4 Secrets of The Beatles (statues)

I just visited Liverpool, England.

It was on the itinerary for a recent cruise I was on. I was expecting an industrial town.  A smokey, colourless city of broken buildings with lots of factories and nothing of interest.  It's the opposite.  It's beautiful.  Especially the lovely port/harbour area. Cruisers and locals meet there to walk the Mersey River's shoreline.  In fact, of all of the cruise ports I've docked in Europe and the US and the Mediterranean, Liverpool is now my favourite.  The town of Cobh, (pronounced C O V E) on the Republic of Ireland's south shore is a close second.  

We all know that Liverpool's favourite sons are The Beatles.  I may never have heard of Liverpool without them.  I was never a fan of the group when it launched at the beginning of the 1960s.  And, when Ed Sullivan introduced them to North America on his Sunday night TV program in Feb. 1964, they seemed silly, I hardly took notice … Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

However, The Beatles were responsible for helping to give life to dozens of English-based groups. They seemed to come out of nowhere … we called it the British Invasion. The US market also had a huge assortment of groups trying to mimic the Beatle's success … the1960s Beau Brummels who dressed, looked and sang like The Beatles were only one example.

The Monkees were another copycat who earned their fame and fortune mimicking The Beatles with their humour-first presentation. Just like the lads, at least in the early going, they were clean cut, and always on their best behaviour.

The Beatles’ management group recognized the value of the brand and moved quickly to license an assortment of Beatles specialty items, nick-knacks and trinkets. It was so successful, that in the first year the company’s sales were greater than the money earned from the group’s concerts and record sales combined.

No one can deny the remarkable, worldwide impact these 4 Liverpudlians had on music and fashion. Their power still lingers more than 60 years later.  Prior to reaching Liverpool, everyone on my cruise ship was talking about "the Beatles statues". Me included.  I didn't care where statues were located or how much it would cost to get there, I had to go.  Finding them was quite a surprise.

To honour the quartet, their first professional home, The Cavern Club commissioned the creation of the statues and they are magnificently displayed in the midst of Liverpool's very busy harbour walkabout -- only 100 yards from my cruise ship.

When I reached the four larger-than-life, 1.2-tonne statues, I got the snaps I wanted but I wasn't really happy with the quality. Like everyone else, I had to wait my turn and jockey for position to get a shot without other photographers bobbing in and out of my frame.  I don't know ... you be the judge.

After 5 or 6 minutes of snapping pictures of statues, I felt like the people who stand in front of the Mona Lisa @ the Louvre in Paris -- taking photo after photo after photo of the painting as if her expression will somehow magically change before their eyes.

The 4 Beatles' "secrets" mentioned in the title will come later ... and they have nothing to do with the fact that Paul McCartney was one of the most successful songwriters in history ... and couldn't read or write music.  

The Beatles' statues are very, very unique. A plaque or description of whom you are looking at isn't needed ... there are no gimmicks ... the statues have no hints as to who is being featured -- they don't even have instruments at their side to help uncover their identity. And the Andrew Edwards-created likenesses are remarkably lifelike.  

After photographing the Fab Four, I moved on.  I took a break from the boys and wandered over to the Liverpool Museum -- also only 100 yards away and also a must-see. There are three museums in the city -- all free of charge -- with free wifi which is a very welcomed prize for any cruise ship visitor.  The beautifully designed multi-million dollar building showcases the history of Liverpool. Its presentation is impressively carried out with outstanding imagination and creativity -- many of the featured items and displays are kid friendly and interactive. And, you know the building also features a thoughtful tribute to their favourite sons.

Before heading back to the ship, I wanted to spend a few more minutes with the statues.  As I approached, I heard the final chorus of Strawberry Fields Forever from a nearby street musician. Then he launched into a fine rendition of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. I had to give him full marks and a tip for his bravery ... singing The Beatles - next to The Beatles.  Actually, I wondered why there weren't other musicians doing the very same thing. When he finished his song, he motioned me over to share with me the secrets of the statues.

The first one, he said, is Paul McCartney.  He's holding a camera in honour of his first wife and "Wings" bandmate, Linda Eastman -- the girl with the photo company name who'd become super famous for taking backstage photos of the rock stars of the day.  There is a myth about her, however, she was actually never related to or connected to the owners of Eastman Kodak.

Next, he said, is George Harrison. If you look at the back of his jacket, the belt is inscribed in Indian Sanskrit. Harrison was a musical devotee of famous Indian sitar player, Ravi Shankar and was a follower of Maharishi Yoga.

Ringo Starr (whose real name is Richard Starkey) has his home's Liverpool postal code L8 stamped onto the bottom of his shoe ... if I'd got down on the ground to photograph it, I wouldn't be able to get back up.  

Incidentally, Frank Sinatra, hated the Beatles when they first landed.  But, soon changed his mind when he was able to make some money with a cover of McCartney's "Something".  Curiously, Sinatra named his dog "Ringo".  Perhaps a cheeky poke at the group's shaggy-haired drummer?

And, lastly, the statue designer very cleverly placed some acorns in John Lennon's left hand.  Lennon used to give acorns to fans as a sign of peace.

And one more ... A Paul McCartney Fun Fact: Paul McCartney is quoted as saying, "I love to be in love". That may be the reason, following the death of his first wife and mother of his children, Linda, Paul married a woman named Heather Mills. 

That union didn't take and ended in a nasty divorce. Paul fought for ownership of the house he bought for her at 9536 Heather Street in Beverley Hills California. He didn't want the home to become a pawn in their battle because Beatle bandmate, George Harrison had died in the home.

And, also because nearby is a bordering street named Linda Crest Drive. 

So, his home was between Heather and Linda Streets.

And, lastly, if you are a Beatles/McCartney fan you must watch this video on YOUTUBE:

Paul McCartney Car Pool Karaoke (24 minutes)

And if you'd like to see the reaction of McCartney seeing his statues for the very first time, go to YOUTUBE:

Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke DELETED SCENES

(2 minutes)