Father and son historians, David and Evan Humphrey, have a new read out that chronicles the state’s 60-year infatuation with The Beatles, since the iconic group's appearance at the Indiana State Fair in 1964.
“We Love You Beatles: Why the Fab Four Still Matter to Their Hoosier Fans,” is a follow-up to David’s fist look at the event itself, published in 2014, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the two performances the group made at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Sept. 3, 1964.
“And they're just as popular as ever, in my opinion,” notes the elder Humphrey. “And this is gonna be a big deal at the fair this year, to celebrate the 60th anniversary.”
Here, WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the generational staying power as memories are still being made with the Humphreys, and how Beatlemania continues to deeply impact the Hoosier state.
Event Information:
Authors’ Book Signing: “We Love You Beatles”
@ The Indiana Historical Society’s 22nd Annual Holiday Author Fair
The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, downtown Indianapolis
Saturday, December 7, noon to 4:00 p.m.
The book is available through Amazon and the MT Publishing Company, Inc.
Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: David Humphrey, Evan Humphrey, welcome.
David Humphrey: Hello.
Evan Humphrey: Hi, thanks for having us.
Julia Meek: Now, you two have taken on another slice of Indiana history, tracking the staying power of those iconic Beatles this time. David, this is your second look at the phenomenon. Very briefly, why here, why now revisit this hot topic?
David Humphrey: Well, it will be 60 years since they played at the State Fair, on September 3rd. I did a book called "All Those Years Ago," about the 50th anniversary of their two concerts at the State Fair. And they're just as popular as ever, in my opinion.
And this is gonna be a big deal at the fair this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary.
Julia Meek: So, it's happening...
David Humphrey: Right.
Julia Meek: It's literally happening this summer. Now, Evan, you have co-authored several books with your dad, why is this one special? Why did you bid in on it?
Evan Humphrey: Well, I have been a lifelong music fan. I come from a family of music fans, I think. So, this has been a really fantastic topic to tackle together.
It's kind of a generational, different generational look into things. The Beatles, of course have had staying power over the years. I mean, he was there when the original Beatlemania was happening, that was, you know, 30-40 years before I was born.
But to this day, the Beatles are popular as ever. So, good look into how different generations are.
Julia Meek: Are you jealous of your old man?
Evan Humphrey: Yeah, a little bit. (all chuckle)
Julia Meek: Okay, let's back up for a second. How and when did the two of you get bit by the historical research and writing bug? And in fact, how generationally motivated is that?
David Humphrey: Oh, my dad was a history buff, and I just took it from there from him. He was just an avid reader. He just knew almost anything and everything about Indiana history.
And I just grew up with it and got more interested as I grew older.
Julia Meek: And you're proving the generational thing, at the earlier age. What about you, Evan? How do you mix in here?
Evan Humphrey: I've always been interested in history, just as general, in general. And then I think the, as you said, the bug, the writing bug, got me. My bachelor's degree, I have a bachelor's in English.
So of course, pretty much all I did for my college experience was write and do research. And it was very enjoyable. I had a good time doing that. I think some people just really enjoy that kind of work.
Julia Meek: And it stuck.
Evan Humphrey: And it stuck, yeah.
Julia Meek: Perfect. So now, regarding pop cultural topics, obviously, the Fab Four made sensational history around the world. David, your first book on the subject was timed to coincide with their first visit to the State Fair, which sounds like a wonderful adventure. What did that adventure teach you and encourage you to do with this book?
David Humphrey: Well, so much went on. That first book was about the fans and what they saw at the concert and experienced in 1964. And I just wanted to take it further, and talk to fans today, in 2024.
Why they still love the Beatles, why they mean so much to them and they're...a lot of people say there's still the number one group in the world and I agree with them.
Julia Meek: That's an interesting point you make also, because there is this mutual admiration society for any and everything Beatles, you're going to find a lot more people that are on your side, then think that there could ever be too much. Is that encouraging to you to know that your audience will be hungry for the good stuff that you're giving them?
David Humphrey: Oh yeah, I just think that their music is timeless. When you hear music from the '60s, you know, it's from the '60s, but the Beatles, they don't have a '60's sound. It's, it's just as fresh today as...
Julia Meek: It's timeless, yeah, that does make sense. And then people want to cover those songs or make them in their own way. And so there's that kind of staying power too, keeping it fresh. Now, you came up with really great photos and interviews and anecdotes this time, David. Was it difficult to find your sources once you started looking?
David Humphrey: No, once you talk to one person, they know someone and then they know someone, so it just keeps going. And a lot of the photos came from the Indiana State Archives.
And then the people I talked to sent me pictures. So, it was just a huge collaboration on everyone's part involved with the book. So, this book kind of belongs to everyone who participated.
