I am a big fan of The Beatles, so I am enjoying all the nostalgia about the group's first visit to the USA 50 years ago.
After seeing The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show replayed countless times over the past week, I am surprised no one mentioned that John's microphone was dead during the performance. You never hear him sing that night. You only hear the voices of Paul and George. John mouths the lyrics, but you can't hear him!
Anyway, two things are stuck in my memory about those days.
--- Being a budding radio hobbyist, I had a transistor radio by my side 24/7 and I remember being impressed that The Beatles had taken over rock radio. It seemed as if all the rock stations were playing wall-to-wall music by the Fab Four for weeks, perhaps months on end back in 1964. I had heard nothing like that before (and nothing like that since).
--- Being a novice femulator, I was impressed that the Beatles wore "long" hair and high-heeled footwear... just like girls wore! Were skirts and makeup next? Will boys be dressing like girls real soon now?
I had high hopes and thought, "Don't let me down." But I should have known better.
Prisoners of war femulating on stage during World War I.
Wearing Ali Ro.
Being a femulator can lead to many "A Hard Day's Night" but we never need a reason to "Get Back".
ReplyDeleteEarlier this week I was out of town on business and I put on a denim skirt, black top with a black jacket and my auburn wig and 3" suede heels and headed out to a bar for a burger and a beer. Chatting with two 30 somethings at the bar who both thought I was not much older than they were I told them that I remembered exactly where I was when I heard about the JFK shooting and also the arrival of the Beatles and their performances on Ed Sullivan. It took about 20 minutes of gentle lecture by me to convince them of the cultural importance of the Beatles. For many of us the coming of the Beatles in February 1964 was a sign that we needed to put the events in Dallas of November 1963 behind us.
The Beatles were the backbone of the sound track of my youth.
Pat
PS: After our discussion about the importance of the Beatles I needed to give some instuction about Greek and Roman mythology. Afterwards I joined my young charges in a little bar hopping. It was my first experience traversing snow packed sidewalks in 3" pumps. I am glad to be around to tell the tale.
Pat! Suede heels in the snow? You are lucky your shoes survived!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Yeah, Yeah......
ReplyDeleteI should have known better. I've been told to act naturally, but I couldn't,... because... I saw her standing there. Right now, I'm so tired. But I got a feeling that I'm going to take the long and winding road home because I missed the one after 909 because I didn't have a ticket to ride.
My girlfriend asked me, why don't we do it in the road, and I said that you can't do that. She started to argue with me, and I told her - your mother should know. But I'm thinking of dropping her, because she's always saying that you never give me your money. When I try to break away, she tells me that we can work it out.
Even so, there is something in the way she moves. I tell her to slow down, but she's a woman. The other day, she was getting dressed and was looking for an old brown shoe. I was frustrated and walked out the door saying that I'll be back - if not, because it's her birthday.
Later on, I planned to take her out to a concert and listen to Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Yes, all I've got to do is get a shot of rhythm and blues from Doctor Robert, and I'll be ready for action. Then when she smokes some Norwegian Wood, she'll please, please me.
I remember my older brother (14 in '64) brought home high-heel boots one day. I remember my parents giving him a hard time (because they look like girls' shoes) but not forbidding them. I don't recall how much he wore them.
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