The Beatles Archives - Chris Carosa

A Good Show Must Always End, But A Great Story Lasts Forever

By Chris Carosa on January 21, 2025

A fragment of the Odyssey, via Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever been involved in a performance? Any kind of performance? It could have been a high school play, a ceremony at church, or a major presentation at work. In all cases, you practice, practice, practice. Whether it’s a musical or a wedding, you have a final rehearsal before the actual “show.”

On opening night, you have jitters. Throughout the event, your shoulders remain tense. You try not to let them see you sweat. At some point, however, you get past the hump. You can see the end. You begin to relax. Ironically, adrenaline pumps through your veins until it reaches euphoria when the final curtain falls. Your emotion peaks to such heights that, even today, you can barely remember the celebratory after-party.

And then it’s over. You wake up the next morning to an unexpected emptiness. The routine is gone. What do you do now?

Alas, all good shows must come to an end. Such is the nature of the business. Such is the Continue Reading “A Good Show Must Always End, But A Great Story Lasts Forever”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Great Writing Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbey Road, Across The Universe, George Bailey, Get Back, Homer, It's a Wonderful Life, James Bond, John Lennon, Odysseus, Odyssey, Patrick Stewart, performance, Star Trek, story, The Beatles, The Next Generation, The Original Series, TOS, William Shatner, Yesterday

Are You More A Marxist Or A Lennonist?

By Chris Carosa on September 24, 2024

Karl Marx (John Jabez Edwin Mayal) and Vladimir Lenin (Unknown, presumably official), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During dinner at the recent New York Press Association Publishers’ Conference, talked turned towards the misuse of the term “click-bait.” In a strict sense, the term applies to misleading descriptions of internet links. These phrases “bait” you to “click” the link; hence, “click-bait.” Links that have nothing to do with the sentence that lured you to click makes this technique unethical. That’s why “click-bait” has such a negative connotation.

Copywriters for more than a century have searched for sentences that “sizzle.” Elmer Wheeler documented the early years of this journey in his 1937 book Tested Statements That Sell. If you don’t recall the name of this Rochester native dubbed “America’s Greatest Salesman,” you will certainly know his most famous phrase: Continue Reading “Are You More A Marxist Or A Lennonist?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Great Writing Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged #9 Dream, click-bait, Elmer Wheeler, Gimme Some Truth, Give Peace a Chance, God, Groucho Marx, Happy Xmas, headline, How Do You Sleep?, Imagine, Instant Karma!, John Lennon, Karl Marx, layered comedy, Mind Games, Mother, New York Press Association, Publishers Conference, pun, Tested Statements That Sell, The Beatles, The Simpsons, Title, Vladimir Lenin, You Bet Your Life

Blasdell, The Beatles, And Brotherhood

By Chris Carosa on October 31, 2023

There was always The Beatles. Or at least it seemed that way.

I was too young to remember a time before The Beatles.

Strike that.

I certainly do remember the years before The Beatles (or, more appropriately, their music) landed on American shores. I can recall several memorable scenes from the time I was one or two years old.

I remember watching Mercury launches on the black-and-white TV in the living room of our apartment. I remember waiting for my mother to return home (from either work or school—that part I can’t remember) in that same living room on 83 Victory Avenue. I remember taking walks on that same street.

I remember staying at my grandparents on Ingham Avenue while my parents went out. I slept in the crib in the back room. Rather, I was supposed to be sleeping in the crib in the back room. What I really did was Continue Reading “Blasdell, The Beatles, And Brotherhood”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1960s, Abbott Parkway, Blasdell, Cub Scouts, Grow Old With Me, Hard Days' Night, Help!, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Ingham Avenue, John Lennon, Kenny, Klaatu, Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Life Magazine, Now and Then, Paul McCartney, Pipes of Peace, She Loves You, South Buffalo Railway, South Park Avenue, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Twist, Tony Sheridan and The Beatles, Victory Avenue, WGR, WKBW

When You Want To Control Risk, Sometimes An ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ Is Better Than A ‘Plan B’

By Chris Carosa on July 12, 2022

Here’s something they don’t tell you. Sometimes a “Plan B” does more harm than good.

