Ringo Starr: An Evening in Conversation

Blog reader and frequent commenter, Cara, was lucky enough attend "An Evening in Conversation with Ringo Starr" on September 25, 2015 in Los Angeles.    Cara was sitting on Ringo's side of the stage and sent in some photos she took as well as a little bit about what happened.    A big THANK YOU goes out to Cara for thinking of this blog and sending in this scoop!

The event took place at the El Rey in Los Angeles, California.   Ringo was interviewed by Conan O'Brein for a little less than an hour.    He talked about 20-30 of the photographs that are featured in his book, Photograph.   Everyone that attended the event went home with a copy of the new book.


Here is a little of what Cara remembers of what Ringo had to say while talking about the photos:

Ringo didn’t share many new stories, and certainly not much information that a Beatlemaniac like me doesn’t already know. One thing I remember was when he spoke about Rory. “Rory was a great guy, but he was mad, absolutely mad,” Ringo said. He spoke about how awful they were to Rory because of his stutter, that they used to mess with him verbally until he became so upset he couldn’t speak. He also said that they used to have contests to see who could hold their head the longest under water in the sink (I believe he said they did this in the British Seamen’s Mission in Hamburg.) Anyway, one time, Rory went so long without breathing that his face turned blue.

 One spot when he became a little emotional was when he was looking at the photo of him and John on holiday, smiling with their Monopoly money and tokens. “We’d go on tour and the four of us would share two rooms,” he said. “And then we’d go on holiday and there were always at least two of us. That’s how special it was, how close we were.”

From the angle I was watching Ringo, I had a great view of his hands. He speaks a lot using his hands, and I kept looking at them and thinking, “Those are the hands! Those hands kept the beat to some of the greatest songs of all time. Those hands created the amazing drumming in A Day in the Life, Here Comes the Sun, Rain.” His hands are very expressive.

I sat right next to the backstage entrance, and I saw Barbara up close when she came out and went back at the end. She looked so teeny, but of course, she also looked beautiful.

All in all, a great event. Conan was the perfect host, not only for his energy and humor, but also because he’s a real fan. He knew the right questions to ask and he knew who all the Beatles supporting cast of characters were.

Of course, I hope all of you plan on getting Ringo's Photograph  book (if you don't have it already) to see all of the amazing photos he took over the years.    And let's keep our fingers crossed that Ringo can talk Paul, Olivia and Yoko into sharing the photos of the other Beatles for a future book!   Again---much thanks to Cara for her photos and memories of seeing Ringo!  

Double Ringo

This photograph of Ringo makes me laugh a little because if I was at that bookstore and saw that big Ringo by the door, I would have gotten a photo of me making a peace sign standing next to it too!

Denny Laine in concert --- a review

Tonight for Wednesday Reviews I am going to review a concert that I went to on September 4, 2015 at the Focal Point in St. Louis:  Denny Laine and the Cryers.



I have to confess that I haven't always been a Wings fan.   From 1988-2000 I was what I would consider to be a "Beatles purest" who also liked John Lennon's solo work.    For some reason I didn't give Wings a chance because I assumed that all of their music was "cheesy" and not interesting.   In 2000, at Beatlefest in Chicago I heard a band play some Wings songs and I was intrigued and decided to give them a proper listen and I really liked what I heard.  The next year Wingspan was released and I truly became a fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.     The harmonies of Denny Laine and Linda McCartney had me hooked!

I have seen Denny Laine and met him at Beatlefest in the past.  But if you have ever been to a Beatles convention, you know that you don't actually get to hear a full concert, just part of one.   So when I found out via facebook that Denny Laine was coming to my area and tickets were only $20 each, I decided it was worth my time to check it out.    How often do you get to see the only person who wasn't a McCartney that played the entire run of Wings? 

