Liddypod 35 - Stuart Sutcliffe, Strawberry Field and Giles Martin Interview

In a bumper extended episode today, David Bedford and Paul Beesley bring you more of their special Beatles banter from a special location: one of Stuart Sutcliffe's homes, which is now the Sefton Park Hotel. It is a fabulous location and houses a Stuart Sutcliffe Exhibition up through several flights of stairs. 

We also discuss the opening of the Sir George and Lady Judy Martin Rose Garden at Strawberry Field, and Paul interviewed their son, the famous producer Giles Martin, and you can hear that in this episode too!

So much more to discuss, including looking forward to International Beatleweek too.

Let us know what you think?

David and Paul

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Liddy Pod, Beatles Banter with Bedford and Beasley.

SPEAKER_03 0:14

Dave, here we are at another Liddy Pod. Um, inevitably, we've just had breakfast, and what a breakfast that was.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

That was absolutely exceptional. Really enjoyed that. I don't know why, but I woke up so hungry this morning. Yeah. And I thought it's gonna be the full English.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

Well, I I woke up this morning thinking, no, no, I've got to be good here. So let's have something, you know, light. And uh I saw full English on the uh two sausages, black pudding. I sorry, I just went for it and I cleared the plate. I cleared the I didn't didn't quite lick the plate, but I I I cleared the plate, so yeah, it was it was fabulous. Dave, tell us tell listeners where we are today. A very special place.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yeah, it's the Sefton Park Hotel. Now, Sefton Park's one of our biggest public parks here in Liverpool. We're by the boating lake, where uh John Lennon's mum and dad met. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

Famously, let's we go look for the heart.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Yeah, you haven't heard that story is a crappy little story, but which is a 14-year-old Julia, this gorgeous red-headed lady, sat by the lake, and uh John's dad, um Alf or Freddie spots her, goes over and talks to her. No, but he was only little because he'd had rickets when he was a kid. Um, so to make himself look taller and more impressive, he wore a bowler hat. Now, can you imagine at 15 deciding you're going to wear a bowler hat?

SPEAKER_03 1:35

Yeah, that you've got to stick out, aren't you? I mean, okay, different days, but at 15 years of age. Yeah. You're probably not, you might have a flat cap on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Ecky thump. Yeah, so he goes to impress and starts talking to Julia, who starts laughing at him. What you're laughing at? You silly hat. So he takes it off his head and throws it into the lake. And the rebellious nature within Julia thought, that's fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

Is it still there? Bit like the Loch Nest Monster.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Freddy's Bowler.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

Freddy's Bowler Monster.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Is it still in the lake? Is that a new six-part documentary series, The Search for Freddy's Hat?

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Anyway, listen, we've told people where we are, but we've not just come here just because it's a lovely hotel and it's a lovely breakfast. It's very, very significant in the story of the Beatles.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

It is because this was once the home of Stuart Sucliffe and his family. Wow. And they lived in various parts. So they lived, um, Stuart obviously born in Edinburgh. Yeah. Grew up in the Heighton area of Liverpool, which is where I'm now living, round the corner from where Stuart grew up. Um and then his family all then decided to move into the city. They lived in Ulett Road for a time, the other side of Sefton Park. And then moved over here in 1961. So this was they had um it was flat number one. Um yeah, it's what a great place.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

There's a lovely plaque on the outside to uh the if you if you come to Liverpool, and I mean, you know, there's a couple of places you might want to stay if you're a massive Beatles fan. This is definitely top of the list.

SPEAKER_04 3:05

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Uh, I mean, you know, you've got the Hard Days Night Hotel, which is a lovely hotel, you know, Beatles theme, but this is a place of real Beatles history. And the great thing about it is that they've they've really acknowledged that as well. You get sometimes you get places, don't you, where somebody lived or stayed or visitors, and they sort of play it down. Here, they've quite rightly acknowledged the fact that uh Stuart lived here, his family lived here. So, you know, it's it's it is a great place to stay if you're a Beatles fan. And it's such an amazing location. We're looking out to the window here, Dave. We can see the lake, uh Safton Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the whole country, and it's fabulous. And you're only across the other side of the park's Penny Lane, you know, it's really, really close. So if you do come to Liverpool, if you're being a Beatles fan, and you don't want to stay in the hustle and the bustle of the city centre, this is definitely the place to stay. It's got its own park in, but it's got the great Stuart Sutcliffe history to it as well.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

It has, and um, a lot of credit to my friend uh Chris Labour, musician, uh now resident down in uh in LA. And he and I have worked on stuff to do with this place and with Stuart for many years, and he's managed to put together an exhibition. Um and it starts here in the dining room, they've got photos up um of Stuart in Hamburg, some of his story, but then you go all the way up the stairs, and there's photographs, there's copies of letters, there's some of his artwork, and it all tells Stuart's story. And again, if you're on a tour, um I bring people down and we're doing um like the all-day tours, we stop off here, yeah, and then go for a walk up the stairs, and it's fabulous to have somewhere dedicated to Stuart and to his memory and his very important part in the story of the Beatles.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

