Rick Linville
A Beatlefan History 
            I write this letter as the excited 8 year old boy watching Ed Sullivan in 1964, as a father of two little girls getting to know the Beatles & a person who has sung Beatle songs for 40 yrs (in spite of being off key) I have been attempting to find others who have the same lifelong passion & lifelong stories about the Beatles similar to mine. . The significance of this passion instilled in my then 8 yr old heart in 1964- it is very unlikely person or band will likewise take the world by storm.
            My history as a fan for 41 years follows. I am Rick Linville, a 49 year old fan from Columbus Ohio.  I have been a Beatles fan since 1963 , when I first started hearing about the Beatles in the news. My first contact with them was on the Ed Sullivan Show. I sat one Sunday night in 1964 with my mom, dad, sisters Kay & Jane & deep down knew my life had just totally changed. I gave up toys at that point & all desires became Beatle albums. I would organize Beatle shows with 3 friends at 8 & 9 years old. I always impersonated Paul McCartney because he was my favorite. We made wooden guitars, used overturned wastebaskets for drums & pie tins for cymbals. We would setup on top of my parents big chest freezer in the basement. Neighborhood girls would pay us 10 cents each to watch our show. We would play a Beatles record on a small 16 inch by 16 inch "phonograph (AKA record) player & lip sync. At the end of the show we would run out of the house with the girls screaming behind us in play. I have always loved singing Beatle songs (even though family, friends ,even total strangers would ask me to stop singing) When I was in the third grade 1964 I wore my moms black crushed velvet boots to school because they looked like the boots on Meet the Beatles. My parents, sisters & girlfriends , for the next 40 years or so, knew what I would want for birthdays or Christmas. Initially, the Beatles were so cool looking & had a cool different sound. Their songs were meaningful & romantic. I have always loved singing Beatle songs (even though family, friends ,even total strangers would ask me to stop singing)
           As with many Beatle fans, the third most outstanding date in our lives, behind the discovery & the breakup of the Beatles, was the violent death of John Lennon. I had loved & respected his music. My older sister called me from California that evening at 11PM to break the news to me. I cried that night, as well as weeped with hundreds of fans at the Ohio Statehouse lawn in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
           I have seen Paul McCartney 7 times in concert, Ringo 3 times, George almost once (1971 canceled) & John never. I saw Paul once around 1976 with his group Wings. Then I saw him 3 times in 1989. Before the 1989 tour I found out if you joined his official fan club you can get preferred seating. So I joined & sent a money order to England. After 3 weeks I got concerned so I sent another money order. A lady from England called me at work & said the fan club had received my first money order. She said the only question-do you want the 2nd money order returned or an extra pair of tickets for a different show? I thought I must be dreaming. I said send the extra tickets. I had 2 Cincinnati tickets 18th row. The two extra tickets were for Detroit 8th row dead center. I was thrilled. A buddy & I went to Detroit to see him. He was alone on stage singing "Put It There". The song about his father putting out his hand to shake hands when Paul was an upset little boy. Everyone was seated while Paul was on stage singing. When he went into the main chorus, I stood up & put out my hand. He winked, smiled & nodded at me. I fell back in my seat dumbfounded. It was the one personal moment I always wanted with Paul. After that show I also saw him in Cleveland & Cincinnati on that tour. He came back on tour about 1993 & I saw him in Cincinnati with my soon-to-be wife. In about 2001 he came back on his Driving Rain tour. Another friend & I saw him in Cleveland & in 2002, on the 2nd leg "Back in the US" tour, saw him in Columbus Ohio. The interesting thing about the Back In The US tour-my dying mother knew the greatest gift she could give her then 45 year old son was a main floor seat for the show. Another bonus-my twin sister Kay, who was ho-hum about the Beatles since we were kids, wanted to go see him.
           So Kay, myself & two other friends went to the Columbus show. Before the concert, we went to the venue early to see some Beatles impersonators band. While we were waiting for the doors to open, we decided to go over by the limousine entrance. I thought what a waste of time, but I agreed. While we stood there for 15 minutes with 20 other people, an English guy said Mr. McCartney will be arriving in  5 minutes. Please do not rush the limo or he will not slow down for a wave & photos. Paul's entourage (4 limos & police escort motorcycles) arrived & I handed the camera to my sister, thinking I might be the one to get too excited to get the picture. Paul pulls up, pops his head out the window & begins waving. My 45 year old sister begins screaming & jumping up & down. She messed up the most important photo & got a photo of the front door of the limo. That broke my heart. So we went on in to the concert.
          I finally stepped up to a microphone & sang Live & Let Die (without musical backing) on 3/18/05. It was "The Step Up To The Mike Columbus" American idol type contest for local singers.  I saw it advertised on a news show at PM. So I drove down to see how many people were lined up downtown at the Promowest Pavilion. Pretty long line but I decided why not.  My sisters Kay & Jane probably got the biggest kick out of me, of all people, being in a singing contest. But it was fun. I told everyone as we waited that people often ask me to stop singing. I also joked my wife makes me lip sync in church.
