Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine

The Latest Beatles News, Travel, Biography and Discography

Category Archives: Beatles Travel: UK


by

Interview with Roag Best about his new Beatles Museum in Liverpool

by Steven G. Farrell

Beatles museum in LiverpoolA new Beatles museum opened this summer in Liverpool. The Magical History Museum is located on Mathew Street and was opened by Roag Best, son of Neil Aspinall and Mona Best, and brother to original Beatles drummer, Pete Best.

Mona Best, an ordinary British wife and mother in Liverpool, England, played a huge role in the history of pop music by opening up The Casbah Coffee Club in the basement of her family home on August 29, 1959. Mona was the first person to take a chance on a struggling rock n roll band known as The Quarrymen, providing them with a venue to hone their skills as musicians.

Continue reading →


by

Paul McCartney visits Penny Lane, his childhood home in Liverpool and more during Carpool Karoake with James Corden

Paul McCartney at Penny Lane selfie

The highlight of the Carpool Karaoke segment with Paul McCartney on The Late Late Show with James Corden wasn’t just the karaoke. McCartney gave Corden a tour of his hometown of Liverpool which made for some historic moments.

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

Strawberry Field in Liverpool to open Visitor Center for Beatles fans

Strawberryfield-gate
Beatles fans will soon get to go through the red gates at Strawberry Field in Liverpool, made famous by John Lennon’s famous song. Every year, over 60,000 tourists stop by the iconic gates but were never allowed inside to visit the famous grounds. The Salvation Army plans to change that with a new visitor center anticipated to open in 2020.

Continue reading →


by

New Beatles statue in Liverpool

It’s hard to believe that there has never been a traditional permanent statue of The Beatles erected – until now! The new statue of The Fab Four was unveiled on Friday, December 4, 2015 at Liverpool’s Pier Head.

beatles-statue-liverpool

The bronze statue depicting all four Beatles in suits, topcoats and Beatle boots, circa 1963 reminiscent of their Live at the BBC album cover photo, was unveiled by John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird, and Liverpool Deputy Mayor Ann O’Byrne. According to The Liverpool Echo, the statue weighs approximately 1.3 tons and was sculpted by artist Andrew Edwards.

Beatles-statue-pubdomain

The faces look extremely lifelike and the statues are a few feet taller than the real thing, causing most people to reach only the shoulder height of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr for photo purposes. John and Paul are placed slightly ahead of George and Ringo as they appear to be walking down the street together. The statue was presented to the city by the Merseybeat venue the Beatles helped to make famous, The Cavern Club.

The statue unveiling marks 50 years since The Beatles final show in Liverpool at the Empire Theatre on December 5, 1965. Sculptor Andy Edwards told the BBC that he hopes his statue will become “a place of ritual” for people to come together.

beatles statue-back.jpg

“The statue stands in loving memory of the best band in the world – the band that leapt from The Cavern stage to worldwide recognition,” Julia Baird said.

beatles statue-closeC

Update: In 2018, Paul McCartney visited The Beatles statues with James Corden.

PaulMcCartney with his Liverpool statue

***

Playlist-banner

 

For more Beatles news, follow Daytrippin’ on Twitter and Facebook

 


by 2 Comments

Review: An ex-Beatle in Bermuda: New book documents John Lennon’s historic visit

lennonbermudaEverything you ever wanted to know about John Lennon’s historic visit to the island of Bermuda during the Summer of 1980 is documented in the new book, “Lennon Bermuda” by Scott Neil. The striking illustration of Lennon on the cover is an example of the quality material you will find inside the book. The 120-page paperback is beautifully illustrated by Graham Foster, the artist and sculptor who designed the “Double Fantasy” sculpture unveiled in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens in June 2012 as a tribute to John Lennon.

[See photos of the “Double Fantasy” sculpture in Bermuda]

What “Lennon Bermuda” lacks in photographs, it makes up for in vividly-detailed descriptions and interviews with people who met and interacted with John Lennon during his visit. Author Scott Neil takes the reader on the journey with Lennon so that you feel that you are there with him from start to finish. Neil interviewed people who encountered Lennon every step of the way on his trip: from his small crew on the 43-foot Megan Jaye sailboat, to the realtor who found John a place to stay on the island, to local journalists who met Lennon while hanging out one night at the disco.

Bermuda represents such a significant time in John Lennon’s life since many songs on his last album, Double Fantasy, were written or completed during his two-month stay there. The name of the album was even influenced by Lennon’s trip when he saw the Double Fantasy freesia flower in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens.

With Yoko Ono’s cooperation, a most touching photo of John and Sean Lennon in Bermuda is featured in the book. John had the photo taken for a painting he commissioned in Bermuda so that he could present the painting to Yoko. The painting now hangs in the Dakota.

If you are interested in delving into these fascinating two months of John Lennon’s life, “Lennon Bermuda” is a treasure. The book is available separately or as part of a box set that comes with a 2-disc CD featuring musicians from Bermuda and around the world singing Lennon’s songs. The “Lennon Bermuda” book and limited edition box set are available at www.doublefantasybermuda.com

For more Beatles news, follow us on Twitter and Facebook