Absolutely, and and an intriguing part, not just uh part of the Beatles, but his story itself, what a talented artist he was, and what a you know sad young age he died as well. Uh so yeah, we say thank you to the Sefton Park Hotel for letting us to talk nonsense for a little while in their dining room uh after a lovely, lovely breakfast. But Dave, there is so much to talk about today.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

There's so much. I mean, we can talk about what if, yeah, okay. What if Stuart isn't in the Beatles? And people think, oh well, he was a crappy bassist. No, he actually Stuart became a really good rock and roll bass player, and I have that from people who played with him, you know, from Pete Best and of course Dead the Rhythm section. Um, Howie Casey, one of the Liverpool musician, Darian the Seniors, he played out there and said, No, Stuart was a good rock and roll bass player. So let's deal with that myth. And we weren't talking before over breakfast, weren't we? How many Beatles myths do we get to deal with on every tour?

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Well, yes, this is it because uh I suppose it's like anything, really, but we've all heard those sort of myths about this, that, and the other. Yeah, you know, that somebody has told somebody and somebody's told somebody else. Exactly. Somebody might have written it down, somebody might have published it, and then these myths become reality, yeah, and myth becomes fact. Yeah, and the the the good thing and the sad thing is, Dave, that we're getting to that point now in in time when the people who were there at the time are getting fewer and fewer to to speak to. Unfortunately, we've got some of those people still here in Liverpool, they're like Safredi Kelly and uh Colin Hansen and people like that, but those people are getting fewer and fewer. And um, you know, as time goes on, those myths, if not dispelled, will become the fact of a hundred years' time.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

You know, unfortunately, and there's probably not a lot you can do about that, but you're right, it is interesting that the people we speak to and the the stories we get, and then how you have to sort of you know firmly but politely correct the story as to what this is what really happened, you know, and Stuart's influence was big because you think, well, the Beatles' name, yeah, you know, as Bill Harry witnessed, you know, it was Stuart who suggested the Beatles. Um it's funny, I was reading uh an interview with Paul recently, and he was talking about how they got the name and said they loved Bloody Holly and the crickets, and he said one of the things they loved was that the crickets meant two things they meant the insect and the game. And the game. So they thought, oh this great stuff. We're beatles, it's like the insect, but also we're doing beat music. Yeah. And many, many years ago, um, after the Beatles had finished, Paul was talking to one of the crickets, and he was telling them this story, he thought, you know, that's what we loved. And he had the two meanings. He said, What do you mean, two meanings? So, we know the insects and and the game of cricket. What's the game of cricket? Yeah, they wouldn't have known, obviously. They were giving them credit for the two meanings to the name, so that wasn't a thing. Yeah, um, so we wouldn't have had the Beatles' name down to Stuart. But then think of him bringing in those three German friends, Astrid Klaus and Jürgen. They stayed there because of Stuart. Yes, yeah. So then we get those amazing photos that Astrid took. Yeah. So she could spend time with Stuart. You wouldn't have that.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

Yeah, they were the those connections wouldn't have been made, would they? You know, because they came from that sort of the exy world, didn't he? You know, in in Hamburg, which probably the other lads wouldn't have wouldn't have got involved, but it's Stuart who done that and Stuart's the first to have the haircut?

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yeah, yeah. Because that was the French style that Jürgen Vollmer had. Yeah, yeah. And eventually, when uh John and Paul go to Paris and meet up with Jurgen, he cuts their hair in that same style. When Stuart first had it done, they took the Mickey out of him, something wrong.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

You can imagine, can't you? You know Lennon. These scouts lads go, What have you done? Look at the state of you.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

And then the colourless jacket. Yeah, yeah. Again, that was a collaboration with Stuart and Astrid. Yeah. And when he first wore that, was it John Tayson? Oh, I got your mum's clothes on again, or something like that. So actually, some really significant part of the story.

SPEAKER_03 9:05

Yeah. Connected to Stuart, yeah. To Stuart. Yeah. Um it is, you know, and when you it's only when you look at it, because on the face of it, people would go, Oh, you know, he he played bass with them for a while, left them, sadly died, and and that was it, really. But yeah, you're right, you're right. Big impact, so many, so many connections, so much impact. Yeah, brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

So it's nice that the story gets told here. Yeah. Um, and so it's a great place to go.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

It is just without even even if you're not, you know, you're not brought here, but you're around the area, you know, do pop in. They're a very welcoming bunch of people here at the Softon Park Hotel, and they'll they'll let you have a look around. Yeah, really.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

No, it's a lovely, lovely place, but yeah, so much going on as as ever. Yeah, absolutely. We meet what once a month to catch up on stuff, and like the world's changed.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

