The Lyke’s (Ray and Mary) humble abode sat directly across from my early childhood home located on Hook Street in Hurley, New York. My family resided in that location for only six years (1960-1966), but in the short period of time I developed two habits that not only stayed with me but grew stronger in the following 60 years. In those years on Hook Street barely a day would pass without me finding my way into the Lyke’s kitchen to have at least one glass of Mary Lyke’s home brewed iced tea. For the remainder of my life iced tea never stopped being my Mother Mary’s milk. For 365 days a year, every single day of my life, iced tea has been and still is my go-to refreshment. Way back in the sixties as I would sit and enjoy Mary’s special formulation, I would hear some strange music coming from a nearby bedroom. The occupant of that adjacent room was a 16-year-old teenager, who, when she wasn’t sequestered in her room doubled as me and my brother’s babysitter. Inside Doreen’s room was a shrine like museum dedicated to some new British band called the Beatles. She had posters, buttons, tickets to concerts, movie stubs, and individual photos all pertaining to this group of boys wearing the long hair and huge smiles. From the moment I laid eyes on the lads I thought they were a non-human kind of special. In my six-year-old imagination they must have been a creation of Doreen’s silly machinations.
Earlier this month I learned the Beatles were releasing a track John Lennon had recorded back in the seventies. I am not a fan of Artificial Intelligence, but technology presented an opportunity for the two living band members, (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr) to work with AI and some old demos they had been given by John’s spouse (Yoko Ono) in the nineties. What they produced was a single track that had the four legends standing together harmonizing in a way that has yet to be mimicked. I went immediately to my feed to watch our heroes together, one more time. I could not believe my eyes. There was The Fab Four, together, laughing, singing to each other, sounding as if it were 1965 again. There were all the boys, 43 years after the assassination of John Lennon, and 23 years since the death of George Harrison, frolicking about as if they never experienced a nasty break up. First came all the goosebumps, then the flood of tears as I watched the video of their new song repeatedly. The memories came flooding directly at me. The first one, and most vivid vision, was a night back in 1966 when Doreen asked my mom permission to take Gary and me to see the movie ‘Help’ at the Sunset Drive In. It was the Beatles follow up movie to A Hard Day’s Night (1964). When lights came on, I remember seeing Ringo running across the big screen wearing a gawdy, but extremely valuable red ring on his finger. Seeing the Beatles that night at the Sunset Drive In was a feeling I wouldn’t have again until I fell in love for the first time. That night, the three of us sang “she’s got a ticket to ride,” all the way back to Hook Street.
Our babysitter didn’t understand the amazing present she had given myself, and my brother. Five minutes into the movie as the Beatles screamed for help, I was hooked. I was prepared to join a cult of crazed teenagers across the globe who had already fell in love with John, Paul, George, and Ringo. On a chilly February afternoon in 1964 the lads from Liverpool arrived at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport and the composition of America’s social culture was altered permanently. On Feb. 9, 1964, a Sunday night, the Beatles made their first appearance on the famed “Ed Sullivan Show’. They sang ‘She Loves You, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ in front of 200 hundred screaming teenyboppers in the Ed Sullivan studios. A phenomenal 73,000,000 watched the British invasion from their homes. These four young men, who were from the same city of Liverpool England, would go on to sell more records than any other band that ever-struck notes together. It is not a stretch to say from 1964-1969 the Beatles changed the way the world looked and sounded. To say they changed my little life, and my outlook upon it, is a fact. Like so many others who are feint hearted, it was love at first sight. These four baby-faced men with the floppy hair had a mystical aura surrounding themselves that made me positive that this band had been put together somewhere beyond the earth. The Beatles presented a unique progressive style of tight-fitting suits, thin neck ties, pointed black boots, to go along with the big smiles: oh, those smirky smiles. “We may be bigger than Jesus,” John joked upon his arrival on American soil. It was the words that streamed from their mouths that sewed my enduring love affair with the Beatles.
