If you stand in the beating heart of Liverpool on the waterfront and look west
you can almost see Dublin, and beyond that New York, hunkering just over the
horizon.
To me, Liverpudlians have broader horizons, and the characters in a city are
formed by what the city does. In a place like Birmingham people have spent
the past 300 years taking apart and putting together tiny little machines;
if you stand in the centre and look west from Birmingham you can almost see
Wolverhampton.
For 300 years the people of Liverpool have charmed, entranced and fleeced
those who brought money up the Mersey, and that's what makes them, to this
day, such show-offs.
Last summer I spent nearly four months in my home city. I was there filming a
three-part documentary series for the BBC - Alexei Sayle's Liverpool.
The city is known for many things, such as its galleries, fine Georgian
streets and vibrant bar culture. But more than anything else Liverpool is
famous, or perhaps notorious, for producing a wealth of showbusiness talent,
from stars of the old-time music halls such as Rob Wilton and Arthur Askey,
through to Glenda Jackson, Jimmy Tarbuck, Freddie Starr and the Beatles, to
bands such as the Zutons and the Wombats and modern actors such as Paul
McGann, David Morrissey and Ian Hart. One of the questions we inevitably had
to ask was why such a relatively small place had given rise to so much
talent.
Liverpudlians have never had much to do with manufacturing; rather they have
watched as the wealth of the world has flowed through their portals and have
made sure to take their cut. This has formed the entertainment culture of
the city and it's what makes it such a great place to visit, especially as
this year's European Capital of Culture.
I was a young teenager at the time of the Beatles and it was remarkable how
the city too became a star - as if Liverpool itself was the fifth member of
the band. I can recall being on holiday in Eastern Europe at the height of
Merseybeat mania and girls would let you kiss them if you could simply prove
you were from Merseyside (perhaps by producing evidence of residency such as
a gas bill or a library card). It also explains Scousers' now legendary
touchiness - we were all traumatised when the occupants of the city went
from being so loved during the Beatles era to being so derided when the
city's economy collapsed.
Either way, Liverpool still has a huge number of places where you can sample
the new talent on offer or recall the glories of the past. During the
upheavals of the Eighties I performed as many benefit gigs as I did paying
ones. I appeared in aid of the striking miners, against the Pinochet regime
in Chile and I think for both sides in the Ethiopian civil war.
I once did a benefit gig for a place that is now flourishing - a music venue
called The Picket at 61 Jordan Street. It was founded with donations of
money and equipment begged from rock stars during Liverpool's darkest days.
The Picket has hosted bands from The La's and Elvis Costello to most of the
current batch of homegrown musical talent. Recently the leader of the
Wu-Tang Clan, RZA, performed to a sell-out crowd until the early hours and
ended the night by inviting numerous Liverpool MCs on to the stage. Earlier
in the day, RZA paid a visit to Django's Riff, a bar on Wood Street, to
promote one of his latest ventures - WuChess - an online chess community. He
played multiple games of chess with local youth.
That's the sort of place Liverpool is: you can go and see a rapper perform or
you can find yourself playing chess with one.
By contrast, on a bleak stretch of the Dock Road there is a pub called The
Atlantic where every Sunday you can see taxis rolling up every few minutes
delivering people from all over the city to one of their lunchtime musical
sessions. On the day we filmed there Phil Jones, a bastion of the local
music scene, was performing. I confidently expected some sort of acoustic
pub set from him, perhaps featuring sea shanties or ballads about Dublin,
but I recall that his first song was an electronic number and its subject
was people from space. So that's another lesson: never assume anything in
Liverpool.
Even with the endless Beatles-themed attractions on offer there are pitfalls.
What you think is the Cavern Club on Mathew Street is actually a
replacement; the original club where the Beatles performed was demolished by
the council - showing the brilliance of economic planning they so often
displayed - to be replaced with an electricity substation that is now
tastefully floodlit at night.
Nonetheless, there are many other Fab Four sites, old and new. Hard Days Night
Hotel in North John Street is billed as the world's first Beatles-themed
hotel. The hotel manages to avoid the tackiest extremes of theming, though
you can sample cocktails such as Honey Can't Buy Me Love, a Yellow Matter
Custard or a non-alcoholic Baby You Can Drive My Car.
I have never suffered from hero worship, but my favourite Beatle was John
Lennon and I remember being so impressed by his Rolls-Royce painted in
swirling psychedelic patterns that, in tribute, I did the same to my Raleigh
racing bike. Unfortunately I used cheap emulsion paint so the first time it
rained all the paint washed off and I turned up at school with psychedelic
legs.
Even if I'm not a big fan of anybody, I do love visiting the former homes of
writers and artists and John Lennon's is one of the best. Meticulously
restored by the National Trust, Lennon's childhood house - “Mendips”, 251
Menlove Avenue - where he lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George from
1945 to 1963 is, on one level, a wonderful re-creation of a house of that
period. And even for a cynic like me, there is an unshakeable sense of
wonder that in this ordinary semi so many unforgettable songs were composed
on the front porch and in the bedroom.
Even more than music Liverpool is known for comedy. It now has its own annual
Comedy Festival, on now until June 8. It has attracted many big names, such
as Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, Simon Amstell, Gina Yashere, Nina Conti, Paul
Merton, Dylan Moran and Ardal O'Hanlon, along with plenty of local talent
such as Chris Cairns, Steve Gribbin, Brendan Riley and Simon Bligh.
But if you don't want to pay for your laughs, every day in the streets is a
free comedy festival. Just by walking around the city or going into a bar
you will be treated as if you've just come in on a tea clipper from the
Indies and be kept entertained for hours.
Alexei Sayle's Liverpool begins at 9pm on June 6 on BBC Two.
The Liver lowdown
EAT
60 Hope Street (0151-707 6060, www.60hopestreet.com).
Modern British food. Three courses £35pp.
Panoramic (0151-236 5534, www.panoramicliverpool.com).
On the 34th floor of Beetham's West Tower. Three courses from £35pp.
Alma de Cuba (0151-702 7394, www.alma-de-cuba.com).
A bar and restaurant in a former Polish church. Popular with Wags. Three
courses from £28.
SLEEP
Hard Days Night Hotel (0151-236 1964, www.harddaysnighthotel.com).
Has a two-night B&B “Beatles Tour Package” with a private guided tour
from £370, for two sharing.
Cocoon International Inn (0151-709 8135, www.cocoonliverpool.co.uk).
“Pod” rooms from £43 a night.
Parr Street Hotel (0151-707 1050, www.parrstreet.co.uk).
“Boho chic, funky and modern” rooms from £65 a night.
BE MERRY
Liverpool Summer Pops is from June 28 to July 31. See www.accliverpool.com/whatson/summerpops.asp
The Liverpool Comedy Festival runs until June 8. Details at www.liverpoolcomedyfestival.co.uk
For more information see www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com;
www.liverpool08.com
