Abbey Road, London. It’s special. It’s special because it houses the famous zebra crossing that the Beatles walk on the cover of their fantastic album, titled, of course, Abbey Road.
Can you imagine, how many fans, from England and all around the world, speaking all different languages, but sharing the same love for the Beatles, have crossed the street posing like one of the Fab Four?
Now… Did you know that Damian Lewis actually grew up on Abbey Road and not far from the zebra crossing?
He tells on Times Talks London:
And the sweetest story Damian has to tell about his childhood on Abbey Road is one that I think you will all love!
“My brother and I had a pretty expansive fantasy life. We had two bikes, very ’70s bikes, at least in London, called Grifters. We invented two characters for ourselves called Bob and Charlie, and we’d go up and down the street and all around the neighborhood solving crimes. That’s what we did.”
And here are the little detectives Bob and Charlie for you 🙂 Cute! Very cute!
THAT is exactly what we did, too, in my neighborhood in Izmir, Turkey — literally thousands of miles away from London, England. It’s just that I didn’t have a Grifter but had a Chopper instead, another ’70s bike!
So, are today’s children like that at all, or it was just us that rode the bikes, wrote the crime stories and solved them?
Damian has also become a Beatles Fan at a young age as he was introduced to their music at school. We learn from a Classic FM news report that, when he made an appearance at the Music For Youth Schools Prom 2013 to celebrate inspirational teachers, Damian told kids: “When I was roughly your age, 11 or 12, I sang in a chamber choir and had an inspirational teacher, Mr Woodgate, who rearranged Beatles tunes. And so, as an 11 year old I was able to sing Eleanor Rigby and I Love Her and other Beatles tunes in four-part harmony, and it’s a memory I treasure to this day.”
And, being a Beatles fan, he says in an interview with US Weekly in 2001, “I used to take my shoes off to cross the street so I’d look like Paul on the record.”
🙂
Who would YOU try to look like?
My personal answer: George. Always George! 🙂
Why not finish with a beautiful song from Abbey Road that came to me the moment Henry VIII appeared in the first episode of Wolf Hall? Until that moment, the episode was Cromwell’s personal story. Very, very sad. And, with Henry, came the beautiful manicured gardens, the fragrance of flowers, and THE SUN!
ENJOY!
So cute, isn’t he? My mum loved the Beatles, bunked off school to go and see them when they were in Glasgow and ended up on the news. Gran and Grandpa weren’t happy! Rock on, mum!
Totally loving the hairdos in that photo. Look at the cool big brother. Laughed at them playing detectives. He was practising early for his future roles. Life, indeed.
Good to read more about Damian so thank you very much for this.
Your mom ended up on the news? LOVE IT!!!! My mom and my aunt were big fans, too, miles and miles away in Turkey. And, still today you go to Strawberry Fields in Central Park and you see teenagers playing the Beatles on their guitars and singing. They are timeless.
Ha, I love the cool big brother, too — playing detectives was somehow what we did, too… was it the times? I dunno. We didn’t have much TV, we absolutely had no video games, etc they did not exist back then 🙂
I have just realised I never appreciate enough what I already have in London…. My office is just 7 minutes’ drive to Abbey Road and I pass by the Zebra cross all the time and sadly I only get excited about Beatles when I am in Liverpool time to time or at Strawberry Fields in New York… I know what I am going to do this weekend… I will put ‘Here Comes the Sun’ on and make my way to Abbey Road:-)
And do the Zebra Crossing with bare feet looking like Paul! 😀 I did it back in 2003 way before I knew DL grew up there — I always always LOVED the Beatles!!! And, funny, you’re saying Strawberry Fields, I live a few blocks from there, one of my fav places in NYC!
‘Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days….”
Hmmm, I have so many bitter sweet memories from Strawberry Fields; in fact it is one of my fav places in NY too… I remember walking by the spot that Lennon was killed –in fact several times-, posing around Imagine Circle and walking through the Strawberry Fields, eating Pretzel… Yes, every time I remember Strawberry Fields, I remember pretzel and not just the song Strawberry Fields come to my mind also ‘Strawberry Blonde’ by Ron Sexsmith..I am a big fun of Ron Sexsmith and now this song reminds me of DL… These all must be the tricks that my subconscious mind plays with me:-) Anyway, it would be great to visit one of my favourite spots in NY again and maybe this time you will be the company next to me Dear Damianista Sister;-)
With pleasure! 🙂