Thursday, October 29, 2015

The Magical Martin Mystery Tour

Roll up (and that's an invitation), roll up for the mystery tour
Roll up (to make a reservation), roll up for the mystery tour
The Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away,
Waiting to take you away....

In Liverpool, England, an entrepreneurial group has created a two-hour bus ride tour that takes its passengers on a tour of the locations, homes, and haunts that provided the backstory to the Four Lads from Liverpool, the Beatles.  It's a Fab Four aficionado's dream to visit, among other places, John Paul, George and Ringo's childhood homes and schools, The Cavern Club, where they made their debut, and famous lyrical addresses such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.
A few years back, our friend Martin Brewer and his longtime music mate in the UK, Paul Askew, embarked on said tour to experience the magic first hand.
Martin and Paul, you see, have been going to concerts together for decades.  They shared dozens of shows, including Paul McCartney, and were there for one of London's most famous and infamous on-stage moments, the pairing of Bruce Springsteen and Sir Paul, an epic team-up in Hyde Park inexcusably cut short by a piddling curfew.
Martin and Paul literally grew up together, and shared decades of great memories, not just around music, but around the sports, school, and pubs that shaped their lives.
So it was fitting that it was Paul who took Barry, Andrew and I on a Sussex County whirlwind tour of Martin's old stomping grounds, showing us  pivotal places in the life of the man we'd come to know as our stateside comrade-in-arms.
We stopped by one of the flats Martin owned, an address that yielded a lot of not-so-epic memories for Martin, and a location that many believe helped propel him west to the United States to seek his fame and fortune.
The former Littlehampton Community School, where many a hijinx was perpetrated, but where Martin's love for learning really took off.  It was a passion he'd bring stateside here to help change the lives of thousands of students at Oyster Hill.
A pitstop at the Littlehampton Sports and Social Club to check out the fields where Martin took in his fair share of cricket games.
Many a weekend afternoon, Martin would camp out on one of the club benches to watch the sport, just basking in the sunshine, enjoying a pint and the company of friends.
(Side note: Despite everyone's attempt to explain the rules to us baseballers, I'll be damned if I can understand them.  I mean, c'mon - five days in, and the game ends in a tie?!?)
Paul, Barry and I all had on Springsteen tees from respective shows that we shared with Martin over the decades.
Stopping by another of Martin's childhood homes
One of his many hometown watering holes, the Lamb
The supermarket scene of Martin's first working gig
Zachary Merton Community Hospital, where Martin - and apparently, virtually everyone in earshot of Littlehampton - was born
On the Littlehampton boardwalk, alongside the river Arun, right where it reaches its end and feeds into the English Channel
Behind us, on the dunes is a rumored site for some of the filming of early 1960s and 1970s episodes of Doctor Who.  Luckily, Paul, Andrew and I are all unabashed Whovians.
The view from Martin's mom's condo, overlooking the English Channel, and where Martin spent much of his last summer, sitting back resting in the sunlight, and listening to his favorite music
Thanks, Paul, for an unforgettable glimpse into the back story of our bud.  It was a special afternoon.  Satisfaction guaranteed.

The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away
Coming to take you away
The Magical Mystery Tour is dying to take you away
Dying to take you away, take you today

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