My fave picture of The Beatles.
I want be a paperback writer...

Here in this essay will be my story as a Beatle fan. Or shall I say - as a Beatlefreak, as I am known among many of my friends. On this day of January 6, 2001, I am only twenty years old, but I feel so much older.

The story begins somewhere in early 1994, when I was thirteen years old. I don't think I listened to much music then, Kurt Cobain had died and Nirvana and Pearl Jam were the only bands I listened to in 1992 basically.

I heard a song that I liked very much on the classic rock radio station. I liked it so much that I thought I could find it in my parents' blanket chest full of LP's. The one band I grabbed was The Beatles.

The first record I put on my little Fisher Price record player (and it still works to this day!) was Meet The Beatles. The fast tempo and lively beat of "I Saw Her Standing There" really got me interested, but I could not find that song I had heard on the radio!

So, I went back to that blanket chest and found another Beatle album to listen to. I spent the summer of 1994 listening to all of their LP's in search of that one song. Soon, I would forget about the song and would become a Beatle fan.

Quite an amazing way to discover the group huh?

When my fourteenth birthday came around in September, I got my first Beatle album ever: Abbey Road on CD. I remember telling my mother that I didn't like that album, but I thanked her for it. I still cannot believe to this day that I did this because Abbey Road is one of my personal favourites now.

I remember spending my eighth grade year listening to The Beatles all the time. This is where I got my nickname of Beatlefreak. I was a walking Beatle encyclopedia, I could answer any questions a friend would ask me.

Then there was my Beatle group, four girls would liked the band, but of course - I was the biggest fan! We all nicknamed ourselves after our favourite Beatle. Jennifer W. wanted to be John, but I all ready claimed John, so she got Paul instead. Kim F. was George and Melissa F. was Ringo.

The only thing I can remember clearly is the Live at the BBC and the Anthology albums were released around the time of my discovery. Of course, the Beatle group all fought for who got the Anthology albums first and so forth. Even Sean Lennon was coming out with material of his own.

As we all went to high school the following year, Jennifer and I remained friends. We shared one thing in common: we both had a crush on Sean. *sigh* We even fought for who would get the beautiful picture of John in front of Lady Liberty we spotted at the mall. Of course - I got it because I saved my money.

Another bright memory of my young Beatlefreak years was it took me two years to get all of the albums on CD. I worked pretty hard to get them, saving my allowance and all. Even my mother helped me - there was some bet we had where if I attended a certain number of morning dance classes during my break in eighth grade, she would buy me the Please Please Me album. Of course, I won.

So, I take good care of my collection because of my hard work.

Somewhere along the line, I started to realize how things started to click. I remembered hearing "Revolution" and "Give Peace a Chance" in my mother's car when I was five years old. Believe it or not, I had my Barbies dancing to "Revolution!" So I naturally believed that I had been a Beatle fan all my life, I just had to do the discovery myself. Many thanks to my mother for brainwashing her children, since we're all music fans in our own right. She laughs to this day about it.

If you'd like to hear a funny story, I even thought I might have been destined to be a Beatle fan! I received the sign when I was either nine, ten, or eleven years old in elementary school. I was running out to the field for some mandatory run we had to do and I felt something on my head. I stopped and brushed my head - a beetle fell to the ground. Terrified of seeing some bug had been on my head - I ran to join my friends. So this is where I came up with the joke of my destiny of becoming a Beatle fan.

Why do I like The Beatles so Much?

Good question. I don't even think I could have been able to answer that when I was fourteen or fifteen. But my answer, as a twenty year old, is they were a group ahead of their time. Every time I listen to their music, it always sounds fresh and new. It amazes me how four young men could create such great music that would shape the lives of millions of people. Perhaps not even that, but made people happy, as they did for me.

Anytime I was mad or depressed, I always had these four men who cheered me up. To this day and everyday, whenever I hear one of their voices, my face lights up and I have a huge smile on my face. I give credit to them for helping me get through the tough years of adolescence, as well for my mother and friends.

For their music, I partially give them credit for inventing hard rock or heavy metal. Simply put on the White Album and you'll know what I mean. Even my friends thought I was listening to that junk when they saw me banging my head to "Helter Skelter." "It's not heavy metal! It's The Beatles silly!"

My Admiration for them as themselves

Of course we all can admire people and their work. But I often wonder - Do some people admire them as they are?

I'd like to believe that I'm one of these people. One prime example is when the group broke up. I understand they needed out of it all and wanted to do their own thing. (So quit blaming Yoko and Linda.)

I admire them as they are and how they became to be. I am happy as long as they're happy. I was even scared when I heard of George's attack in 1999. To be honest, I don't think I could put this section into writing because it all comes from the heart. So there are certain feelings that are hard to put into writing.


John Lennon - Man of Myth

Every time I think of John's name - "Man of Myth" seems appropriate, but I'm not sure if it does. People create their own fantasies of celebrities. The way I see John is what he expressed through his music. He does seem like a mysterious man because he was taken from us before he could explain things if he wanted to. How I think of him is how he found happiness after meeting Yoko. Some people should throw their negative feelings out the door because Yoko brought out the best in John.

John was the funny man and very bold I believe.

I do remember asking my mother which Beatle was dead early in my Beatle craziness - this was long before I heard about the rumour of "Paul is Dead." When she told me it was Joh, I cried because he is my favourite. Then she told me the story of where she was on that evening. I was only three months old when John left and my mother played his Double Fantasy album many times. So, I do believe that playing music for your young children does have an effect on them. Double Fantasy has a special place for me, as well as the date of December 8. (Thank goodness that jerk was denied parole in November 2000! I believe his name shouldn't be mentioned! PERIOD!)

What's my purpose as a Beatle fan?

Simple - to enjoy their music and to enjoy life. I'd like to think I have and believe I will. Because I am such a Beatle fan, it has brought my mother and I closer, which I love dearly. There is one thing my mother would often tell me, "I'm sorry you couldn't have lived through it all."

I am too, but I have her stories she has told me and I never get tired of them. I also have my memories of experiencing A Hard Day's Night in the movie theatre - three times! The feeling I had when I saw John on the big screen is indescribable. It's so much fun to watch them in the theatres.

Another purpose I believe in is converting my friends or making them be aware of the impact The Beatles had to the world. I know they can get sick of my ravings, but at least they listen.

Other than that, I do stand alone as a Beatlefreak. There's no one I can talk to except for my mother and one friend because majority of my friends are into what I call as "The Top 40s." They basically listen to whatever is on the charts or radio.

Here's my dedication page to the four men who have helped shape my life. I know this could have been a web site, but there are so many and I just wanted to share my story.

Many thanks to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey for the great music and everything you've done.

(By the way, the song I was looking for seven years ago was actually The Monkees' "Daydream Believer." I found out in summer of 2000.)


Head to the Magical Mystery Tour Bus
See my tribute page for George Harrison
My calling as a prophet A short story where John appears to me with a message.