So much has happened in that time. It really, really has. Um, in the in the period since we last met, I think it is the period since we last met, we we had uh an opening of a new Rose Garden at Strawberry Fields.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Yeah, that was great, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_03 10:05

The Sir George and Lady Judy Martin Rose Garden, uh, which was opened officially by Giles and his sister. Um, and Dave, you you were you were there on the day, weren't you? Yeah, yeah, it was a great day, was it a lovely sunny day as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Oh, gorgeous sunny day. Um, and it's nice to have Dion Valen. Um Lady Ann Dodd. Yes, Lady Ann Dodd, yeah. Yeah, if you don't know who Ken Dodd was, find out about him. The funniest man who ever lived, Liverpool comedian. Um, she was there, and it was just beautiful. This new section at Strawberry Field. So when you go around the grounds, you can see this lovely brick wall there with uh little fountain and a rose garden. And it's just it's a lovely thing because now it's the first and only permanent tribute to George Martin and his wife Judy, which is crazy to think how important that man was.

SPEAKER_03 11:02

Yeah, I mean uh important in the story of the Beatles, but important in the story of music, you know, generally it's so important and in and bizarre to think that there's not been something like this before. Uh, but it is it's significant within if you've been to Storby Field before, but before this opened, it is a significant addition to the you know, it's a it's a specific section of the gardens. There's a lovely little water feature there. Uh Giles and his sister planted a rose while while they were there. They've got the the songs up that George Martin produced songs that went to number one, yeah. Not all of which are Beatles, you know, there's other songs in there as well. So it is really, really lovely. And it was a lovely day as well. You know, everyone was there, Mike McCartney was there, Frieda was there, uh Judd Lander was there. So it it was a it was a great day. It was a lovely sunny day. It was a very salvation army day, which was great. It was really, really lovely. And and if you haven't been to Strawberry Field, or you've been, but before the Rose Garden, you must go back. But um, fortunately, Dave, um, I caught up with Giles Martin while we were there, and uh, this is what he said to me.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

My mum had this idea about building a rose garden, and that sort of blossom like a rose garden does it, it's being a memorial for my father, the only one in the world. But it's this place strawberry fields, which has become this this place of deep nurturing for people that that need help to get through life, and and that's what we do with gardens. What do we you need to nurture and prune and love something, and it blossoms, and that's what Strawberryfield does here. This this this place is people should come down and donate to this charity because it's just pure goodness what happens here, and it's such an honour for us and families to see my Desmond Moro Memorial here as well.

SPEAKER_03 12:46

So there we go. That was Giles Martin chatting to me at Strawberryfield on the opening of the Sir George and Lady Judy Martin Rose Garden, which a good time was had by all, Dave. It was fun, fun in the sun. Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Not as much to eat as he have done. Should complain about that. We want a breakfast.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

You're listening to Liddy Pod, Beatles Banter with Bedford and Beasley.

SPEAKER_03 13:09

Okay, Dave. Um, we are recording this uh really in the last few days of July. Uh it's gonna be uh August on uh Saturday, and August always means International Beatle Week. Yeah, always held from the Wednesday to the Wednesday over the last weekend in August, which for UK listeners they will know is the bank holiday, the August bank holiday period. Dave, it's been running for a long, long time. Even well, you know, the original Beatles Convention goes right back, the original one goes back to the 70s, doesn't it? You know, but then the county council took it over uh in the 80s, and then Cavern City Tours, who were the owners of the Cavern, the Cavern pub, the Cavern restaurants, and the Magical Mystery Tour, they own and operate very successfully International Beatle Week, and it's shaped up to be another good one.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Oh, it's incredible. Um I was only talking with John Keats the other day, you know that when one finishes, they have a few weeks off, and then by the end of September, they're already planning for next year's. The amount of work that goes into this because they're welcoming people from all over the world, they've got the tribute bands from all over the world as well, and there's so much going on, and they manage every year to find something slightly different. I mean, obviously it's lots of anniversaries, but they managed to come up with different things for people to do when they're here. So there's loads of people will travel from all around the world and will come every year. It's a big thing, you think, wow, and Liverpool just gets taken over.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

It it is a spectacularly wonderful period in the year, isn't it, Brad? Incredible. And you know, you see John Lennon look-alikes and Ringo look alike and things like that, but they I just think the the sheer happiness of it all, you know, and as you say, there's people come back year after year after year. So they've seen Liverpool, they've seen every single Beatle location in the city, but they just want to come back because they just love that period in the city when there's this buzz and this excitement about you know what what Liverpool is is known for. And it it's a it's a I mean, I've never been involved in it, but it must be a mammoth task for Cavern City Tours when you're thinking the sheer number of overseas bands that that need to get into the country, get out of the country, play, be accommodated, yeah, have venues sorted. It is just it's a it's a 3D chess game as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Oh, it is absolutely incredible. They do a wonderful job on this. Again, so much credit to you know the guys at Cavern City Tours for what they've given to this city.

