November 2008
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| Beatles Superfan Kolya
Vasin - moving spirit of the "John Lennon Temple of Peace
and Love" in St Petersburg |
Recently returned from
shooting in St Petersburg and Moscow for my film “HOW
THE BEATLES ROCKED THE KREMLIN” .
I filmed at a day-long
birthday party for John Lennon in St Petersburg where a dozen Russian
bands belted out Beatles songs and local Fab fans ranging in age
from 12 to 80 sang along.
Among a rich harvest of witnesses who told me how
the Beatles had changed their lives, I interviewed Sergei
Ivanov, Russia’s Deputy
Premier who insisted that he learned English from smuggled
Beatles records.
I shot with a Beatles Punk band whose leader is
changing his name from Igor to John Lennon. And at St Petersburg’s
super-opulent Pushkin Ball, I filmed
Russia’s mega rich dancing to “Yesterday”., The film will be completed
for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2009.
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The Punk Band OZ who
play Lennon songs.
The lead singer Igor Salnikov is changing his name to John Lennon |
August
2008
In
June, I did a shoot in Kiev for my film “How
the Beatles rocked the Kremlin" around Paul McCartney's
vast free concert in the city centre. The concert battled with an
epic rainstorm - great pictures of Paul doing his thing amid thousands
of umbrellas. I also filmed in Kiev's wonderful "Cavern Club" with
Beatles tribute bands and wrinkly Ukranian Fab fans.
My next shoot
for the film will be in October, and will include the celebrations
in St Petersburg for John Lennon's birthday on October 9th.
The film will be completed
for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November
2009.

"HOW THE BEATLES ROCKED
THE KREMLIN"

It
may sound like hippy hype, but as serious people insist that the
Fab 4 played an important part in the collapse of Communism.
One of my earliest jobs back in 1962 was a two-minute item shot in
Liverpool’s Cavern Club with a then unsigned group of rockers -
this was to be the first ever film of the Beatles.
I’ve
always been fascinated by the story of how the moptops conquered
the world. And since I’ve made a series
of documentaries in the former Evil Empire over the past 30 years,
I have a special taste for this film.
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