We were never The Beatles

 March 18, 2026

 

Cold again, two days before the official start of spring, not really a surprise, just annoying. Junior, our cat, is ill again, and does not seem to be on the mend, despite a visit to the vet, and I’m caught between bad choices.

We are also in the midst of house repairs that have our lives in a turmoil, stuff in places it oughtn’t be in order to make space for the work, some of which will be rectified today when the contractors come to finish up one portion, allowing us to repack the space that previously contain the “stuff”.

Beyond the walls of our abode, the world is in even worse shape, people seeking peace by waging war, and we are all forced to take sides, an uncomfortable choice because none of this will end up well, regardless of which philosophy prevails.

I miss the simplicity of the past, when I assumed I knew which side I wanted to be on, and could confidently live with this delusion wisdom has since revealed as folly.

Looking back, I continue to wonder at what point in the past I might return to had I had the power to do so, and most often conclude the 1970s when all our dreams still seemed within reach, when we all believed we would end us somewhere better than we ultimately did.

Perhaps living with illusion is better than living without it, having hope than later feeling hopeless.

These days, the more I learn about the Beatles, the sadder that story becomes, how these four lads got everything they hoped for, then lost it, derailed by their own flaws.

Did Yoko save John? Was Linda the salvation Paul needed?

I keep hearing Layla in my head, the song that became the sound track of 1972, our most hopeful year, and realize this was about George losing a lover.

Hank used to compare the four of us to the Beatles – me, himself, Garrick and Pauly, and over time, as the Beatles story unveils, he might have been right, we losing Hank first, and decades later, Pauly, leaving me and Garrick as the las two of the foursome to carry on.

Pauly was much more like John, while Hank, like Paul, each seeming to take on one or the other as a model. Pauly had John’s twisted humor and amazing vocal ability, even doing artwork similar to John’s, and came up with unrealized schemes.

Hank was the ultimate showman like Paul, performing in local pubs, often singing show tunes – including the Broadway tune the Beatles covered.

This leaves me and Garrick to accept the roles of George and Ringo. Garrick still performs out with pick up bands. I do internet videos. Both of us clinging to a bit of the past. I relate to George most, and I tend to play best his music.

Yet, we can carrying this comparison too far, since Pauly alone had the genius of the Beatles, and perhaps Hank had the talent. I work too hard to learn what the did, and often come up short. Still, as time goes on, what else can we do, but keep on keeping on.

 

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