Am I a Lousy Beatle Fan?

[acebackwords]

...my own feelings are that the Beatles were simply in that place at that time and if it had not been the Beatles at the center of those movements, it would have been someone else.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with that.  If the Beatles hadn't existed, history would've probably created someone else just like them.

Yeah, I'm an author.  My latest book, ACID HEROES, starts out when I was 8 years old and first heard the Beatles doing "She Loves You" on a little transistor radio.  And sort of follows my personal development alongside the Beatles development over the years.  Particularly involving my experiences with psychedelic drugs.  If anybody's interested they can check it out at amazon.com, or check out my signature website below.  My previous book was SURVIVING ON THE STREETS:  sort of a how-to book on being a street bum.

Great website by the way. I remain fascinated by all things Beatles.

[Kylenz]

The same thing can be said for Nirvana and the grunge revolution. Out of all those struggling bands in Seattle, Kurt's boys fluked it and made it big, eventually they were picked up by Geffen. Many people like to say that Nirvana were just an average band plucked from obscurity - as a means to belittle their achievements.

But this in itself is a wonderful thing - the fact that ANYONE can make it. If you're just some dude in a band, gigging around with some songs, it paves the way for other bands around in the same scene. Of course, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam also emerged from the Seattle scene, just like the mersey bands from Liverpool when the Beatles phenomenon erupted worldwide.

It gives us bedroom musician guys hope! 

[Paperback Writer]

Welcome, Ace, now in your book - do you go into the history of LSD and how it was used extensively by the CIA and some of the original  "drug culture" was encouraged by the CIA to infiltrate various groups of people for purposes of spying, etc?  Was a lot of the availability of drugs spread around as a CIA social experiment?

As far as the Beatles,  their effect upon society was HUGE, but  I think society reflected upon them, just as largely.  There was a perfect storm - there was a - for lack of a better term - a 'market,' for them to be influential - they were the link to the change that society was ripe for. 
Now remember, not all "members of society" were ready for - or took to the change.  This is depicted, brilliantly, in the film - A Walk On the Moon, set in 1969.  In addition, really most people were "Day Trippers," spurred on by peers, trends and the merging of media and their demographic.
 
 Even the Beatles were reflections of society, NOT, really the originators.  Now, they were wildly talented, charismatic, innovative and mostly COMMITTED to their music and art - but they were the ultimate assimulaters of society/music and were able to crystalize it all into their own personna and identity.

Psychedelics, pot - had all been around years before they indulged.  Granny glasses, long hair, and pop/mod clothing were popularized by the Beatles, but not invented by them.
The Beatles rocked while on booze and speed, they had their music influenced by the drugs they took.  But their music was influenced by everything in their life - their loves, hometown, TM, and the world and their environment.

Good stuff, endless topic.

[acebackwords]

Very interesting comments, Paperback Writer.  Yeah, in my ACID HEROES book I go into the whole history of LSD, how it was accidentally synthesized by Dr Albert Hoffman back around 1945. How the CIA got their hands on it and tried to use it as a mind control or truth serum drug. How the shrinks got a hold of it in the '50s and started testing it as a therapuetic drug.  How Leary and Kesey started proselytizing about acid on a pop culture level in the early '60s.  How the Beatles accidentally got dosed with acid by their dentist in 1965.   And how Sgt Pepper and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (guess what, fab readers, the initials still spell L.S.D.) blew the whole lid off of the psychedelic revolution. Leading to the Haight-Ashbury and Woodstock and Charles Manson. And the rest is history.  Its an interesting story.

[acebackwords]

P.S.  Check out my "acidheroes" signature below for the latest Ringo Starr up-date, fab Message Board readers.