SPEAKER_03 15:44

Yeah, the you know the people you you still you don't hear it very often now, but you used to hear you know what have the Beatles ever done for Liverpool? Yeah, and and we we see what they have done for Liverpool and what they are doing every single day, but it's encapsulated it in that seven-day period, isn't it? When there's so much happening, there's so much focus on the Beatles, there's great joy and happiness in the city as well. Yeah, and the guys and girls at Cavern City Tours never fail to come up with a slightly new angle. The one thing they never do is just use last year's template for this year. They always look for new angles and new little things along the way. And it is, it's it's just it's just fabulous. And you know, people who have been coming to it, you know, the the the Charles Rosene, we asked Charles a mention from uh the United States, who has been bringing groups from the States every year, uh probably apart from the COVID year to uh to the International Beatle Week, and uh brings them in numbers and and has a great time. You're doing something with him this year, aren't you?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we've got uh look after his group um doing an all-day tour with him on the the Tuesday. Um mentioned my other friend Ricardo, who's been bringing groups from Mexico for over 30 years as well. So the two of them have done so much for bringing overseas visitors to Liverpool. And I think particularly when you think of those who do come from like from Mexico and South America, the Beatles never played there. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yes, we we know that they were massive in the US and they toured there, but they never played in Mexico and in South America, yeah. And yet, the numbers of fans who traveled from there is incredible.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

It it is incredible, you know, and obviously it goes without saying now the number of fans that that that are coming over who are of the age that they would, you know, the Beatles had split up by the time by the time they were born, yeah, you know. Yeah, so but that's the the impact of of their music, you know, because we're not talking about you know, groups who tour today tour literally all over the world because you know transportation is so much easier than everything else. But you're right, you know, there were certain countries and certain continents where the Beatles never played, but there are still musicians there. You know, I'll never forget the day. Uh slightly off the subject here. I was on a Caribbean cruise and we landed at I can't even remember which island it was. We were on the small Caribbean islands, and we we got off the boat and I could hear these kettle drums being played, yeah. And we walked up to them, and there were school kids, probably about 13, 14, playing obla de obla da in the middle of the Caribbean on kettle drums, and it was like, well, there we go, that says it all, doesn't it? It does that says it all.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

I suppose one of the reasons that they got the popularity there is because of Paul being on tour, and he's toured consistently going to places like South America, yeah, and he sort of perpetuating that legacy of the Beatles indirectly, yeah. And people are learning the Beatles songs, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

It is incredible because of him still touring, which is so yeah, International Beatles Week coming up. We won't be able to report on on the next Liddy Pod because the next Liddy Pod is actually we're gonna do in a couple of weeks' time, aren't we? Oh, yeah. We'll let you know at the end of this Liddy Pod where we're gonna be in special time on the 18th of August. We've put the date in the diary, that's where we're gonna be. Yeah, we'll tell you where in a moment. Uh so that's International Beatle Week. We'll tell you more about that when we get together in uh September, October time and tell you how the whole thing has gone. But Dave, you just mentioned Paul there at the very end. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Paul as being in town, and suddenly it made worldwide news. It was fantastic. Magical mystery tour.

SPEAKER_03 19:19

The chances of this happening. I know. There's more chance of what is it, 14 million to one to win the lottery. It's way beyond that the chances of this happening. Tell people what happened, Dave.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

So magical mystery tour is going through town, and they're in traffic, and they look over, and there's this lovely poshcart with the window wound down, and there's Paul McCartney waving everyone on the bus. But not just Paul waving on the bus. He then shows everybody his phone, and he's currently on the phone, and you can see he's talking to Ringo.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

