That's It, Just One Line: Lust for Life

"I'm worth a million in prizes."

I missed this, so I brought it back. 

The Fifth Beatle: The Muses, Phase One

Fan clip art, L-R: Mo, Pattie, Cynthia, Jane

I had made a New Year's resolution to not post about The Beatles in 2025; I will have to look back and see how I did (four passing references but no posts!) But a whole year without The Beatles? Perish the thought! 

While they were often referred to as the "four-headed beast" by their contemporaries, they would be nothing without the support of the many people who can lay claim to being the Fifth Beatle. 

First up are, for better or worse, the muses who were their emotional support and compelled them to write and sing: 

Cynthia, Pattie, Maureen, and Jane with their men

Cynthia

A friend of John's is quoted as saying, "Cynthia was beautiful, physically, and on the inside. Although she knew he was apt to find love on the road, she was totally dedicated to his success... and extremely influential. He was insecure, and Cynthia was there to pump him up, to buttress, sort of, his weak side."  

She was a nurturing presence, both at art college and with the band; John desperately loved her, pursuing, serenading, and ultimately marrying her. How unfortunate was Aunt Mimi's treatment of her, and how badly she was abused by the fans. John's neglect was heartbreaking, and Cyn deserved better than to be the inspiration for the confessional Norwegian Wood; she earned his devotion on those early love songs, both the remakes and the ones penned by him and Paul. I acknowledge he is a complex and flawed human being, but his harsh treatment of her prevents him from ever being my favorite Beatle. 

Jane

Pretty red-headed Jane Asher was the inspiration behind And I Love Her, We Can Work It Out, For No One, and my favorite, Here There and Everywhere. They couldn't work it out and broke their engagement in 1968. What happened? Diverging careers, diverging interests, Jane's concern over Paul's increasing drug use, and Paul's continued infidelities.

To her credit, Jane never wrote a sleazy tell-all book. She went on to have a happily ever after in her personal and private life, with a long career in British TV and film. Her brother Peter is still great friends with Paul and is a DJ on Sirius/XM. 

Pattie

Pattie Boyd inspired many of George's love songs, like I Need You, If I Needed Someone, and Something. And that was just George. Her story continues with post-divorce dalliances with Ronnie Wood and Eric Clapton. And it's a family affair, as her sister was married to Mick Fleetwood for a time. George should have treated her better, but he was a surprising gentleman when the press hounded them about babies and shielded Pattie by not sharing the news of her infertility. 

I cannot believe there are still fans spewing vitriol against her, thinking she should have put up and shut up; then again, these types of fans were pissed she married him in the first place. You didn't have a shot, drab Ruth from Sussex. 

Maureen

She was an early fan and started dating "her Ritchie" before they were famous, taking the brunt of abuse from Liverpool fans once Ringo replaced Pete, and again when they hit the big time. She sang backup on Bungalow Bill, and can be heard cheering on the Let It Be album, with a quick "thanks, Mo" on record from Paul. Frank Sinatra sang The Lady is a Champ to her on her birthday. Her jamming on the shitty couch in the Abbey Road studio in the Get Back documentary is all of us. 

She was also the queen of reinvention. Born Mary Cox, she decided at 14 that she'd rather be Maureen. Mo had the best, funky style: she was remembered by her friends for making over their school uniform and was always on the cutting edge of 60s fashion; I covet her suede boots and miniskirted velvet suit. As a former hairdresser, she was ahead of the curve in experimenting with any and all shades of hair color - in her limited time in the spotlight, she was brunette, blonde, redhead, chesnut, black, and in the Something video, did two-tone dirty biker blonde with black roots and dead eye stare.

As her marriage to Ringo broke down, she did too. She recovered to stand on her own two feet and called him out in court for his poor treatment of her and the children, his behavior akin to cartoon character Andy Capp. Sadly, he agreed. 

Her second act was as the wife of Hard Rock Cafe founder Isaac Tigrett, who fondly called her "the ultimate collectible." Sadly, she died at the age of 48 of leukemia, with everyone at her side. Paul dedicated the song Little Willow to her. 

Lipstick on the Mic: Tina Turner

She never did things nice... and easy. 

This woman was EPIC. She had hits when my parents were young, and she continued to have hits well into my teen years. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HEROOOOO! 

Her story is well-known, from books to movies to jukebox musicals. 

My friend's dad, Dale, was in love with her. 

She blurred the lines between soul, rock, and R&B so that she pretty much ruled wherever she landed.

What can I say about her that hasn't already been said? 

Her music is the dividing line when I went from being a participating skater to becoming a competitor. I was struggling with an overly complicated concept for a skating program when Proud Mary came on VH-1 while I was making dinner. Like a laser, the song cut through any ill-conceived ideas I had, and I was just going to skate with the energy of Tina Turner. It was my first decisive win, coming in first out of seven at the Grand Rapids Open, second at Wyandotte, second at sectionals, and just outside the medals in sixth at nationals. 

She invites you to tap into her energy. Love to you, Anna Mae. 

YA Book Club: The Phantom Tollbooth

Milo and Tock

Laura is my GOAT, but what inspired me after she threw on her black wedding dress and took the road north to the little gray house with her handsome farmer boy? 

YA - Young Adult - books are a classification for writing based on themes appropriate for tween to teen readers. And I ate it up, often found lying on the couch of my parents' front porch, reading deep into the night, drinking ice water, and listening to the crickets. 

One of the trippiest books in my collection was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. It is the story of Milo, who owns far too many toys and yet is always bored and complaining. One day in his playroom he notices a new gift, a cardboard tollbooth. He puts it together, pays the supplied token in the payment slot, and, riding in his toy car, travels to The Kingdom of Wisdom. 

He finds a watchdog named Tock, the Humbug, and feuding brothers, King Azaz and the Mathemagician, who fight over the importance of words vs. numbers. He shops for letters, eats light, orchestrates a day, meets the largest midget, the smallest giant, the thinnest fat man, and the fattest skinny man - all who is one ordinary man. 

Milo almost loses his way in the mountains of Ignorance, where the Terrible Trivium sidetracks the travelers into digging a hole with a pin, moving a pile of sand with tweezers, and filling a bucket with an eye dropper. 

He and Tock save the day by rescuing the princesses Rhyme and Reason from their prison, a castle in the air, because time - and therefore Tock - flies. 

The word play is delicious, and the internal visualization makes the imagination run wild. 

Celebrated as a hero, Milo drives home, thinking his parents must be worried as he has been gone for weeks, to discover only an hour had passed. Eager to revisit Wisdom the next day, he was disappointed to discover a note that the tollbooth had been delivered to a new child who needed to learn the way. While sad he can no longer visit this fantastical land, Milo concludes there is so much for him to learn and live back home.