Table of Contents
Introduction xv
Tools of Satan, Liverpool Division Joe Queenan 1
Greil Marcus, rock critic 8
We Saw Them Standing There Amanda Vaill 10
A Newspaper Article Gay Talese 15
In Love with Gorgeous George Penelope Rowlands 19
A Letter from Vickie Brenna-Costa 26
Henry Grossman, photographer 28
Good Bye, Mitzi Gaynor Verlyn Klinkenborg 36
Jamie Nicol Bowles, fan 43
Billy Joel, musician 47
Swimming to John Noelle Oxenhandler 50
Gay Talese, reporter 58
My Four Friends Cyndi Lauper 64
A Facebook Encounter 67
Vickie Brenna-Costa, fan 68
America's Beatlemania Hangover Debbie Geller 74
"Cousin Brucie" Morrow, disc jockey 78
Sister Mary Paul McCartney Mary Norris 88
Peter Duchin, bandleader 102
Anne Brown, fan 104
A Diary Entry Anne Brown, age 15 111
Springsteen's Hair Stands on End Peter Ames Carlin 112
FUN by Véronique Vienne 113
Vicky Tiel, fashion designer 122
Tom Long, fan 125
Janis Ian, musician 126
A Way to Live in the World Carolyn See 130
Up, Up, Up Lisa See 140
Joann Marie Pugliese Flood, fan 144
Into the Future Pico Iyer 151
Fran Lebowitz, nonfan 154
Michael Laven, fan 162
An E-mail from Phillip Lopate 165
White Out Judy Juanita 166
Renée Fleming, soprano 173
Where Music Had to Go Anthony Scadutto 176
Tom Rush, musician 178
Thawing Out Barbara Ehrenreich 183
Laura Tarrish, fan 184
Screening the Beatles David Thomson 187
Gabriel Kahane, composer and songwriter 194
Vera, Chuck and Dave Roy Blount 198
Linda Belfi Bartel, fan 204
David Dye, radio show host 210
The Back of the Album David Michaelis 213
Will Lee, musician 230
Why Couldn't They Leave Us Alone? Sigrid Nunez 236
Leah Silidjian, fan 244
Independence Day, 1976 Will Hermes 246
Contributors 247
Sources and Permissions 253