The concert was at a small venue in a suburb outside of St. Louis called the "Focal Point."   It was a located in what I consider a "trendy" part of town.  There were coffee shops, wine shops and a book shop in the same area.   The Focal Point seated about 100 people, but it wasn't a sell out show.  I would guess that about 75 people were there. 

Denny's band is called "The Cryers."   They are from New Jersey and consist of a keyboard player, a drummer, a bass player and a lead guitarist.    They opened the show and did a 20 minute set of original material.   They were a very good warm up band.   But that wasn't the last of the Cryers.    They actually are Denny Laine's band.   They came back with Mr. Laine himself and played with him the entire show.    I was especially impressed with the bass player of the band.   How intimidating it must be to play Paul McCartney's bass parts on Wings songs---but he held his own and did an outstanding job!

photo by Sara Schmidt

I wasn't sure what songs Denny Laine would be performing, but much to my enjoyment, he did a lot of songs from Wings!   Songs that I enjoyed included:   Spirits of Ancient Egypt, No Words, and  Deliver Your children.  He also sang some songs that were "Paul" Wings songs including Live and Let Die, Band on the Run and Listen to what the man said.    On these songs,  you could tell that Denny was really straining his voice to hit the high notes.   Either his voice is just not capable of singing them or his voice is strained from this tour.    It was at times painful to hear him struggling to hit the notes.    However, this set back didn't stop him from rocking!   My favorite songs he performed were Mull of Kintyre and Go Now  (which isn't a Wings song, but is a Wings cross over since it is performed on Wings Over America).

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Denny was full of smiles and seemed to really enjoy himself.  His guitar playing was excellent and as I was watching him play, it was very obvious to me why Paul McCartney wanted him in his band.  Denny Laine is an excellent musician.    In between songs, he would tell some short stories about writing songs with Paul.    He didn't need to tell the crowd there Paul who.

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Afterwards, Denny came back out and signed autographs and posed for photographs.   Surprisingly, he wasn't selling anything at the concert.   So if you want him to sign something, you had better brought it with you.    I had him sign a photo I have of him with Paul and Linda and also a small item that I am going to be giving away as a prize on this blog this fall.  

Your blog master with Denny Laine!  Photo by Coral Schmidt

Denny's tour is still going strong and so I recommend seeing if he is coming to your area and check out this show!   You won't regret it.

"My Brush with a Beatle"

At the Fest for Beatle Fans in Chicago a few weekends ago, I met Margot Winick who asked me if I only accepted stories from fans that talked to one of the Beatles because she had seen Paul McCartney recently and had written about it for the Beatle Brunch page.    Those of you who have been here awhile know that things are pretty relaxed when it comes to "meeting a Beatle for real."   I claim Paul reading my sign from the stage as a meeting---and we all love any stories of fans' Beatles encounters, no matter how small they may seem.    So here is Margot's story, which happened just two months ago!    What would you have done?

Photo by Margot Winick--please do not re-post without her permission

My Brush with a Beatle
By Margot Winick
I saw him standing there. Chatting on his cell phone, standing on the corner, just outside the bakery. Could it be him? I wondered.

Like I do every summer, I was in the Hamptons, out in Long Island, New York, visiting family, and the topic had come up at dinner the night before: Paul owns a house nearby in Amagansett in East Hampton. (And in fact, I discovered while I was there that the house next door is for sale
Could he possibly be in town right now? I wondered.

When I’m in town, I always stop in to buy my husband his favorite ginger molasses cookies at Mary’s Marvelous bakery. There I was on the morning of Bastille Day, Tuesday, July 14. I had just paid for my iced coffee and cookies, when, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Paul McCartney talking on his cellphone, dressed in blue from head to toe.
In the small chance that it was really him, I quickly readied my iPhone to snap a photo. I took three steps, and once I stepped outside the bakery door, I heard that unmistakable Liverpudlian accent. It REALLY WAS Paul! OMG OMG OMG!
A million questions popped into my mind to ask him:

1. What cologne do you wear? (I always wanted to know what a Beatle smelled like).
2. Is there any way the Out There tour might still add a stop in Miami?
3. When is the “Let it Be” film going to be released on DVD?
4. Which are your favorite of the collaborations with Michael Jackson?
5. Is Kanye West as obnoxious in person?
6. Can we look forward to more alternative music from The Fireman?
7. What’s your favorite Beatle record?

