So one day a seemingly normal (yeah, okay, she's fucking insane) girl was taking a shower. (Mind out of the gutter, people. You sicken me). And a thought struck her, right in the head, and she almost fell over from the force of it. (Have you ever been struck in the head with an idea? Those things hurt! And especially when the lightbulb goes off and the water hits it-ow!) But anyway, this idea hit and the girl ran over to her computer to tell her friend. Oh shit...you wanna know the idea now, right? Okay. So, in our story, In Spite Of All The Danger (You should read it if you haven't already. Go. Now. I'm serious!), everyone is always saying how they like our (I should introduce Catie. You know Catie, right? Well, it's her I'm talking about) ANs and all that. So the idea was, "hey, let's create an entire story revolved around ANs." So here we are and here it is and now you have to tell us what you think cause we are review whores. Okay I'm done.
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Catie: I think a little introduction for who exactly 'we' are is in order. My name is Catie (holy Matt Smith, no way) and I have many likes. I also have many dislikes, which are a way more touchy subject, so let's cover those. We don't talk about giraffes. Giraffes are off-limits here. They scare the living shit out of me, and I don't like to think them nor type the word, so we're done with that one. I don't like aliens, ghosts, sharks, centipedes, angry people, John Lennon (most of the time, okay? Leave me alone), stereotypical bitches (which is hypocritical a little bit, but you all aren't totally aware of that yet mwuhahahaha), and anything that makes me feel like I'm tripping on acid. I DO like the Beatles and writing, which is how I met Addie, my little friend from up yonder in the cold country. Addie?
Addie: Cold country? We have hot summers, you know! Anyway. I'm Addie, if you haven't already guessed. I also have many likes and many dislikes but I think I'd rather tell you my likes. First of all, I LOVE John Lennon (Catie can go fall into her well or jump off a cliff or whatever), The Beatles (duh), all the old music and movies and stuff. Basically I should have been born back then. Okay, let's move on. Writing is awesome and I love doing it, and yes, that is how me and Catie met. (Little friend? You twit! :P) What else? Oh, I have many irrational fears (according to Catie anyway) and I'm old. Oh and I'm awesome. Yeah.
Catie: Now, I can already tell what the question on all your minds must be: Why the FUCK do I care? And see, you really shouldn't, because we're no better than you and your best friend Bob. However, we're a considerable amount more knowledgeable (Addie) and cooler (me) than your fucking best friend Bob will ever be, so leave us alone. We're just here to talk about the Beatles and amuse ourselves. Sound good?
Addie: I think it sounds awesome. And I'm knowledgeable and cool. Anyway, what should our first topic of discussion be? Ooh ooh I know! Can we talk about Aaron Johnson and how I really wanna watch Nowhere Boy again?
Catie: You watch that entirely too much. How much time can you invest in watching the same movie about John Lennon's life pre-Beatles over and over and over and over again? Honestly. I've seen that movie once...maybe twice...and the outcome is always the same: I study Aaron Johnson's every feature and movement, I drool over how inhumanly good looking he is, I giggle at the part where he fingers that girl in the woods, and my ovaries explode when he starts singing. There is no variety. It mystifies me how you can watch the same thing and feel the same things SO MANY FUCKING TIMES. Gosh.
Addie: It's called obsession for a reason, dear. Now, let me explain this to you. First of all, I haven't watched it THAT many times. Only like...11. Tee-hee. Yes, the outcome is always the same (what, did you think movies magically change?) but that doesn't matter. You see, there come times in a young movie buff's life where certain movies strike that person and becomes a movie that you watch over and over and over and over (x1000000) and no matter what, you still feel the same at the end as you did when you watched it the first time. Nowhere Boy is my new one added to said list. Past ones include Newsies (watched that one probably 1000 times since I was two, no joking. It's my main obsession and favorite movie), Titanic, A Hard Days Night, Help!, some old 30s movies and a few others. These are movies I can practically watch with my eyes closed or with the sound off and I still know exactly what's going on. Like I said, obsessions come and obsessions go but some stick with you forever! And so, in conclusion, I will most definitely watch Nowhere Boy many more times this summer alone. Life of a movie buff, my dear.
