The Beatle Brand

     Don’t get me wrong… I respect the amazing talent that Paul, John and George had… oh yes and Ringo was funny to look at. The Beatles represented a fresh and unique twist to rock music… And the people who they made the biggest impression on in the 60’s and 70’s became the people who had the money in the 80’s and 90’s… the self-centered, faceless army of wasteful consumers that consumed to find happiness. As this glut of wasters realized they couldn’t find happiness in their consumerism they paused to contemplate what made them happy… and as they searched the expanse of their consciousness they all landed in one place, a place they felt young, Abby Road. In true boomer fashion they demanded new merchandise to satisfy their consumer lust. New tapes for there newly purchased Walkman’s… then CD’s for their newly purchased CD players…then downloads so their kids could show them how to download for their newly purchased I pod… digitally re-mastered releases of re-releases… Feed the monster. This only, and only this propelled Beatle Mania from a fad, to a trend, to a lifestyle.  
    If anything, one should really pay homage to the Brand the Beatles became. One part talent mixed with one part accidental timing baked in the hubris of the 60’s and later iced with the blood of its very own martyr… a perfect cake for boomer consumption… and if John Lennon was still alive he’d agree with me.