Because you love the Beatles,too, I have 2 special things to share with you.
The first is my concert weekend-the second our Oprah Winfrey project. If you
wish, you may share these stories with anyone.
My twin sister Kay went with me on the Back In The US tour few years ago.
She grabbed my arm, screamed and jumped up & down, as Paul passed in the limo
& messed up the camera shot. I more than made up for it at last nights
concert here in Columbus.
It began Friday night. Rusty Anderson, one of Paul's guitarists, made an
appearance at Borders Book Store. He appeared at 8pm but I got there early at
7pm. There were five of us in the front row, and five seats in four rows
behind us. We five in the front row chit chatted about Paul McCartney for
about 30
minutes & then introduced ourselves to each other. I introduced myself to
the guy I was talking to right next to me. He told me his name was Jim
Benneti. We instantly formed that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans. Rusty
sat
before us five people in the front row only 3 feet away(no stage) There was
about 40 people just after he got there. He was unescorted, just walked right
into the store. He told us in the crowd to wait a few minutes & he walked back
up toward the front of the store. No one followed him so I asked Jim to save
my seat. He went into the restroom as I walked toward the front of the
store. I browsed books about 5 ft away until he came out. I walked with him
toward
the back. I said " I have an invitation for you for tomorrow from me, my
wife & my two little girls". He took it and put it in his pocket, saying
thanks.
I also said, "Paul should have had the band play on his new album Chaos &
Creation-the Driving Rain album was great with you playing on it. You should
ask Paul to give you a song on his next album." He said,"thanks-please tell
Paul that." Then we sat down , he did 4 songs, I took photos, he signed his CD
I
bought "Undressing Underwater". Then Jim took the camera & shot a photo of
Rusty & I shaking hands.
Saturday, of course, Rusty never called for tea. But I found out where Paul
was staying & attempted to wait in the lobby to see if he would come down.
After about an hour, I went back to the parking garage where I parked. My car
had been broken into, smashed window. I was disappointed about my car($$$$$)
But my concert outing was about to begin so I taped up plastic on the car &
drove over to the Value City Arena with my friend Connie. We waited with 50
other people at the limo entrance & the McCartney magic began. Everyone was
busy
talking of all their experiences. Again, we instantly formed that common
bond as McCartney/Beatle fans. Along came Pauls police-escorted limos, and the
line of people burst to life. There were cameras raised, people shouting,
screaming & crying as Paul stuck his head out & waved. Then it was over,
everyone hugging each other & all giddy from seeing him. We hugged the 3
people we
were standing with, exchanged info with us so we can send each other photos of
our limo shots, as well as other photos outside the arena. Then others gave
us there e-mails so we can send them the photos. The McCartney magic was now
in full swing.
After we had calmed down from the limo experience, we
walked over to a circus tent at the Holiday Inn a block away. The tent was
setup for a McCartney pre-concert party. We found many people there, all
buzzing
about their Beatles/McCartney experiences. The party was sponsored by a local
oldies station. They were raffling gift certificates, DVD's & t-shirts, then
at 7PM they would pick the registered winner for the big prize-2 airline
tickets, concert tickets & overnight stay for Los Angeles. We bought a plate
of
food & walked over to the tall chairless tables they set up for customers.
There was a married couple with 2 boys they brought for the show at the table
also. We all talked for a while about Beatles then introduced ourselves.
Again, that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans. The radio station also had
Paul
McCartney song contests, asking people what is the next line after they read
a lyric. I got up on stage & answered correctly & won DVD Paul McCartney in
Red Square.
My friend had a raffle ticket drawn & she won $50 desserts certificates. The
other gentleman from Cleveland at our table won $30 sub sandwich
certificates. He gave them to me because the store is not in Cleveland. Three
out of the
four of us at the table won prizes. They looked at our limo shots on the
digital camera & we exchanged info for the limo shots. More McCartney magic....
