Penelope Rowlands

It had been a hard day's night for us. Not 3 months before, our young president had been stolen from us in a violent and brutal ambush. The television united the country in a new way, as no other medium could have; geography, time zones proved irrelevant to the medium that allowed us to be part of the national mourning, from riderless horse to funeral Mass to the lighting of an eternal flame. Perhaps we were ready for, perhaps we were in need of, a rejuvenation. And suddenly, there they show more were. 4 young men. On Ed Sullivan for 3 magical Sunday nights. And, as in November, we were all watching, together.
When you are 64, adults had told me, you will still remember where you were on Nov. 22d. They were right. I do. But I also remember vividly where I was on February 9th, 1964. WIth enraptured older brother and sister, perhaps two feet away from the tiny TV screen. Penelope Rowlands' warm and wonderful collection of reminisces of musicians and fans took me down that long and winding road of a 1/2-century ago, rekindling memories and feelings. You had to be there, I've always said to younger people; I can't explain it; it wasn't simply seen, it was felt. Now, I can happily add, "Just get yourself a copy of 'The Beatles Are Here!' and you'll have a very good portal to travel back in time." To the days just before, that presaged, the marmalade skies that would so soon open for us all. show less

After reading 32 writers describe their time spent in Paris, it is much easier to see how challenging it can be for Americans to live in the French culture. I have never been to Paris, but I've become enamored of it from afar and I picked up this compilation of essays to get my fix. I feel that I have come away with a deeper understanding of the culture, which in some ways runs contrary to US values. Americans tend to be apprehensive to visit France, as they find the French rude, haughty and show more condescending. Not surprisingly, the French find Americans to be the same way, but even more so, they see us as entitled, as if we can go into their country and expect them to speak English to us (Sound familiar?) The French find Americans to be sloppy, demanding, rude, loud, and poor abiders of rules. Each of the writers talked about how challenging it was to fit in, as Parisians seem to follow their own set of rules, that seem to change arbitrarily and without notice. And, they can be quick to attack when a newbie fails to follow a rule. One writer talked with shock about how as a teenager she stepped on the grass in the park and a complete stranger (man) came up and slapped her across the face. The book takes many angles as the contributers came from many walks of life. Several writers chronicled their university days, remembering fondly the poor conditions of their apartments and lack of food. A few of the contributers are famous, with one famous chef and a noted writer discussing how they have made Paris their home. One essay was written by a homeless lady who blogged about her daily struggles to protect her children while living on the streets. For most, Paris was described fondly but with frustration. The years spent living in Paris were very challenging... some hated to try to speak to storekeepers, but finally learned the rules of what to expect and how to stand firm. Others found it challenging to find enough cheap food to eat, as they would sometimes walk all over Paris to find it. The irony being that the food that was found was sometimes of such exceptional quality that it far exceeded student faire. The stories offered great bredth and depth regarding both the beauty and the dark sides of the culture. For example, while women are given exceptional benefits in the workplace with long maternity leaves and protected jobs, they are also light years behind in being treated as equals and not as sexual objects. This topic was explored by an author who gave birth to her children in Paris and was astounded by the benefits, while having to accept the other aspects, such as having men make advances on her in lewd fashion, which was apparently common at the time. Parenting also, is apparently much different, as the French culture does not encircle around the child, rather the child must come along to follow rules and get in line with the parent's agenda.

In all, this was a fascinating glimpse of a much different culture than ours, one that has been around for much longer yet not changed as much over time. I'm not sure if it made me want to visit Paris more or less than I did when I started. At least I will feel that I understand a little more about it when I do make a trip! show less

Rolled my personal clock way, way back until I was re-living vivid memories of 1964 passions

Several new books mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arriving in the US and performing in front of a screaming live audience on the Ed Sullivan show--a show that everyone I knew at the time, young and old, watched. What I love about The Beatles Are Here! is that it isn’t about the Beatles themselves--there are plenty of other books for that and I’d rather listen to Beatles music, watch a show more video of them performing, or laugh through one of their irreverent interviews than read about them anyway. Instead, this book is a forceful but widely varied collection of personal essays by writers, musicians, fans young and old, and even non-fans about the rather amazing impact the Beatles had on culture, music, and individual lives.

Expecting to like this book, I ended up loving it. Just about every essay was fascinating in its own way, bringing back some aspect of that strange 1964, just post-Kennedy assassination, no longer the 50’s but not yet what we think of as the 60’s time like nothing else ever has. The essays that almost electrified me are the ones written by fans because those reignited my own vivid memories of passionate pre-adolescent obsession.

Being only nine I loved Paul because, well, he was the cutest and I wasn’t old enough to be very deep. The problem was, I was almost too rational for my own good. (I wanted to believe in Santa but long before kindergarten I just couldn’t.) I KNEW it was crazy for a nine year old to be infatuated with a 21 year old man she had never met , so I hotly denied any interest in the Beatles as long as I could with frequent random and vehement diatribes that must have fooled no one--I give my mother credit for never calling me on it--but then I reversed and embraced my Paul obsession with fervor. And, like many of the essayists in the book, that passion ended up influencing a somewhat amazing/ridiculous amount of my life.

