Artist rendering of The Beatles as old men c. 1965
Iwas 15 years old when I saw this rendering of the Beatles as old men for the first time.* For me the concept of aging was unfathomable. In my world, everyone was young and everyone would always be young. But most of all, The Beatles, our idols and mentors, prophets of our time, would never age, could never age. They were immortal. That’s why the rendering was so shocking. I remember laughing nervously sitting there with my friends and band mates gazing at the picture. We simply couldn’t comprehend what we were looking at. Old was something reserved for our parents and grandparents. Not us and certainly NOT the Beatles.
A Heavy Dose of Reality
Sadly, old age was not meant for John Lennon. He was tragically murdered on December 8, 1980 at age 40. And depending on how you define “old”, it can be argued that George Harrison, who died of cancer on November 29, 2001 at age 58, never got to grow old either. But Paul and Ringo, mortals after all, are growing old along with the rest of us. What a comfort to this old Beatles fan. Indeed it was the occasion of Paul’s 70th birthday last June 18 that started me thinking about writing this post. (Ringo turned 72 two weeks ago, July 7).
A few years back, while searching the magazines in the waiting room at my doctor’s office, I recoiled slightly when I saw Paul McCartney’s face gracing the cover of AARP Magazine. Shock number two. Certainly not as violent a shock as the 1965 version but a shock nonetheless. It’s official now, I thought. McCartney’s old and I’m old. But he didn’t “look” old. At age 70, he’s certainly not the puffy faced, double chinned cherub imagined by the artist back in 1965. Even more impressive – he doesn’t act 70 either, or maybe he’s actually redefining how a 70 year old is supposed to act. I like to think that. In the last few years he has played more concerts and toured more extensively than at any other time in his career, including the Beatle years. I’ve been to one of his recent concerts. Admittedly I was skeptical. I thought I was going to hear a tired rehash of old songs played by a guy who should have quit years ago. Instead, I was blown away by Sir Paul’s energy, enthusiasm and sheer joy. As he told “TIME” in 2005, when asked if he would still indulge audiences with oldies like “Hey Jude”: “They’ll get that too, but you have to move forward as well as go back. As they say, the show must go on!” You gotta love this guy.
And it’s not just Paul who seems to be defying the aging process (or is it redefining the aging process?) Take a look at the 72 year old Ringo on the left. Now take another look at the rendering at the top of the page. See what I mean?
Final Thoughts
A friend once poignantly characterized aging as a cruelty. Indeed in many ways it is. But watching Paul McCartney age shows us that it doesn’t have to be that way. Since 1964, when I first saw his boyish smile and his big round eyes light up my black and white television set, he has been a sort of role model. Well, Paul my old friend, if this is how you plan to get old, I’m still happy to follow your lead.
And Now Back to You
I’d love to hear from other Beatle fans out there. What do you think about Paul turning 70? About Ringo turning 72? Does it make you feel old? Does it make you feel something else? Talk to me.
*Disclaimer: I am more than happy to credit the artist whose rendering appears at the top of this page. However, I can’t find any information on who may have drawn it. If anybody knows the answer, please let me know and I will give the proper credit.
Here’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time. Maybe some of you have too. Balance… that state of being where the pieces of your life exist in some reasonable proportion to each other. I’ve long believed, long hoped really that I would get to a place in my life where my skills, talents and interests would all be in play at once resulting in a fully formed me. Instead, at a point in my life where there are certainly more yesterdays than tomorrows, I’m still chasing balance. I’m not sure it exists. Or maybe balance simply means different things to different people. When one considers the great masters of art, music and literature it’s hard to imagine their lives being balanced. More than likely they spent disproportionate amounts of time perfecting their craft… and neglecting everything else.
Balance For the Rest of Us
But most of us aren’t masters. We’re regular people with diverse interests and varying degrees of talent. So how much time do you spend doing the different things you love to do? Perhaps the more important question is why? Why do you do the things you do? I suspect that if you asked someone who has talent, whether it’s knitting, playing a musical instrument, filling a canvas with color and shape or painting the Sistine Chapel, why they do it, the answer would simply be “I would not feel alive if I didn’t.” Passion. But how do passion and balance coexist? I don’t know.
It’s A Discipline Thing – I Think
When I was at Berklee College of Music in the mid seventies, I had a friend – a fellow guitar player – who brought a timer into the practice room with him. I don’t mean a metronome that helped him keep time to the music. I mean an egg timer he brought from his kitchen. You see he created a practice schedule for himself and the timer helped him stick to the schedule. Scales for an hour, improvisation for an hour, ear training for half an hour then back to scales. When the timer bell sounded he moved on to the next segment of his schedule. To me this sort of regimentation seemed more suited to an engineer than a musician. At any rate this technique never worked for me. But I’m not very disciplined. Are you?
It’s An Inspiration Thing – I Think
How can you schedule inspiration? How can you time creative surges? You can’t. But if you play music, or write, or paint, or quilt or knit only when you’re inspired, your passion will live in the shadows. That’s not where it belongs. Passion must be nourished. It has to be in the front of your being where everyone can see and feel it. What I think is that if you can pursue your craft when you’re not inspired, inspiration will come more frequently. And your passion will light you up. Isn’t that we want?
It’s a Sharing Thing – I Know
We don’t own our talents. We have stewardship over them. And when we don’t share them with others we are in breach of a fundamental, albeit unwritten contract. Thinking of my talents in this way helps me get unstuck. Would that work for you?
And Now Back to You
Do you have trouble finding the time to pursue your passions and interests? Does it feel like a waste of time when you do? How do you get unstuck? Talk to me.
“My photographs are of authentic people with their emotional and physical baggage exposed.”
Jay Dorfman
Like many people, I needed a little convincing before I committed to social media. But now, a couple of years in, I’m completely hooked. Let me explain. I’ve been pretty careful about who I follow on Twitter and whose blogs I subscribe to. The reward for my diligence is that I’ve met people, heard music, seen photographs, watched videos, laughed, ruminated and generally experienced things I never would have known were out there if I wasn’t following some very creative, intelligent and generous people. So in the spirit of sharing, let me introduce you to someone you should know.
Meet Jay Dorfman
Jay Dorfman, Photographer, Film Maker, Observer of Life
Disclaimer: I have known Jay for over 45 years. We met in High School somewhere around 1965. We were band mates in a successful rock group that lived and worked in Europe in the late sixties, early seventies. He was and is one of my closest friends.
But I value my online reputation too much to use whatever reach I have to simply introduce you to my friends, though there would be nothing wrong with that. Rather, like the good people whose blogs and tweets I follow, I introduce you to Jay because knowing him and his work will enrich your life.
World Traveler, Award Winning Photojournalist
Jay has traveled to Africa, Israel, India, Cuba and Kampuchea (formerly Cambodia) and has recorded his travels in stunning images. You can explore his work in greater detail by following the links provided below:
Take some time to view Jay’s work. Am I shamelessly shilling for an old friend or is this some truly beautiful stuff? I know what I think. What about you?
Paul McCartney turns 70. If you’re a Beatles fan, you must buy the special edition Time Magazine book by James Kaplan.
And it’s not just Paul who seems to be defying the aging process (or is it redefining the aging process?) Take a look at the 72 year old Ringo on the left. Now take another look at the rendering at the top of the page. See what I mean?