I don’t have many regrets in my life, but I do have a few. For example, I should have listened to my brother and never sold that 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie (in mint condition). We paid less than a dime for it and sold it for $125 a short time later. Sure, it was a pretty good return. Today, however, that card is worth $200,000 or more.

Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

But that’s not the regret that gnaws at me. This is the one that occurred in 7^th grade. And, ultimately, a different type of card.

I began playing the violin in 3^rd grade. It wasn’t my first choice. I kinda liked the idea of the Continue Reading “When You Want To Control Risk, Sometimes An ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ Is Better Than A ‘Plan B’”

Posted in Business Tips, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 7th grade, Abbott Parkway, Dennis, drums, easy sale, Jack Benny, machine gun, middle school, Plan B, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, sure winner, talent show, The Beatles, The Godfather, trumpet, violin, Yesterday

Betsy Ross, Quarterback Incompletions, and the Real Secret Behind How to Communicate Successfully

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2019

It’s July and that means training camp and double sessions aren’t far behind. This makes it a great time to offer a metaphor that may just help you be a better communicator.

How many times have you been watching a football game and see a quarterback throw a perfect spiral to… no one but an empty piece of turf? He had all day to throw, was under no pressure, and seemed incredibly self-assured as he released the ball. Despite all these things going in his favor, he completely missed the nearest receiver by more than a mile.

“Stupid quarterback,” you mumble if he’s on your team.

“Ha! Ha!” you laugh if he’s not.

No matter which colors you’re wearing that day, you might be wrong. It’s very possible Continue Reading “Betsy Ross, Quarterback Incompletions, and the Real Secret Behind How to Communicate Successfully”

Posted in Business Tips, Great Speaking Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Betsy Ross, Chevy Nova, communication, Cool Hand Luke, flag, Latin, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, quarterback, receiver, The Beatles, William Shatner

The Decade the Music Died

By Chris Carosa on January 29, 2019

We’re a few days away from February 3^rd. It’s a day that forever lives in Rock and Roll infamy.

It was on a cold winter’s night precisely sixty years ago – February 3, 1959 – that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson boarded a Beechcraft Bonanza and found Rock and Roll heaven in a barren cornfield outside of Clear Lake, Iowa.

Much has been written about this, including two film biopics (The Buddy Holly Story in 1978 starring Gary Busey and La Bamba in 1987 starring Lou Diamond Phillips). Perhaps the seminal tribute, though, remains Don McLean’s 1971 hit “American Pie.” It was his song that first used the phrase “the day the music died” to describe the plane crash that took the lives of those young rock stars.

I’m not going to add to the litany of previously published thoughts on “the day the music died.” Rather, I’m going to share with you a conversation I had with a reporter. We sat at a high table in The Menches Brothers Restaurant in Green, Ohio (between Akron and Canton, for those using a GPS). I sipped my Diet Pepsi as the reporter asked me questions about what inspired me to write Hamburger Dreams (my latest book that looks at the evidence refuting and supporting the various hamburger origin stories).

At one point, he asked if I had written any other “food” books. I mentioned A Pizza The Action (albeit it’s more about business than food). Then I added that I had penned a short article on my grandfather’s pizzeria, mapping its beginning to the emergence of Rock and Roll.

That’s when the fun started. Little did I know this reporter, though nearly my age, still Continue Reading “The Decade the Music Died”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 8-track, A Pizza The Action, Akron, album, American Pie, Apple Music, ASCAP/BMI, baseball cards, Bing Crosby, Boy Bands, Buddy Holly, Canton, cassette tape, CD, coins, comic books, Disco, Don McLean, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Gary Busey, Grunge, Hamburger Dreams, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, iTunes, J.P. Richardson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Madison Avenue, New Wave, Pandora, pizzeria, Pop Rock, Ritchie Valens, Rock and Roll, Salvator's Pizzeria, Soft Rock, Spotify, stamps, The Beatles, The Big Bopper, The Menches Brothers, vinyl

The Secret to Winning: Look for Patterns of Success

By Chris Carosa on February 20, 2018

Would you like to know the secret to winning? It’s a system you can easily learn. It works every time. There’s only one trick. I’m guessing you already know what it is.

