{"id":8262,"date":"2020-07-14T17:31:54","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T22:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefest.com\/kdstaging2\/?p=8262"},"modified":"2020-07-14T17:31:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T22:31:54","slug":"the-beatles-in-july-producing-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/the-beatles-in-july-producing-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beatles in July: Producing Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a reputation for an unequaled \u201cwork ethic,\u201d The Beatles were also cognizant of the considerable worth of play. Their six-hour-gig Hamburg days were laced with equal amounts of raucous fun. And their lengthy North American tours included opportunities to fish, drive race cars, ride horses, meet celebrities, party around the pool, and take in films with Hollywood stars. Their most serious of Beatles recording sessions regularly included an oldies jam or two, plenty of \u201cinside quips\u201d and jokes, and their fair share of laughter. The boys never forgot to sleep, read, take in the arts, and refresh themselves with \u201cmini-breaks\u201d (short holidays). For some reason, most of The Beatles\u2019 inspirational moments and occasions to celebrate occurred in their Julys together. Let\u2019s look in\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 1964<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 1964, the lads donned their finest and kicked up their heels at the London and Liverpool premieres of \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night.\u201d in London, after the film opening, the boys partied with their parents and significant others in the elegant Dorchester Hotel. And in Liverpool, motoring slowly through a 12-mile, 8-row-deep crowd of adoring Scousers (including John\u2019s lifelong mate, Pete Shotton, and Paul\u2019s school master, Dusty Durbin), The Beatles were awarded the keys to the city at Town Hall. In a throng unrivaled in fervor, the Liverpool boys were welcomed home. That evening, at the Northern film screening, John called out from the stage, asking where his family was seated. Once the various Stanleys were located and greeted, he smiled broadly and permitted the ceremonies to commence. These were giddy, happy days for John, Paul, George, and Ringo as the fruits of their labors paid off in critical acclaim and box-office gains. Having worked \u201cliked a dog\u201d all spring on the film, The Beatles\u2019 smiled, waved, and enjoyed the show!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then, just for fun, the boys performed an aerial ballet at the Palladium\u2019s \u201cNight of a Hundred Stars.\u201d Instead of showcasing and promoting their latest hits, the Fab Four were hoisted in mid-air where they cavorted for a delighted crowd. July 1964 was, indeed, a time of frivolity\u2026and all of it was well-deserved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 1966<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During The Beatles\u2019 residency in Japan, the four decided to spend their off-stage moments creating a large collage, with each Beatle creating one part of the whole. Having studied at Liverpool College of Art, John\u2019s segment of the piece, \u201cFour Images of a Woman,\u201d was superb, and the other Beatles were enthralled by the work as well. Photographer Roger Whitaker, watched the boys collaborating on the project and exclaimed, \u201cI never saw them calmer\u2026they were working on something that let their personalities come out! I think it\u2019s the only work they ever did together that had nothing to do with music.\u201d Whitaker observed that the collage \u2014 so foreign to what The Beatles did normally \u2014 truly rejuvenated them. He reflected that The Beatles didn\u2019t even play music or talk as they painted; they concentrated in silence. \u201cThey\u2019d stop,\u201d he remarked, \u201cgo do a concert, and then it was, \u2018Let\u2019s get back to the picture.\u2019\u201d In the midst of a hectic, pressing tour, the four made time to unwind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 1967<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On a mad whim, The Beatles jetted off together, on holiday in Greece. They chartered a yacht and following the coast of the mainland, spent their days island hopping. Accompanied by Mal, Neil, and several others, the boys danced, laughed, and attempted to buy an island together, in hopes of creating a \u201cBeatles paradise.\u201d Although Brian thought the purchase a ridiculous notion, The Beatles located a plot of land and initiated purchase negotiations. Yet before \u201ct\u2019s\u201d could be crossed and \u201ci\u2019s\u201d dotted, paperwork-wise, the four friends were back in England and back at work. Sadly, the island project fell by the wayside. However, the freedom and passion the lads had enjoyed during their \u201csearch for the illusive Eldorado\u201d (see the poem by Poe) had rejuvenated them all for the days ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 1968<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By July of 1968, tensions were challenging John, Paul, George, and Ringo, both as a group and individually. John was under fire from the press for his relationship with artist, Yoko Ono, and Paul had been shockingly seen in public without Jane Asher. Rumours flew. That\u2019s when a moment of sheer fun stepped in to save the day! The cartoon film, \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d, was completed, and to satisfy the press, a small launch party was hosted at Bowater House, in the Knightsbridge section of London. Paul, George, and Ringo were on hand, finding great relief in the opportunity to chat and smile. Then, mid-month, (17 July) all<\/em> of the boys enjoyed the \u201call-stops-out\u201d London premiere of \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d in Piccadilly Circus. The gala was reminiscent of the \u201cHard Day\u2019s Night\u201d and \u201cHelp!\u201d premieres, in happier times. Indeed, as The Beatles rolled up in their limousine, Beatlemania erupted \u2014 full-scale! \u2014 once more. The crowds and the boys were mutually elated. For a moment, the magic was back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As far as I know, none of The Beatles (not even voracious reader, John) were fans of American poet, Walt Whitman. But had they been, I think they would have admired his quote: \u201cDo anything, but let it produce joy.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Having fun with their talent was always foremost in The Beatles\u2019 minds, and when an endeavor \u2014 such as touring \u2014 ceased to be fun, they discarded it. Even during the <\/em>Let it Be sessions, you can watch the four friends having fun\u2026singing the old Cavern songs, dancing, and making each other laugh. They knew how to find joy in the grubbiest places, worst circumstances, and most trying times. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All of us have been enduring extremely grim conditions for months now. We\u2019ve struggled and bravely, we\u2019ve forged on. But with what is left of July, let\u2019s agree to join John, Paul, George, and Ringo in finding a bit of fun. Let\u2019s take a break in the midst of our masterpieces, cautions, and concerns\u2026and for just a moment, \u201cLet it Be.\u201d Smile, walk, paint, party, sing, sail, dream\u2026and perhaps, even buy a frivolous island or two. Do anything! But let it produce joy! <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a reputation for an unequaled \u201cwork ethic,\u201d The Beatles were also cognizant of the considerable worth of play. Their six-hour-gig Hamburg days were laced with equal amounts of raucous fun. And their lengthy North American tours included opportunities to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[98,117],"class_list":["post-8262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baby-boomer-beatles-blog","tag-jude-southerland-kessler","tag-the-beatles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8262","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=8262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8264,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8262\/revisions\/8264"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}