The Fest for Beatles Fans NY, 2024
The TWA Hotel was not in existence when The Beatles landed at JFK airport in 1964, but if it had been, it would have looked as it does now. The hotel is modeled as a 1960s replica and motif. Go online and take a tour through this architectural wonder. There are airline tunnels to the guest room elevators, expansive windows overlooking the planes taking off and landing, and multi-level restaurants, lounges and even a retired airplane bar lounge. What a perfect place to hold the 60th anniversary of The Beatles conquering America. And I am here at the 50th anniversary of The Fest for Beatles Fans to enjoy a place where I can connect to my memories.
The Fest has provided coat and baggage holds as room check-in does not begin until 4:00 pm. All around me I see visions of the 60s in dress and decor. The Fest has attracted ages from toddler to adults with walkers. I spend the first 45 minutes trying to figure out the map/schedule and touring the grounds. I see a 1960s replica beauty salon (perfect for Ringo's first vision for his future), an alcove with wall paintings of the game Twister (I think you could set your mat up and play a game here) and a sunken lounge with a wall of windows that has been named The Apple Jam Stage for this weekend and has non-stop music groups going from 10:30 am to 11:00 pm. Up one spiral staircase lies the "fashion shows." There is a display of TWA uniforms through the ages with the names of the famous designers posted next to their creations. The Fest has also set up a 60s fashion store on this level, with fashions and jewelry to peruse and buy.
I find the Main Stage area through one tunnel and down another. Wow, this is like another city. There is "Good Ole Freda" being interviewed on the ballroom stage. I find The Fest Store and above it (yes this a two-story spiral staircase design as well) is The Marketplace. There are rooms across the outer edges of both levels that house artists, authors, film showings, a Micky Dolenz room, panel discussion rooms and signing tables where the invited guests will show up at scheduled times for autographs, pictures, cd, and book signings.
OK, it is now obvious I will not be able to be everywhere in one day. I also did not mention the 1964 room with yoga, children's activities, speakers and musicians on a posted schedule. Oh and now I'm hungry! Weeelllll, let's hope for the best at the walk-up food court.
Surprise to me! All weekend I have enjoyed excellent food. From salads, pizza, fruit and coffee, each was fresh, tasty and served with smiles and speed. That will actually just make this time better for everyone. Note to travelers, TWA Hotel delivers to their guests.
Back to the Main Stage to hear Jenny Boyd in an interview with Ken Dashow. Jenny's time on stage centers around her relationships with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and the time she spent in India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She was surprised upon first meeting George, as The Beatles had become bigger than life and here he was, a down-to-earth regular slim guy. Her experience with Eric Clapton sounds a bit different. She states, "Well, we had one thing in common. We both loved Pattie." This love for her sister seems to have helped with coping with Clapton's addictions and final cleansing.
The man to my right asked her if there was any discord between The Beatles in India. Jenny saw them as blending together when they wrote songs and not exhibiting disagreements. The man then talked to his friend saying, "That is not what George said." Then he proceeded to go on about artistic and spiritual differences. HEY! We all heard about the negatives in India and Jenny included, did not like the Maharishi, but each took away their own personal gains. Jenny says she could have lived there the rest of her life. A comment from John Lennon as they were leaving the compound, walking past the Maharishi who was asking them, "Boys, why are you leaving?" came up. "You ought to know. You're so f*****g cosmic."
Gregg Bissonette is one of the most enjoyable presenters I have seen. Appearing in Ringo's All-Stars, he has a passion for Ringo's style of drumming and his own love of the music. He and Ken Dashow get into a drumming frenzy explaining and demonstrating how Ringo (who is left-handed) can lead with his left and spices up a typical or traditional beat. Ringo does not like drum solos. He prefers to enhance the music written with ideas that may be unusual but add a zip that worked to move The Beatles into new areas and adventures. The place to actually see this happening is in 'Get Back" when Paul is playing the guitar in the studio, developing the song, and Ringo is standing in front of him staring and listening. Not talking. Not asking questions. Not taking notes. Just watching. And when it came time to add the drums and other guitars, he wallops a rhythm backing that makes you say, "When did they write that? How long has he been practicing?" Nope. That is how Ringo plays drums. He watches, listens and somehow ... it moves to his fingers in a way that is just a little bit different. Gregg played typical drum beats that are learned so that a drummer can play on many different songs. Then he played these same beats the way Ringo played them on various recordings, showing the change in emphasis and how he leads them with his left hand.