Catie: But, of course, let's not forget who showed you the movie in the first place and gave you a link to download it *stand up, takes a bow, and sits back down*. Dassss right. The little sophomore (AHHHH I MADE IT THROUGH MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL!).
Addie: Haha. Honey. Let me correct you. I downloaded Nowhere Boy myself, the same day I downloaded Backbeat. Off of torrent. Not off of some link. I know who you gave the link to but it wasn't me. So, sit back down.
Catie: Okay, fine. Whatever. Be a bitch about it. Can we move on to pet peeves? I hate when people use condescending names like 'honey' and 'sweetheart' and 'sweetie' when they aren't, like, thirty years older than you. Prime example. "Haha. Honey. Let me correct you." This made me madder than the initial statement, because of the word 'honey'. Pet peeve numero uno for dis bitch.
Addie: Well, lucky for you, I hate when people do that too. Me, I was kidding. I do that sometimes to piss people off. I do it to my sister all the time. :P But, in truth, I hate when people do that and are serious about it. So, calm down. I get you. Oh and a pet peeve- I hate, double hate, when people try and sing along with songs they don't know the words to, just to look cool or to look like they know it. If you don't know the words, DON'T FUCKING SING!
Catie: I hate when people act like I'm the anti-Christ when I say I don't like John. I mean, okay, he's great. I realize that. He was a wonderful musician, the peace and love shit was awesome, and he did some great things with his life. He also did some horrible things, and I don't find him attractive at all besides at, like, one point in his life. I get that a lot of people are huge John-fans, and I respect that. I won't try and sway your opinion. So don't try and sway mine, you know?
Addie: Yeah, I get that. I mean, as much as I yell at you for not liking John, it's not like I'm gonna force you to like him. I'm not blind, I can see that he did bad things. Although I can't agree with you on the not attractive, that man was- JSFKJHSFHDDJHDJKSHFDKJFHSD. Anyway, and most people agree because they are John fans. But there are people who agree with you too, I'm sure. You're not the only one. But you are right. No one should try to sway you. Okay...pet peeve...thinking...thinking...It bugs me when people assume things. Like- "oh you do that, oh you must be this type of person" or "oh look at what that person is doing, oh okay they must be bad." No, just-no. Get to know the person before you start saying things or keep your mouth shut!
Catie: Yeah, I guess I see that. Assumptions are bad, yeah, yeah. I know. But...okay unpopular-opinions time: I don't think it's true that most assumptions are wrong. I'm not saying everyone should run out and do it, but not everyone should befriend everyone. Some people are, in fact, weird as shit. It's a fact of life. I'm not talking weird like me and you, who obsess over the Beatles and writing and various other things. I'm talking sit in the basement staring at wall and talking to yourself weird. You have to be careful in life. That's all I'm saying.
I will extend this to say, however, it bothers the FUCK out of me when people just assume because I like the Beatles that I only listen to older music and nothing else. I don't hate all modern music-just the mainstream shit. And some of that I actually like. It's frustrating, and I bet you can all relate to this, when someone says, "Ugh. The Beatles. Didn't they do a bunch of drugs and are all dead?" I literally want to chuck something at those people's heads. Or, if I wear my John Lennon shirt (OKAY YES I KNOW LEAVE ME ALONE) and people go, "Take that off, he's dead." Oh. My. God. Me = Apeshit at times like those.
