It\u2019s a film classic: the moment that Yoda advises young Luke Skywalker, \u201cDo or do not. There is no try.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s truly the motto that John Lennon lived by. He was completely and utterly committed to \u201cthe toppermost of the poppermost,\u201d in a never-say-die way that permitted no room for failure. John was determined.<\/p>\n
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In fact, after The Beatles returned from Hamburg in December of 1960, Paul\u2019s father convinced him to return to school and complete his teacher-training. George took a job as an electrician\u2019s mate, and Pete began playing gigs with various groups around Liverpool with whom he was friendly. For The Beatles, it was almost the end.<\/p>\n
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But Johnny Lennon \u2013 his eyes on the prize \u2013 went door-to -door, dragging his band members back to their raison d\u2019etre<\/em>. \u201cWhat\u2019re y\u2019doin\u2019???\u201d he exhorted them. \u201cY\u2019can\u2019t get a fuggin\u2019 job! There\u2019s no time for it! We\u2019re goin\u2019 to be bigger\u2019n Elvis! We\u2019re goin\u2019 to the toppermost of the fuggin\u2019 poppermost!\u201d And so, they surrendered: dropped out of school, gave up the job, zeroed in on one band: pledged their allegiance. It was a decision to do, not to try.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soooo\u2026each year for the last 12 years, I\u2019ve written to you<\/em>, urging you to come to The Fest for Beatles Fans. And each year, you read this familiar blog (in its many forms) and say, \u201cMan, I gotta do that! Next year I totally am gonna be there…for sure.\u201d And then year becomes year, and you only try. You never do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And you know what? You are missing one of the happiest, brightest moments in any Beatles fan\u2019s life. You are relinquishing some of the most priceless, unforgettable events a fan could experience\u2026such as:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chatting face-to-face with Ringo\u2019s producer and friend, Mark Hudson<\/strong>, and then watching him rock<\/em> the stage on Saturday night, performing \u201cWorking Class Hero\u201d in a mad, mad, mad, mad way that would make our John so proud!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hearing noted Beatles author Bruce Spizer<\/strong> talk at noon on Saturday about Sgt. Pepper<\/em> and its impact not only on the Sixties, but also on the lives of thousands (millions?) today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dancing with your family (children are oh-so-welcome!!!!) on Friday night to the magnificent sounds of the live band, \u201cLiverpool.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shopping in the vast<\/em> marketplace where gorgeous Beatles jewelry, clothing, T-shirts, room furnishings, and rare collectibles are displayed here, there, and everywhere. Talking with distinguished authors such as Dr. Ken Womack, Lanea Stagg, Dr. Kit O\u2019Toole, Vivek Tiwary, Aaron Krerowicz, Robert Rodriguez, Jorie Gracen,<\/strong> and Simon Weitzman.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being present for the showing of author David Bedford<\/strong>\u2019s new film, Looking for Lennon<\/em><\/strong>\u2026sitting back and enjoying this magnificent work up close and personal!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meeting Ringo\u2019s musical director, Mark Rivera<\/strong>! Meeting John Lennon\u2019s immigration attorney,<\/strong> Leon Wildes<\/strong>! Good grief! Enough said, right???? That\u2019s huge!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Taking part in the fun-filled Beatles Trivia contest led by noted Beatles writers\u00a0Al Sussman<\/strong> and Tom Frangione<\/strong>. (You\u2019ll also want to get a copy of Al\u2019s book!)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sitting on the floor or in the folding chairs under the stairs and singing along (or playing along on your guitar, tambourine, uke, or whatever) as the \u201cpop-up bands\u201d<\/strong> stay up all night long, performing every Beatles song ever written\u2026and doing it beautifully, I might add.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hearing Laurence Juber, Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell,<\/strong> and Steve Holley<\/strong> bring Wings<\/strong> back to life before your very eyes on the Saturday night and Sunday night stages! A rare reunion indeed!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Enjoying a lively<\/em> (and I do mean lively) interview with comedian Neil Innes<\/strong> of The Ruttles<\/strong>! OMGosh!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Taking a virtual tour of Liverpool to rare places \u201cOff the Beatle-n Path\u201d with me (Jude Southerland Kessler,<\/strong> as it were) on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. You\u2019ll see historical spots in The Beatles\u2019 career that few have ever glimpsed!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Blinking back a tear or two as you view Wally, Victoria, and Deco\u2019s<\/strong> stunning tribute to Brian Epstein<\/strong>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Attending the lively Women Historians\u2019 Panel<\/strong> with Beatles experts Susan Ryan<\/strong>, Sara Schmidt<\/strong>, Allison Boron, Erika White, Kit O\u2019Toole, Tina Kukula, Karen Duchaj,<\/strong> and Kathryn Cox<\/strong> as they discuss \u201cThe Sixth Beatle\u201d (on Saturday) and \u201cThe Beatles\u2019 Activism\u201d (on Sunday).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stopping by the Marketplace to try on and place your order for authentic Beatles suits, jackets, and other clothing hand-tailored by Russ Lease<\/strong>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Strolling through the impressive art gallery of Eric Cash<\/strong>\u2026and selecting a lovely and valuable piece to adopt for your very own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spending Sunday afternoon rockin\u2019 out to the fab-tastic sound of The Weeklings<\/strong>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Living a moment<\/em> in history with George Harrison\u2019s sister, Louise Harrison.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Listening and taking part in Wally Podrazik\u2019s<\/strong> well-organized, insightful panel discussions with some of the most respected Beatles experts in the world: Robert Rodriguez, Chuck Gunderson, Bruce Spizer, Al Sussman,<\/strong> and many others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Talking with Ringo\u2019s official photographer, Rob Shanahan,<\/strong> as you peruse his gallery of rare, magnificent photos.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being \u201cthere\u201d for the first appearances of many new faces on The Beatles scene including poet Terri Whitney,<\/strong> author Greg Sterlace<\/strong>, and Chicago Beatles Fan Club organizer\u00a0Marti Edwards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And that is just a smidgen<\/em> of the magic that unfolds when The Fest shines on!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to say, \u201cOkay, sure, I\u2019ll try to be there,\u201d don\u2019t. Stop. DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY.<\/strong> In John Lennon fashion, I\u2019m knocking on your door. I am begging you to halt that work-a-day electrician\u2019s mate job (at least for the weekend) and set your sights on something better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m pleading with you to drop that mundane class (for three days only!) and opt for pure joy.<\/em> I am asking you to give yourself the gift of a lifetime\u2026a gift of memories and friendships to take home with you\u2026smiles, sighs, songs, and stories. The Fest for Beatles Fans is sincerely the \u201ctoppermost of the poppermost.\u201d Be there\u2026DO!<\/p>\n Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series:\u00a0www.johnlennonseries.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations —\u00a0@910PubRel<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter and\u00a0910 Public Relations<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a film classic: the moment that Yoda advises young Luke Skywalker, \u201cDo or do not. There is no try.\u201d It\u2019s truly the motto that John Lennon lived by. He was completely and utterly committed to \u201cthe toppermost of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[29,98,30],"class_list":["post-7061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baby-boomer-beatles-blog","tag-beatlefest","tag-jude-southerland-kessler","tag-the-fest-for-beatles-fans"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7061"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7067,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061\/revisions\/7067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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