I like being a writer - I like working with words and painting word pictures.
But most of all, I like exchanging words with the people I meet at conventions, book signings, organizations, and festivals. One of the nicest people that I ever met in such a setting was John Trusty. John stopped by my Shoulda Been There booth at the Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans last August. He and his lovely wife, Sue, visited with my husband, Rande, and me - and soon John and Rande were swapping Navy stories as if they'd known each other for years. When I discovered that John was a writer and had submitted articles to "Beatlology" Magazine, the friendship was cemented. The four of us had so much in common. Like Rande and me, John and Sue have one son. And it is the story of their son, Shawn, that led me to ask John to be our "Meet the Beatles Fans" star for June, for Father's Day. It is a story that will touch your heart.
Read this one all the way to the end, guys. Trust me - you'll be glad you did.
My name is John Trusty. This is my story...
On a winter's night in December '63 at 3 a.m., I had just closed the bars in Chicago Heights. On leave from the Navy, I was gassed, alone, and driving in a snowstorm. I was listening to rock'n'roll on WCFL or WLS when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" woke me up.
Halfway through the song I was screaming along with the lads even though I didn't know the words (yet). Who were these guys? I was so hooked by the new sound that I started doing doughnuts in the heavy snow! And why not? I felt fine, the highway was covered in six inches of snow and deserted, and there wasn't a cop in sight! I had become an instant Beatle fan.
During the summer of '64, I was in Key West and still in the Navy. Of course, I just had to see "A Hard Day's Night." Okay, I just had to see it two or three times! And later that fall, thanks to Hurricane Doris, the stars of "A Hard Day's Night" and I actually crossed paths. Yes, The Beatles came to The Key Wester Motel for one September evening...and I was there!
It is still hard for me to believe that 45 years ago I partied with the Beatles. Take a moment to read the article I wrote for Beatlology Magazine. Every word is true:
John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." Well, time passed, and I was fortunate to marry a wonderful woman named Suzanne. Sue had been a Beatle fan much longer than I had. She had collected all their records and had seen them perform two of the three times in Chicago. Although she may have screamed along with all the other girls, what Suzanne really wanted was to be able to hear the Fab Four sing. (You see, both Suzanne and I were into music - into the British invasion sound - as most were back then. Suzanne saw Peter & Gordon, the Hollies, and many others in concert.)
In 1999, we attended our first Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, and we haven't missed one since! Like many others contributors to "Meet the Beatles Fans," we've met some wonderful people from there, and we remain close to many of them.
We first met Sam Leach at the 2000 Fest. Sue and I were also there the night that Sam saw the tribute band, "American English" at a venue near Chicago. According to Leach, he was "gobsmacked." He said they were "the Beatles incarnate!" "American English" (AE) is the group we turn to when we need a "live Beatles fix." There are many tribute bands, but we agree with Sammy and his opinion of them. They are magnificent! Check them out at www.AmericanEnglishBeatles.com
Sam Leach was a great help to us when we went to Liverpool in '04. One week before our arrival, our credit card got corrupted. But Sam rearranged everything for us, and we didn't miss a beat on anything we had scheduled to see. Looking at all those fantastic Liverpool pictures that other "Meet the Beatles Fans stars" have posted makes us want to go back.
(By the way, if you've ever seen early pictures of Penny Lane from the days when "the lads" were there, note the name of the bank! It was the "TRUSTEE SAVINGS BANK!" I'm not saying it was definitely named in my honor, but...)
In 2001, when George Harrison died, Sam Leach scheduled a tribute performance of "American English" at The House of Blues in Chicago. Naturally, Suzanne and I were there. We met the following artists performing with AE, doing a reprise of Wings' "Rockestra": Denny Laine, Joey Molland, Pete Best, Spencer Davis, Fergie Fredrickson, Jim Peterick, Johnny VanZant, Randy Jackson, Howie Casey, Steve Howard and Thadeus Richard. It was a fantastic performance, a great show!
At the 2003 Fest for Beatles Fans, we met Larry Kane, and he remains a friend today. I was thrilled to be mentioned in the acknowledgement section of his book, Lennon Revealed. My meeting with Larry has resulted in my doing further research on the charter plane on which the Beatles flew during the '64-'65 U.S. tour. I will be soon be submitting for publication my interview with the two Flight Attendants (Bettie and Eva) from that charter.