Yeah. Unbelievable. It's just this phenomenal. If you if you set that up, it probably wouldn't have worked. No, exactly. If you'd set it up, it probably wouldn't have worked. The amount of times that medical mystery tour bus, because I've been I've guarded on that before, yeah. That section, Hope Street, it was between the two cathedrals, the amount of times we've just whizzed along there, traffic lights being on green, and we've gone. You whizzed down. On this day, they were stopped by the traffic lights exactly opposite to this car with Paul McCartney in, waving at you, speaking to Ringo on the phone. It's it is the chances are unbelievable. But what happened then? Because I I saw the the the photos on the the WhatsApp group for the tour. Uh, I immediately said to the guys, because as listeners may know, I also work for the local BBC radio station. So I said, Can I use these photos? They said yes. I told our newsroom, yeah, they got it up first, and then from then it was like a snowball going off the top of a mountain. It was just gathered base. And literally, I mean, I got messages from people in the States going, I've just seen this on the news, I've just seen this on MBC and things like that. That it's gone vibe, it's gone viral, isn't even the right word. It has gone interstellar, the story. It's Tella McGarty. It's just Tella McGarty, well done. Um and and I think it's because, not just because Paul was seen in Liverpool, it's the it's the serendipity of what happened was the unbelievable fact that Ringo's face can be. He must have got a ringo lost my bee and turns about the ringo can see the bus, and everybody's waving to Ringo. And it and fortunately, there was a there was a passenger on the bus who had a good camera and got a really good shot, and then gave permission for the photo to be used. Yeah uh because this photo is just unbelievable. It is fabulous, it is incredible. And of course, the reason for was in Liverpool. It was the uh graduation academy for the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, uh, which he helped to create what 30 years ago now, because we know it was 30 years ago, they've just had their 30th anniversary. He every single year posted. Personally, he presents the degrees to the graduating students. Whatever's in his diary, it doesn't matter. He comes back to Liverpool for this event every single year. And it must be a great event for people to go to because you get to meet Paul and the families get to meet him afterwards and things like that. But that's why he was in town. Yeah. And this was the day before the events on the following day. But that's that's why he was here. And it was a great event. And then, Dave, if I can just tell you this story, the following day, the event was taking place in the in the convention centre part of the arena. Yeah. And I was due to do a tour with mainly Americans, some Canadians and Australians though as well, from the Pullman Hotel, which is the hotel right by the arena and convention centre. So when I got down there, and I was running a bit late, but I was in time, and I got down there, it was about just about 10 to 4, and I saw a load of people waiting at what is the back door of the of the convention centre. So uh the girl who'd give me a lift, a girl called Emily, who I work with, uh said, Oh, what's that? And uh I said, Oh, it's of course it's it's Lippin's graduation, they'll be waiting for McCarney. And she was like, Wow, really? Because her dad's uh the Colin, I'll give Colin a mention. Uh Colin Thorbinson, he's a massive Beatles fan. So uh she jokingly said to me, kept my dad an autograph. No problem, Emily. I'm sure you've seen him come out yet. So anyway, she dropped me off and I went to the to the coach driver who was also a big Beatles fan. His name's Gary and uh Scottish guy, he's massive Beatles fan. Seen McCartney loads of times. So he was ecstatic, he was waiting by the people, and there weren't that many people there. There's probably, I would say there's about 40 people, that's all. It wasn't that many people. So I walked over to the tour director and said, Uh, hi there, what you want to do? I'm I'm happy to wait because all the passengers would overvive. Yeah, so I said, Look, I'm happy to wait, but equally, if you want to start the tour, we'll we'll go, you know, it's up to you. So we said, Oh, okay, we'll we'll hang on a bit longer. So we hung on, we hung on, and we chatted to people around about um and there was no sign of anything happening, you know. And but in my head, I thought to myself, okay, I saw that photograph yesterday. He was sitting on the right hand side of the car behind the driver. So, calculated guess, that's where they'll be this time. So I walked over to the to that side. So I would see him. Uh so anyway, it got to about we were supposed to start the tour of four o'clock, and it got to about 10 to 5. Wow. And the tour director said, Look, we've just got to go, you know, we've got to do this tour, you know. So he got everyone on the coach. Yeah, and I jumped on the coach. And people were saying, Oh, what why is he here? So I started to tell people why that he's here. And the driver pulls away, he must have driven no more than two metres, about six foot, and he slammed the brakes on. I thought he'd hit something, it was that it was that hard, and I just heard him shout, the doors are opening. So the whole coach ran towards the exit. Uh, I went to women, I thought, no, this is the best side to see him. And we were literally there for about 10 seconds. Yeah, sure enough, the car pulls out nice and slowly, window down, waving at people. And fortunately, and when I was, I was the only person there. Uh, because people said, God, he's looking straight at you. And I said, Well, I was the only person there, he had nobody else to look at, really. So I just got this photograph of him waving, uh, going out, and then he drove off. And when I understand he went to the airport and flew off somewhere. Um, but you can imagine the the passengers on the coach. Wow. They'd signed up for a City and Beatles tour, yeah, and they got to see Paul McCartney. What are the again, what are the chances of that? You know, they were probably WhatsApp in all their families back home, so you never guess what's just happened. Yeah, so this is the great thing about him being in town, isn't it? Because people have these random encounters with him. I mean, it you know, it's it's no secret to the fact that he has a house on the Wirral house he bought in '64 for his his dad and brother, and he still owns and uses. Uh, and I've got friends over there who've just met him, just casually walking round and you know, going for a little hillside walk and things like that, you know. So I think that's the excitement of McCartney being in town that he brings with him this buzz. And being the type of person he is, he doesn't, you know, he could have easily driven quickly out of that place, windows up, all blacked out. Nobody even knew whether he was in the car, but you know, he chose not to. That's not him at all. So it was it was great. A couple of great days in the city, more excitement.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

And it's one of those things that I know um you know when you're doing your tour, and we're done by the suitcases by Lipper in the Art College, and I tell people that Paul is here every year at graduation. They said, Really? Yeah, no, honestly, Paul hasn't just thought, well, it's a bit of a tax rate off. I'll put some money into this and clear off. Yeah, he is so heavily involved in the running of Lipper doing master classes. Yeah. I was speaking to a guy who graduated last year who was studying songwriting. He had a 20-minute one-on-one with Paul, but he had to perform his own song to Paul. Can you imagine? And then they sat down, went through the lyrics, and Paul said, Oh, like that, that's good. Maybe if you change that to that, you know, this guy lad said, Well, of course, Paul's right, one of the greatest songwriters ever. And he said, just to have that one-on-one for 20 minutes with Paul. And he said, and then when it came to graduation, his name gets called, he walks across the stage and Paul says, Ah, you're the great lyricist. Ah, can you imagine? He said, Please tell me everybody.

