The World Turned Upside Down

It was on this date in 1964 that the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. I happened to miss the performance that night. I was happily watching what was to be my favorite Disney flick - The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, starring Patrick McGoohan, (a choice I've not regretted - it really is a cool movie!). All I know is that the next day in school there was only one topic of conversation - those Lads. The girls in particular were in deep debate as to which one of them was cuter, while the guys tried to figure out where to get those neat boots. Within days we seemed inundated with Beatles paraphernalia - notebooks, collectors cards, etc. And for the next ten years there would be arguments between boys and their parents on going to the barbershop, (I still bare the emotional scars of having too short a haircut and not being allowed to purchase a nehru jacket...). Those of you who were around know it was much more exciting and profound a change than I can describe.
I was watching the DVD of that show and the Beatles first trip to America ((Thanks for the DVD Pete!)), and would recommend it to anyone else. It does help to convey the cultural tectonics going on. The whole thing is shot in black and white - but the Beatles almost seem to be in color while everyone around them are in shades of gray. They're exhuberant and young and witty and vibrant. The reporters, cameramen and flaks surrounding them are all old dour looking men that look like refugees from a politburo meeting (weren't there any media types under the age of 45 back then?). A kid couldn't help but be excited by that band - how dull and lifeless everything and everyone else looked compared to them and their music. Sullivan's staff helped too, in a rather subtle way. Look at the stage setup for their performance. It may be the single best presentation of an act in the history of pop. A series of large arrows all pointing towards the band. It was brilliant stagecraft, as if everything pointed towards this one spot and time. THIS was the center of the universe. And indeed, it was.