Imagine, what Beatles fans do even now

I don’t know if you’re a Beatles fan but did you know that they have a famous Album cover in which the four men are crossing a zebra crossing one behind the other in a line in London’s famous Abbey Road? From what I understand this is an iconic cover and it just so happens that 2019 marks 50 years since that famous picture donned one of their many albums.

It seems that, along with the cover being famous, the road on which they crossed the zebra crossing also became famous. In fact, to drivers who regularly drive along the Abbey Road, that zebra crossing has become the bane of their lives. Bus drivers have told stories of being held up in traffic jams on a regular basis because tourists from all over the world, where the Beatles are famous, come to that spot and take photos while standing in the middle of the road on the crossing. It might be a group photo of people posing exactly like the Beatles’ cover or it might just be a person taking a selfie while standing on the crossing, right in front of held up traffic. Have you ever done anything like this? I know that the Beatles are the most famous rock band of our times but what is it about that cover that’s got people all excited enough to want to visit the Abbey Road?

As a Londoner, I have to admit that I don’t believe I’ve ever been to that zebra crossing. I am also not really a fan of the Beatles so I understandably wasn’t even aware that such a cover existed. However, the next time I’m in London, I might pop down to the Abbey Road and have a quick look around the zebra crossing area to see what’s changed compared to the photo on the cover. Who knows, I might even take a selfie…to be honest, I don’t think I’d ever do that. I would feel very uncomfortable holding up the traffic like that. Then again I am not a staunch fan.

Fans are a weird bunch, in general, particularly those who are fans of sci-fi movies. For some reason, the fan base of some movies and series, like Star Trek and Star Wars, seems as strong as ever. So much so, that there are even conventions for them. To this day, fans have not stopped collecting memorabilia for either. And they go to these conventions around their countries, even if they have to drive for hours or take a plane to the venue. The sole purpose of the visit is to trade items, partake in role play, dress up in the Star Wars or Star Trek characters and generally socialise with people with whom they feel an affinity.

Moreover, one vital lesson avid fans learn is that if they are going to trade in memorabilia, the more pristine its condition, the greater its value and the more sought after it will be. So when they buy these items at comic book shops or shops that specialise in sci-fi items, they never ever open the packaging. The idea is not to ‘play’ with these items but trade them or sell them to make money when they increase in value.

But it gets even more bizarre. Staunch fans of Star Trek, in particular, often greet each other with the famous Vulcan hand sign used by Mr Spock. And more bizarre still, they even learn to speak Klingon and converse in it. I don’t how one can learn a language that has been made up just for a show where the vocabulary is likely to be limited.

But just as bizarre is fans’ obsessions with the late Elvis Pressley. Remember that phrase you might have heard, ‘Elvis has left the building’? It was uttered on the public announcement system at his concerts to tell his fans that he had left the building so that they could go home and not hang around the stadium thinking he might come out for an encore. But the phrase has now acquired a somewhat sarcastic and funny connotation. It’s sort of a punchline used to indicate when something important is no longer happening or when someone leaves a place in a very dramatic fashion.

But did you know that, even though more than 40 years have lapsed since he passed away, his fans still hold Elvis conventions in Las Vegas? Men, and even women, dress up to look like the way Elvis did in his final years. They don wigs, sideboards, dark glasses and a glittery outfit with high collars which he was famous for wearing at his concerts. Moreover, they even hold Elvis lookalike competitions. It’s ironic that no one actually looks like him (face-wise) but in spite of this, it is clear they are all trying to look like him simply because of their get up. It’s a bit like Marilyn Munroe. All you need is a blond wig and blood red lipstick and everyone will think you are trying to look like her.

Like I said, avid, staunch fans are just plain weird.