We hurried back over to the arena so we could put our
prizes or camera in the car & then on to the show. We entered the building &
found we had to part company, my seat being 13th row from the stage, my friend
2 sections up from main floor. Upon finding my seat, I sat & talked to all
the people around my seat. Again, that common bond as McCartney/Beatle
fans.The couple to my left had a digital camera & they are sending me a disc
of all
the photo shots they get during the concert. A couple behind me discussed
the spiritual shirt I was wearing. I told them I was'nt buying t-shirts or
anything so I can pay for my car window. Out of the blue, they said give us
your
address-we have purchased 2 McCartney programs & we want you to have one.
More McCartney magic...the show began & we all danced to the songs in our own
personal styles. He was at his grandest & three hours flew by. We all
departed, taking deep sighs after all we had just witnessed.Will there ever be
another like him?
I write this letter also because our group of fans are trying to find
people, young & old, who have lifetime Beatlefan histories more or less like
our
stories. We are finding others who have the same lifelong passion & lifelong
stories about the Beatles similar to our stories(you obviously do). We also
send this e-mail because of letters we are sending to Oprah Winfrey(long
version below as an example), the United States most popular talk show host.
We
need an international response to Oprah Winfrey. You are probably as
passionate
personally about the Beatles as we are. Whether American, English, Irish,
German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, etc,, can you send your individual
Beatlefan history to Oprah Winfrey here in the USA? Let us know--We will love
to
read it, send a copy. Please tell everyone....we are asking her to dedicate
one
show to Beatlefans. How did the Beatles affect you personally growing up?
What humorous & serious thoughts & incidents could you share? Have you bonded
with other Beatlefans? What has your concert experiences been like? Your story
as a Beatlefan may be just what she needs to read. We know Oprah appreciates
Paul McCartney (I am sure she will be at one concert-she loves him) We have
had a few hundred fans write to Oprah already. Please send her your story &
ask her to to dedicate a show to Beatlefan stories......Rick Linville
for Oprah
_Click here: Contribute as a guest to upcoming shows._
(https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?action=respond&plugId=B2100004)
I write this letter as the excited 8 year old boy watching Ed Sullivan in
1964, as a father of two little girls getting to know Paul McCartney & a
person
who has sung Paul's songs for 40 yrs (in spite of being off key) I have been
attempting to find others who have the same lifelong passion & lifelong
stories about Paul McCartney similar to mine. . The significance of this
passion
instilled in my then 8 yr old heart in 1964- it is very unlikely person or
band will likewise take the world by storm.
My history as a fan for 41 years follows. I am Rick Linville, a 49 year old
fan from Columbus Ohio. I have been a Paul McCartney/Beatles fan since 1963
, when I first started hearing about the Beatles in the news. My first
contact with them was on the Ed Sullivan Show. I sat one Sunday night in 1964
with
my mom,dad, sisters Kay & Jane & deep down knew my life had just totally
changed. I gave up toys at that point & all desires became Beatle albums. I
would organize Beatle shows with 3 friends at 8 & 9 years old. I always
impersonated Paul McCartney because he was my favorite. We made wooden guitars,
used
overturned wastebaskets for drums & pie tins for cymbals. We would setup on
top of my parents big chest freezer in the basement. Neighborhood girls would
pay us 10 cents each to watch our show. We would play a Beatles record on a
small 16 inch by 16 inch "phonograph (AKA record) player & lip sync. At the
end
of the show we would run out of the house with the girls screaming behind us
in play. I have always loved singing Beatle songs(even though family,
friends ,even total strangers would ask me to stop singing) When I was in the
third
grade 1964 I wore my moms black crushed velvet boots to school because they
looked like the boots on Meet the Beatles. My parents, sisters & girlfriends
, for the next 40 years or so, knew what I would want for birthdays or
Christmas. Initially, the Beatles were so cool looking & had a cool different
sound. Their songs were meaninful & romantic. I have always loved singing
Beatle
songs(even though family, friends ,even total strangers would ask me to stop
singing)
As with many Beatlefans, the third most outstanding date in our lives,
behind the discovery & the breakup of the Beatles, was the violent death of
John
Lennon. I had loved & respected his music. My older sister called me from
California that evening at 11PM to break the news to me. I cried that night,
as
well as weeped with hundreds of fans at the Ohio Statehouse lawn in downtown
Columbus, Ohio.
