Beatles in the Leafy Suburbs

So I've started working in my local across the road (hence the lack of posts. Yet again, very sorry) and it's made me aware of a lot of local history and interest.

Seeing as it was Paul McCartney's 70th birthday yesterday, I thought I'd take this opportunity to discuss my ties to the fab four, even if they are pretty thin.

I live around the corner from Twickenham Studios, where two of the Beatles films were made - Help! and A Hard Day's Night - and every once in a while there'll be loads of Chinese tourists with guide books and big cameras outside my house taking photos of my road. Not once did I stop and think 'there's a group of tourists outside my house.. that's a little strange' until one day Mr Rider came in after witnessing the same phenomenon and brought it to my attention.

After some light googling, we came across this photo.

This is John and Ringo, stood on my street, outside my house when they came to sleepy St Margarets in 1964 whilst filming Help!. Both the postbox and green hedge have gone, and the road is now full of cars, but it still manages to attract hardcore fans from far and wide.

So far and wide in fact, that a tour group of fifteen Americans came to the pub to take photos, watch A Hard Day's Night and eat some food. They knew where their heroes had been stood, and even took photos of my manager serving a pint in the exact same spot where Ringo was served nearly fifty years ago. Each of them had paid two and a half grand for a week of Beatles memorabilia and mania, touring the country and visiting all the major places in Beatles history.

Ringo Starr at the bar in The Turks Head

There is certainly money to be made from exploiting the loyalty of such die-hard fans. Last week it was announced by various music moguls that they are to organise international tours of the holograms of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. The stars of the show can be packed up and put into the back of the trucj alongside the lighting rigs and sound equipment, with organisers even stating that their main attraction will be better behaved than their original real-life counter-parts. Attendees will be able to watch their idols on-stge, a revival of the good old days for some, and an opportunity to witness a piece of musical history to fans too young to have seen them in real life.

I like the idea that the Beatles have walked down my road and been into the pub I work in, it's a great feeling to know a band I love so much have some (very weak) connections to my life. But I'm not sure I'd pay a substantial amount of money to follow in their footsteps to an obscure corner of London to take a few photos of barmaids and trees. And why would you want to pay an extortionate amount of money to watch what is essentially a 3D video of a legend? (We're going into old territory here now, I've mentioned this before, I'm saying no more about the subject.)

Anyway, if you fancy checking out the Beatles films made in Twickenham, the full movie 'Help!' is currently on Youtube, and for more information on the Jim and Jimi holograms, here's an article from the Rolling Stone.

RIP Donna Summer

Prince Fatty

John Peel in Space

On 1st May, The Space went live to its public.

Made up of video clips, live events and interactive collections, the website offers its visitors the opportunity to explore different aspects of the arts from the comfort of your own home (an iPlayer for culture, a sort of 'on demand' service without the incessant repeats of Top Gear).

One particularly impressive part of the project is John Peel's interactive record collection. Anyone who stumbles across this gem is able to go through the DJ's thousands of LPs, singles and CDs, a virtual space that rivals the detail of visiting a similar archive in person. 

The Peel section also displays photographs, old radio shows, sessions and video clips of the man himself. With so much at your fingertips, extensively and informatively put together, this step into virtual museums and galleries allows a similar experience to that of visiting such places in person.

The Space makes the arts available to anyone and everyone, at any time of day, tapping into the online generation and the demand for instant knowledge and gratification. The website is live from May till October, and is definitely worth a look. 

http://thespace.org/

Wearelucky.

When a stranger approaches you on a London street to hand you a thousand pounds in cash for picking up someone else's litter, what would you do?

Last week, a wealthy man did exactly that. His project, called Wearelucky., involves the mystery millionaire himself travelling across the globe, handing out a grand in cash to complete strangers - those he sees doing good deeds, or just because they look interesting. The only catch is to do 'good' with the money.

But when he brought this idea to London, giving away the money seemed more difficult than he first anticipated, where many people were rejecting his money in a distrusting fashion.

Maybe it's due to the fact that London is one of the most densely populated cities in the world (A statistic on an underground poster today stated that there is nearly five thousand people per square kilometre) that Londoners are so sceptical. The many people on the daily commute asking for their hard earned cash, teamed with horror stories of various pickpocketing and street scams, would make even the most gullible think twice about accepting a wad of cash from a complete stranger.

Living in a populated city like London certainly makes you more streetwise and aware of your surroundings, but despite the masses of people we may walk past or sit opposite on the tube every day, if you decide to strike up a conversation with a fellow commuter, you're greeted with a combination of suspicion and mild terror.

Last week, after a lengthy discussion with a friend about such experiences (and the idea of a man approaching strangers with a grand in hand just for good karma), I decided to strike up a conversation with another woman on the train home. A conversation that lasted all of two minutes,  I felt I'd done something nice and personal in what can often be an impersonal town. I never expected this temporary friendship to go any further than the exit of the station, but I was expecting some good karma.

But then things became a little weird. We went our separate ways, only for the woman to chase me down the road to ask for my name so she could add me on Facebook. Her reasoning? She liked my tights. I gave her my name to not appear rude in true English style, went home and immediately changed my privacy settings. Then it hit me - I was just as cynical as those who would not accept the cash from our mystery millionaire, and was swiftly reminded why  people do not make friends on public transport, and how despite the millions of people who live in and around London, it can still be the loneliest place on the planet to some.

'Money Can't Buy Life'

Tomorrow, a film documenting the life of musical legend Bob Marley is released in UK cinemas.

Produced by his son Ziggy Marley, the film uses archival footage and interviews of the man himself and those who were close to him to put together a respectful and fitting homage to the biggest reggae star of all time.

Atleast, that's what many of the rave reviews have said, and is also what I hope. Bob was certainly no angel (it's acknowledged that he has love children dotted around the globe and is rumoured to have countless more, despite his marriage to backing singer Rita Marley), but his laid back attitude and songs about the struggle of black oppression made him an influential musician, creating timeless songs and thought-provoking statements.

With this in mind, there is certainly one thing I will be expecting - an incredible soundtrack. His music speaks for the time he was living in, with hits like Trenchtown Rock, So Much Trouble In The World and, arguably his most famous, Three Little Birds, many of them have become anthems to all ages, speaking of the need for revolution and a faith in the natural order of the world.

The poster boy for Rastafarianism, his religion played a massive part in his life, and also his death. Marley was diagnosed with cancer in 1977 underneath his toe nail, dismissing advice from doctors to have it amputated because of his religious beliefs. He spent the remainder of his life touring the world, playing his music, until his death in May 1981. He was 36.

Here's the trailer for the film, which is on limited release in cinemas tomorrow.

Jah Bless.

Charles Bradley