             I was talking to a couple sitting behind me in the 13th row from the stage before the US Tour Columbus concert this past October. I told them I will be unable to buy any tour merchandise. The damage to my car in a burglary was not covered by insurance. It happened while waiting in a hotel lobby for Paul McCartney to possibly pass through (he never did appear) The couple said they talked it over, have 2 concert programs in the car & want me to have one of the programs. I gave them my address while I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. Sure enough, 2 days ago I received the program PLUS a sealed clear box of greeting cards with McCartney artwork on each card. Priceless...even though I had to use my t-shirts & cups money for car repair, I still walked away with a souvenir. Does anyone know where these cards came from?               
             In conclusion, my wish is for you to dedicate a film/show to Beatlefan stories. Again, I write this letter as the 8 year old boy watching Ed Sullivan with an adrenalin rush & now a 50 year old man with that same adrenalin, hoping to see Paul McCartney again & again. I am RICK LINVILLE-Columbus, Ohio/USA

Magic McCartney Weekend
            It began Friday night Rusty Anderson, one of Paul's guitarists, made an appearance at Borders Book Store. He appeared at 8pm but I got there early at 7pm. There were five of us in the front row, and five seats in four rows behind us. We five in the front row chit chatted about Paul McCartney for about 30 minutes & then introduced ourselves to each other. I introduced myself to the guy I was talking to right next to me. He told me his name  was Jim Benneti. We instantly formed that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans.  Rusty sat before us five people in the front row only 3 feet away (no stage) There was about 40 people just after he got there. He was unescorted, just walked right into the store. He told us in the crowd to wait a few minutes & he walked back up toward the front of the store. No one followed him so I asked Jim to save my seat. He went into the restroom as I walked toward the front of the store. I browsed books about 5 ft away until he came out. I walked with him toward the back. I said " I have an invitation for you for tomorrow from me, my wife & my two little girls". He took it and put it in his pocket, saying thanks. I also said, "Paul should have had the band play on his new album Chaos & Creation-the Driving Rain album was great with you playing on it. You should ask Paul to give you a song on his next album." He said,"thanks-please tell Paul that." Then we sat down , he did 4 songs, I took photos, he signed his CD I bought "Undressing Underwater". Then Jim took the camera & shot a photo of Rusty & I shaking hands.
                    Saturday, of course, Rusty never called for tea. But I found out where Paul was staying & attempted to wait in the lobby to see if he would come down. After about an hour, I went back to the parking garage where I parked. My car had been broken into, smashed window. I was disappointed about my car($$$$$) But my concert outing was about to begin so I taped up plastic on the car & drove over to the Value City Arena with a friend. We waited with 50 other people at the limo entrance & the McCartney magic began. Everyone was busy talking of all their experiences. Again, we instantly formed that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans. Along came Pauls police-escorted limos, and the line of people burst to life. There were cameras raised, people shouting, screaming & crying as Paul stuck his head out & waved. Then it was over, everyone hugging each other & all giddy from seeing him. We hugged the 3 people we were standing with, exchanged info with us so we can send each other photos of our limo shots, as well as other photos outside the arena. Then others gave us there e-mails so we can send them the photos. The McCartney magic was now in full swing.
                    After we had calmed down from the limo experience, we walked over to a circus tent at the Holiday Inn a block away. The tent was setup for a McCartney pre-concert party. We found many people there, all buzzing about their Beatles/McCartney experiences. The party was sponsored by a local oldies station. They were raffling gift certificates, DVD's & t-shirts, then at 7PM they would pick the registered winner for the big prize-2 airline tickets, concert tickets & overnight stay for Los Angeles. We bought a plate of food & walked over to the tall chairless tables they set up for customers. There was a married couple with 2 boys they brought for the show at the table also. We all talked for a while about Beatles then introduced ourselves. Again, that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans. The radio station also had Paul McCartney song contests, asking people what is the next line after they read a lyric. I got up on stage & answered correctly & won DVD Paul McCartney in Red Square.
My friend had a raffle ticket drawn & she won $50 desserts certificates. The other gentleman from Cleveland at our table won $30 sub sandwich certificates. He gave them to me because the store is not in Cleveland. Three out of the four of us at the table won prizes. They looked at our limo shots on the digital camera & we exchanged info for the limo shots. More McCartney magic....
                    We hurried back over to the arena so we could put our prizes or camera in the car & then on to the show. We entered the building & found we had to part company, my seat being 13th row from the stage, my friend 2 sections up from main floor. Upon finding my seat, I sat & talked to all the people around my seat.  Again, that common bond as McCartney/Beatle fans.The couple to my left had a digital camera & they are sending me a disc of all the photo shots they get during the concert. A couple behind me discussed the  spiritual shirt I was wearing. I told them I was'nt buying t-shirts or anything so I can pay for my car window. Out of the blue, they said give us your address-we have purchased 2 McCartney programs & we want you to have one. More McCartney magic...the show began & we all danced to the songs in our own personal styles. He was at his grandest & three hours flew by. We all departed, taking deep sighs after all we had just witnessed. Will there ever be another like him? Rick Linville RedRoseSpdwy@aol.com