A True Beatles Story

Just Above Sunset
Volume 5, Number 10
March 11, 2007




	Our Man in Paris - A True Beatles Story

The world as seen from Just Above Sunset -

"Notes on how things seem from out here in Hollywood..."

PARIS, Saturday, 30 September - From what I hear the United States has had a tough week. There isn't a shred of doubt that Alan will fill the details in, dot the i's and cross the t's, slip in the old links, harrumpf in his pipe and say, well, what the hell did we expect?

I can't do anything about it, not even add a few words to either sooth or deepen your misery. All that's left is to blather a bit about Boggleville. Over here life is not quite so serious. I mean, it's always a big mess, going to the dogs, etc., but after 2000 unending years of it you learn to turn your back and get on with something else. And look over the shoulders occasionally, just in case.

On Thursday I was out seeing a local thing called 'The Beatles Story.' This is a handful of French guys that have some sort of permission from Yoko Ono and the Apple Corps to tell the story of the Beatles through their music and songs. If you don't care for them you won't like it.

So, on Thursday they were putting on their expanded show in a real theatre up on the Grands Boulevards, and my Yoko conned me into going by arranging a free ticket, and bullying me into plugging it in Metropole. 'My Yoko' is club member Tomoko who changed her name on account of what she learned about names from a Japanese juju man. Everybody here calls her Yoko now. Whether the new name is lucky has yet to be seen.


		The Beatles Story - Paris

	The Beatles Story - Yoko performs

It is therefore, no coincidence that she portrays Yoko Ono in this Beatles Story. When I saw it last year her part was about two minutes on stage, out of two hours. That time was in a jazz club in Montparnasse, and this time it's in a legit theatre, with a bit more show to it.

Gary de La Rosa from Los Angeles was here. He arrived by train from Frankfurt, somewhat jetlagged from fending off thieves on the overnight train. Renaud, the Beatles' boss, put his electrician into the flop hotel I had reserved for Gary, so Gary couldn't go out because he had no key for Renaud's place. When I got to the theatre he showed up, and the ticket ladies switched our tickets so we could sit together. Gary said he likes the Beatles.

As soon as they started, I remembered the last performance. 'It was 30 years ago today... Sergeant Pepper's Yellow Submarine All Night Band.' Everybody knows it. This ran right up to midnight, to about the time to think about the last métro. You know, an extra half hour of fun, and then you are going to have to walk across town.

Then coming out of the métro Uncle Den-Den catches me up. He went to an evening of Coltrane at the Sunset. A whole gang is in town before doing a tour in Poland. Names on the bandstand - Art Lewis, Sonny Simmons and Michael Marcus.

He sees Agnes Varda sitting on the terrace at the Penguins but passes. I see the flop hotel guy leaning on a car smoking a cigarette. Most of the musicians are staying there now.


	Last night, Friday, Art and Uncle Den-Den were taking in the café accordion music at a nowhere café off the avenue, called the Insolite. Dany, a big lady who lives in my building and works somewhere, knows all the songs for the Boggleville nostalgia folks, and has a voice that lays over a café with authority. But the usual crowd wasn't there so it lacked a normal degree of craziness. Uncle Den-Den bought a bottle of Brouilly just in case, while Art and I drank orange juice. There was a red-haired lady there who looked like she read a 1949 Vogue magazine recently. Going past the flop hotel - the Savoy! One star! - on the way back, the whole crew was out in the street, leaning on cars, smoking cigarettes. You could think the hotel has six doormen, none of whom shave regularly. What the hell - their best rooms cost 45 euros, with cable and a shower! Next door to the Bistro 48, across the street from the Penguins and a bakery. Pho soup around the corner and the Baghdad café up the block. Authentic Montparnasse paradise.

	- Ric Copyright © 2006 - Ric Erickson, MetropoleParis


	[A True Beatles Story]


	Last updated Saturday, March 10, 2007, 10:30 pm Pacific Time