And the list goes on and on…
Sadly, however, because he continued his phone call, I wouldn’t have that chance. Instead, I quickly snapped his photo... Well, officially I was taking a photo of my favorite bakery, anyway, but… I took the photo off-center so I could get Sir Paul on his cell in my photo. He was less than 10 feet away from me!
I had caught him off guard at his neighborhood bakery. When he saw me take the photo, he wagged his finger at me, disapprovingly. In my defense, I showed him the package of cookies and blew him a kiss. He walked away so I wouldn’t take any more photos.
I debated following him, but by then he just saw me as the annoying person who took his photo. I didn't want to be a cliché Beatles fan who chased him, running and screaming – even on social media. I decided to wait a few hours before I posted this photo to my Facebook. Blue Meanie? No, he was just taking in a summer morning in his neighborhood. Good day sunshine.

Sara's top 10 favorite parts of the Fest for Beatle fans 2015

 It always amazes me whenever I get home from Beatlefest that I get online and read a ton of negative comments about the Fest.    It almost seems like I went to a totally different convention than everyone else.    For me, the 2015 Fest for Beatle fans in Chicago was one of the best ones I have been to in the past 10 years.     There were two big changes:  The Fabortory (which was a very small room that was laid back and allowed for great discussions) and the Apple Jam Stage.   These two things are truly a step in the right direction of the changes that need to be made to keep the Fest going for more generations to come.    

The Fest was a family event this year--both of my parents joined me.  

As I have stated before, I realize that a large percentage of people go to Beatle conventions to hear music and I am not really in that group.    Yes, I realize that the Beatles were about the music, however I like to hear my Beatles music coming from well---the Beatles themselves and not from a band.  Don't misunderstand me, I DO listen to the music at Beatlefest, but if there is a choice between listening to a band play and hearing a panel talk about the Beatles, I will pick the panel discussion.  

 So here they are:  Sara's top 10 favorite parts of the Fest for Beatle Fans 2016 Chicago



10.   Liverpool doing the Shea Stadium set list on the 50th anniversary of Shea

 Saturday, August 15, 2015 was the 50th anniversary of the famed Beatles' Shea Stadium concert.   The Fest celebrated this event with the house band, Liverpool, playing the 30 minute set that the Beatles played that night.    Talk about fun!     It was neat to sort of pretend like you were there.   And Liverpool did an outstanding job playing the set list from that concert, although there weren't any crazy antics on the keyboards.

9.     Apple Jam Stage
This is a new part of the Fest and I hope it continues.   Sadly, I wasn't able to spend a whole lot of time there, but I enjoyed what I saw.   The Apple Jam stage featured musicians that played a variety of Beatles' songs.    There were many, many bands as well as a dance floor and a bubble machine going on there.  People were listening to music, dancing and having fun.   I think each group played for around 40 minutes and then the next group came up.   The Apple Jam stage really gave other musicians a chance to get the spotlight.     Bonus points to whoever came up with the name!

The Yellow Submorons (A Rutles tribute band) perform a set on the Apple Jam Stage

8.    Beatles puppet show
You really can't consider it Beatlefest without attending at least one of Bob Abdou's Beatles puppet shows!    Are the jokes terrible?  Yes!   Do you still laugh anyway?  Yes!    Are the puppets adorable?  Yeah yeah yeah!     I have made sure to see Bob's Beatles puppet show ever year since 1997.    I love to see what puppets he brings in---this year the new puppet was Martha the dog!    What I think makes Bob's show great is that he is as big of a Beatles fan as the audience and you know that he loves what he does.  