Bettie and Eva are two fantastic ladies. They shared with me their memories of the days they spent with the Beatles, touring America in '64-'65. Bettie now lives in Oklahoma, and Eva currently lives in Texas. When I think of Beatle memorabilia, I immediately think of these women. Bettie has the shirt and pants that Ringo wore during the Vancouver performance along with the tweezers he always borrowed to pluck his eyebrows and pull the up the wick on his lighter. She also has the silver-plated utensils used by the Beatles while on the flight. (Bettie gave Sue one set of this silver-plate on a recent birthday.)
Eva, on the other hand, has a first edition copy of John Lennon's book "In His Own Write." The book is signed by all four Beatles (with xxx's), Brian Epstein, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans, Jackie DeShannon, the Exciters, Cannibal and the Headhunters, and many more. Included are several promo cards signed by the Fab Four and some candid photos taken on the plane. Eva was not aware that a photograph of her on the charter plane with the Beatles existed until I gave her a copy of Life's, "Remembering John Lennon 25 Years Later." I was very happy to reunite her with Kane and to introduce her to Sam at the 2007 Fest for Beatles Fans in Las Vegas.
During the '06 Fest for Beatles Fans, Sue and I decided to enter the "60's Dress Up" contest. We thought the people in the ballroom might relate to the "Skipper and Ginger" from Gilligan's Island. And, just in case we won, I worked up a little "schtick" linking Gilligan's Island with The Beatles. Fest MC, Teri Hemmert of WXRT, was great when she allowed me to have the microphone! It was good fun!
THE SKIPPER'S SPEECH (with photos)
Last summer, Sue and I had plans to go to England. We were to revisit all the sights in Liddypool, London, Chester, and the Isle of Wight. In Liverpool, we wanted to stay at the new Hard Day's Night hotel, hoist a few pints at The Grapes with Sammy, and then stop by Chester to see the cottage called "Nowhere." (According to Julia - John's half-sister - it was very important for the song of the same name.) On the Isle of Wight, we had "a ticket to Ryde," where Sir Paul had a cousin who owned a pub. (I know, I know, the girls in Hamburg had a ticket to ride as well). We wanted to stay overnight in a cottage "if it's not too dear," and believe me, "we scrimped and saved." ("When I'm 64" became my ring tone for calls to Sue.) In London, we were to see the Albert Hall, because I had to "count them all."
But...all of our plans came to a crashing halt, when our 34-year-old son, Shawn, became critically ill. Shawn was in hospital for 37 consecutive days with ulcerative colitis, and he almost died. On Day Twenty, the dreaded call came at 3am: "Your son Shawn is to have an emergency colectomy, please return ASAP."
Our home is thirty miles away. Sue and I arrived just after Shawn was given his pre-ops. Shawn was very emotional; knowing the surgery he faced could be life or death. Moreover, our son was hurting. Intravenous morphine every two hours for 20 days would not alleviate the pain prior to his surgery.
When we got to his room Shawn was very loopy from the pre-op meds. He awoke from a bad dream in which he kept sliding down an icy slope to an awaiting monster, ready to devour him. He equated the monster to his illness. Hugging me he started talking as he used to when a little boy. He said, "Daddy, I'm in so much pain!" I replied, "I know Shawn, we've come so far, but from now on every day will get better and better." "Daddy, I want the monster to go away!" Then just as I finished saying to him, "Close your eyes son, Daddy's here, when you wake up, the monster will be gone." Precisely at that moment, I clearly and unmistakably heard John Lennon singing in the room, "The monster's gone, he's on the run and your Daddy's here, beautiful, beautiful boy, beautiful, beautiful Sean." Then Shawn closed his eyes and transport took him to surgery. I know in my heart that John Lennon was singing in the spirit across the universe...forty-four years after we first talked together in Key West.
Thirty-seven days later, Shawn finally walked out of the hospital. It was dark and rainy as Shawn moved to his car, but as he and his fiancé drove out of the parking deck, the sky opened up and Shawn saw sunlight for the first time in well over a month. He said to her, "Here comes the Sun, I'll be all right!"
Three months later, Shawn returned to the hospital for reconstructive surgery. (His roommate was a 28-year old with the same diagnosis, by the name of Julian. His visiting aunt's name was Julia. Amazing!) Although his reconstructive surgery failed, Shawn is now doing well, and the monster's gone. I attribute this to many things, not the least of which, were the thoughts, prayers, and calls from people all over the U.S. Someone told me a long time ago, that Beatle people are the best there is. And "in my life," that has been so true.