SPEAKER_03 27:41

Can you imagine Paul McCartney saying to you, you're a great lyricist?

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Yeah. But he remembered. Yeah.

unknown 27:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

You know, and there are things which, if he hadn't told me that, nobody would know. No, nobody would have known that now. Paul does not publish.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Yeah, because what goes on inside Lipper, generally speaking, we we don't really get to know an awful lot about because they don't make a big song and dance about it. You know, he does what he does because he does it for the students. And unless you know a student who's experienced that, then you're never gonna know. And Lippa has produced amazing people over the years. I mean, the the president of the BAFTAs is is is is a Lippa graduate and a Scouser, you know. Um, the Wombats met at Lippa, you know, there's so many people, and not just the high-profile people, but people working within the entertainment industry who were graduates of Lippa. Yeah, uh, it is it's a phenomenal place. Um, yeah, good on Paul and Carney, but a lot of people left Liverpool very happy last week.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

I mean, the thing is, you're starting your tour. How would you follow that for those? Exactly, exactly, exactly. Well done, Paul. Thank you so so much. You're a top, top man.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

This is Liddy Pod, Beatles banter with Bedford and Beasley.

SPEAKER_03 28:53

Dave, since we uh last met, we've had a sad passing as well.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Yeah, yeah, um a wonderful guy, known to everybody in the Beatles world in Liverpool, uh, Jerry Goldman.

SPEAKER_04 29:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

Um did so much, so much for Liverpool. Really, um heavily involved in making the Beatles story what it is today. Um, and of course, when Salvation Army were opening Strawberry Field, then he went, we know the man with the right experience. And Jerry put a lot of time and effort into making Strawberry Field what it is, yeah, as well. And a lovely, lovely man. Yeah. Quiet he went about doing his business.

SPEAKER_03 29:31

He was he was a very yeah, he was a very quiet man, wasn't he? You know, he wasn't Liverpool born, he was he was he was from London, yeah. Um but he he integrated into the city so well. Uh on the occasions you would speak to him, he was he was funny, he was humorous, but he was very quiet as well. Yeah, very, very quiet, yeah. Incredibly sort of quiet, but but firm guy knew knew what he wanted and and did wonders at Beatles Story.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Yeah, yeah, and he contributed so much to Liverpool, so we owe him a desk of thanks. Yeah, um, and he was never one for telling people he was ill. Um, you could sort of guess something wasn't right because he wasn't at the strawberry field, yeah. Um guard knowing because he he would normally have been there, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um but yeah, fondly remembered by anybody who ever came into any contact with Jerry for so much that he's contributed to our city. Um absolutely so uh yeah. Jerry Goldman, very sad. Good man, good man.

SPEAKER_00 30:27

You're listening to Liddy Pod, Beatles banter with Bedford and Beasley.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

So we've got an anniversary, 60th anniversary of Revolver. Of course, yeah. And you think of 1966, what a tumultuous year it was for the Beatles. You've got John's more popular than Jesus, yeah. Stuff which didn't raise an eyebrow in here when it came out in Moring Creeb's interview, and then suddenly it gets blown out of proportion in the States and there's record burning, death threats, all kinds of stuff. So that last tour they did, so yeah, all of that. John had to make his numerous apologies, and then touring to go to the Buddha Khan in Japan, yeah, protests there, yeah, then Manila in the Philippines, yeah, with the with the president's wife, yeah. So that lucky to escape with without Emilda throwing some of a thousand pairs of shoes at them, you know, and Neil and Mao being held back, yeah, not sure if they were gonna get on the plane or not. Yeah, yeah. So they get out of there, and then it must have just reinforced their decision to stop touring.

SPEAKER_03 31:35

It mustn't have done because it they they must have been thinking, you know, you think about the modern age with you know press and PR and everything else, and everything's controlled so tightly by PR companies these days, isn't it? You know, and and in those days you you had maybe the beginnings of it, but you didn't have what you have today, and you certainly didn't have the exposure of you know Instagram and social media and things like that, but they must have been thinking at that stage this is just getting ridiculous now. Yeah, you know, we we it doesn't matter what we do or what we say, someone will find faults in it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

And and also with the the anniversary of Revolver coming out, which was such an incredible record. I mean, do you think it's only three years? Since Please Please me, their first album with yeah, a number of covers on there, yeah, and they're really the basics of rock and roll RB and stuff. How do you go from Love Me Do to Tomorrow Never Knows in three years? It's just it's it's incredible, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 32:36

It is incredible. It is, I mean, it you know, there's there's there's very few groups ever that would make that transition in such a short space of time. You know, there's groups who transition over decades, yeah, but not over such a short space of time. It is incredible. And but I think you're right, I think Dave, the the atmosphere around them at that time must have contributed to them saying, look, you know, it's it's it's time to colour a day being on the road with without a doubt.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Plus, they couldn't reproduce the music they're now creating. Yeah, you couldn't reproduce that on stage.