7   The Strange and Curious Beatles World tour of 1964
This presentation was by author of the John Lennon series, Jude Southerland Kessler and the Rock n Roll detective, Jim Birkenstadt  and they had a great visual presentation about the strange things that happened when the Beatles (and Jimmie Nichol) toured the world in June-July 1964.    They really had me laughing!   The Beatles had some strange adventures during that tour that we have looked at on this blog last year, but it was fun to hear about it again.   Plus---they had awesome photos to go along with the talk.   


6   Something about the Beatles live podcast
 "Yes I do know...something about the Beatles!"    I am not sure how many of you listen to the podcast "Something about the Beatles" by Robert Rodriguez and Richard Buskin, but you really should!    They did a live taping of the show at the Fest and it was awesome to say the least.   The discussed the best Lennon and McCartney solo songs, but the catch is that Richard is not a McCartney lover to say the least.    So the banter between these two is hilarious as well as thought-provoking.    If you have never heard their show, I recommend it!   http://somethingaboutthebeatles.com/

Richard and Rob duke it out

5.   Kit and Kaboodle
Every Thursday night at 8pm, everyone knows not to bother me.  Why?  Because I am listening to the John Lennon Hour on blogtalk radio!    And the best thing about the John Lennon Hour is when it is "Kit and Kaboodle."   Kit is Dr. Kit O'Toole and Kaboodle is Jude Southerland Kessler.    They have a discussion about something John Lennon related that really makes you think and their live  version at the Fest was no exception.    They discussed John Lennon protest songs:   righteous or rubbish and truly made me rethink "Woman is the Nigger of the World."    Jude is a big John fan and while I Kit tends to lean more Paul, it is obvious that she knows her stuff about John!   You can hear the show every Thursday night right here: 
 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thejohnlennonhour

My mom and I with Kit and Kaboodle

4.   Ron Appea
 This was a surprise guest of the Fest and I had no idea who he was!   I just saw in the program that he was going to be talking about "Walls and Bridges."  Since that is my favorite John solo album, I HAD to listen to it.   Ron Appea played saxophone as part of the "little big horns" on the album!   His stories about John were so great!    He talked about the time that John put his face down on a copy machine and photocopied his face!   That's our John.    I was thrilled to get to meet him and get him to sign a photograph of him and John.    He was such a humble and kind man.   What a treat!

Ron Appea and me!

3. Late night jam sessions

Typically at the Fest for Beatle fans, the fans would meet under the stairs (or next to them) in the basement of the hotel and sing.   Well---this year that area was closed, so they ended up congregating in a corner next to the men's restroom.    But this my friends is what the Fest is all about!   People of all walks of life:   different races, religions, sexual orientations,  ages, and abilities coming to together and just being Beatle fans.    Sitting around while this guy named Roy leads us in the B-side of Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper.   People dancing to "Twist and Shout" and every instrument known to man being played.    The late night jam sessions bring a true sense of community that I know I have only felt at he Fest and at the Cavern club in Liverpool.    It doesn't matter who you are or what problems you are facing---when you are sitting around with other fans singing, all that matters is remembering the words!

I found this on facebook---can you spot me singing in the crowd?

2.  Meet the Beatles for Real Session
Okay---so maybe it is a little self-centered to put my own session on my countdown--but it truly was one of the top highlights of the weekend.    I held a session of "Meet the Beatles for Real" at the Fabortory, which is a small room that is more informal and experimental (aka sort of weird stuff).  25 people crammed into the room with more at the door trying to get in for this session.   We put the seats in a circle and I shared the story of Elizabeth the runaway and then opened it up to the floor to share any stories anyone had of meeting a Beatle.   And did I get stories!!   We heard one woman who got to meet all four Beatles at the Edgewater hotel in Seattle in 1964, a woman who shook Paul's hand on the sidewalk in 2002,  a girl who's Dad was the manager of a restaurant in the 1970's and John told him that he put the right amount of mayo on his sandwich, a security guard that welcomed Paul to Chicago a few years ago, a store owner that met Ringo this past October and many more!    As I am sure you know, I love hearing the stories of the fans that met the Beatles and I loved that people were open to sharing these stories.    It truly was an amazing experience for me.