Julia Meek: That's a good way of looking at it, and the pictures that you have unearthed, is it easier to get pictures that were not taken electronically, but have they been digitalized? Are they coming your way, preserved that way?
David Humphrey: Yeah, Yeah. Everyone's, oh, what would you call it, photoshopping and a photo that was terrible 60 years ago has been photoshopped and looks brand new and fresh.
And so very few images came in that we couldn't use.
Julia Meek: Great, and a lot that you could use is certainly good. And now once the ball was rolling, were there any surprises along the way? Anything that surprised the two of you?
Evan Humphrey: I was really surprised by, um, we had a chance to talk to Larry Hall, who's the curator for the Jim Irsay collection. The owner of the Indianapolis Colts, he owns a lot of rock'n'roll and historical music history memorabilia and artifacts, but he's big Beatles fan.
We got to go talk to him. And it was pretty remarkable that he has these things just in a room and we could be in the same room as some of these incredible artifacts like, you know, Ringo Starr's drum set and certain guitars used by John and George over the years, and not just Beatles, but the drumhead from the Ed Sullivan Show, all these things.
That that was very surprising. That was a really unique opportunity, I think.
Julia Meek: Wow! You probably felt like you were walking into some sort of a Beatles heaven on earth. (all chuckle) Heaven on Earth. Do you find that folks like that want to share their stuff, but the bragging rights as well?
It's fair and square I mean, I think that bragging rights is a good way to sum it up, if you have the things that were the Beatles, that still makes such a strong impact today. And do the memories come alive as if they were just yesterday?
David Humphrey: Oh, yeah. I think everyone says it just seems like this happened, and yeah, I was 15 at the time--now I'm getting near 80, or, you know or late 70s. And they just talk like it just happened yesterday.
Julia Meek: How much do you think that continues to be fueled by the remaining Beatles? Paul tours, Ringo tours, and had a birthday recently, the whole world celebrated with him. They stay fresh in the 21st century because they can?
David Humphrey: Ringo and Paul are still touring. They're touring the summer, I think Paul's in Brazil and Ringo is touring United States. And they still sell out and have sellout crowds, and people still love to see them.
Julia Meek: And they're still making memories.
David Humphrey: Oh yeah.
Julia Meek: It's amazing. And a word on the generational staying power, David. Of the Beatles music itself, but also the wealth of family stories and scrapbooks, you two share that bond and write about it, as a matter of fact. What's it like to be able to talk the music, talk the talk with each other?
Evan Humphrey: I think that...people say that music is the universal language. They say music and math are the universal languages. And I think that applies to generational divides and different tastes and things.
You can always bond over the same kind of music that you like, because music that was new music, like pop music back when, you know, you were young, is to me older music, but it's still enjoyable music, that people listened to to this day.
Julia Meek: And we count on your generation to keep it fresh, even take those tunes, take the things and the memories and play them forward, literally. Is that a challenge that you enjoy?
Evan Humphrey: Yes, I think so. (all chuckle) I, I think the good word that you say a lot is that they're still fresh, to this day. And I know a lot of people who are musically inclined who really appreciate the Beatles, their musicality, and even, there's different levels of enjoyment.
I think. You can be a musician and appreciate them for the musicianship. You can be an average music listener and appreciate them for how good of songwriters they were. It's just enjoyable music.
Julia Meek: Interesting you mention that, and it also, even more, fuels the fire and keeps it going for the Beatlemania that is still going 60 years after the fact. And Evan, you also are into the music and composition.
This comes out in the book, quite effectively. How does this music literally continue to rock the 21st century in a world of fresh new sounds a lot of crazy things? How does this bring these guys forward and mix it all in?
Evan Humphrey: Well, the two sort of music-oriented chapters that I wrote, one was kind of an analysis of the song "Eleanor Rigby." It's a fantastic song, one of my favorite Beatles songs. And then a chapter on defending the musicality of Ringo Starr.
I think he is sometimes overlooked or underappreciated, as, you know, the "the other guy" in the Beatles, if you will; but I kind of did an analysis of how he is truly, I think, one of the most genius drummers of all time.
I'm, I have a background in drumming, that's my primary instrument. But to this day, people are still finding out new things and finding out new things to appreciate about the Beatles music, even though it's, you know, 60 years ago that they hit the US.
Julia Meek: And we're well into the 21st century.
Evan Humphrey: Well into the 21st century, yeah.
Julia Meek: That's just great.
Evan Humphrey: And a lot of music, I think has been inspired by The Beatles. I think there's a lot of music to this day that would not exist without, without them. Not even just them, but music as it has been evolving since them.
Julia Meek: Great points. And David, you have cultivated a very accessible writing style that captures the feel and flavor of your topic, whatever your topic might be, in Indiana History World. T
his compels your readers to keep going, I mean, remarkably so, and you're always photo rich with your work. How intentional is all of this? How did you put your style together? Who are some of your big influences on style?
