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Post by OldFred on Dec 1, 2008 23:26:51 GMT -5
Some folks on the WABC Saturday Night Oldies message board were asking about some of my experiences with Paul McCartney and I regaled them with some of my stories. Here's the link to the SNO board if you want to check them out, my screen name there is FredV: www.musicradio77.com/wabcboard/wwwboard//wabcboard1.html
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Post by OldFred on Dec 3, 2008 19:06:50 GMT -5
This is just too cool. My friend Barb P on the Saturday Night Oldies message board dug up the issue of the late Joe Pope's classic and groundbreaking 'Strawberry Fields Forever' fanzine with my letter of my experience on getting inside the Ed Sullivan Theater for the taping of McCartney's MTV Up Close special. I'm posting the letter below and a link to Barb's original post. This is a blast from the past for me and a very nice memory as well. P.S.: For copyright issues, my real name is on the letter. P.S.S.: I don't live in the Bronx anymore, so don't try looking for me! www.musicradio77.com/wabcboard/wwwboard//messages/41221.htmlFred, here is your letter from SFF:
Hi Joe, Had to tell you about something that happened to me last night, something so terrific I just had to share it. When Paul played at the Ed Sullivan Theater I found myself waiting outside in the pouring rain without a ticket. People with tickets had already gone inside and as it got closer to showtime, bouncers blocked the entrance. One 'music industry' fellow with a small group was directed to enter through the stage entrance on 52nd street. As he and his party headed towards the stage entrance, I followed behind as closely and discreetly as possible. He noticed me but as we got to the door, surprisingly, he didn't give me away. He flashed his tickets at the door and in the next minute, we were waved through, down a corridor, round a corner, up a staircase, past the packed orchestra, and up another staircase to the balcony. I thanked the 'industry guy' and found myself an empty seat. Within minutes Paul and the band came out and played, what was to me, the concert of a lifetime! Still Off The Ground, Fred Velez, Bronx, NY
Joe's reply: Fred, Beatlemania lives! After that route you took, you must have wondered if you were going to pop up on stage like Paul's grandfather in "AHDN"! But I (and I think Beatlemaniacs everywhere) congratulate you on your resourcefulness!
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cosmo
Very Clean
Posts: 264
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Post by cosmo on Dec 3, 2008 19:11:49 GMT -5
I remember Joe! He passed away, didn't he?
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Post by OldFred on Dec 3, 2008 20:42:37 GMT -5
I remember Joe! He passed away, didn't he? Sadly, yes. Joe Pope died of cancer in 1999. He published the groundbreaking Beatles' fanzine 'Strawberry Fields Forever', affectionately referred to as 'SFF' by fans, which in the days before the internet was one of the best sources of the latest news on the Beatles and led to magazines like Beatlefan. In the 90's Joe pioneered a pre-internet Beatles phone hotline that featured the latest in Beatles' news. It was through his hotline that I got details about Paul's MTV special at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Joe published great articles, reviews of concerts by the solo Beatles and bootlegs, and featured scoops like an exclusive interview with Yoko Ono during John's 'Lost Weekend' period. Joe produced the very first Beatles Convention in Boston, a month before the first Beatlefest in New York City in 1974. Joe also continued the tradition of the Beatles' Christmas Records and issued his own flexidiscs with rare Beatles material. I contributed to one disc with a recording of the Beatles in India singing 'Spiritual Regeneration' and 'Happy Birthday Mike Love' which I got from a Beach Boys radio special. in.youtube.com/watch?v=GyH4tdxZgFk&feature=relatedHe scooped everyone when he featured on the front cover of an issue of SFF the picture of a young John Lennon standing in a doorway in Hamburg, Germany that was to become the cover of John's 'Rock 'n' Roll' album before it was released. Another great Joe Pope scoop was when he arranged a fan exclusive offer with Genesis Publications for the rare first edition of George Harrison's book 'I Me Mine'. Fans got to order the book for under $200. (Too much money for me at the time, I'm sorry to say I didn't order it and wish I did. I did get the commercially available later edition.) www.disk-otsuka.com/book/george_harrison_book_i_me_mine.htm Perhaps Joe's greatest scoop was issuing for the very first time the Beatles' version of 'How Do You Do It?', the Royal Command Performance and the Beatles Decca recordings in a series of color vinyl 45's with picture sleeves and one LP. These fan issued records are valuable collectors' items today. www.jpgr.co.uk/pro1100.htmlJoe's sense of humor made SFF an enjoyable read. His Beatles' 'gossip correspondent' Abbey Rodent dished out juicy and hilarious dirt on the Beatles during SFF's heyday. I resurrected Abbey Rodent for a April Fool's Beatles' joke Steve posted on the Abbey Rd Beatles News Page a couple of years ago which some folks actually took seriously. (I think enough time has gone by Steve that I can let the cat out of the bag.) abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/401herecomethesons.htmlJoe was a dear friend and he's deeply missed by the Beatles' fan community. Fan Tribute page to Joe Pope www.geocities.com/donaldsauter/beatles-vs-elvis.htm
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Dec 3, 2008 21:58:15 GMT -5
I never met Joe personally, but the last few months of his life, he and I corresponded by email through which he sent updates on his medical condition. I posted them on the site. You can find them here: abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/joepope.htm. The last one came three months before he passed away. steve
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Post by OldFred on Dec 3, 2008 22:11:48 GMT -5
I never met Joe personally, but the last few months of his life, he and I corresponded by email through which he sent updates on his medical condition. I posted them on the site. You can find them here: abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/joepope.htm. The last one came three months before he passed away. steve Thanks for that, Steve. Joe Pope was an important figure in Beatle fandom and it's nice to remember him for the gentle soul he was. Shine on, Joe. Miss you, miss you, miss you.
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