original Penny Lane sign because it used to be painted on the wall. Fans wrote all over the painted sign and it also has started to wear off. However, I learned that Penny Lane was NOT the street that had all of the locations mentioned in Paul McCartney’s “Penny Lane.” Really all of the places he mentioned were on the street next door that had a name that I cannot recall, but it certainly did not have the same kind of ring as Penny Lane. However, Paul and all the others did take the bus down to Penny Lane, where they would walk about that area and go to all of these places.

Our next actual stop was to George Harrison’s childhood home. Both George and Ringo’s houses seemed to be more in the urban part of Liverpool. They were both very close to the downtown area where lots of stores and other places were. It’s weird to think that people actually live in those two houses now. When we walked down the street to get to George’s house, there were a few people out in the street outside of their home just minding their own business. George’s house was also in a tightly packed neighborhood. There is someone living in that house today because we saw a cat lounging in the window! I feel bad for those who live on those streets that hundreds of tourists go down day after day. They asked for it!

Our next stop was to Strawberry Field. It was so much cooler than I remembered it being from when I was here a decade ago. There is a very pretty red painted gate and the two posts say Strawberry Field. Those signs actually are painted on the posts instead of having the metal signs out. Of course, the two Strawberry Field signs were completely covered with signatures and messages from fans, but it was still very neat looking. I don’t know if many people know why Strawberry Fields Forever (the song) was written about that location. The actual location was used as an orphanage that was very close to John Lennon’s house and he would visit it quite frequently. He would go there with his neighborhood friends that all lived close by, but most importantly he would go there by himself. When he would go to Strawberry Field, he would wander the grounds and sit and think, write, draw, or anything. He claims it was a place where he could let his mind go free and feel at peace with himself and the world. He could let his imagination go to wherever it would take him and nothing would get in his way while being in that secluded place. John was a very troubled young boy and still was into his adulthood and what I took out of knowing that information was that Strawberry Field was a safe place for him. It was defining to his sanity and happiness within himself. It was used as an escape from his troubles and he felt completely free. No matter what exactly that destination was to John Lennon, the world got a remarkable piece of music from the memories it imprinted on him.

We drove by John Lennon’s childhood home, but we didn’t stop to get out and take pictures. His house was actually bought by Yoko Ono and donated to The National Trust. She still donates money to keep up the house in good condition, which is very generous. There is a circular blue plaque on the front of John’s house that states that he lived there. Our guide explained that it is a British tradition to give out those plaques to people who had been dead for twenty years or more and they were still celebrated to the present day.

Next we actually stopped at Paul McCartney’s childhood home. Apparently Paul visits it quite frequently and stands outside to give out autographs! Paul’s house is also owned by the National Trust and is kept up. Out of the four houses that we saw, John’s was definitely the largest of them all. We drove by a few more places and ended our tour on Mathew Street. From then on we were free to explore until we had to get back on the bus to Harlaxton the next day. After some minor shopping, the girls and I went to The Cavern Club to claim a spot so we could listen to some good music. There was a duo playing that evening that our tour guide described to be in the top 3 voices of John and Paul, so I definitely wanted to see them. Although the Cavern Club that stands today is not the original that the Beatles performed in, this one still seems pretty authentic. I learned that they even used several of the original bricks to put the new Cavern together! Cool, huh?

I stayed and listened at the Cavern for quite a while. I really enjoyed the duo that played because they were very talented musically and they sounded SO MUCH like John and Paul. They played a really good selection of songs too. They played all of the popular ones, of course, but they also played some of the less popular songs. It was refreshing to hear some of the songs that always get hidden because of all the singles. Long story short, and I don’t know how this happened, but Mathea mentioned to the “Paul” singer that I played guitar and he asked me to play some songs on stage. Believe it or not, I actually did! I played Blackbird and I’ll Follow The Sun up on the stage of The Cavern. It was absolutely remarkable. There really are no words to describe such an experience. It seems strange and humorous to some people, it actually brought me to tears. The Beatles started their career playing at The Cavern. Although I’m not looking for a performance career at all, it was just incredible to be in the same place and doing the same thing that my four inspirations did. They have been an inspiration for my entire life and I was lucky enough to be blessed with a brief moment in their shoes, performing their songs. It was so unreal. I had the ULTIMATE Beatle experience.

On Wednesday morning, a small group went to tour the INSIDE of John and Paul’s childhood homes. It was very very interesting. Oddly enough, there is a couple that guide the tours of their houses that actually live in John’s house...? I didn’t quite understand it. In all seriousness, going on that extra tour really just tied everything together. I got the opportunity to look into the young lives of John and Paul. I stood in the very rooms where they did a lot of their song writing. It was interesting to note the differences between John’s house and Paul’s. Both families were incredibly hard working, but Paul’s family seemed to struggle more often than John’s...financially, at least. Of course, the two have much in common where they both lost their mother’s at a young age. In John’s Aunt Mimi’s house, there were rooms that were just so and very nicely decorated. There were rooms that were left ONLY for important guests, not the members of the household to use on a daily basis. In Paul’s house, there were three different wallpapers in one room because they could only afford to buy the ends of rolls. Instead of having one large carpet in the middle of the room, they had several floor runners sewn together. Like I said, both families were INCREDIBLY hard working, but the atmospheres were very different. John and Paul would often compose at Paul’s house because Aunt Mimi was not too supportive of their rock’n’roll music. However, before John had even met Paul and he was performing in his own little band, he made a deal with Aunt Mimi. If he would start doing his school work and succeed in his academics, she would let him practice with his band on Sunday’s at their house. She kept her end of the bargain, but he did not. Once John and Paul met, they started practicing more at his house. Aunt Mimi very much approved of Paul becuase he wasn’t the Scouse Liverpuddlian that she had expected. However, she wouldn’t let Ringo through the door. All of the little pieces of information I learned just added to the story of The Beatles and how much inspiration they took out of their hometown. Now I think the key for me is to look deeper into the songs now knowing that.