At first glance, my favorite Beatle was Paul. To my 6 years old eyes, Paul looked as if he could be one of my mates on the playground. His sheepish grin attached to something I could only recognize, innocence. I wanted to believe that Paul was the ringleader of the gang. As the years went on, I discovered, that it was my brother’s favorite, John, that was considered the founder and final decision maker within the group. John was 40 years old when he ended up being shot down in the street in front of his home. All four of these men were geniuses, but John stood out as the Nietzsche philosopher, a deep guru, helping a whole generation learn to critically think and contemplate the social issues of the day. At the time of his death Lennon, along with McCartney, were considered two of top song writers in the history of the earth. His personal development musically and psychologically is evident in the trajectory of his work from ‘Please, Please Me’, or ‘Help’ to his later classic hits ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ or ‘Imagine’. In the beginning every LP that was put out by the band, no matter who was the original collaborator, the writing credit read Lennon/McCartney. While leaning to McCartney in my younger years, it wasn’t long before I began to appreciate John’s genius. God only knows what the world missed by not having John around the last 45 years. “The third Beatle”, not necessarily in the that order was George. He of the handsome quiet type who would also evolve into a prolific songwriter and performer in his own right. Doreen’s favorite was Ringo. The unfazed, goofy drummer who never missed a beat. Sitting in Doreen’s bedroom listening to old Beatle 45’s was the greatest introduction to the world of music a kid could have. 60 years later that raggedy looking bunch from Liverpool, England would be considered the most influential entertainers of the past two centuries.
I received word that an old tape recording, written by John Lennon, was out there floating around. Along with the help of recent technology, Paul and Ringo were able to put Lennon’s track to video of the G.O.A.T.’S performing one last song. Like out of a dream, standing together were the four lads from Liverpool bonding one last time. There, once again I was looking at the four infectious smiles, together like they were on The Sullivan Show with the whole world watching. I was looking at Paul and Ringo, today, singing and dancing merrily with their two deceased childhood buddies. All the generations they touched had a chance to remember how the Beatles had played an important part in their lives. We loved them for so many reasons; the way they looked, the way they dressed, and for the words that came out of their mouths. But mostly we loved them because we went through the loves, and the break ups of our lives together. Their catalogue of poetry is embedded in their followers more than any history lesson we ever learned in school. I confess to having watched the official last song more times than I care to admit. Each time I headed for the tissue box.
We don’t often get a chance to say our proper goodbyes to the special people we squeezed so tightly during our lives. The Beatles made me believe all dreams were possible. That the top of the mountain was reachable. Artificial Intelligence has given us one last goodbye to our friends. New technology made it possible to see the four lads together one more time, making us feel like only they could. The question “what is your favorite Beatle song?’ comes up occasionally. After viewing this latest release of nostalgia, the latest Beatle release ‘Now and Then” will replace ‘Help’. After wearing out this new tune, I sent my old babysitter an inbox message on fakebook. ‘Hey Doreen, have you seen the new music video put out by Paul and Ringo? I’m thinking about doing a story on the Beatles. Who was your favorite, Ringo? What do you remember about our experiences with the Beatles on Hook Street?’ It did not take Doreen very long to message me back: “Of course, I’ve seen it. I was madly in love with the Beatles, still am, especially Ringo. Two things I remember about you Richie, your love for the Beatles and your love for my mom’s iced tea.” My travels of late have me passing by Hook Street on occasion. With ‘Now and Then’ streaming on my car radio I took a turn back unto the road of 320 and 318 Hook Street.. Past the Naccaroto’s, and before the Roland’s. I stopped my car in the street between houses. Over the musings of ‘Now and Then’ I could hear four louder voices coming from Doreen’s old bedroom. ‘Help me if you can I’m feeling down and I do appreciate you being round.’ I drove away hearing those soothing voices of my past singing in the present: ‘Now and then I miss you. Now and then I want you to be there for me.’