Addie: Oh hell yeah. That fucking bothers me to no end. Everyone's like "The Beatles? Oh, they're all dead." To which I feel like screaming "TWO OF THEM ARE STILL FUCKING ALIVE!" Or something along the lines of, "you're listening to John Lennon? Isn't he, like, dead?" Yes, he's dead, he's departed the world, he has died. I'm sorry, does that mean because he's dead I can't listen to any of his music? Bitch, please. Apeshit doesn't even begin to cover it. Although to what you said before that, how people think you listen to older music and nothing else, well, I basically tell people that about myself. :P I mean, I say, mainstream is crap, some modern stuff like rock and other stuff is good, but I basically live in the past. I like being weird.
Okay, so another pet peeve? I know I have many. Let me think. I hate when people try and tell me what to do, or what to wear or how to live and etc. It's like, "Oh I'm sorry, is this your life? Do you have to live it? No? Okay then, fuck off!"
Catie: I don't like when people tell me what to do, no. But I can't say it happens all too often. Let me clue you guys in on something, something I don't think I've really ever told Addie, either. At school, at home, in public, wherever, I'm usually with my friends. My friends are...influential? (That's not really the word, but... Do I have to say it? Do I really? Because I don't want to say it.) And no one makes fun of them (to their faces, at least), no ones tries to tell us how to dress, just shit like that. It's the other way around. And so, I guess you could say that I'm your pet peeve a little bit? Eh, that makes me really uncomfortable.
Subject change. It bothers me that the Beatles did drugs. Ahh. It's just that I love them so much, and I don't admire drugs. Pot, whatever. It happens. Personally, I've never done it, but a shit load of people have and it's not ALL that bad. Though it still is a drug. And I know the Beatles did some great stuff when they were on drugs (basically Magical Mystery Tour, the White Album, Revolver, Rubber Soul...more. And more. And more. Hahahaa) and I know it was the 60s when this stuff was more accepted, but...I don't know. It just really bothers me.
Addie: No, you aren't my pet peeve. And I didn't mean that people always tell me what to do or whatever. It's just the notion of that that bothers me. Like one time, my friends were like, "you have no fashion sense and were like ripping through my closet." And it wasn't mean, it was all funny, so I wasn't mad. It made me laugh, actually. I'm the type of person that if you rag on what I do or tell me it's weird, I'll want to do it ten times more. If you tell me I listen to stupid music, well, it only solidifies my appreciation for it that much more. It just made me realize that I am the maker of my own decisions and what I do is done only because I want to do it and not because I'm trying to impress anyone else. Yeah.
I agree with you on that. It does bother me that they did drugs. When you hear or read about it, it's just like... "awww. Really? :|" But at the same time, to each their own right. It was the norm in the 60s and they didn't really know it was all that bad yet. It does bug me but, what can you do right? Pot, like you said, doesn't really matter because it's not as hard core. It's still stupid. I'd never do it. But that's just me. I'm not saying people who do it are stupid. It's just... I don't know, drugs bug me I guess. More so when you see that some of your idols or favorite people died from them... sigh, River Phoenix. But like I said, what can you do?
Catie: Maybe I wouldn't mind that they did drugs so much if, like, people who don't like them didn't use it against them. Like, the other day. I'm just sitting in my living room, innocently listening to the Beatles and writing, and my sister comes in. She goes "Ugh. You're listening to the Beatles again? Seriously, Catie?" Let it be (OMG I SWEAR I DIDN'T DO THAT ON PURPOSE!) known that my sister DID like the Beatles at one time. Perhaps more than me. But she's always been older than me, and I catch on to things a little later and a little stronger. So when we would listen to them in the car with my mom, she would just smile and nod her head, and I would just listen. But eventually, she was still nodding her head and smiling, and I was belting out the lyrics. Now, she doesn't like when I talk about them. She says my obsession ruined the Beatles for her, and I'm not allowed to listen to them when she's around. Sucks for me, I guess.
Anyways. I go, "Of course I'm listening to the Beatles. Who do you think I am?" And she just rolls her eyes, sits down, and shuts up. Which I suppose was rather kind of her, considering she usually has a big shit fit about how I need to turn them off. But then, I-being a dumb bitch-start spouting off some random facts about Paul McCartney, because I know everything there is to know about Paul as he is my favorite Beatle (duh). And she gets angry. And our conversation is as follows.
