Revolution!

So much for my life this past week! My beloved son, the light of my life and all that rot, had to do a biography project for school. Now, being the son of a dyed in the wool music freak, Noah read a biography on the Beatles. Actually, the book he chose, Who Were the Beatles? By Geoff Edgers, was not a bad read. While a tad been sanitized for your protection, since it’s geared for the post pablum/pre Pernod set, obviously facts were checked and that makes me happy. This project did lead to a great deal of interesting revelations however, dealing with media, knowledge and the change in how we do homework in the digital age.
Noah would read and then come to me with a gazillion questions. I do sometimes forget that he was born in the “new millennium” and therefore doesn’t have a frame of reference to many of the music/ideas/ideologies mentioned in this book. Sure, he IS my son and has been exposed to some sort of Beatles rot in every room of the casa, but….. So, now is the time that I sing the praises of You Tube! After each night’s reading, Noah and I went on You Tube, watched and listened. The pre-Beatles as the Quarrymen? Watched that. The Beatles coming to America and visiting mumble mouthed Eddy Sullivan? Watched that. John Lennon being bigger than Jesus? That, too. Beatles as trippy hippies, “Paul is dead”, Let It Be concert? Yeah, yeah, yeah!
I even took a big breath and managed to get through footage of the memorials to my beloved Mr. Lennon, as well as post Beatles solo offerings and the Anthology videos (Free as a Bird/Real Love).
While I am sure that Noah benefitted from all of this Fab Four exposure (the proof in the pudding being whatever grade he gets) I know that I did. While some may dis You Tube, I am happy that in some way, music/film/telly/pop culture history is being archived somewhere for the next generation. No longer is there a case for “fade away and radiate” within the scope of popular accomplishment and I know that makes me glad!