Liverpool 2008 – Beatles Playlist

I’m back in Manchester. I’ve been back since Tuesday, but caught cold, which is the reason why on the day when Liverpool gets initiated as the European Capital of Culture for 2008 I’m sitting at home in Manchester instead of heading to St George’s Hall to watch the opening gala. However, I watched the BBC North West Today report from Liverpool, and the general feel I have taken away from it was that the pressure on the legendary city comes from two directions. On the one hand, all eyes are on Liverpool to perform at the level no lower (or even higher) than Glasgow. On the other hand, the year of culture is naturally expected to last longer than just 12 months, and the expectations are particularly high as far as the benefit of the culturally and socially disadvantaged communities and areas is concerned.

As a Beatlemaniac who’s been living in Manchester in the past four years, I am first of all sincerely pleased for Liverpool for its 2008 status. I can also say now that one thing that has always perplexed me in these years was this rivalry between Manchester and Liverpool, and for once I hope this bickering, however amicable, will be put aside, or left behind altogether. As someone genuinely impartial, the last thing I want is to stare at articles counting Liverpool’s hick-ups. The hick-ups are inevitable, guys. Let’s focus on the fact that for the whole of 2008 the attention will be drawn not only to Liverpool, but to England’s North West. The capital is now up north, as far as culture is concerned, and that is already a big win.

And yes, the theme that ran in the background but didn’t feature prominently was the status of Liverpool’s culture. We know what it was, and Ringo Starr is headlining the opening night this evening. But what is the state of culture now?

Just as I was thinking about it, having finished watching TV, I checked my email and found there a song sent by one of the friends. It was Brian Eno’s How Many Worlds. I started listening to it, and the opening sounded like an up-tempo opening to A Day in the Life by the Beatles. After that I spent some time browsing through the Beatles’ songs, when I realised that many comments on Liverpool’s potential to perform as the European Capital of Culture sound very much like “don’t let me down“. And, of course, when we look at Liverpool today we still associate it more with the Beatles phenomenon, – yet however important and long-lasting is their legacy, it unfortunately belongs to “yesterday“, as do the relatively peaceful times of the 1960-70s. How to change that? Well, we talk a lot about hope, faith, understanding, support, culture, but in the end, all the most beautiful things that we often assign to a country’s “culture” are born in love. And if we want to give peace a chance, we’ve got to love it. Be that the bigger world or just the city of Liverpool, to make things work “all you need is love“. That’s a job in itself, but it’s worth trying in 2008. Chances are, you won’t let it go after.

http://media.imeem.com/pl/hmzTTPlIvn/aus=false/

…………………..The picture I took in Lime St Station during a day-trip visit to Liverpool (June 2007).