MAY 12, 1998 - About one hour before "The Touch"

Blog # 2 - "I TOUCHED RINGO STARR" - Steve Ludwig

We Beatle fans are a unique bunch, I'll be the first to proudly admit. We pretty much go through life asking, "Yeah, but what's that got to do with the Beatles?"
On May 13, 1998, Ringo Starr (the best rock drummer ever from the best rock group ever) taped an episode of VH1's Storytellers, a TV show that presents musicians performing some of their best-known songs, along with a neat backstory explaining each song.
Well, a couple of weeks before the taping, word got out that the Super Starr would be performing a warm-up show the night before his VH1 taping at the great (but since closed) club, The Bottom Line, at West 4th St., NYC. Say no more...Beatle fans unite!!
The Bottom Line, an intimate club that seats, tops, 400 people. The possibilty of seeing a Beatle this close was almost too good to be true. I'd seen Ringo perform five times before this, in various incarnations of his All-Starr Band, since he decided to resume touring in 1989. But seeing him like this?? We're talkin' Beatle in the living room, close up...t-t-t-touchable!!
My friend Paul (no relation to Paul McCartney) called me. 
"We're goin'!"
No argument from me, my fellow Beatlemaniac. Tickets were already sold out; heck, at $30 each, they were gone in seconds! So we needed to score a couple from a, uh, "ticket broker."
Paul asked me how much we were willing to pay. Don't ask such silly questions, Paulie!! It's Ringo...It's a Beatle...GET US IN THE BOTTOM LINE, my good man!!! (OK, so maybe I had to go without food and gas for a month after paying the broker, but, hey...)
Seating at the Bottom Line was first-come, first-served. You hop on line early, you get a seat close to the stage. Ringo's set was to begin at 7:00PM. we were on line at 1:30. There were already about 30 fellow maniacs on line by the time Paul and I got there. Everyone took turns holding each other's place in line for bathroom breaks, pizza runs, etc. Couldn't let any Blue Meanies steal our place in line!
Six o'clock, the doors opened. I'd been to the Bottom Line many times before, but as I walked in this time, there was something extra special about it, almost like I had never been here before.
The front tables are set up perpendicular to the stage; we were about 3 tables to the left of where the great Ringo would be standing by the microphone. You can see by the picture how great our seats were.
At about 7:10 the lights went down. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ringo Starr and the Roundheads." The Roundheads?? That was the name Ringo chose for his backup band just before being introduced. My friend Paul and I looked at each other. We couldn't speak; we just smiled. Ringo!!!
As one of my four musical heroes bounded onto the stage, it was surreal to say the least. I remember thinking, I'm not supposed to be this close to a Beatle!!"
I looked around at the 400 of us in the club. Yeah, that's right, we ALL live in a yellow submarine tonight, with Captain Starr at the helm. We're all octopi in Ringo's garden!!
The incredible, fun, 75-minute set was over before we knew it. A second show (not Ringo) was scheduled for 9:00, so we were asked to kindly make our way out of the club.
I stood up. "Wow, great, huh?" I asked Paul.
Paul had an incredulous look on his face. "Where ya goin'?"
"We gotta leave so they can set up for the next show."
"We're goin' to the bar."
The bar at the Bottom Line was at the side. The only way for performers to get in or out of the club was, just like the patrons, through the front door. In order to get out, Ringo would have to pass by the bar...Ahh, I get it...
Quite a few of the Beatlemaniac family had the same idea. The bar area became crowded. 
Paul and I got ourselves in prime position for Ringo's exit. Of course, after what happened to John Lennon in 1980, no one in his right mind would make any kind of silly, quick movements to frighten the ever-cautious remaining Fab Three. I simply wanted to be able to tell my friends I was right next to Ringo Starr.
Soon, a few people started, "Hey, Ringo! Ringo!" What goes on?
I turned around, and I was staring face-to-face with Joe Walsh! Joe was in Ringo's band for tonight's show (he's all the way on the left in the photo).
I was dumbfounded. I finally thought of something real clever to say:
"Joe."
"Hey," he replied. Then he grabbed my hand and shook it. Wow, cool!
I knew Ringo couldn't be far behind. 
Now, the back of my Ringo Beatle bubblegum card lists him at 5' 7". Actually, I'll bet that's with his Cuban-heeled Beatle boots on. Moving really quickly past the bar was the top of a Beatle head. Here came the shortest Beatle. All of his guys had him quite secure, hustling him towards the front door. I could hear Ringo saying, "Hello, hello, hello," in his Liverpool accent. I knew I'd never get this chance again. Act naturally I told myself. I timed it perfectly. Just as Ringo whisked by, I gave him two gentle pats on the back. 
I touched a Beatle!! My right hand touched the back of the man who drummed on Hey Jude!!
Before I knew it, they had Ringo out the front door, and he was gone.
"I touched him!" I proudly told Paul. His smile and nod told the story: A job well done.
Someday, I may even wash my hand...

