The BrainStorm Group
by Ron Telpner I was just a month shy of my 14th birthday, 40 years ago, when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I loved rock and roll and I especially loved the Beatles. I even grew my hair long, which often resulted in my being mistaken for a homely looking girl. I later grew a very sparse mustache in an attempt to over come the problem, but that’s another story. I worshipped the Beatles so much, that I had my camera loaded with colour Kodachrome, ready to take pictures of the TV screen, that infamous Sunday night. It didn’t matter that we had a black and white RCA television set. I was all set for their historic appearance. When they came on, I snapped away. I didn’t know why I did it at the time, other than to capture the image of my heroes. I took the roll of film in to be developed the next day. Forget one hour developing. It would be a week before I would see the results. Meanwhile at school, all anybody could talk about was the Beatles. When I picked up my pictures of the fab four, I could not believe the results. There they were, clear as day, with thin black horizontal lines running across the screen. The shots were amazing and I could hardly wait to take them to school. And what a reaction,…especially with the girls. Everyone wanted a duplicate. I took the negatives in and had dozens of copies made of the best shots. You might say the Beatles helped me launch my first business. Selling the pictures during recess, for one dollar each, I was rolling in dough. Plus, more than a few classmates thought I was pretty cool. With the money I made, I went out and bought a few Beatle 45’s and later my first Beatles LP. I pretty much wore out the grooves listening to “ I want to hold your hand” and “She loves you’. I knew all the words and became somewhat of an expert on the Beatles. Like many teenagers my age, I went to sleep every night listening to the radio. I discovered all those British groups over the airwaves of my favourite Winnipeg station, CKY Radio 58. On a good night, I was also able to pick up WLS in Chicago. Now that station really rocked. It was just a few days after I turned 14, that I was listening to CKY when they announced that the first caller to the station who correctly identified the song they were about to play, would win a prize. I dialed the number just as the first chords of the song was being played. I got it right. The song was “My Bonnie” by the Beatles. I had to go to the station to pick up my prize. I took the bus, along with a friend. I remember looking for Chan’s restaurant, which was on the ground floor of the Main Street building that housed CKY. We walked up three flights of stairs to the reception area. A receptionist, who informed me that I had won a free oil change and a six-pack of Coke, greeted us. I figured I would give the oil change to my Dad. Seeing my disappointment, she asked if we would like a tour of the station. I was in heaven. I watched a real live disc jockey spinning records. He had a stack of them in front of him and pages of information as reference. I think his name was Mike Hopkins. He waved through the window. We were then taken to the record library were they stored all the vinyl. That memory was burned in my brain. A room full of records. It was pointed out that on one wall alone, there were 1,000 records. I was also told that usually only the A side was ever played, except of course, for the Beatles. Later that day, my friend and I drank all six cokes. Ever since that time, my interest in music was intense. I went to as many live rock concerts as I could. Always close to the front, usually near the speakers. I could actually feel the music. Fast forward forty years. I am in Las Vegas, just before my 54th birthday, and just after the 40th Anniversary of the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. I had just attended a concert by Seal. Some people in the audience thought he was loud. All those years of loud, live music have taken their toll on my hearing. I didn’t find him loud at all. Of course, I sometimes have difficulty hearing normal conversation. Later that night I attended a party on the 55th floor of the Palms Hotel in the Ghost Bar, hosted by GQ magazine. An attractive, sparsely dressed hostess circulated the room, inviting guests to pick a card from the deck she held fanned in her hand. I picked a card, knowing that the only thing I had ever won before was that free oil change and the six-pack of Coke. Imagine my surprise when the card I picked had a picture of the new iPod mini and the words winner. I was shocked and thrilled. I had been thinking of getting one. After all, over the years I had already experienced vinyl, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, and DVD’s. Last year, I actually spotted a record player at Restoration Hardware that I had to have. It sits in my office and I often play my old vinyl on it. A couple of years back I bought a beautifully restored Wurlitzer, owned by Honest Ed Mirvish, and I filled with 78’s. But now I was the proud owner of a shiny new iPod. Even more amazing…it could hold one thousand songs, just like that huge wall at CKY. While the technology has changed over the last forty years, my love of music has remained unchanged. With the help a computer savvy staff member, I have loaded up my iPod with my favourite songs. Forty years after Ed Sullivan, The Beatles have never sounded better. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ron Telpner is Chairman and CEO of -30- |
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my iPod