Micky Dolenz has probably drawn his own fans here this weekend. He is interviewed over three days by Ken Dashow in what is a continuous part one, two, three theme. I am catching Part 2, which encompasses Micky trying out for The Monkees series, watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (where he stops watching and misses seeing his future music-mate, Davy Jones) and the disagreements about The Monkees recording their own songs. Micky watched The Beatles from a car with a "found" (a friend of Micky's "found" it) mini portable black and white TV at a drive-up diner. Eating a hamburger in the car, with his friends, he watched their first appearance. That to me says there was a previous interest in seeing this Sullivan episode. It was not usual for teenagers (Micky was 19) to decide to go for hamburgers and bring a TV so they don't miss the Sullivan show.
When he tried out for The Monkees, there were two other music series being developed. One about a folk singing trio and one about a surfer music group. Micky tried out for the folk trio series, but was not selected. This series did make a pilot episode that I guess can be found. The surfer group never got out of the water. Micky was hired to be the drummer for The Monkees, just as he was hired to ride an elephant on 'Circus Boy'. He was fine with it. He took lessons to ride an elephant. He took lessons to play the drums. Mike Nesmith WAS hired to play his guitar and be a viable musician in the recording studio. When he came into the producers' office with his first song composition for The Monkees, he was told, "That's not a Monkees song." He replied, "Wait a minute. I AM one of The Monkees!" Well, lucky Linda Ronstadt got the song for The Stone Poneys.
The Musicians Forum is always the best! It is spontaneous, and unfiltered. On stage we have Gregg Bissonette, Mark Rivera, Gary Burr, Laurence Juber, Steve Holley, Glen Burtnik and a fantastic keyboardist whose full name I did not catch. The musicians at The Fest were seemingly on flow charts and did not always show up as they are printed in the program. But it all flowed in the same professional manner. I cannot even begin to relay what went on here. They each had musical instruments, they each spoke, answered questions, jammed spontaneously and we just melded together in (OK I will say the cliche) peace and love.
Another performance not listed in the program occurs Sunday morning on The Apple Jam Stage during the recording of Q104.5 Breakfast With The Beatles. I am sure it was planned but not written in ink. As I came down to enjoy breakfast, I listened to Billy J Kramer singing his new song, 'Are You With Me.’ There was discussion throughout the weekend on the recording of Billy's new album and the release of his new single. The feeling that all expressed upon working in the same studio as The Beatles, was one of nervous admiration. Not only for The Beatles, but for the history of that studio and the Abbey Road experiences that have passed. The same musicians I named from The Forum backed Billy as he glowed presenting this to the large crowd assembled for this breakfast broadcast. Billy was interviewed by Ken Dashow as the remaining musicians played songs from The Beatles as well as songs from their later bands and incarnations.
No matter where I went, there was music from John, Paul, George and Ringo playing. Even the elevator music was The Beatles. You could ride up and down, hearing songs that were B sides, as well as the popular A’s. At the end of corridors, there were musicians playing and jamming. At forks in a tunnel, there was a microphone with a psychedelic duo or a Beatles folk group.
DANG! I have to pack up and check out. While the TWA Hotel is marvelous, the rest of JFK is under construction. I mean TOTALLY. Things are so changed I had a difficult time getting from my reserved parking garage to the TWA. Hope I remember how to get back. I will have to GPS myself out of the airport. SO WORTH IT! I skimmed the surface of what was happening here.
A splendid time was had by all!
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
NE Correspondent
Forgotten Hits
For another look at The Fest For Beatles Fans, check out this review …
https://t2conline.com/the-glorious-corner-568/
And, as for Billy J. Kramer’s new song …
A new Beatles remembered song from Billy J Kramer! Not bad!
Clark Besch
And don't forget ...
You can still watch all of the Fest festivities from The Main Stage via this zoom link.
It’ll cost you $12 … but you’ll also get to experience the excitement of being there for this very special event. (kk)
WOW! WHAT A WEEKEND
50TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION!
ZOOM TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR
ONLY $12.00! SEE ALMOST ALL THE GUESTS, MUSIC AND EVENTS ON THE MAIN STAGE!
VIEW IT AT YOUR LEISURE FOR A MONTH!
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
2/18/64 - The Beatles go see Elvis Presley’s latest movie, “Fun In Acapulco” at a drive-in theater in Miami. (They’re still in town after making their second appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” two nights earlier)
Also on 2/18 – Actor Matt Dillon is born
