Winter in England & Wales

Although “Let It Be” was one of the first 45s I owned as a kid (I can still picture the green apple spinning on the record player), I never really got into the Beatles. Today’s tour in Liverpool made me wish I had a greater appreciation. The guide and the bus driver had a well rehearsed act that made the 90-minute drive through the working class neighborhoods of Liverpool seem more like a comedy show. It was great. I never thought about it, but the teenagers who would become the Beatles lived within walking distance of one another and spent much of the first decade of their success still living in their childhood homes. Ringo wanted to buy his parents a mansion but they chose to stay in their modest Liverpool row house. A highlight was Penny Lane. The guide took great care in highlighting all of the people and locations in the lyrics and what the street would have looked like in 1960 — reminded me of Springsteen’s Asbury Park and the characters in his songs a decade later. Here’s an example of the commentary from our comedy team:

Guide: “On the left is the pub where Ringo first played drums in public and, ladies and gents, you ARE in luck because I recently read that the pub will be having Ringo on this Saturday night.”

Driver (yelling from downstairs): “Bingo!”

Guide: “What’s that you say, Ned?”

Driver: “They’re having BINGO on this Saturday.”

Guide: “Oh, I need to have me eyes checked. I do apologize, ladies and gents. It’s bingo.”Les mer