I read that Paul claimed to like classical music so I decided I did too, and then listening to it I actually did. John, Paul and George wrote their own songs so I wanted to be original too and wrote reams and reams of immature but deeply felt poetry. Unlike many bands the Beatles continued to evolve by keeping their art and lives growing and changing, and still to this day being a lifelong learner and explorer who investigates ideas and embraces experiences is how I try to live.

So thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and thank you Penelope Rowlands for putting this book together. (Penelope got caught up in the Beatles excitement when she was young too--one of those girls screaming on that cover photo is her.)

Essayists include Gay Talese, Verlyn Klinkenborg, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Fran Lebowitz, Renée Fleming, Janis Ian, Tom Rush, Roy Blount, Jr. Barbara Ehrenreich, Cousin Brucie, and plenty of “ordinary” but highly articulate fans. This is the second collection put together by Penelope Rowlands that I’ve read and the first, Paris Was Ours which has essays by people who spent formative parts of their lives in the City of Light, is also wonderful.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing. The opinions are obviously all mine. show less

The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember
Edited by Penelope Rowlands
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/Workman Publishing
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

The Beatles. When the Fab Four hit American shores in 1964, everything changed. You can't say that for too many things, especially in our fragmented, hyper-mediated, pop culture saturated culture. The title of the book says it all: The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years After the Band Arrived show more in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember. What makes this anthology stand out is the quality and variety of its contributors and Ms. Rowlands's own personal history with the band. While hipsters (the current iteration, not the Jazz Age and Beat Generation versions) try to out-obscure each other with their esoteric musical tastes, the Beatles were mainstream and corporate. (They signed to a major record label.) Who liked the Beatles? Everyone. It is a challenge to think of a pop cultural milestone that has universal appeal. The original Star Wars blockbuster phenom from 1977 to 1983 comes pretty close, since it appealed to non-science fiction fans.

When the Beatles played on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and at Shea Stadium, everything changed. Elvis was mere prelude. The opening essay sets the mood. "My sisters and I grew up despising Welk and all those of his ilk, so when the Beatles showed up, we felt the way the French must have felt when the GIs swarmed into Paris in August 1944." The Beatles ushed in the British Invasion. For decades, American music - blues, jazz, rock, etc. - had influenced British musicians. The Beatles reversed the tide. Elvis was a shot across the bow of Frank Sinatra. In the Thirties and Forties, Frankie had been the teen pop icon beloved by screaming teen girls. When the Beatles played Ed Sullivan, Frank was done. Sinatra must have the felt same way the members of Whitesnake felt when Kurt Cobain played the first chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Some historicizing is in order. The band didn't just come out of nowhere. Numerous contributors remember the Beatles TV appearance shortly after the Kennedy assassination in late November 1963. With their optimism and energy, they were a means for a nation to heal. And while the anthology is full of warm memories and a not undue amount of nostalgia, the anthology includes some wonderful variations on the Beatles. There are radio Djs from the era recounting the rabid fandom of Beatlemaniacs. But we also get to read travel writer Pico Iyer's take on the Fab Four. The original newspaper feature by Gay Talese is included, along with the original typos and fuddy duddy snark at the young kids with their long hair and skinny ties. "Cut those sideburns, Mattingly!" To be fair, Talese was doing journalism back in the day when type was set manually.

David Thomson, the film critic, interlaces his memories with the Beatles filmography. Biographer David Michaelis recreates his memories of the Beatles but augments it with a deep reading of the lyrics and his academic career in English literature. Michaelis draws the pop culture of the Beatles into the larger tributaries of English literary tradition. There are others. Facebook encounters of long lost friends and the eminent wit of non-fan Fran Lebowitz gives her take.

Where an anthology about the anniversary of the Beatles could have been a love-fest or a tar pit of reactionary nostalgia ("Things were better in the past. Modern life is awful."), Penelope Rowlands gives the reader a varied and enjoyable collection of anecdotes, pop culture analysis, and Sixties history. It is also a wonderful relic of what fandom was. And Beatlemaniacs are sure fanatical about their band. Before Team Edward and Team Jacob in the Sparkly Mormon Vampire Supernatural Romance saga, there was Team Paul and Team John. Sure, there was Team Ringo and Team George too. But Paul was dreamy and John was so totally a poet!

All mockery aside, the Beatles created the zeitgeist of the era and transformed music, pop culture, fashion, cinema, you name it. They also represented a band that was mainstream and part of the monoculture. This monoculture came into being with the transition from radio to television and the dominance of the Big Three (NBC, ABC, CBS) until the retirement of Johnny Carson in the Nineties. (It should be noted, I'm painting the picture in broad strokes and speaking in generalities.)

Before there was Star Wars, before Cheap Trick at Budakon, before all that, there was the Beatles. It was fifty years ago today ...

Out of 10/9.5 and 10 for Beatlemaniacs

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2014/01/book_review_the_beatles_are_he.html

or

http://driftlessareareview.com/2014/01/31/cclap-fridays-the-beatles-are-here-edi... show less