~ Growing Without Roots ~

My childhood was amazing and unique. In fact, it ruined my life in many ways. I remember when I was seven, listening to the radio in my parents' room in Australia, eyes closed, lying on the rug with my head on a pillow, the sound of the branches and leaves blowing in the wind outside. I wondered, is this a dream and I am still in Australia? Will I wake up and be able to do it all differently? Or is this my life and my memories will always be an albatross around my neck?

1064 Ladies and Gentlemen...

By the time the Beatles hit the TV in the US, I already knew all about them. I was living in Short Hills, NJ, and I had a friend, Patty, who had just returned from boarding school in England. Over the previous couple of years, when she came home for the summers, all she talked about was the Beatles. She brought back a bunch of official Beatles fan club magazines, which I read from cover to cover, and she had all of the Beatles records. So by the time they were on Ed Sullivan, I was pretty familiar with them. I had never seen them perform though.

So on February 9, 1964, just like everyone else in the country, I was glued to the TV to watch then on the Ed Sullivan Show. My dad thought they were downright ridiculous, but my mother thought they were cute, especially John. I was not that impressed, because by then, I had discovered the Rolling Stones.