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Page A3 / The Joan De Arc Crusader / Sunday, June 18, 2017 Front Page A1 / Editorials A2 / Nostalgia A4 / Crossword A5
Crusader Interview: Remembering “Pepper” at 50 The release of the Beatles’ groundbreaking album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in June of 1967 was a landmark musical event of the highest order on Joan De Arc Avenue, and probably elsewhere as well. To mark this incomparable 50th anniversary in rock history, Crusader editor John Bueker asked former resident and legendary local hippie Sue Bueker Nolan to share some of her recollections of this momentous time on the Avenue. John: Hi Sue, thanks for joining us. When did you first hear about the album? Sue: I heard about it in early summer of 1967, I think. It sort of coincided with our trip to San Francisco. John: Did you have any inkling how extraordinary it would be before you actually saw it and listened to it? Sue: Not at all. The cover was so fascinating and memorable, and the music was mind-blowingly unique! The concept of a fictional band with an audience, and all of the references to British culture really impressed me. Each song was so distinctive. It seemed familiar, but it wasn't. John: Do you remember where and when you purchased the LP? Sue: I think it was at Bill's Records in Chris-Town. We always bought albums as soon after release as possible. I used babysitting money, I'm sure. It was during one of my Saturday “shopping” excursions with Pattie (laughs). Actually, we would walk barefoot up and down the mall looking at and talking to the cute guys. Oh yeah, and we panhandled, too. "Spare change?" (laughs) John: Can you recall the first time you listened to “Sgt. Pepper?” Where were you? What were your initial impressions? Sue: I don't recall it, but it was probably at Pattie's house. We liked to drink wine when listening to albums. Of course THAT wasn't happening at the Bueker house! I didn't love it at first, partially because it was such a mélange of unfamiliar music. I never fell in love with new music right away, though. Also, it wasn't what I was accustomed to hearing from the Beatles. They had metamorphosed from a boy band into artists who had a distinctive range of musical tastes. John: Do you have a favorite song on the album? Sue: "Fixing a Hole." I love the melody. I have heard that it alludes to drug use, as does much of the album. I only remember the songs that had blatant LSD references, though, because I was really into the melodies, and the instruments themselves. John: How did “Pepper” change the way you thought about music? About life itself? Sue: I suppose it opened my eyes to a wider, different range of music. As a musician, I had been already been exposed to so many different styles. “Sgt. Pepper,” to me, represented a break from traditional rock and roll, and gave our generation sort of an anthem. We wanted to be identified as individuals who were different from our parents, and who were not willing to accept the status quo. At the time, however, I thought it was groovy, and I thought I was cooler than most. I was a wannabe hippie. We wanted "our" music to represent our feelings about "the man," and of course, anyone over 30. (laughs) John: How has your assessment of the album changed over the years? Sue: I still love it, but in a nostalgic way. Listening to “Sgt. Pepper,” and especially individual songs, instantly recalls memories of a time when I was finding myself and trying to feel comfortable in my own skin. It reminds me of places, events, boys I liked, and so on. But I have never heard anything like it since (that I can remember, that is). It is still fun to listen to. John: It most certainly is. What else do you remember about the “Summer of Love?” Sue: Well, of course my greatest memory is of my trip with the Krohn family up the California coast in our now infamous work of art, the VW bus. San Francisco was thrilling, but at the same time, terrifying. It wasn't at all what we expected. I remember camping in Big Sur, driving down Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park. Haight Ashbury itself was scary. It was dirty, and the people that we saw were older and far more sophisticated than we were. Pattie and I were probably the most naive flower children of all time! John: This I doubt, somehow. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your “Pepper” memories with us, Sue. And as Ringo would say, peace and love. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ JDA |
