Second stop on the UK journey was Liverpool which was quite emotional for me knowing that this was where my Dad and 3 of my siblings came from. Highlights were a 2 x hour tour by a taxi driver John who took the time on a slow Tuesday to not just drive us to where my Dad came from but explained what life was like for him as a child and then my siblings post WW2. He also took us to the main landmarks around the city and was passionate and proud to be a “Scowser”. The Cavern isn’t in its original position but nonetheless it was an emotional few hours in there, listening to 2 x brothers delivering pitch perfect Beatles numbers especially for Lynda being a Beatles tragic. The waterfront on the Mersey, which was once full of hard nosed working class dockers is now a wide open family friendly expanse and catering to tourists. It needed to be, as the economy was hard hit during the Thatcher years and is still recovering. It’s truly amazing how much the Beatles still contribute to the economy even now. The Peace Park donated by Julian Lennon is beautiful and is accompanied by an interesting story about a chance meeting he had In Australia with an aboriginal elder.

Overall we had a terrific couple of days. Unless you play for Everton or Liverpool life is pretty tough here with high unemployment and drug issues but the “Scowser” spirit is alive and well. The people are warm and funny and it took me back to my childhood watching “Bread” and “The Lyre Birds” on TV. I still can’t master the accent, much to Lynda’s relief but I kept defaulting back into a Michael Caine-esque hybrid version of the “Scowser” accent which annoyed the shit out of her. Anyway these are the diary excerpts from the 2 x days in Liverpool.

Liverpool 4/8/11

by Ian Wilson on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 5:38pm

Liverpool. Thursday morning. St Pauls and Westminster were special but yesterday provided a truly religious experience particularly for Lynda in the Cavern Club. You see I was raised on the Beatles through having lots of older bros and sisters including three from Liverpool and my Dad coming from here also, and although I love and respect them I was more of a Rolling Stones man. Lynda however is an aficionado of the Beatles (she can recall all 201 Beatles songs…backwards! just kidding…sort of) Anyway we walk into the Cavern at 2pm on a Wednesday, and as we walk down the stairs you can hear the voices of John and Paul slowly getting louder. To walk in and hear these two young brothers doing any Beatles track you wanted, pitch perfect, was unbelievable. If you closed your eyes you could swear it was the early 60s. We stayed for their 3 sets (see photos) cried, laughed and nearly spontaneously combusted we were so happy. Can you believe the Beatles played 292 gigs in the Cavern before being discovered? Liverpool is an odd place…so fitting that mine and my younger bro Glen’s bloodlines run thick and fast through the joint! We started with a bus tour from the wharf but the guide was 15 mins late because he was pissed! Lovely old bugger and just when you thought he wasn’t going to pronounce anything correctly he fired up and delivered a passionate insight into the art and architecture of the city. The city is what I would describe as work in progress really. Stunning ancient architecture combined with some strange decisions you could say. Its working class roots on the docklands have all but disappeared but there is a new museum and of course the Beatles museum and tons of space for families. There are of course the obligatory yuppie apartments that adorn any city with water views and as the guide called them, “show offs”. I haven’t heard that since my Mum and Dad said that to me in primary school, No one likes a “show off”. Anyway bought a Tim Cahill Everton shirt on the way home last night and off to the Beatles museum, and whatever else today. Love this city. 

What struck me on our second day was the location of the 2 x soccer stadiums. I couldn’t believe how they were dumped in the middle of the suburbs, not like our suburbs, more like a Carlton or Collingwood or Newtown in Sydney. Anfield Park, the home of Liverpool FC and one of the world’s richest clubs, has a red brick pub opposite it that looks ready for demolition! It has metal roller security doors and it stands defiantly over the road amongst gravel and looks directly at the might of Anfield with a middle finger in the air! See photo below. It was a fantastic day seeing where my Dad and siblings came from and landmarks like John and Paul’s houses and Strawberry Fields. John was a true gentleman and made the day even more memorable. Here’s the diary notes.

Liverpool 5/8/11

by Ian Wilson on Friday, August 5, 2011 at 4:37pm

Liverpool, Friday morning. Pretty much Beatle fatigue has set in now. Their songs are on high rotation in my head and when you least expect it..bang! Out pops “Paperback Writer.” We had another great day yesterday. Too early to get into the Beatles museum so decided to hail a cab and visit the home where two of my brothers and a sister were raised with my Dad before his first wife died and he took the 10 pound trip to Perth. Amazing to see the real Liverpool thanks to our cabbie John, a 66 YO local and mad Evertonian. He was able to fill in the dots around what life would have been like in post war Liverpool and also when my Dad was a kid during WW1. The streets were straight out of Python’s “Every sperm is sacred” sketch in the Meaning of Life. Miles of terraced houses. We visited Strawberry Fields, John’s house, Paul’s house (both owned by National Trust), Anfield and Goodison Park. Both these stadiums were quite unremarkable and reminded me of Collingwood’s old home Vic Park, stuck in the suburbs surrounded by terraced houses and pubs. Wonderful experience and we gave John a big hug for his time and passionate insights. Off to Edinburgh today. I feel very lucky.