“All Becca could see, hear, feel, know, want and desire, was expressed in an insane exhibition that drained her of mind and reason, and stripped her of self-control and femininity.”
Becca Beacon is just breaching adolescence when she hears ‘Love Me Do’ on her dad’s Bakelite wireless. Mystified and enthralled, her schoolbooks become Beatles Monthlies and her bedroom walls transform into a mop-top smothered shrine. Over the course of a decade, Becca navigates the ebb and flow of finding her feet within the harsh vicissitudes of womanhood – with the spiritual help of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
Beatles and Beacons is a semi-autobiographical story from Manchester-based singer/songwriter and author Fran Raya. Inspired by her life-long infatuation with The Beatles, the book is a testament to the Swinging Sixties and its revolutionary groove. As a third-generation Beatles fan myself, this coming-of-age reminiscence doesn’t disappoint, for being privy to first-hand experiences this absorbing is like gold dust.
Fran says, “From the minute I heard ‘Love Me Do’ in October 1962, The Beatles became a monumental part of my whole life and influenced me to create my own songs. They helped me through a traumatic, teenage time by simply listening to their music and retreating into a world of imagination.”
It is a pleasure to witness Fran skilfully sculpt the vivacious character of Becca Beacon. From Biba fashions to boy problems, Becca is the quick-witted heroine of her own domestic realm, where the latest Beatles record and the wit of John Lennon reign supreme. Fragmented by lyricisms and satirical protest songs, we learn of Becca’s turbulent relationship with her schooling and her innate yearning for independence from the burdens of her home life.
“Ridiculously, her whole maidenhood somersaulted in a Merseyside melodrama that exhausted her lifestyle and unsettled her parents.”
In a mind infiltrated by the frenzy of Beatlemania, Becca grapples with unearthing her purpose on a soul-searching route to maturity. Remedying her anxieties, she finds herself within the halcyon heartstrings of songwriting, as she plucks and strums her way to self-liberation. One of the peaks of Fran’s own musical journey was when she was asked to support Eric Clapton on his Scandinavian tour in the 1980s. She recalls: “His keyboard player at that time was the late Gary Brooker from Procol Harum, and I would have long conversations with him about The Beatles and their influence. It was pretty surreal but so memorable.” There’s a hunger at the core of every Beatles fan to share the love we have for the Fab Four, and Fran’s persisting loyalty is an attestation to that. Beatles and Beacons is written in memory of her late husband, Rob, and Fran gives credence to his fervent understanding of her love towards The Beatles. Within the book, Becca finds her own Rob who vitalises and encourages her to fulfil her dreams.
Beatle people past and present, indulge yourself in Fran’s union of memory and fiction – for her passion seeps out the pages.
Beatles and Beacons is out now via The Book Guild – get your own copy on her website.
Review by Avalon Vowles
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