SPEAKER_03 33:07

No, and we and we would, you know, not just arguably, we wouldn't have got the stuff post-touring from the Beatles had they continued to tour and tour and tour and tour. They wouldn't have had the time, the energy, you know, the creative space to do it. They they just wouldn't have had it, you know. So it is phenomenal. Um, the the and it's it's such a key part in in Beatles history, isn't it? Really? That that that sort of that junction of of 1966 and the way things went forward from there and the anniversary coming up of Revolver is is a is a great time to mark that, really.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

And then I sort of almost go full circle. Because of course the album cover was designed by Klaus Foreman. Yes, we were talking about earlier, yeah. Stuart's friends, yeah. So again, if Stuart doesn't be friend, yeah, those three, yeah, you you don't get that revolver.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

You don't get that album cover. Is is that your favourite Beatles album cover? I would say it's the before you answer that question, I would say it's the one that I see most of when it comes to things like t-shirts.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 34:09

You see that cover more than you do other covers, don't you? Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 34:13

It's it's a it's just a brilliant piece of artwork. It's and that again using an album cover as a work of art. Yeah, because you know, John, Paul, and George were all great artists. You know, John went to art college, but Paul was doing art at the Institute. George was always into his art. Stuart, of course, had had his influence with the art, but you know, the first album cover of the four of them looking over the balcony.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

That's what album covers were. They do pictures of the band.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

Pictures of the band, yeah. Yeah, pictures of the band. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:47

And now, even right all the way through to rubber soul, you know, you're still having photos of them. Yeah. Bit more arty. But still photos. But still photos of them. Yeah, yeah. And now the album cover becomes a work of art in itself.

SPEAKER_03 35:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

And every cover from that, you've obviously you've got revolver with transformed, then looking at Sergeant Pepper. I mean, how many people have tried to copy that? Yeah. It's a work of art.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

It is a piece of artwork, isn't it? And you know, when you when you look at the likes of Revolver, Sergeant Pepper, Abbey Road. Yeah. You know, such a when you think about it, I mean, that's but another time to talk about, isn't it? But you know, Abbey Road, and you think, okay, let's go and take a photo.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Yeah, let's walk across the Zebra cross.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

And all of a sudden, you know, and you you see, I was talking about t-shirts. How many times have you seen the Abbey Road image recreated with all sorts of other things and cats and cows and all sorts of things walking across that? Builders and roofers and stuff on the Liverpool carrying carrying the ladders over the shoulders. It is that's true, you haven't seen that one as well. Yeah, but no, you're right. So the the anniversary of Revolver uh coming up. Um what an album. Yeah, if you haven't listened to it recently, it is our challenge. Go and listen to it again. Go and listen to it again from beginning to end.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Uh easy to do these days. No, that's 60 years ago, but if you listen to the the style of the songs on there, you can sort of understand where Brit Pop came from, really, can't you? You can, yeah, you can.

SPEAKER_03 36:09

Yeah, you can.

SPEAKER_01 36:10

And no other band could only release albums for seven years. That's all it is, 63 to 70.

SPEAKER_03 36:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

And every album is different, yeah. Covered just by every genre you can think of.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

And I I one of the things I often say to people, you know, I mean, I I you know, I like other bands like Queen or like, you know, uh the Rolling Stones, people like that, but I would not pretend to know a lot of their stuff other than their singles.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Yeah, the Greatest Hits.

SPEAKER_03 36:37

Um The Greatest Hits type thing. Whereas with the Beatles, people know songs that were just on albums and never made it to a single, never made it into a music chart. Yeah, but it was on an album. But people know them. People know them, and I think I think there's I don't think there's any other band that could could could say that. So yeah, 60 years of revolver.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Exactly. So that's that's why we're still here talking about them. Yeah. All these years later.

SPEAKER_00 37:01

This is Liddy Pod, Beatles Banter with Bedford and Beasley.