I have seen Paul McCartney 7 times in concert, Ringo 3 times, George almost
once (1971 canceled) & John never. I saw Paul once around 1976 with his group
Wings. Then I saw him 3 times in 1989. Before the 1989 tour I found out if
you joined his official fan club you can get preferred seating. So I joined &
sent a money order to England. After 3 weeks I got concerned so I sent
another money order. A lady from England called me at work & said the fan club
had
received my first money order. She said the only question-do you want the 2nd
money order returned or an extra pair of tickets for a different show? I
thought I must be dreaming. I said send the extra tickets. I had 2 Cincinnati
tickets 18th row. The two extra tickets were for Detroit 8th row dead center.
I
was thrilled. A buddy & I went to Detroit to see him. He was alone on stage
singing "Put It There". The song about his father putting out his hand to
shake hands when Paul was an upset little boy. Everyone was seated while Paul
was on stage singing. When he went into the main chorus, I stood up & put out
my hand. He winked, smiled & nodded at me. I fell back in my seat dumbfounded.
It was the one personal moment I always wanted with Paul. After that show I
also saw him in Cleveland & Cincinnati on that tour. He came back on tour
about 1993 & I saw him in Cincinnati with my soon-to-be wife. In about 2001 he
came back on his Driving Rain tour. Another friend & I saw him in Cleveland &
in 2002, on the 2nd leg "Back in the US" tour, saw him in Columbus Ohio. The
interesting thing about the Back In The US tour-my dying mother knew the
greatest gift she could give her then 45 year old son was a main floor seat for
the show. Another bonus-my twin sister Kay, who was ho-hum about the Beatles
since we were kids, wanted to go see him.
So Kay, myself & two other friends went to the Columbus show. Before the
concert, we went to the venue early to see some Beatles impersonators band.
While we were waiting for the doors to open, we decided to go over by the
limousine entrance. I thought what a waste of time, but I agreed. While we
stood
there for 15 minutes with 20 other people, an English guy said Mr McCartney
will
be arriving in 5 minutes. Please do not rush the limo or he will not slow
down for a wave & photos. Pauls entourage (4 limos & police escort
motorcycles) arrived & I handed the camera to my sister, thinking I might be
the one to
get too excited to get the picture. Paul pulls up, pops his head out the
window & begins waving. My 45 year old sister begins screaming & jumpimg up &
down. She messed up the most important photo & got a photo of the front door
of
the limo. That broke my heart. So we went on in to the concert.
Well. I finally stepped up to a microphone & sang Live & Let Die (without
musical backing) on 3/18/05. It was "The Step Up To The Mike Columbus"
American
idol type contest for local singers. I saw it advertised on a news show at
PM. So I drove down to see how many people were lined up downtown at the
Promowest Pavilion. Pretty long line but I decided why not. My sisters Kay &
Jane probably got the biggest kick out of me, of all people, being in a singing
contest. But it was fun. I told everyone as we waited that people often ask
me to stop singing. I also joked my wife makes me lip sync in church.
I have invited Paul to tea, both before he appeared for his 2002 Columbus
show & his upcoming Oct 2005 show. His representative e-mailed me back,
politely
thanking me for the offer & indicating "for various reasons Paul could not
accept".
My nine year old Emily & six year old Ashley love the Beatles, especially
Hey Jude & Yellow Submarine.
In conclusion,Oprah, My wish is for you to dedicate a show to Beatlefan stori
es. Again, I write this letter as the 8 year old boy watching Ed Sullivan
with an adrenalin rush & now a 49 year old man with that same
adrenalin, hoping to see Paul McCartney again in October this year . I am
RICK LINVILLE-Columbus, Ohio/USA
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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