She met all four Beatles in 1964!

He met Ringo!!!

He is a security guard and his telling of meeting Paul backstage was so engaging!

1.  Beatle friends

The single best part of the Fest for Beatle fans?   Talking to you old Beatle buddies and making new ones!   Where else can you go and talk about nerdy Beatles stuff with other people that get it?     Beatle fans are some of the best folks in the world and it is awesome to get to spend time with like-minded people.    Beatlefest is full of new friends and no one is truly a stranger.    I can't wait to go again in 2016!!!!

Here I am with my Beatle buddy, who knows more about the touring years than I do (he 's the author of "Some Fun Tonight) Chuck Gunderson

My mom and I with our Beatle buddy, Dr. Kit O'Toole.  We were so thrilled that she has written her first book, The Songs We Were singing

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Well friends, it is that time of year again----The Fest for Beatle fans in Chicago!   This year the Fest will be held August 14-16, 2015, which is pretty awesome because it will line up with the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' Shea Stadium concert.

If you haven't been to Beatlefest in awhile and are available this weekend, I encourage you seriously consider going.   There are some changes taking place at our beloved Beatles convention and I really think they are a move in the right direction.  

Having said that, this weekend is going to be fun!!   And I look forward to meeting with many of you at the Fest!   PLEASE---if you see me out and around, come and say hello!    I would really love to meet you.   Just a reminder that I  tend to be sort of shy, so I will NOT be coming up to you.   But it really makes my day to learn that real people read this blog.  

I will be speaking three times this year at the Fest and I want you all to know about it.  

At 1:30pm on Saturday August 15th in the Fabortory I will be leading the first ever LIVE version of "Meet the Beatles...For Real!"    I can't tell you how excited I am about this.     I am going to share a little bit about the blog and a few stories and photos and then open it up to the floor for a show and tell time.   So if you have met one of the Beatles in person, please bring along a photo or something to share or just your story.    And if you don't have a story, that is fine---just come in and enjoy this time of sharing and chatting about the Beatles.   


At 2:30 on Saturday August 15 in the Fabortory I will be back again but this time Tina Kukla and I are going to be leading a mulit-media discussion about the Beatles Anthology 20 years later.    Can you believe it has been 20 years already?    Well---come and join us as we look at some video clips and advertisements on how we were exposed to the Beatles Anthology 20 years ago.

2014's "She's a Woman" panel discussion

At 4:15pm on Saturday August 15 in the Paperback Writer Room  I will be joined by a panel of amazing ladies for the She's a Woman Panel.    We will be discussing the 50th anniversary of the movie Help! or the 20th anniversary of the Anthology and what it means to the fandom.   

My mom and Deco enjoying the Fest last summer

One of the best parts of going to the Fest is the chance to hang out with friends new and old that share the same passion for the Beatles as you do.  I look forward to seeing you at the Fest this weekend and if you aren't going to be there, I will have a full report when I return with photos and stories of what happened.   

Happy Birthday Ringo!

Today fans joined Ringo at noon where ever they were in the world to stop and say "peace and love" in honor of Ringo's 75th birthday.    I know people keep say how they are sick and tired of hearing Ringo say "peace and love" and making peace signs in every photograph.   However----there are a whole lot worse things the man could be saying.    Personally I am proud that I am in a fandom that promotes peace and love and not hate.   Happy Birthday Ringo from Meet the Beatles...For Real!!! 

And of course, I joined in as well!

Will Paul retire soon???

Things have been very quite around here, so I thought I would post something a little controversial to get people talking again. 