ME: ….and this was around the time that they first started using pot-when they met Bob Dylan, you know?-and acutally, it's funny, but that was the drug Paul really took to. None of the REALLY bad stuff like George and John (cocaine and heroin respectively) or alcohol (like Ringo). Pot's always been Paul's thing. Which actually makes me respect him more because-
LIZ: Catie. Shut up. He's just a washed up druggie.
ME: ...take it back.
LIZ: No, he's washed up. And don't bullshit me that he only ever did pot.
ME: I didn't say that. He did more than that, but...he just liked pot the best. And he did it more. And that's okay, because it like won't kill him or anything. That's why I like him so much.
LIZ: He's washed up.
ME: No, he isn't. He still makes great music!
LIZ: He's living off his Bealtes-fame still. That makes him washed up.
ME: NO HE IS NOT!
LIZ: He's washed up.
ME: He's a great individual! He's caring and a great family man and now he's engaged-which makes me sad, but life goes on-and he's a GREAT musician. He's not washed up.
LIZ: Yes, he is. He's creepy for marrying someone so much younger than him and he's washed up.
ME: SHUT THE FUCK UP LIZ HE'S NOT WASHED UP!
*deadly staring between the two of us for several minutes straight, then Liz gets up and exits the room*
LIZ (from the other room): Mom, isn't Paul McCartney washed up?
It's an endless battle, I swear to God.
Addie: Shit, woman. That was long. But entertaining. And I'm definitely on your side. The Great Paul (you should tell your sister that he is SIR Paul McCartney) is NOT washed up and never will be. Why? Cause he's Paul. That's it. Okay anyway... you said, up there somewhere, that you catch on things later and stronger, that is totally true for me as well. My sister likes the Beatles too but not nearly as much as I do. I'm just fucking insane. And the same with Buddy Holly, she likes him and all that but I'm just like... "BUDDY HOLLY GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" (Who, by the way, is an awesome musician and man). But I totally get it. I love my Beatles obsession...my poor sister though. Everyday practically she hears a Beatles song on the radio and when I'm in the car, one almost always comes on. And when me and my sister watch TV together, there is always some sort of Beatles reference in the show and she just turns to me and shakes her head and I cackle like an insane person. It's fun. :P
Oh, and the part about your obsession ruining something for your sister? My sister says the same thing. About the movie Newsies. It was her movie before. Then I came along and that obsession blew up bigger than anything. She always says I ruined it for her but now I just tell her to get over it. She still likes it. lol.
Okay, so here's a quick reenactment of a conversation I had with one of my best friends. I don't know how the Beatles came up but they did. Anyway:
Me: Okay, I bet you can't name all the Beatles.
Elisa: Yeah I can. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison (her mother had just said his name. If she hadn't, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have known it) and...
Me: And?
Elisa: Do I know this?
Me: You should.
Elisa: What does it start with?
Me: I'm not telling you. It'll be too easy. Besides, it's a nickname from his original name.
(So back and forth about what letter it starts with. Then her mom comes in and she asks her for clues. Her mother, by the way, doesn't even speak english. So her mom points to her rings on her fingers and I make an "O" with my fingers).
Elisa: Ringolo?
Me: NO! Close, though.
(So then she gets it, finally. And then her mom, in Italian, asks "What's in the sky at night?")
Elisa: Ringo Starr?
Me: Well, it's about time, woman!
(And then a conversation over who's alive and who isn't and etc). These people, man. I tell ya.
