I write a column for a neighborhood newspaper. A while back, I wrote about going to see a Beatle's tribute band. I mentioned how it felt strange looking at men in wigs pretending to be someone else, but at the same time, it fulfilled a need I had to feel a part of something larger than myself. I said I hadn't really felt that way in decades.

A few days later, a man who had read the column stopped me on the street. He seemed a little annoyed. "There's life after the Beatles, you know," he said, "There's a lot of good music out there." I told him I'd try to listen to more new music, but in truth, there's not much that moves me.

With the Beatles and their contemporaries, it was not just about the music - although that was foremost. It was the whole package: changing lifestyles, behaviors, and attitudes in society, and a burning desire to change the world for the better. It was about peace, love and music as exhibited in the public and personal lives of our musical and cultural icons.

We fans knew exactly where we fit in and what our roles were in the new society. Many decades later, things are not so clear cut, and the alienation that we felt as rebellious kids is once again a real concern. We boomers did indeed change the world - or at least our own country - for the better. Social reforms are still occurring everywhere, and many hard-won freedoms are now taken for granted.

We couldn't have done it without the music and musicians who fueled the revolution. There is life after the Beatles, but will it ever be that much fun again? Let's make it happen!
[Read my full newspaper article]