I’m a Frank Sinatra fan. That means, like any other Sinatra enthusiast, the song “My Way” inspires. (You can read my thoughts on that in “Ruling the World My Way.”) I thank my parents for this, for it was listening to their records that convinced me the Hoboken Hero deserved my attention.

Of course, I was born too late to experience Old Blue Eyes at his vintage best, but I was Continue Reading “The Secret to Winning: Look for Patterns of Success”

Posted in Business Tips, Memoir of a Real Life Tagged active listening, cell phone tower, crowdsourcing, Danny Neaverth, Frank Sinatra, Hoboken, Mendon Town Board, My Way, Sandy Beach, The Beatles, WKBW, WYBC, Yale

Life In the Pits (Part III)

By Chris Carosa on April 19, 2016

For the previous installment – and to better understand the twist at the end of this article – you should first read “Life in the Pit (Part I).”

Moving is never easy for a youngster. To have a comfortable routine suddenly ripped from you can devastate a psyche that perhaps has not yet fully matured. In my personal case, I can say that my moving from one city to another at the tender age of ten-and-a-half represents an essential element of who I’ve become. It forced me to recognize things much quicker than my peers. I am, and always will be, eternally grateful for the opportunity moving presented.

On the other hand, I will forever complain about it. Too many changes. Too many lost friendships. And, in the end, too much guilt (but that’s another story). This particular story continues what we started several weeks ago and ends with a topic that may be more Continue Reading “Life In the Pits (Part III)”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Florence Brasser, Gates Chili, Herman Dilmore, Miss Avalon, orchestra, The Beatles, violin

Conquering Kirk’s Rock

By Chris Carosa on April 5, 2016

“I was told there would be Gorns. We are the Gorns? Wait! What’s this? Charcoal. Sulphur. And, are those diamonds? Now, if only I was in the South Pacific and could find a random bamboo shaft…” Life is good when you can turn your dreams into reality. Here’s yet another example of that in this week’s Carosa Commentary “Conquering Kirk’s Rock.”

I used to think the TV contained little people and the scenes they acted in were real. I also used to think the music played by radio stations came from the bands performing live in their studios. For the longest time, I could never figure out how The Beatles traveled so fast from one radio station’s studio location to the next. And when it came to Hey Jude, well, forget it. That song has a never ending chorus that just keeps repeating. Somewhere, The Beatles are still repeating, “Naaaa, naa, naa, na, nan, naa, naaa, hey Jude!” and wondering how will they ever get off of this merry-go-round.

But back to the TV thing. We watch TV and wonder. We wonder how they can make a story come alive the way they do. We wonder how much of the scene is real and how much is a useless façade. And we wonder what those fabulous on location scenes look like in real life. If you’re like me, you Continue Reading “Conquering Kirk’s Rock”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged California, Captain Kirk, Gorn, Hey Jude, Star Trek, The Arena, The Beatles, Thirty Mile Zone, Vasquez Rocks

Are You Busy Making Buggy Whips?

By Chris Carosa on March 1, 2016

Perhaps you wake up every day and head to work, content with the thought you’re doing your part to keep the wheels of America’s industry humming along. Or maybe you’re retired, but you know someone dear to you who trots merrily each morning in the pleasant bliss of gainful employment. If only for a brief fleeting moment, consider the opposite.

Call this a modern buggy whip tale. You remember buggy whips, right? If you don’t, well, that’s part of the story. Buggy whips are those short sticks with loose leather strings on the end. They were used to prod horses to make your buggy go faster. They were all the rage at the end of the nineteenth century. Heck, they were still quite popular well into the twentieth century.

Then Henry Ford discovered a way to mass produce cars. More importantly, he figured out Continue Reading “Are You Busy Making Buggy Whips?”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Apple, buggy whip, CD, iPhone, iTunes, music, music streaming, Napster, Pandora, record, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, SoundJam, Spotify, Steve Jobs, The Beatles, vinyl