The Forgotten And Abandoned Beatles Sculpture In Liverpool
During the European Capital of Culture year for the city, a new sculpture of the Fab Four was unveiled but one member lost their head soon after
The year Liverpool was celebrating being awarded the European Capital of Culture, a new sculpture of The Beatles was vandalised after a perceived insult to the city.
Back in 2008, as Liverpool was showcasing the best of itself to the world, comments made by ex-Beatle drummer Ringo Starr on the Jonathan Ross chat show were said to have caused "outrage" to people in Liverpool. Following the TV appearance, one saboteur took things into their own hands and gave the newly placed topiary sculpture of the famous mop-top an extreme short-back-and-sides.
The controversial comments happened on the BBC One show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in January 2008. When the host asked him what he missed most about Liverpool, Ringo answered: "er, no...".
The legendary drummer, who lives in Los Angeles, also had homes in England and Monaco. He did go on to say he loved the city as it was where his family was and where he grew up, but his flippant response didn't go down well.
Three months after his appearance aired on BBC One, a vandal struck - lopping off Ringo's head - leaving the leafy figures of John, Paul and George untouched. The sculpture had been unveiled just a month earlier at Liverpool's South Parkway transport interchange in Garston.
The piece was created by Italian sculptor Franco Covill and had been commissioned by Merseytravel. In 2011, Ringo Starr is said to have apologised for saying he missed nothing about his home city in the interview.
The ex-Beatle, who was starting a UK tour including a gig at the Liverpool Empire, said in a BBC interview that he did not think he had offended people in Liverpool with his 2008 remarks. He told a BBC interviewer: "I apologise to those people (who were offended), as long as they live in Liverpool, not outside," adding: "No real Scouser took offence, only I believe people from the outside."
It's not the first time Starr's comments have caused controversy. Also in 2008, the ex-Beatle posted a video message on his website saying he would no longer sign memorabilia and fan mail would be thrown away. He later explained his decision was prompted by people selling the signed items on eBay.
The sculpture's decapitation is not the only time a Beatles themed artwork has been vandalised. In 2019, the statue of Eleanor Rigby, sculpted by Tommy Steel, that sits on Stanley Street in Liverpool city centre had its plaque stolen.
Now, 14 years after the topiary Ringo was vandalised following his comments, the Liverpool Echo returned to The Beatles sculpture outside South Parkway to see if his head had been restored. Unfortunately, as photographs show, Franco Covill's homage to the Fab Four has seen better days.
It's now almost impossible to discern if any of The Beatles figures are fully intact, such is the overgrown state of the sculpture. Now more amorphous blobs than representations of John, Paul, George and Ringo in their heyday, Ringo's 'Beatles' drumkit can still be made out amongst the undergrowth.
Time, as well as obscuring the sculpture, also appears to be something of a healer. In March 2022, a giant mural of Ringo Starr appeared on the side of the Empress pub in Toxteth which is set to be transformed into a Beatles themed hotel.
if you like this video and others and would like to show support or appreciation you can do by buying me a coffee with the link provided
all money goes back into the channel and of course on hot drinks....cheers
www.buymeacoffee.com/G2EmediaG
#liverpool #thebeatles #abandoned
Пікірлер: 36
Loved that 😂 Eric is hysterical & glad to see he's looking so well 👍🏻 You guys are like Morecombe & Wise ... Poor Ringo having his head chopped off ... I went past there on Sat & thought of your video. Bit risky flying the drone too near to the airport & be careful a dog doesnt try to chase it 🦮 They should tidy it up, it's a mess ... they could do new ones with proper wire again & cut it all back. I'm boss-eyed too, had to pay £122 for 2x prescription lenses for my headsets. Gonna have to update them every few years
Hi George, I never realised the Beatles sculpture was here. It's amazing how many times l passed by by didn't know. It was good to see what it looked like in 2008. l bet a lot of people don't know it's was here. Thanks for sharing 👍
cracking vid lads never seen anything like this before thanks for sharing and keep uo the good work boys
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
thank you and thanks for watching its a mad little sculpture isnt it
Great video mate. Mad, literally walk past this station every week. I'm not surprised about the drone too, it's close to the airport so the south of the city is a massive redflag for flying with a drone I guess it depends too.
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
thanks you glad you liked the video mad isnt it it blends in so well with the other bushes i can fly my drone really close to the airport via a special code im quite surprised erics landed with it being under 249g thanks for watching much appreciated
I always thought this was at the airport not at Liverpool South Parkway 🤣 Great video 👍
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
your prob thinking of the yellow sub mate which is outside thanks for watching mate glad you like it
Nice video George and Eric the legend 😂😂😂thanks for sharing
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
thanks for watching ha ha yeh is the legend lots more adventures to come
I'd have liked to have seen it when it was first installed , interesting video 👍
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
it was really nice when it was first installed....i never seen it lit up though
I live next door to this station walk past this everyday and never once clocked onto this.
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
its mad it blends in so well
Lucky you got on there. When Ringo had his head chopped off they installed an alarm that used to go off if anybody went on it.
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
i think that alarm has well been disconnected due to this notbeing looked after
Macca would be the one on the far left as he is fish-finger-pieing his guitar with his left hand.
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
ha ha yeh i forgot he played the left handed fish pie cheers for watching
I assume its no coincidence that the beatles statue down at the pier head, Ringo is walking a nit behing the others. If you take a photo from an angle, you can miss out Ringo altogether 🤔
@g2emedia1977
10 ай бұрын
never noticed that cheers ill check it out next time im down that way
I'm gonna watch it properly Sunday when I come back from Liverpool tmrw ... wanna go on the ferry & gonna find the beach in New Brighton
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
ha ha enjoy helen hope you like it
@yamyam_1978
Жыл бұрын
@@g2emedia1977 I'll catch it after BGT 🎞
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
cool cheers
Such a shame. It'd have cost a relative pittance to maintain.
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
such a shame indeed wouldnt have took much to keep on top of this another thing left to go to pot in the citt
Keep in mind Paul being left handed and he's easy to identify 👍
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
yeh im not that much of a beatles fan
George, Paul is the Beatle in the end because if you look at him he is left handed and the end bush is holding the guitar with his left hand
@g2emedia1977
10 ай бұрын
yeh i couldnt think at the time ha ha
In from the 5ways..cup of Yorkshire 2 toast and a bit of George and Eric….hope She doesn’t mind hahah
@christophercode3316
Жыл бұрын
Tell you what the times I’ve took an 82/86 into there and I didn’t know this was here….hidden under your nose or ringos massive 1 hahah
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
ha ha enjoy matey
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
ringos massive one ha ha yeh i remember it getting installed i was on the 82e then used to go up ere from garston to use the toilet its mad how quickly its grown
Bit late to the party. Shame it's not being looked after I bet there would be volunteers who would gladly restore it to it's former glory. Interesting as always lads 😉👍
@g2emedia1977
Жыл бұрын
it would look brill if this was still tended to such a shame its been left i think now its beyond repair thanks for watching glad you liked it