Over the past month I have been wondering if Paul McCartney is getting ready to "retire."   Now---I don't mean retire in the sense of just sitting around and not making music.   We know that Paul will never do that.   He just said so in Esquire magazine,

ESQ: You’ve never seriously contemplated retirement?

PM: Sit at home and watch telly? That’s what people do, man. Gardening, golf… no thanks. Occasionally, I do think, “You should have got fed up by now, you should be jaded.” My manager, who I don’t have any more, glad to say, suggested quite a long time ago that I retire at 50. He sort of said it’s not a good look. I went, “Oh, God, he could be right.” But then I still enjoy writing, I still enjoy singing. What am I gonna do? You see so many people who retire and then immediately expire.

He might not fully retire in the traditional since, but is he thinking about slowing down?    He currently does big world tours that are over 2 hours long with close to 40 songs.   He rarely stops to get a drink or water during that time.    How long can he keep this up?    We all know from our own lives that traveling alone is exhausting, and with Paul's "health scare" last year in Japan,  I can't help but question if he doesn't need to slow down some.   Now I am not saying quit performing.   But maybe do less appearances and shorter sets.     And I think that maybe Paul is thinking along those lines.   Now---let me point out that I am the person at Beatlefest in 1999 stood up and stated that I didn't think Paul would ever tour again, without Linda.  That he would only do concerts spots here and there but never a full tour and I was completely wrong and I was proven wrong when Paul started touring again in 2002.  

What makes me think that Paul might be slowing down?

John Hammel talks with a fan

1.  The rumor that John Hammel is retiring at the end of 2015.       John  Hammel has been working for Paul McCartney as his personal assistant since 1975.   He has been with Paul through a lot and has said that he would not retire unless Paul does.     Now it isn't clear if this story of John Hammel retiring is true or not at this point, but if it is true:  what does that mean?   Maybe that Paul is planning on not doing big world tours anymore?

2. Paul has been calling up his most devoted fans up on stage.  

There is nothing I like more than hearing about a fan that truly loves Paul McCartney getting pulled up on stage.    Typically Paul calls young, pretty  girls that want a tattoo up onto the stage.   Very, very few men have been called up over the years and very few first generation fans.    And yet over the past few weeks we have seen some of Paul's most devoted and biggest fans being called up on stage.   These are people that have been in the audience at 100's of shows, so why did Paul decide to call them up now?   And notice that two of them are guys?      Is it Paul's way of thanking them for being such big fans?  To show his appreciation for them being there all of these years?     I am pleased as can be for these fans and I am so glad that they were called up---but it makes me wonder.



Do I really think this is the end of the Paul McCartney world tour era?   I am not sure.   I hope it isn't.     Paul puts on the single best rock show out there.   However----if you have a chance to see him in the near future---don't pass it up.


So---I know all of you out there disagree with me....tell me why I am wrong. 

Beatles Traveling: Report of my trip to Cleveland, Ohio

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame photo taken by Sara Schmidt

Last week my mom and I went to Cleveland, Ohio for a short trip.    The main purpose of the trip was to go into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library and archives so I could do some research for my book.    However, I wanted to make sure that you all knew what Beatles stuff is currently in Cleveland if you want to take a trip of your own, or if you live too far away and would just like to know what is there.

Here I am at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library.  Photo taken by Coral Schmidt

My first stop was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library and archives.   This is not located where the museum is and you will need to drive there or take a cab.  (Side note do NOT use Yellow cabs of Cleveland---I know Paul used them in 1976, but they are terrible!!!).    Anyone can go inside and read the books.   There are so many Beatles books!   Shelves upon shelves.   It was really, really neat to see the books that friends such as Chuck Gunderson, Robert Rodriguez, Bruce Spizer, Candy Leonard and many others have written and are on the shelves there.     To see the archives, you have to make an appointment ahead of time.  They will issue you a library card and you have to watch a short  powerpoint about handling the materials.     The archives are awesome.   You wouldn't believe all of the Beatles' news clippings, never before seen photos (I saw some from Detroit 1966 that I just LOVED!), Bob Bonis' paper archives, Rolling Stone's archives...all about the Beatles.    What is sad to me, is that many of the newspaper clipping are deteriorating and are in bad shape.   They aren't organized or anything.  Just a bunch of clippings in a manilla folder.    I wish I could have a job organizing these documents.   Wouldn't that be awesome?

