Not since the slave trade.. has Liverpool had such a great sustainable export to the rest of the world. You may remember that Liverpool was the leading UK port... launching 5,000 ships on the triangular trading path... flooding the west coast of Africa with low tech trinkets... in exchange for slaves... who were shipped to the east coast of North America... there, traded for goods and raw materials to supply UK factories... tobacco, cotton, furs and selected minerals. Liverpool boomed with wealth in those days... the number of majestic buildings along Liverpool's waterfront is testament to the wealth generated from the slave trade. You may know that UK was one of the first nations to ban the slave trade from its shores... thereby ending Liverpool's heydays... but actions on rectification for damage caused to people's lives from the slave trade is difficult to see.
Back to more relaxed topics! You may think the Beatles are old news... not here in Liverpool... it isn't! We spent more than 2 hours at Liverpool's most popular museum... "The Beatles Story". For those of us who cut their adolescent hormonal 'teeth' on Beatlemania... this period was emotionally charged... an awakening of brain synapses that have been dormant for decades. We saw many babyboomers with tears in their eyes... staring with adulation at mannequins dressed up as the fab-four.
These homegrown lads were sensations in Liverpool when they were refining their songwriting skills in their teenage years. When the Beatles secured their first recording album from London... many Liverpudlians refused to buy Beatles records... correctly predicting that fame on the larger stage would draw these local lads away from Liverpool. The two night clubs that provided the safe practice stage for the teenagers... are now treated with the aura of religious shrines. Both nightclubs have been reconstructed within the museum.
Brian Epstein seems to be loved as much as the fab-four... Ringo Star is tolerated... he was not part of the early club scene in Liverpool. In the museum's displays, Paul was clearly the favourite... he has come back to Liverpool... after his career... he came back and donated money to save important buildings and set up a school for theatrical arts. George also has a special place in the affections of Liverpool. John is recognised for his creative genius... but seemed to be held at a distance... because of his choice to live his retirement in New York.
We have seen Pilgrims slogging out the miles across Spain... in their desperation to see the holy icons of the Catholic Church. I had difficulty in understanding the motivations of these Pilgrims... until today. My walk through The Beatles Story was a pilgrimage... I'm sure that if some Beatles cleric demand that I progress through the museum on my knees... I would be the first on my knees.
If you are in the age range of 60-70... I would recommend that you cleanse your soul by making a pilgrimage to The Beatles Story museum.
No comments:
Post a Comment