Catie: With my friends, it's a sin against me if they don't know all the names of the Beatles. They can get a little tripped up on George, though. Our poor little Georgie Boy :( It's because he was so quiet and gets so little recognition, I think. He was great. I know, when I was younger, he was always the one that I couldn't remember. When I was little, I liked Ringo. Oh, Ringo. I think pretty much all little kids like Ringo, because of "Yellow Submarine". My mom has this CD and it's, like, the Bealtes number one hits or some shit like that, but she's had it forever. And when I was younger and we were going some place far away, we would put that CD in and listen to the songs, and I would have to listen and try and figure out which guy sung each song. And I just really remember that the first song was "Love Me Do" and I could never figure out who was singing because of the harmonizing. :D Oh, man. Do you guys have any good Beatles memories from when you were little? Personally, I'd love to hear about them.
Addie: Yes, so would I! Hmm...well when I was younger, I did know the Beatles. I mean, the oldies station was always on in the car so I grew up with oldies. And I always knew their names (although I could never figure out which when was George and which one was Ringo- right up until my obsession exploded a few years ago. Yeah, shut up). I remember when George died, seeing the newspaper and thinking, "oh that's really sad." Growing up, I loved the song "Yellow Submarine" - jeez, which kid didn't? And it's still my favorite Beatles song. Let me just say, man am I glad beyond glad that I became obsessed with the Beatles. It feels...right. Do you understand what I mean? Like liking the Beatles and listening to their music is just right. Couldn't be happier. Do you guys get that? I mean, do you feel the same way.
Catie: I totally get that, one hundred percent. Because, the Beatles had a message. They were real. They were great musicians, they tried to change the world, and they were interesting and lovable individuals. And some other 'musicians' these days and in the past...they didn't have that. And so an obsession with someone like that wouldn't be as healthy, I think. But us, we're okay. We like the Beatles because, in my opinion, we want to be apart of something that our parents were, our grandparents were, all their friends, millions of people across the world...and it feels good to be apart of something.
When it comes down to it, the Beatles touch people's lives. They got me through some really, really hard times. Do you guys have a particular Beatles song that you listen to when you feel like absolute shit, and you just want to smile? I always listen to either "Here Comes the Sun" or "I'll Follow the Sun". And when I'm so nervous I'm shaking and I have a sick feeling in my stomach (we've all been there at some point) I always listen to George's "All Things Must Pass". That always soothes me. And I think it's great that I have something special to me, something really, really, spectacular that other people can understand. And, to ask Addie's question again, do you guys get that? Do you feel the same way?
Addie: I definitely have those songs. A song that I listen to when I feel shit? I don't know. But I do know that for some reason "All My Loving" just really makes me happy inside. It stirs up happy feelings. And the nervous, shaking, stomach-sick one? One hundred percent, "Let It Be." Man, that song can work wonders. Yeah, I totally agree. It's like we are all part of this thing, like we are all privileged to like the Beatles and to be in this community that feels the exact same way we do. It's like being in an elite club or something. You know? Like, we love the Beatles, we are- I don't know, special? Does that make sense? The way I see it, we could have all easily been mindless Justin Bieber drones or something. But no, we love the Beatles. And that's how it is!
Catie: Preach, girl. Kay, I think maybe we should wrap this up. On an ending note, I'd just like to say that despite us all being different, despite the fact that I like Paul, Addie likes John, and according to the poll on my profile (that you can still vote on, btw :D) everyone else likes George, we're all united. And I love that. And I love you guys, even if you don't support this 'story' that isn't really a story at all. Even if you're just going to flame the hell out of this...congratulations. For being a Beatles fan. For being able to spot good-as-hell music in a crowd. For being a part of this...this life. This life that is loving them as people, admiring them as musicians, and being able to change our lives with the fucking amazing jams they put out into the world.
So. Tell us. What's your favorite Beatles-related memory of being a kid? What makes you like them so much? Shoot us a question or a topic to talk about. We'd love to hear what you have to say. :^)
Addie: Can't say much to that, Catie's said it all. But yes, shoot us a question which we will be glad to answer. Remember, review because we are the review whores. And don't flame. It isn't nice. So...until next time! 8^D