Skip to main content

New York City and the Beatles 50th Anniversary

      Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I am back from my journey to Manhattan. Spent a week with the Missus visiting friends and family. We co-produced an off-off Broadway show starring our good friend Micah McCain (of "Bonjour, Girl" fame) at the Duplex in the Village. The performance was hilarious and fantastic; and I am very proud of what Micah is accomplishing in NYC. You may remember him from my Huckleberry Finn video - he is part of the "We Are Weightless" sequence.

     On Sunday, February 9th, we managed to hit a grip of Beatle-related locations in honor of the 50th Anniversary of their American debut on the Ed Sullivan show. We started with a visit to the Ed Sullivan Theater, currently the home of the Late Show with David Letterman. It was just a short walk from our hotel and I was quite surprised that other than a quartet of European tourists no one else was taking photos of the cool commemoration there. The clever folks at CBS had wrapped the current marquee with a mock-up banner to recreate the vintage marquee announcing the Beatles' appearance; along with Georgia Brown & Tessie O'Shea. Get back to 1964!

     From there it was on to Central Park and the Dakota, still the residence of Yoko Ono. We waved and blew kisses to Yoko, even if she wasn't home. I, for one, love Yoko - I am a fool for her latest single/video Bad Dancer featuring the Beastie Boys.

     There was snow on the greens of Central Park but the sidewalks and the memorial of Strawberry Fields were clear. So we spent time there taking pictures and breathing in the air. It was a frosty day, but very peaceful for walking meditation. We bookended two visits to Strawberry Fields that afternoon with tea at Alice's Tea Shop down the road from the Dakota. Of course, there was tea.

     Our path took us next to the Plaza, where the Beatles were encamped during their first US visit. On several occasions I took faithfully geeked-out pictures with my new Beatles US album CD of Meet The Beatles. It had crossed my mind to take along my 12" 1965 vinyl pressing of MTB as a prop, but with the threat of inclement weather (and it did snow that afternoon; large, damp flakes) and the cumbersome size of the LP, not to mention the sentimental value; I left the record at home. The CD fit neatly in my pocket and served as a nice proxy.

     With the snow coming down, we strolled back to our digs and watched the Beatles TV special. On the whole the show was alright. The highlight was watching Paul and Ringo do their thing together on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends. It was a gas watching Yoko and Sean Lennon grooving to the performances. They looked like they were having a ball. Stevie Wonder's version of We Can Work It Out is still a mover. The additional performers left something to be desired and I imagine some will be forgotten in a few years time. But those songs won't be forgotten in our lifetimes.

     Thank you, Beatles!

     The rest of the vacation was spent taking tea; taking in monuments and museums (the Met was displaying Eric Clapton's Martin guitar featured on Layla from MTV Unplugged); theatre (meeting Sir Ian McKellen & Sir Patrick Stewart); checking out great restaurants and Top Chefs (Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster in Harlem and the Carnegie Deli). We also attended the final dress rehearsal for the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 30 Rock. His house band the Roots were also the "musical guests." I have met Questlove a few times in the past 20 years and it's always fun to see him do his musical thing.

     We encountered many cool New Yorkers. Better, I caught up with relatives young, old and in-between; and not a few celebrities that accented the trip in strange and wonderful ways. Can't wait to go back to my ancestral home. Something fascinating around every corner, not including the slush.

     Peace, NYC.

      p.s. For photos that accompany this blog, please check out my Facebook page. You will see me at the Ed Sullivan Theater, The Met and Strawberry Fields.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...

Rush Hour Soul Returns

Hey Soulmates, been some time, but many of you on Facebook have already seen that Rush Hour Soul is back. I am very excited that while we are looking back at the 15th anniversary of our 2006 UK tour, there are things happening behind the scenes for 2021. For those unfamiliar, Rush Hour Soul is a trio with myself on bass and lead vocals. We were a part of the Indie/Powerpop scene in Los Angeles from 2004-2008, although our style was heavily informed by the Rolling Stones, Chic, ABC, and Sam & Dave. Funkier than our peers.  The well-known venues Rush Hour Soul played around Los Angeles included The El Rey, B.B. King's Blues Club and The Hard Rock Cafe. Our travels in Britain took us to Sheffield, Liverpool, York and back to London. There was a four day detour to Monnow Valley Studios in Wales where recorded in the old manor house. We shot a music video in London, as well. 2006 was a magical summer for the band. In 2008, the project was rechristened as a solo recording under my n...