David Humphrey: Oh, gosh, well, I love John Steinbeck, of course. But my favorite writer would be Studs Terkel, where he would interview people and talk to people. And that's, that's what I like to do. I like to talk to people because that's how you learn history.
People who went to events, they tell me about the events they attended. And I think the best way to learn history is to talk to people who experienced things when they were younger, or you know, whether it was Vietnam or the Beatles concerts or a protest.
They tell you what happened and it's right there and if you hear from someone else, then you don't know if that's true or not, but you hear from the participant you know, it's truth. Then my dad, well, my dad when he retired, he sat down and wrote all of his memories from when he was a child up to when he retired.
So, he had all those written down and the family stories he told me were just fun and incredible to listen to. But he pretty much wrote a book of his life on his own, just set down in the backyard and wrote down all of his memories, and it's there. It's there forever.
Julia Meek: You are, you are your father's son to be sure. And where did your own writing career officially start?
David Humphrey: I was hired at the Indianapolis Star in December 1995 as a photographer, and then my editor asked me if I'd ever do any writing, I said, Well, off and on. I've done a few things for different newspapers.
So he sat me down and pretty much showed me how to write a newspaper article. And he started giving me assignments as a correspondent. And I started doing probably three or four assignments a week for the Indy Star, and I did the photographs.
And it was a wonderful experience. It was a good time to be a journalist and great memories working for the Indianapolis Star.
Julia Meek: And brought forward, paying it forward has got you into a really good position right now to be telling the story of the state that you love. That's just fantastic, David. And so now that you two have got a second good look at the impact the Beatles made here in the heartland, in print and published, what's next on your list of Indiana topics to tackle?
Evan Humphrey: Well, uh, we kind of worked on a book together that was his photographs, and I wrote the chapter introductions about abandoned places around the state, that's kind of a topic we're interested in.
But, something we touched on in that was the defunct state hospitals and asylums that are around Indiana. We just had kind of a chapter on that. But I thought that was a really interesting topic to tackle just as a whole. So, I've been toying with the idea of doing a book just all about that history.
Because another history I think is really interesting is the history of medicine, how you know, those things have changed. It's a really rapidly evolving field. And it's not too long... advancement doesn't take that long before we look back and say, why did we do that? So, I think that'd be an interesting topic to tackle.
Julia Meek: That sounds really exciting, and Indiana, the Heartland is really a good source for a lot of that information and some really rich history. What about you, David?
David Humphrey: If he needs a photographer, I'll... (all laugh)
Julia Meek: You're volunteering?
David Humphrey: I'll get my camera out, yes! (all chuckle) But I think this is his uh, this is his calling, to do this book. So, I encourage him, and I hope he gets it written and published.
Julia Meek: Well, with a little help from his friends, speaking of the Beatles. And speaking of his dad, that sounds like it would all happened very nicely. And in the meantime, I assume when your next topic rolls out, you got a friend and him.
David Humphrey: Oh yeah.
Julia Meek: Perfect, perfect. Now, okay, we get why your readers so appreciate your sparkling gems of Indiana history and pop culture. My last question, at the end of the day, what does unearthing yet another gem of it do for the two of you and your sense of place?
Evan Humphrey: Well, I think that working on this has been a good opportunity to sort of intersect different parts of my identity. I'm a music lover, a musician, myself, I'm a writer, I'm interested in history.
So, all those things have kind of come together in a way, no pun intended. (all chuckle) The Beatle song, I really didn't mean that. But they've all come together in a way to just be in one project. It feels like a good intersection of a lot of different parts of my personal identity, at least.
Julia Meek: David?
David Humphrey: I think what's cool, when you go to a bookstore or to a library, and you find one of our books, and somebody's gonna buy that book and read it, and maybe pass it along to future generations.
Because we've done something that people for many years to come, might pick that book up and read it. And that's, that's what's important about history and writing in general.
It's just nice to say, well, I did that with my son, and here it is. And, until you see it, you don't really appreciate it. (chuckles)
Evan Humphrey: If you don't write it down, it won't be there. The book won't be there if you don't write it.
David Humphrey: Right. We want to sell books, but that's not what writing is all about to me. To me, it's just doing it and getting it out there for people to enjoy.
And yeah, we like to promote and sell our books, but the important part is, we are recording history for people to read and, you know, selling books is a bonus but you know, people learning is more of a bonus.
Julia Meek: David Humphrey and his son Evan are historians and authors from Pendleton and Muncie, Indiana, respectively. Thanks for sharing your story of your Fab Four story with us. You two. Congratulations, do rock on.
David Humphrey: Thank you very much.
Evan Humphrey: Thanks for having us.