Do you like pop culture? I love it! And I'm lucky enough to have my own radio show, called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Check out the archives ANYTIME AT ALL!

                                     

Hey, if you enjoyed reading my blog, you may also enjoy reading my first book, SEE YOU IN CCU - A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY. It's filled with more silliness like this. 
You can get all the info here:  www.ccubook.com .

                                        

  

My Very First Blog

"CUCKOO FOR CUCKOO CLOCKS"

   My wife Sue loves chime clocks. Me? Not so much...But I love Sue, so we have  chime clocks in our house. Two of 'em (chime clocks, not houses...). One chimes once on the :15 of the hour, then twice on the :30 of the hour, then thrice on the :45, and finally a little darn song before chiming whatever hour of the day or night it is. 

   By Sue's way of thinking, we'll always have the beautiful sound of chimes throughout our day and night; by my way of thinking. I'll never have more than 14 minutes and 59 seconds of complete silence in my house. OK, OK, I will admit that as time has passed (and chimed), I hardly notice the noise -- uh, I mean, music. It's just kind of "there," ya know what I mean?

   At the beginning, we compromised. One month with the chimes ON, and one month with 'em OFF. Somehow, one of the OFF months turned out to be February, and also September, April, June, and November. How did all the thirty-one-day months become ON months? How? I'll tell ya how. I was just too lazy to count the days.

   Soon we ("we" = Sue) agreed to add a second chime clock (and suddenly there were no more OFF months). This second chimer plays "Ave Maria" every hour, plus the number of chimes of the time of day, but that's it. Only every hour on the hour. It's in a cabinet that has glass doors, so it's somewhat muffled, but not enough that it doesn't mock me while I'm minding my own business. And the other chime clock seems to warn me every :45 on the hour, "Ave Maria" is comin' right up!" "Ave Maria"? How about, "Quiet, Maria!"

   I forget exactly how this next thing happened -- you know how being married causes men to lose brain cells, right? -- but now we have a CUCKOO CLOCK hanging on a wall in the living room. Yeah, that's right...A bird now comes out and says "CUCKOO." The bird stares at me every time it comes out, I just know it does. Oh, it'll deny it, but I know it's so. Over time, I swear it's not even saying "cuckoo" anymore. Now, for instance, at 3PM and 3AM I hear, "Ha Ha, you can't catch me! Ha Ha, you can't catch me! Ha Ha, you can't catch me!" At one o'clock it's simply, "Steve's STUPID," but the bird drags out the word "stupid," because it's got only one chance to say something. It's like, "stooooooopppppppiiiiddddddd."

   Please don't get me started about noon and midnight!

   But I've found a way to defeat the cloddish cuckoo. At 11:55 whenever I'm home, I make believe I'm deaf. This way I don't hear it say: "Here I come! Here I am! You're still stupid! It's me! It's me! It's me! Try to catch me! Betcha can't! You're too slow! Look how old you've gotten! See ya in an hour! Bye, dopey!"

   Nope, I don't hear any of it...

Next week's blog is "I Touched Ringo Starr." Yeah, I really did! And I don't mean any of that "emotionally" touching him, my hand actually touched a Beatle! I'll tell ya about it next week.

I host my own radio show called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. When you get a few minutes, why not check out the archives? Thanks so much!

                                   

By the way, if you enjoyed reading my blog, you may want to check out my first book called, SEE YOU IN CCU - A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY. It's more of the same type of silliness. It's available at www.CCUBOOK.COM, as well as at the other usual sites (www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com, etc.), in eBook, paperback, and hardcover.

                   

Thanks a lot,

Steve