Candy Leonard offers fans a fine new tome with a fresh perspective that takes a gander clear across the Beatles’ universe in, Beatleness: How The Beatles And Their Fans Remade the World (Arcade Publishing, 2014).  The Beatles came to America on February 7th, 1964, and few things in our world have remained as they were prior to their visit.  Every little thing across the spectrum of music, fashion, political outlook, and overall culture has been affected by the Beatle phenomenon, as have the lives of millions of fans.  Candy Leonard took the time to answer some gear questions that L4LM had about why this group of mop-tops still means so much to so many people all over the globe.

L4LM: What is your ‘day job’, and how did it affect the outlook taken in your book?
 
Candy Leonard: I’m a sociologist, which is really a particular way of seeing the world. I’ve been doing in-depth interviews with people on a variety of issues for many years as part of my work, looking for patterns in what people say.  Interviewing first-generation fans for Beatleness was a similar process. In addition to a PhD in sociology I also have a MA in Human Development, and so my discussion on how fans of different ages tried to understand the Beatles is based on my background in child development. 
 
L4LM: What do you mean by the term ‘Beatleness’?
 
Candy Leonard: Beatleness is the feelings the Beatles evoke in people, that special kind of joy. Beatleness also refers to the essential qualities and attributes of the Beatles, and also to the millions of cultural references to them that we see everywhere all the time – in headlines, advertising, album cover parodies, etc. The phenomenon and their impact is unique. There is really no word to describe it so I had to make one up. 
 
L4LM: What was the difference in terms of TV sets in America when Elvis appeared on Ed Sullivan, and when the Beatles did later? 
 
Candy Leonard: When Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, 65 percent of American households had television; seven years later, when the Beatles appeared in that same time slot, they could be seen in 90 percent of American households. That the Beatles were seen by so many more people was very significant – the equivalent of  what we would now call “going viral.”  And of course they were all anyone wanted to talk about – not just kids and teens, but everyone – your parents, teachers, Johnny Carson, Walter Cronkite – everyone.
 
L4LM: When the Beatles took their bow in such nice suits, how was some of this veneer a Trojan Horse, as John would later state?
 
Candy Leonard: Young people saw that the Beatles represented a new sensibility – freedom, youth empowerment, self-expression. But adults didn’t see all this – they saw the suits and the bow and heard “Til There Was You” and saw four nice  young men with long hair.  Adults didn’t see the whole Beatle package through young people’s eyes. If they had seen the Beatles, even in 1964, through young people’s eyes, the “establishment” would not have been so surprised by the all the social upheaval of the sixties. They inspired and empowered a generation to both think differently and act differently. 
 
L4LM: Please describe your dream of being on a bus with Sir Paul, and would you interpret it?
 

Candy Leonard: As I wrote in the Preface to Beatleness, I dreamed that I got into a conversation with Paul about the Beatles’ impact. I mentioned the statue in Liverpool that says “Four Lads Who Shook The World” and that I thought the statement was true, they did shake the world. And he said, “Shook your world maybe.” And when I woke up I realized that their collective impact was the result of them shaking each fans’ world. This may seem like a simple observation but it actually describes a very complicated process. This encouraged me to write the book because I saw clearly the sociological aspect of it – the individual fan at the “micro” level and the entire boomer population at the “macro” level. People always say, “The Beatles changed everything.” By taking this sociological approach, Beatleness shows what they changed and how they did it. 

L4LM: In about 1967, you mention a headline where Paul stated the group may be going their separate ways. That is the earliest account of such  that I have ever heard.  Please tell us about that, would you?

Candy Leonard: There was a gap between Revolver and Sgt. Pepper that was longer than previous gaps, and so there was lots of speculation in the press that perhaps the Beatles were breaking up. The article you refer to, in early ’67, was also the first time a reporter had seen Paul with a mustache. Of course they were busy working on Sgt. Pepper at the time, and Paul was probably playing with the press when he said that. 
 
 
L4LM: What differences in perception did you discover between male and female Beatle fans?
 

Candy Leonard: Throughout Beatleness, I discuss the many ways in which the fan experience was different for girl fans and boy fans. One very important difference is that very few girls thought about learning an instrument and starting a band. They couldn’t be role models for girls in the same way they were for boys; girls didn’t see themselves as people who could or would be in a band.  Girls picked a favorite and imagined being a Beatle girlfriend — because that’s what the culture allowed in 1964. There were probably also many young men who were attracted to them physically, but that was definitely not discussed in ’64. Girls also listened to the lyrics more, and they heard, for the most part, a more egalitarian approach to male-female relationships.  Girls and young women in the sixties found the Beatles more attractive and interesting than more traditional “macho” men, and guys eventually figured this out. The Beatles raised women’s expectations about the possibility of more egalitarian relationships. It was very inspirational. 

 
L4LM: On Facebook fan sites, I notice fans seem to discuss band relationships more than the music.  What would be responsible for a phenomenon like this in your opinion?

 

Candy Leonard: Fans love talking about the Beatles, period. Music, relationships, “what if” games, Beatle kids, wives, etc.  They are a very rich stimulus and so there’s always something to talk about.  First-generation fans spent countless hours between 1964 and 1970 talking about the Beatles when there was new material and new Beatle events to talk about. It was a way of connecting with other people and exchanging ideas about something everyone felt passionate about. This is still true. They are forever interesting. 

 
L4LM:The Beatles emerged in America just after JFK was lost so horribly.  How do these events intertwine?

 

Candy Leonard: Other writers have noticed a connection, but in Beatleness, I show that their arrival had more of an impact than simply cheering up the nation and giving the press something fun to write about.  According to what I call “The Kennedy Rebound Theory of Beatlemania, the band seemed to represent something that was lost.  As I said in a recent Huffington Post piece, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candy-leonard/6-reasons-a-beatleslike-p_b_6348070.html] the Beatles, like Kennedy, had over-the-top charisma, “now” style, could engage in clever, off-the-cuff banter with a challenging press corps, and were cool, competent citizens of the world. Kennedy was going to land a man on the moon, but the Beatles presented the space-age generation with a new kind of man. Kennedy invited musicians to the White House, but the Beatles opened the ears of a generation that witnessed the creation and evolution of some of the most brilliant music the world has heard. The Beatles brought a new New Frontier to the world. 

 
L4LM: Which would be your favorite Beatle; and which is your favorite record?   Please discuss.
 
Candy Leonard: I’m not sure I have a favorite Beatle or a favorite record.  It really varies with my mood and phase of life. I can say that “Things We Said Today,” “There’s a Place,” “Think for Yourself,” Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “Good Morning Good Morning” are among my top tunes, but really, there are too many to say. My favorite record might be the American Rubber Soul. 
 
Beatleness can be found through any of the links listed below.  There is even a link where fans can order an autographed copy of the book.  Beatleness is a must for all fans of the lads, and no other book looks at them exactly as this one does.
 
by Bob Wilson
 

BEATLENESS 

HOW THE BEATLES AND THEIR FANS REMADE THE WORLD

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