Fiberglass Jacket

 June 1st 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper! Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of my favorite albums and album cover. It is also apart of my cherished vinyl collection. It was the first record I ever got, which was given to me by my grandpa who said it was his brother's. To me it felt like I was gifted a precious treasure, a true collectible, something no rock and roll fan could snub their nose at.   I barely ever played this record and rarely wanted to open it up because I didn't want to damage it at anyway. Fast forward to George Harrison's death in November 2001. Anyone who knew me knew I loved the Beatles and this included my teacher's.  One of my favorite teachers Mr. Martinez could tell I was really hurting from George Harrison's death. (It was the first rock star death in my memory that I distinctly remember). He gave me the Beatles photos that came with White Album and the rarely seen Sgt Pepper cardboard badge and other cut ou...

 [UPDATED 5/17/17] About in the month of July 2014 there was an article circulating my friend's pages called "Love is Not Enough" written by Mark Manson . Hearing the obvious Nine Inch Nails reference, that was enough to get me reading. The article begins like this...  In 1967, John Lennon wrote a song called, “All You Need is Love.” He also beat both of his wives, abandoned one of his children, verbally abused his gay Jewish manager with homophobic and anti-semitic slurs, and once had a camera crew film him lying naked in his bed for an entire day.  So this article begins with hate towards John, whether all of these anecdotes are true or not. I'm a huge Beatles fan and do know some of the dark things these guys did....including John Lennon being abusive towards his wives.  I don't have any excuses for that behavior because it was wrong.. I was just immediately taken aback by the fact that this guy was taking it in this direction. I get a feeling this...

 When I got into rock and roll in High School some of my classmates, teachers and even family members assumed I did drugs. I listened to classic rock, wore beads, tye dye shirts...but I didn't do any drugs. I found that to be a funny stereotype "because I like rock and roll I must also do drugs." I understood the whole "sex, drugs & rock n roll" thing, but rock and roll was my drug. In High School I was (like every teenager) going through tough times. I had plenty of opportunities to smoke pot, drink or do other drugs...but I simply wasn't interested. Rock and roll did all those things that I would imagine was like being on drugs.  I was calm, happy, relaxed, and taken to another place. When I was a teen I was pretty straight edge and just didn't have room in my life for trying drugs. My mother already assumed I was doing everything bad so I didn't want to give her any reasons to think I was a bad kid. I was definitely not a bad kid, I sat al...

Prologue  Another report from my Music class in 2004. The English Rock and Punk Rock Invasions  In 1964 the United States was hit with an invasion from the British. No, not a war, but an outburst of English rock and roll music. Prior to this time English musicians were nonexistent in the American music scene. The band to make this so was called The Beatles, four men in their early twenties who sang pop-rock hits and made girls scream. In 1964 The Beatles held the top 5 spots on the Billboard charts. Their success opened the flood gates for dozens of other popular and well known bands; The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, The Who, & Pink Floyd to name a few. The Beatles, who broke down the wall for British musicians, cite American Elvis Presley as their biggest inspiration followed by several other black American rock/pop/jazz/blues musicians; Little Richard, Chuck Berry, & Fats Domino. The youth of America was in the mood for a change, a revolution o...

✔  Share this blog entry & pic on Tumblr! In every band there is one member that gets made fun of the most. I never understood this concept, because when I really like a band I appreciate all the members even though I have a favorite. Ringo Starr was always my favorite Beatle. And to this day I still hear folks of all ages make fun of him, most prevalent comment is that Ringo was a "back up" drummer. Yes, he may not have been the original drummer (See: Pete Best), but he wasn't a "back up" drummer. John and Paul fired Pete and hired Ringo because he was better. Plain and simple. People also like to make fun of the music he wrote, or lack their of. Yes, he may not have been as a prolific song writer as George, John and Paul, but Ringo is still contributed a lot. I appreciate all of the Beatles solo music, they are all unique individuals. I own a few solo albums for each Beatle and I think they each have something different to offer. Also, Ringo, e...

Ever see a girl in a rock t shirt who just doesn't look like she knows who they are? Have you ever been out in public, and spotted a person wearing a rock and roll t-shirt? Every time I do, which is if they're 12 feet or less away, I have to say something about it. That something would be "Yay! I love (insert band)! What's your favorite album?" Well, sometimes when I ask that question, I get a response I don't expect... *Blank expression* "I'm not really a fan of (insert band), I just like the shirt." My heart sinks. And then I want to punch them. This happened just yesterday. I was visiting my local pot club ( Berkeley Patients Group , woop woop) and I immediately spotted a girl wearing a Beatles shirt. I shouldn't even have to inform you how much I love rock music, so I can't help but mention it. I also feel like this is an obvious potential friend! I said to her "Yea the Beatles rock! Niiice!" And sh...

The Beatles are bigger then Jesus! Jesus never had a hit record!