121212 Relief Concert & the Power of Rock N' Roll

The cultural divide that exists between me and my Afghan counterparts is noticeable and other times it is hardly discernible.  Being here in Kandahar brings it into sharp focus on a regular basis.

Due to the Internet, they have a very worldly awareness of issues like when Hurricane Sandy devastated the NJ shore.  They were asking questions about the area and how people were doing as they are aware that my wife has family there.  The ability for any person to learn more via the Internet makes all this possible.  They also get to see a lot of western movies ( Rambo, Mr. Bean, etc. - ya know, all the classics)

This morning, the 121212 Relief Concert was on the SAT TV here ( Morning time for us, evening for those back home on the east coast)

So I was discussing that the most well known rock groups were performing to raise money for the people who needed relief.  I mentioned that the ROLLING STONES were there.

My Afghan staff looked at me and asked " The Rolling Stones??" - I looked at them and said, "Yeah, you know, Mick Jagger??  Jumping Jack Flash ?? "

One of my staff said, " Yes, I heard that those rolling stones can be dangerous especially when they hit homes..." - I had to restrain the urge to laugh out loud....

I went on, " You know. Like the Beatles - Paul McCartney and the guys - Ya know, The BEATLES????"  Again, the response was basic blank stares.

These guys are all in their late 20s and early 30s and the blank looks on their faces told me all I needed to know.  They had no idea who or what I was describing.  As young kids, they had grown up under 10 years of Taliban repression and that had limited how much music they had access to - The Taliban forbid all music, dancing and other forms of entertainment.

I played a few clips for them on my IPAD from YouTube and they liked what they heard...The divide between our countries can be wide but even with different cultures, some things like the universal appeal of Rock Music can bridge the widest gaps. One of the guys started to dance a little and it was interesting that he danced the exact same way those back home do when they hear the Beatles

I let my guys know that we will have to have a music day where I get to open their world to some of the great music of Rock N' Roll.  It has the power to heal (like the 121212 Concert) and the power to tear down that which separates us. 

I can't wait to have my guys singing " Hey you !!  Get off my Cloud !!"  and " Jumping Jack Flash "

It was 30 Years ago today........

It was 30 years ago today.....No, we are not going to sing along with the Beatles Sgt.
Pepper.

Thirty years ago today, I first became a Father when my oldest son James was born.

I can remember the time leading up to his birth and being keenly aware that everything in my life was going to change with the birth of this baby.  I was the one person who was responsible for me & my girlfriend ( unmarried at the time) and then I would also be responsible for the life of this newborn child.

There was a moment when my girlfriend was in labor and I went to get a drink from the soda
machines in the lower level of St. Margaret's Hospital in Dorchester where she was having
the baby. I needed a drink and to take a short break while we were waiting for the arrival of the baby.

I'm there, standing in front of the soda machine trying to decide what kind of soda to have and then it hit me with complete clarity.

I was thinking, " What the hell are you thinking about - what kind of soda to have???  You will very soon have many more worries to handle then what kind of soda to select..."

It was a surreal moment of the two things intersected in a way that stuck with me all these years.  Life changes and in many ways we never expect.

So here we are thirty years later - My oldest son is grown, a Navy Veteran, married and
making his own way in the world.  He is a smart kid and has many opinions about what is
right and wrong with our world.

In the 30 years that he has been alive, there have been a ton of changes for me and him.

He has made us proud and all he has accomplished shows that his parents didn't do that bad either.

Happy 30th Birthday James !!!  We love you and we are very proud of you !!

Hope that all who read this share the same pride in being a parent as you reach milestones
like this and see that all your efforts were very worthwhile.

February 9th, 1961 - The Beatles made their debut at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England

FAB....Simply Brilliant.....Just as the Autos of the 1960s have not lost any of their luster, these four lads from Liverpool are still rocking the world....

Was it really that long ago??

Fifty Years Ago Today: The Beatles First Played Liverpool's Cavern Club -

They would go on to play the basement club 292 times
By Andy Greene - Rolling Stone
February 9, 2011 9:00 AM ET

Fifty years ago today - on February 9th, 1961 - The Beatles made their debut at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. The group already had a following in the dank nightclubs of Hamburg, Germany, but they had difficulty getting a booking at the popular basement club in their hometown. Mona Best, the mother of then-drummer Pete Best, had to beg the club's booker Ray McFall to secure the band even a lunchtime slot.

"The Cavern was sweaty, damp, dark, loud and exciting," recalled Paul McCartney in the 1995 book The Beatles Anthology. "As usual, we didn't start out with much of an audience, but then people began to hear about us. We could always entertain them."

John Lennon had played occasionally at the Cavern with his skiffle group The Quarrymen in 1957. During that time the club had a strict no rock & roll policy, and when Lennon played some Elvis Presley numbers McFall sent him a note saying, "Cut out the bloody rock!" By 1960 McFall had given in to changing times and allowed for weekly rock shows.

Not much is known about The Beatles' first gig at the club, other than the group got paid three pounds for the show. "We'd play from noon till about two," George Harrison recalled in Anthology. "It was very casual; we'd have our tea and sandwiches and cigarettes on stage, sing a couple of songs and tell a few jokes."

John Lennon had similar memories. "In those old Cavern days half the thing was just ad lib; what you'd call comedy," he once said. "We just used to mess about, jump into the audience, do anything."

The group soon developed a rabid following, and over the next two and a half years they'd play 292 shows at the club. In November 1961 Brian Epstein caught The Beatles at the club and weeks later signed them to a management contract, putting them on the path to superstardom.

(There seems to be some disagreement about whether the first Cavern Club show was on February 9th, 1961 or February 21st, 1961. Most reliable sources point to February 9th, including leading Beatles
expert Mark Lewisohn.)