Alice & The Eggmen
A trail of breadcrumbs documenting my Alice & Beatles discoveries.
My dream is to write a full length, beautifully illustrated, well documented, inspiring, book on the curious connections between Lewis Carroll & The Beatles, two of our greatest cultural landmarks, standing 100 years apart (1860s/1960s), at opposite ends of Empire.
It’s a tale woven from rich & strange threads: Victorian England & post-war Victoriana, culture & counter-culture, nursery rhymes & nonsense, psychology & psychedelia, childhood & creativity (and much more besides).
It’s a curious story; often started, largely untold. Fixing that hole is my mission. But since writing it always feels out of reach, I've decided to eat the elephant slowly, via mini posts inspired by individual songs, themes, places or events.
I’m hoping to post once a week. Join me if you fancy.
First up: Paul’s garden and the mystery of the Alice statues.
Will you, won't you...?1
From the ‘Lobster Quadrille’ (or ‘Mock Turtle’s Song’), in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865):
Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
But also in ‘Helter Skelter’, from The Beatles (aka the White Album, 1968):
Will you, won't you want me to make you?
I'm coming down fast, but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer