The next day I walked from the hostel to the famous pedestrian crossing at Abbey road studio.
You could see a crowd of people from the end of the road, so you knew where you were. Another thing that struck me was on which side of the pedestrian crossing the studio was on. I didn't know till now that you could see the Abbey Road studio on the cover of the album behind the Beatles.
Abbey Road studio
I'm going to jump ahead a few weeks and put all the pop stuff in this post. I flew from Dublin to Liverpool, and needless to say, while I was in Liverpool, I bealted there to. My hostel was on one side of Liverpool and Penny Lane was on the other, because I'm poor and stingy I walked, it took me an hour and a half. As you could probably guess, Penny lane didn't look anything like I imagined.
I always imagined Penny Lane was a short cobble lane (in black and white) near the centre of Liverpool. But its a great long road in suburbia, houses down one side, and most of the other side walled off open ground.
Penny Lane
I walked from one end of the road and back, stopped at a community centre that was also a Beatle shop. Where I bought the only tourist kinck knack of my whole UK trip. I bought a guitar plectrum, which I use when I play my guitar which I recently bought. It was the best type of tourist thing you could buy because it was cheap, it didn't take up any space and I use it.
Now back a few weeks to London. I've always been a David Bowie and a T rex fan. Its very sad that David Bowie has recently died. I am one of those people that David Bowie's music has been a back drop to my entire life. When I was about 11 in 1972 a friend of my brother brought around Ziggy Stardust. From when I first heard it I thought it was fantastic, and it was the first pop rock album I ever bought. The first record I ever bought was the single All my loving by the Beatles.
I've always wanted to see the place where the photo of the cover of Ziggy stardust was taken. I googled it and found out it was taken at 23 Heddon st London, so I went there.
Its now an expensive alfresco eating area
23 Heddon st London. Ziggy Stardust
The next stop was the Marc Bolan memorial at the place he died in a car crash in Barnes. When I was a kid, the only pop star picture I pinned to my wall was a picture of Marc Bolan out of the TV times.
Marc Bolan died exactly one month to the day after Elvis Presley died. Elvis Presley died on August the 16th 1977. And Marc Bolan died on September the 16th 1977. I can't remember when I heard of Marc Bolans death, it could have been months or longer later. No so when Elvis Presley died. It was head line news. I couldn't understand the out pouring of grief when Presley died, but I was stunned when John Lennon was murdered . Even though I was a Beatle fan, I didn't consider myself a John Lennon fan. And when he was killed I was surprised to feel I had lost a friend, even though I knew that to be ridiculous. Then I understood why people were so distraught when Elvis died. I don,t remember where I was.
Marc Bolan. Rock on
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