When I did a DNA test, there was a surprise. Not the 50% Ashkenazi Jewish side from my dad, but from the 42% I inherited from my mother’s British roots—she was born in a thatched cottage in an English village. The rest is from Norway and northern Germany, I assume remnants of the Viking invaders.
I'd like to signal that this story, and another about the ecstasy of attending a free concert Paul gave in 2008 in Quebec City, appear in my new memoir-in-essays, Midlife Solo.
I like the unsentimental, hard to the bone Paul McCartney of "Helter Skelter," "Live and Let Die," "Magical Mystery Tour," "Sergeant Pepper." I am clean, but maybe this means I am a druggee at heart?!
Beth, this is so fascinating how DNA revelations can deepen our connections to cultural icons (the Beatles no less!), reinforcing that our admiration sometimes might be more rooted in unrecognized ancestral bonds than we realize. Your story beautifully illustrates how personal and public lives can echo each other, and how music and memories can form a profound narrative thread through our lives.
I think it is hoot the way in which you brought transition points: who am I - genealogy; first love, the Beatles connection ; the morality, the Breast Cancer run. All are touching moments that capture a generation.
So, touching. Thank you, Alice, for this wonderful personal piece. I was a huge fan of the Beatles and my brother, and I had every one of their albums, but oddly enough, I never pictured any as a fantasy boyfriend.
I always thought I was Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian Jewish but a DNA test explained a Norwegian mystery and I wrote about here: https://levraphael.substack.com/p/my-viking-blood
I'd like to signal that this story, and another about the ecstasy of attending a free concert Paul gave in 2008 in Quebec City, appear in my new memoir-in-essays, Midlife Solo.
Beth Kaplan: Thank you so much for sharing.
I like the unsentimental, hard to the bone Paul McCartney of "Helter Skelter," "Live and Let Die," "Magical Mystery Tour," "Sergeant Pepper." I am clean, but maybe this means I am a druggee at heart?!
Thank you so much for sharing.
As eloquently written as Paul's songs.
Beth, this is so fascinating how DNA revelations can deepen our connections to cultural icons (the Beatles no less!), reinforcing that our admiration sometimes might be more rooted in unrecognized ancestral bonds than we realize. Your story beautifully illustrates how personal and public lives can echo each other, and how music and memories can form a profound narrative thread through our lives.
🥲 So much tenderness, love, and respect in there. Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful way to meet you too, Beth. I look forward to more.
I think it is hoot the way in which you brought transition points: who am I - genealogy; first love, the Beatles connection ; the morality, the Breast Cancer run. All are touching moments that capture a generation.
So, touching. Thank you, Alice, for this wonderful personal piece. I was a huge fan of the Beatles and my brother, and I had every one of their albums, but oddly enough, I never pictured any as a fantasy boyfriend.
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