Yellow Sub things at the Cleveland Hard Rock Cafe  Photo taken by Sara Schmidt

After spending the afternoon as the library, we had diner at my favorite vacation restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe.    There isn't a whole lot of Beatles stuff in this Hard Rock.  Just some Yellow Submarine things on one wall.   But the food was good, as always.


The next day was a full day for us.   The first thing we did was go see the "Christmas Story" house and museum.   Since that isn't Beatles related in any way, I won't go into details about it.  But if you like the movie "The Christmas Story," then you really need to go to the house and museum.  It was fun!

The it was straight to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame museum.   I had been there in 2001, but things have changed since then.  #1 being Ringo has been inducted into the Hall of Fame just this year!  That made it pretty exciting!    After getting our tickets, we went down to find Ringo Starr's suit from "Goodnight Vienna."   Now that was amazing!!!

My mom, (Ringo's #1 fan) next to the Ringo display.   Photo taken by Sara Schmidt

We quickly realized that we just wanted to see the Beatles things and we weren't going to focus on any of the other displays until we saw the Beatles stuff.  So we went off and found it.   I was really amazed by all of the items on display.    And it really hit me---I spend a lot of my time doing Beatles things, and I would guess that the readers of this blog do as well.   The Beatles are just part of my life.  But here was their stuff preserved under glass and being stared at by all of these people.   The Beatles aren't just MY thing---they are everyone's thing!   To me seeing John Lennon's Sgt. Pepper suit in person is incredibly cool because I have seen all of the photos, but there it was under glass because it has historical importance.   I don't know, it just struck me.   Here are some of the amazing Beatles things on display currently at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John's guitar from 1965 with setlist still taped on it.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's All you need is love jacket.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's Sgt. Pepper suit.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's "You are Here" t-shirt from 1972.   Photo by Sara Schmidt

The mellotron used on Strawberry Fields Forever.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

My mom with Ringo's drums.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo's jacket worn in the Strawberry Fields promo.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's "Rock n Roll" jacket.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

John's "rooftop" guitar.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

The orange suit George wore to the Yellow Submarine premiere.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

As you see---lots of Beatles stuff on display.   But which Beatle was missing?   Yes....where's the Paul clothing?   The only Paul item on display was a Grammy award given to Wings.  I understand that Paul still uses his guitars, but really---can't he find one of those knitted sweater vests to give to the museum?   It just stood out to me that Paul doesn't have really anything there.


Of course there is much more to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum than the Beatles.  There are several films that you can watch about the induction and who is in the rock hall.   However, these are older films.  You do see clips of Paul, George and Ringo.   The one that goes year by year does not have 2015 in it yet.    But in the room as the video, there is a wall of "signatures" of everyone who is inducted.  This is the only place where I found anything about Brian Epstein.

photo taken by Sara Schmidt

I enjoyed the display about radio and was happy to listen to the MC of Beatlefest, Terri Hemmert on the headphones.   I also got a kick out of the Murrary the K shirt.  The Rolling Stone magazine exhibit was really neat as well.

photo taken  by Sara Schmidt

If you have a chance to see the things in the Rock n Roll hall of fame, it is well worth it for Beatle fans.   They have some great Beatles items available at the gift shop as well.   Speaking of the gift shop, be on the looking out soon for a contest where you can win some souvenirs I picked up at the gift shop just for this blog!