Kaleidoscope Circus

An Interview with Beatles fan Roger!

Ok so our second Beatle fan is Roger Sprong. He is 

a very active member  of many of the Beatles fan groups

on facebook, and  a bass player.

how many years ago did you get into the beatles?

I'm a first generation Beatle fan from the US so it was 1964 

for me. I was one of the 73 million who saw them on the Ed 

Sullivan Show. We only got 1 TV channel at that time. 

Luckily it was THE one.

how did you get into the beatles?

I first heard them on AM radio playing "I Want To Hold 

Your Hand" because the station I listened to played it in constant

 rotation. All the kids were talking about them in school....

including me!

who is your favorite beatle?

My favorite Beatle is Paul and always has been. I had never 

seen a guitar like his Hofner before plus he was left handed. It 

was the "look." He sang, he did most of the stage talking, he 

was perfect! I was just starting to play an instrument (the drums) 

but it wasn't long before I switched to guitar and finally the bass.

what are your favorite beatles albums?

My favorite Beatle album is Sgt. Pepper and not just for 

the excellent music. It was the whole package: The colors, the 

photos. the lyrics on the back cover, the cut out inserts. 

It captured 1967 perfectly for me.

how many beatles albums do you own? 

I own all of the Beatles albums. All the way up to the 

"Hollywood Bowl" I have on vinyl, some multiple copies. 

I have all those albums (except Hollywood Bowl) on CD also 

plus everything that's followed through the years. I used to have a 

few on 8 track tape and cassette also. Everything I have I've 

put on flash drives including lots of rare stuff from various sources.

what are your top favorite beatles items you own?

I have a lot of Beatles related books, framed pictures, an original 

Yellow Submarine still in the box. I guess my favorite would 

be my Hofner Bass. It's right handed though.

if you could go on tour with one beatle who would it be and 

what instrument would you play?

I wouldn't want to do an entire tour but I would love to 

play just 1 show (1 song even) with Paul. I would have 

to play bass. He's so versatile he can play whatever else 

he wants  haha!   

how have the beatles shaped your life?

Beatles music has always been a constant source of 

comparison for all the music I've heard since. Their humor has 

shaped mine to some extent. I wanted to look like the Beatles 

in the 60s . When they broke up I didn't know the real 

reasons, I just knew there would be no more Beatles music 

(little did I know) and it was so sad. Just unbelievable. But then 

they went solo and the music continued. Music trends have 

changed drastically but the Beatles are a constant "in my life"

 and for millions of others.

if you could own one beatle item that you down already have, 

what would it be?

Not to be too greedy but my Holy Grail Beatles item would 

be Paul's original Hofner Bass, the one with the pick 

ups mounted close together. And if he wanted to 

sign it even better!

do you think that beatlemania is big now as it was back then? 

I think Beatlemania is totally different today. The screaming and 

fainting and chasing is gone. For my generation we still have 

the very clear memories of it. And for the generations since 

there has been the music and the never ending media 

exposure. Beatlemania was a product of its time I 

think. It was like the Perfect Storm. Everything came together 

just right, a once in a lifetime happening. Society is so 

different, more complicated, but The Beatles are still as relevant 

as ever. People can analyze them to the tiniest detail but in 

my mind it's the music. It hasn't changed and it hasn't needed 

to. There are Beatles fans older than me and much much younger 

and we all share the passion. "And you know that can't be bad."