The Big Issue - UK (2020-04-30)

30 APRIL-06 MAY 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 13

enotsurprisedthatsomethingdeepinsideofyou

startsplayingwithyourmindinthislockdown.

I knowI’mbackatthebeginningoftime,the1950s.

Backthenwewerealwaysrunningoutofmilk,bread,

tea,margarine– butteronSaturdayandSunday– andeggs.Andnow

it’sthe firstthing Ithink of when I wake.Havewe gotenoughofthe

above,thestaplesof my diet?

Yes, my dietismy prime concern.It’salso a variation onthe ‘first

up, bestdressed’thinking where you gotchoiceif you were firston

thescene.Thesooneryou arrived for breakfastthe moreyouhad of

the disappearing eggs, margeand bread,andthe mugsoftea.

I amirritatingthosearoundmewhosharemylockdown.I feel

asif I’veturnedinto one ofthe old blokesinTheVicarofDibley,

whichIstill enjoyconstantrepetitionsof, withitscharacters’

repetitiousbehaviour.

PossiblythebookI’mreadingalsoaddstothesenseof ‘backto

basics’andthedecadesofgonetimes.Basicswhenthemakingoftea

andbreakfastswereessential.ThebookiscalledOneTwoThreeFour:

TheBeatlesinTime. It’sbyCraigBrownanditisa seriesof

bite-sizestories,chaptersand reflectionsonthegrowthand

developmentof TheBeatles.Itisrefreshingtoread andsoloaded

downwithsocialobservationsthatIcan feeltheFiftiesandtheSixties

crowdinginaroundmeaswewatchtheascendancyofthestrumming

schoolboystocompletemastery ofthemusical universe, universally.

My generationhad neverbeenthroughanything like The Beatles.

Even Presley eightyearsbeforeneverblewthe worldawaywithsuch

completenessasdid J, P, G & R. Itchangedso much.And outofit

grewa kind of youthful consumerismthathasneverletup.

Didyouknow,I certainlydidn’t,thatthewordTeenagerwas

inventedin 1942?‘Teenagehood’nowisastagethateverymum

and dad lovesor dreadsasastagethattheir Nobbyor Sadie passes

through; a bitlike gettingtheir firstteeth. Soifthe bathroom

lookslike ashithole aftertheyhave leftitit’sbecause ofthatword,

invented coincidentallythe year of Paul McCartney’sbirth.

Mine musthave beenone ofthe firstgenerationsthatpassed

throughthe prism ofteenagehood. Butunfortunately my parents

had notkeptup withthetrendsandtheyhadtheirteenagersout

working afterschool addingtothe family coffers, and up atthe

crackofsparrowsonthe Saturdaymorningto labourinthe

butcher’sorgreengrocer’s.

Tosay I metThe Beatlesisa grossexaggeration, butithasnot

stoppedme from adding my own Beatlesstorytothe pilesby others

who bumpedintothem. Isaw Ringo Starr oncestandingin an airport

VIP queueand exchangeda pleasantsmiling nod. When, aged18, I

waspushing a barrowalonga Notting Hillstreet, I blockedthe path

B

ofa largecarbehindme.Thecar’s

honkingcausedmetoturn and give

themthe‘F-off’signrepeatedly.

Whenthecar gotthechancetopull

aheadthehonkingbecameeven

louder,withthecarshootingahead

quickly.ThenI noticedontheback

seatthefour Beatlesgivingincomic

unisonthe‘F-Off’backtome.

I canimaginethe

followingconversation:

“Didyouseethefaceonthat

littlegit?”

“Comic.Andlookingjustlike

you Paul.”

“No, morelike you John.”

“Ballocks.Hehad atouchof

Ringotohim.”

Notof coursestoppingand

pickingmeupandtakingme

toasafe depositbox, asIhave

often imagined.

I was never into The Beatles,

largely because girls would

measure you as to which Beatle

you looked most like. I seemed to

be a composite.

The Beatles’ times were

unprecedented, and perhaps

reading about them and the

current unprecedented times we

live in all blend together for me.

Hence the need for sureties, like

bread, milk, butter, eggs and tea.

Last week I was asked on a webinar

what I was doing for my own

mental stability. I said I’m doing

my best to get the government to

think of how the poorest among us

will fare in post-curfew times – the

homeless, the disabled, the old.

I said the best stability I can

suggest to anyone is, aside from

reading lightly and kindly, to see if

there’s someone else you can aid.

The best of all things about today,

I added, is that we have seemingly

all come out of our social shells.

To embrace others is the way

forward. That that new-found

unity has to form the building

blocks, I concluded, of a better

community reality.

It’s all there in the history books.

My parents’ generation had the

tragedy of the Blitz to unite them,

my youth had The Beatles. We all

now have supporting, enhancing

and ensuring the very survival of

the NHS as our rallying call. Stay

safe, stay locked down and stay

conscious of all of those who need

ourhelpinghand.

opinion.

THIS WEEK JOHN WILLBE

TALKINGABOUT:poverty
and prevention atavirtual
parliamentaryinquiryinto
long-termism

READING: One Two Three Four:
The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown

WATCHING: The Trouble with

Maggie Cole, series with

DawnFrenchon ITV

LISTENINGTO:Audiblebook

ofBoswell’sLifeofSamuelJohnson,

read by Bernard Mayes

John Bird is the founder and

Editor in Chief of The Big Issue.

@johnbirdswords

linkedin.com/in/

johnbirdswords

[email protected]

JOHN BIRD

The Beatles were a unifying force

• now all we need is each other

Come together

The Beatles gave Sixties teenagers

a mutual passion – now we need to

join forces to get through this crisis

Photo: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock