Band Identity

“Are you a Beatles person or are you a Rolling Stones person?”

I was recently asked this question during an otherwise forgettable conversation, and I responded reflexively.  I knew the answer in my heart, and any momentary internal processing was imperceptible.  I answered with conviction, even though I had no way of knowing if my interpretation and personal definition of a “Beatles person” was the same as my questioner.  I had never considered the idea prior to this inquiry.  But I knew my answer.  Why was this so easy for me?

There are layers upon layers of meaning associated with these two iconic bands.  Beyond their musical legacies, consider the line-ups, the politics, the relationships, the drama.  Both were bands that came of age with the British Invasion in the 1960s, and both were unafraid to sample inventive musical styles and the occasional inventive pharmaceutical.  The band personalities diverge in subtle ways after that, ways so subtle that I knew what they were without thinking.

There are obvious differences, of course.  The Beatles have already lost 2 founding members, and their last new song came out 40 years ago.  The Stones represent a longevity, band loyalty and to some degree, consistency, that the Beatles sacrificed in 1970.  The Beatles catalog has been repackaged and adapted for the ears of children, and many toddlers have come to recognize and love Yellow Submarine and I Want to Hold Your Hand as readily as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Very few of the parents buying Baby Einstein DVDs are adventurous enough to expose their little vessels to Beggar’s Banquet before naptime. 

But the subtle differences, the differences that I cannot trace back to their source within my psyche, are the ones that have the most clarity in my mind.  These subtle tracks are buried somewhere within me, hidden, but came into crystal clear focus once I was asked the question.

Here’s my list of what I know to be true:

A Beatles person experiments; a Rolling Stones person takes risks.

A Beatles person has a dry sense of humor; and chuckles; a Rolling Stones person enjoys a more boisterous, physical comedy, and laughs out loud.

A Beatles person has relationships with drama; a Rolling Stones person has relationships with passion.

A Beatles person prefers red wine; a Rolling Stones person prefers amber ale.

A Beatles person, when alone in his car, will try to sing the harmony parts in Eleanor Rigby; a Rolling Stones person, when alone in his car, will try to sing all the whoo-whoos in Sympathy for the Devil.

A Beatles person is smart and knows it; a Rolling Stones person has more common sense.

A Beatles person exudes warmth and inclusiveness; a Rolling Stones person exudes heat and competition.

A Beatles person will try new foods; a Rolling Stones person likes what he likes.

A Beatles person tells you that his political affiliation in Independent; a Rolling Stones person votes that way.

A Beatles person has the greatest hits compilations; a Rolling Stones person has the individual original albums.

I am sure that I have some of both qualities within me, and that’s great.  We all need balance, and few of us are defined solely my one extreme or another (except perhaps Glenn Beck).  I answered that I am a Rolling Stones person. 

What are you?