STORIES

A Beatles story, what's that? Well, a Beatles story is a story about a fan, just like you and me, who is converted to Beatlemania, experienced a close encounter with the fab four, had the privlege to see the lads live in concert, or even met the Beatles! Sadly, my own Beatlemania conversion story is posted at the moment. It's lonely, so e-mail me your own Beatles story!

Four New Friends

In the second grade, I was separated from my very best friend. He and I had been good friends since...well, we lived across the street from one another and ever since we had met it had always been Winona (me) and him (EP).

At the school I was attending at this time, they felt it necessary to have two second grade classes. Of course they had two first grade classes, too, but my friend and I had ended up in the same classes thus far until the dreadful first day of second grade came. I was so lonely. I didn't care to talk to any of these people. My pal was across the hall and I was stuck in here with all these...well, these little weirdos.

It was around 1996, I think. This is where it all began. It could've been more '95, but I can only remember seeing that TV Guide cover. I remember the flowers spelling out "Beatles" and them in their Pepper suits. I thought, "This is cool." They were the epitome of cool, and I was curious.

At this young age, I was quite the artist. I loved drawing, and I decided, What the heck? They're neat, why not? So I was off drawing them...completed with drums and guitars. I got a little help from my father, who was sitting on the couch reading something while I asked him silly questions like, "Do you think they would wear ties?" or something. Sadly, these first signs of Beatlemania have ceased to exsist and I have no clue what happened to them. I probably threw them away, having no sentimental conscience.

Being a young child, I was easily entertained. One of my favorite things to do was watch and listen to my dad make tapes. He would pull those old records out, and make tapes and tapes of wonderful music. Recently, he had upgraded a few albums to CD and I happened to crawl up to the third floor (where the record player was located) and watch him make a tape when he had his records and CDs out.

"Hi, Dad," I waved as I always did.

"Oh, hi, honey," my dad smiled at me and motioned for me to take a seat next to him. I took my seat and let my eyes wander around at the album covers with excitement.

I noticed a CD on top of a pile. It had four boys faces on the cover, slightly stretched. They looked so familiar. How could I know them? They were a bit old to be any mates of mine from school so that was ruled out...who were they?

"Dad, who are these guys?" I asked candidly, wanting to solve the mystery.

"That's the Beatles," Dad looked up from his Buffalo Springfield record, smiling.

"Oh, what are there names?" The name 'Beatles' meant absolutely nothing to me.

"John, Paul, George, and Ringo," Dad responded calmly, just like always. I smiled to myself. I liked the sound of that! John, Paul, George, and Ringo...had a nice ring to it! John, Paul, George, and Ringo...nice...wait....

"Ringo?" I stuck my nose up in a habitual way. I always did that when I was disgusted or confused. "What's his last name? Is that his real name?"

"Oh, no, no," Dad laughed. "It's Ringo...Ringo Starr. He changed his name, though. His name was Richard Starkey and he changed it to Ringo Starr because he wore so many rings on his fingers."

"Oh...I see...but Ringo," I shook my head. I laughed. Then my curiousity came back. "What is everybody else's last names? Like him and him and him?"

"That's George Harrison," my father pointed to George so he was sure I understood who was who, "and that's John Lennon, and there's Paul McCartney."

Those names sounded so familiar to me, I was sure we had met before, but we had not. They felt like home to me, I knew I was going to like these lads.

"Oh, those are interesting names. Are they still together?" I wanted to know.

"No, they broke up in 1970. I remember when I was driving in my car and they played 'The Long and Winding Road' on the radio and then they announced that the Beatles had broken up. It was a sad, sad day."

I nodded, as if to say, "Oh, I understand."

I continued my questions, "So...are they all still alive and well?"

"No, he," the face showed sadness as he pointed to the man I remembered as John Lennon, "was murdered quite awhile ago. That was a sad day, too. Very sad."

Now, perhaps another child would have proceeded to ask what "murdered" meant, but I needed no explanation. I wanted to know something else.

"Why?" I asked simply. Why would anyone want to kill someone so....cool?

"'Cause he was crazy, that's why, I guess," was the only reason my father could assume.

The next thing I know, my dad is on a Beatles kick and gets out The Beatles Anthology One. He opened up the fresh, new CD and flips the pages to find a picture. It was turned open to the second page that contained the liner notes for "Free as a Bird." I looked to the picture at the right. There four faces were grinning and smiling at the camera, and the grins were growing on me. I tried to remember their names, but I could not distinguish them...

"Are they brothers?" I asked seriously, but my father laughed.

"No, but they look alike, don't they?" my father reasoned, and I nodded in agreement. They really did look like brothers, and I was still convinced they were brothers as I studied the picture closer. They wore identical black turtlenecks, and well, only one word kept coming back to my mind: cool. Very cool. They were the coolest people in the world, and I wanted to know more about them...they interested me.

From this point on, my second grade life blossomed. I brought the Beatles gear movie, A Hard Day's Night, to school and we watched it. The whole second grade fell in love with them. People still come up to me saying, "Who's that little old man?" or "Hey, Win, do you remember when we used to run around the playground singing 'Yellow Submarine'?" I have journal entries kept about them and have published them up this site on Young Beatles Fan. I could tell you more about my second grade adventures with the Beatles, but that would be getting off track. Perhaps I will tell you more later, but this is all for now.

So second grade started out as a long and winding road that was going to be quite lonely without EP, but it ended up to be the best year of my life. I was lonely at first, but God sent me the Beatles because he knew I needed them...and he was right. I thank him each day for them...they are a miracle from God and I will love them forever.

This story is by Deanna (visit her uber cool website here!) about her meeting with RINGO! How cool is that?

Ya see, It was on Ringo's birthday this year I was at my orthodonist is Owosso. So anyway I was just getting in the car on my way home when I decided to listen to 103.9 the fox. I had to fight with my mom because she hates oldies(why?) We were listening, and Ringo was there on the radio-I was happy! So he said "Thanks." when it was over, and he was done with his interveiw. And to get to my dentist their is an intersection of where 103.9 is and some other buildings and we were at a stop light. THEN IT HAPPOND! I was looking at the building and Ringo himself walked out with some really old guy. I was like the best day of my whole life. I saw him and literally screemeed!!!-It was great.-no lie i sware. I hope you like it!!!