Go on a Beatles ramble

An email from James M points out that those who suggest that Liverpool has little to offer beyond an endless regurgitation of its past should eat their words: Why, they're about to promote some new, young talent:

A BEATLES trail through Liverpool, taking in some of the most iconic locations connected to the Fab Four, is to be debated by city leaders.

What would you call such an invention?

Ideas for the trail – dubbed ‘The Long and Winding Road’ after the Let It Be track – include plotting the fateful route taken from the NEMS record store in Whitechapel to the Cavern on Mathew Street.

Really? That's going to be a bit of a stretch, given how the city council have allowed the city to be knocked about over the last fifty years.

Who's behind the idea, then? It turns out to be an old friend of No Rock And Roll Fun:

The motion was put forward by deputy city leader Cllr Flo Clucas and is to be debated at the meeting of the full council on Wednesday.

Flo, of course, can see the upside in cherishing The Beatles' heritage:

While in the run up to the Capital of Culture year, some were keen to stress that Liverpool has more to offer than just the Beatles, Cllr Clucas said she believed there was more to be made of Liverpool’s Beatles history.

She added: “From my point of view, firstly, the Beatles are big business, whatever you think about their music – which I happen to love.

Look at the classic performers, like Elvis, and Graceland, his home in Memphis – their home towns exploit it to the full.”

Exactly, Flo. Spot on.

You should have a word with your colleagues, though - if memory serves, one of the takes a totally opposing view - even encouraging the demolition of those very iconic landmarks which attract visitors in their hundreds, like Ringo Starr's first home:

Flo Clucas, executive member for housing, said: "Ringo Starr lived in the Madryn Street house for about three months before he moved to Admiral Grove, where he lived for about 20 years.

"John Lennon and Paul McCartney's childhood homes were preserved because they spent a significant part of their lives in them.

"The house on Madryn Street has no historical significance."

Of course, Flo did change her mind when people noticed what she was doing, and - to be fair - Ringo's house was standing in the way of a project to demolish perfectly serviceable Victorian homes to free up land for developers to build upon. Clucas then announced that the house would be saved for a grateful nation - although she wasn't very keen on sharing any of the details when we asked about them; eventually she told us it wasn't part of her remit any more and never replied when we asked her who was looking after the bricks.

Still, now she's back as chief Beatles champion on the city council, presumably she'll be able to help us out. We've dropped her a note to find out what happened to Ringo's house.