SPEAKER_03 37:05

So, Dave, this is uh a new feature we're doing in the uh in the podcast in Liddy Pod uh about other places to go to if you come to Liverpool, uh, maybe not related to the Beatles, but still just as good to go to. Uh, where would you say? I'll give you the chance today, Dave.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Um if you've got the interest in the Liverpool that the Beatles were born into, then the Second World War crops up, um, which is another history passion of mine. And one of our almost like hidden gems is a place called Western Approaches, which is the headquarters of the Battle of the Atlantic. And I love going back there all the time. It's in in the city centre, and it opens up the underground bunkers where the whole command for the Battle of the Atlantic was trying to get all those all the convoys coming over, particularly from the US and from Canada, coming into Liverpool. Liverpool was getting bombed the hell out of U-boats were trying to sink the convoys, and you can go into the plotting room with the big map and and everywhere. And I just think it's it's one of those amazing places in Liverpool that people should go and see. Um because it invariably on tours it crops up because the Beatles are born in Liverpool at war, you know, the second most bombed city in Britain after London, because of the importance of the docks. So even like when we're growing up, there were still patches where places had been bombed and not built on again.

SPEAKER_04 38:40

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:40

We talked before about now when you're in the summer old days, you go out and play, you'd be gone for the day, and you play on the bombing, not thinking I'm now going to go and play on a bomb site where a bomb has fallen and destroyed the building. Yeah, it was just the bombing.

SPEAKER_03 38:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

But you understand the context of Liverpool and the Second World War. That's what the Beatles were born into. And to get the context of the city, you have to understand that part. And the fact that rationing went on to 1954.

SPEAKER_03 39:08

Yeah, it was, yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Yeah. So it wasn't like the war's over. No, no. You're right, everybody got back to work.

SPEAKER_03 39:13

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:14

The place was destroyed.

SPEAKER_03 39:15

And I I agree with you totally, Dave. I mean, Western Approaches, as it's called, has been there for a long time, but in in recent years, Big Heritage uh uh company have taken it over and they've done a great job on it. Brilliant. They really do have a great approach to telling historical stories. And I think the thing about Western Approaches, as well, especially to our you know, the likes of our Canadian and American uh listeners, yeah, you know, a lot of the the troops, it was originally supplies and then troops coming across from Canada and America, and they were the the ones that were trying to be protected by the uh the the escort chips, which were all controlled from Western approaches. Yeah, uh top secret wartime headquarters. I mean, you go to London and everybody goes to the Churchill war rooms. This is better than that because the the story is so significant for the outcome of the war. It wasn't a significant story for Liverpool, it was a significant story for the whole country. Had you know the Battle of the Atlantic been lost, basically Britain would have been starved. Yeah, it would have been starved into submission. Uh so it was such an important battle. You know, one and a quarter million American and Canadian soldiers arrived in the country here in Liverpool, and their safe arrival was due to what happened in Western Approaches. And it's it's definitely well worth a visit. It's it's near to the waterfront, just by the parish church. Uh, it's open every day. It is a great place to go to. And if you've not been there before, if you're a local and you've not been there before, get along to Western Approaches. It is absolutely fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 40:41

Yeah, it's it's a hidden gem. So there you go. So tell us what you think of our new feature. Yes. Um, and maybe you've got any suggestions of places that you've discovered if you've been to Liverpool. Let us know. But um, yeah, we'll keep featuring a different place of other things to do.

SPEAKER_03 40:57

So, Dave, uh, we've come to the end of uh this edition of uh LiddyPot. It's been a long one today, uh, but we've got loads to talk about. Uh, next time we meet, uh it's gonna be the 18th of August. Yeah. We've already got in the diary, we know exactly where we're going to go, yeah, and we know why we're going on the 18th of August. Reveal all, Dave. No, I don't.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

Oh yeah, go on that. All right, all right. 18th of August 1962, when Ringo officially joins the Beatles, he becomes a member of the Fab 4. And it's not at the cavern, it's not in the famous venues, it's in the middle of a Victorian model village on the Whittle in Port Sunlight, in a place called Hume Hall. And that's where we're gonna be. Recording Liddy Pod actually in the building, but the original stage is there, the the uh the dance hall's there, everything is still there, and it's such just a strange but beautiful place, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 41:58

It is, and do you know what? We'll tell people why I'm about to why I'm I'm gonna say this when we get there. But I guarantee wherever you are listening to this Liddy Pod in the world, yeah, if you allow Dave and myself to go through your cupboards at home, I guarantee we'll find at least one product connected to where we're gonna go on the 18th of August. We'll reveal why that is the case when we do Liddy Pod next time. But there is a big question, Dave. Do Hume all have breakfast? They have a cafe.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Thank goodness for that. Don't you want to? I checked that first. That's a pre-rap, I forget the Beatles connections. Do they serve food? So yeah, Tony, we're safe. Brilliant. We we can eat when we get there. Brilliant.

SPEAKER_03 42:42

Well, just before we go, let's say thank you again to the Sefton Park Hotel for their hospitality this morning for a lovely view across the lake. Do come here, uh, whether you've got to stay here or just visit it. It is fabulous to visit. And Dave, we'll be back shortly after the 18th of August. Indeed.

SPEAKER_00 42:57

You've been listening to Liddy Pod, Beatles Banter with Bedford and Beasley.