#PeaceAndLove
[Posted Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7/7/26 12:00 pm]
Happy Birthday Ringo!
[Posted Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7/7/26 6:45 am]
The legendary Beatles drummer Sir Richard Starkey, better known to us as Ringo Starr, was born on July 7, 1940, in Liverpool, England.
In recent years, Ringo, who is now 86, has transformed his birthday into a worldwide movement centered entirely around his favorite mantra, "Peace and Love".
This tradition began in 2008, when a journalist asked Ringo what he wanted for his birthday. His simple response was that he wanted everyone on the planet to pause and think, say, or post "#peaceandlove" at noon local time. Since then, the phenomenon has grown into a massive annual campaign spanning dozens of countries.
Over the years, the festivities have expanded to include massive musical tributes. On his birthday in Beverly Hills last year, close friends, family, and musicians like brother-in-law Joe Walsh and country star T Bone Burnett gathered to perform his classic Beatles hits like "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden".
The celebration has even reached beyond Earth, with astronauts aboard the International Space Station and NASA teams beaming the message of peace and love into outer space to honor our favorite drummer.
This year, fans are invited to gather at a free event at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool.
Happy birthday Ringo! Peace and love!
Global Beatles Day
[Posted Thursday, June 25, 2026 6/25/26 9:00 am]
Today we celebrate Global Beatles Day which honors the profound cultural, musical, and social impact of the legendary Fab Four, and marks the 59th anniversary of the worldwide "Our World" TV broadcast which took place on June 25, 1967.
Originally shot in black and white, the Beatles are celebrating Global Beatles Day today by releasing an official colorized version of the All You Need Is Love broadcast on YouTube.
"Our World" was the first live, international satellite television broadcast, reaching over 400 million people worldwide, and the Beatles' appearance established the band's message of peace and unity as a universal anthem.
(Click here for more of the story about the Our World broadcast.)
Celebrating Global Beatles Day brings together generations of fans through shared multimedia experiences and community events around the world, such as listening parties, cover band concerts, and trivia nights.
I hope you're having a Fab Global Beatles Day!
I won an award... It's on the wall in my office
[Posted Thursday, June 18, 2026 6/18/26 10:20 am]
Today we remember the wonderful British character actor Victor Spinetti who passed away on June 18, 2012, at the age of 82. This is my personal remembrance of him.
Over the years, because of a mutual friend, Beatles scholar Martin Lewis, I had the opportunity to spend many hours one on one with Victor.
 | A photo of Victor taken by me
at a Beatlefest in 2007 |
One time, I was helping coordinate logistics at a screening of A Hard Day's Night that Victor had flown in to Hollywood to attend in July, 2007. During the screening we spent most of the time in a small restaurant across the street, but for a while we went back to the theater, and I got to sit next to him as we sat in the back row to watch part of the film. This is my favorite memory of him, sitting in that theater, watching Victor watch the film, smiling and enjoying it with the rest of the audience.
There's no wonder why the Beatles liked him and put him in every one of their movies. He was the warmest, kindest, most wonderful soul I ever met on this planet. The time I got to spend with him was a wonderful gift which I will never forget. I still miss Victor Spinetti greatly.
They say it's your birthday
[Posted Thursday, June 18, 2026 6/18/26 6:30 am]
Legendary musician and former Beatle Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, 84 years ago today, on June 18, 1942.
Fans and radio stations worldwide are commemorating his birthday today under the theme "When I'm 84", a playful nod to his classic 1967 Beatles track "When I'm Sixty-Four", which was released on the Sgt. Pepper's album.
Although the lyrics of "When I'm Sixty-Four" are about growing old together, it was one of the first songs Paul McCartney wrote, when he was about 14, probably in April or May 1956.
McCartney recently celebrated his 24th number-one album with the release of The Boys of Dungeon Lane, and he says his enduring vitality is due to a dedicated routine of a vegetarian diet and regular sessions at the gym.
From one Gemini to another, happy birthday Sir Paul!
Signs of the times
[Posted Sunday, June 7, 2026 6/7/26 7:15 am]
The BBC reports that because of the new Paul McCartney album, these street signs for Dungeon Lane in Liverpool have been disappearing.
We have a sign problem like this here in my own city, Los Angeles.
George Harrison wrote the song Blue Jay Way while staying in a house on this street in the Hollywood Hills up above Sunset Blvd. back in 1967.
These signs have also been sought after by Beatles fans, so much so that replacement signs have been mounted higher up on the pole than normal and just in case the sign goes missing again, the name of the street has been painted on the street corner's curb.
If you must have one, nice reproductions of these Blue Jay Way signs are available on the internet, and Paul McCartney sells Dungeon Lane signs on his own website.
So, be careful. If these signs are missing, your friends might lose their way.
|
Adam Forrest: 
