MrZerr0’s Beatles Experience
Twin Cities BUZZ and Roseville Patch Article #132 Feb 2022
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0
I think it’s safe to say most folks know I am a huge Beatles fan, and since it’s the 48th anniversary of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, I thought I would take the time to explain my many personal experiences and reasons why, I love The Beatles. Let us begin.
*TV on Ed Sullivan*
I am told by either of my parents, they watched The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in Feb 1964, so there’s a chance I saw this as an infant, there is however a photo of me as a toddler watching the Jackie Gleason Show “American Scene Magazine” (1962 -1965)
*Aunt Debby and her Record Player*
So my Aunt Debby used to babysit me and play her 45 Singles collection for me on her record player, her favorites at that time were Dave Clark 5, Beatles and The Cowsills. There is some 8mm video footage of me about 18 months old dancing with my Aunt Debby playing her records for me on her record player. I should mention when my Grandma Irene passed and Debby and I went through her old record collection, she did give me her 33 1/3 Albums, but she wanted to keep her 45 Singles for herself.
*Hard Days Night on TV*
Now this time I can vividly remember being at my Grandma Marge’s on most likely a Saturday night playing in the living room with the TV on watching this ‘black and white’ show where these guys just kept running around with all these other people chasing them around, and playing some songs every now and then. I remember thinking, “Why isn’t this show in color?” Now immediately before or after that on the same channel aired “The Beatles: At Shea Stadium” I remember liking this show much more because first it was mostly music and in color! I know my Godfather Jim still lived at home, and I believe he was a Beatles fan watching the shows at the time, since this was pre-Monkees and back then that’s who my Uncle Johnny liked.
*Palmer’s Basement*
My Grandma Marge’s neighbor’s were the Palmers, Julie and Stacy, we used to hang out in their basement once in a while, on the wall were lots of photos of The Beatles, I remember saying “I like Paul, the one with the big nose” I was corrected “Um, that’s Ringo”. A couple years later I was at a school friend’s house, Dennis and he took me into his brother’s room to show me all The Beatles photos on the wall. When I was attending Old. East Jr. they was a student lounge there, and on the wall was this yellow, red and purple poster of this guy with spiral eyes, this freaked me out! Turns out it was Richard Avedon’s 1967 John Lennon poster.
*Uncle Jeff & Sgt Pepper’s*
In 1970 my Grandparents Schwinden moved to Scottsdale, AZ. and my Uncle Jeff stayed behind and lived with my Dad and Mom. At this time we lived on 36th and Douglas, my parents were still young and they built a little Pub in our basement where they would occasionally hold a party. There wasa corner where my Dad had his Japanese Gold Sparkle Drum Kit and Uncle Jeff had his Egmund Acoustic Guitar, I suppose they used to jam down there, eventually my Uncle Jeff moved to Eugene, OR. and gave me his guitar which was my very first guitar. I vividly remember on New Year’s Eve 1970 my parents were throwing a party to celebrate, they were using my Uncle Jeff’s record collection. I heard magic coming up through the cold air vent that night “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (I have to admit, for many years I thought they were singing “Sgt. Pepperstone, your heart’s so bad”) I loved every single song on that album, still do.
*The Blue Album*
For my birthday in 1973 I saved all my birthday money and had my Dad take me down to Woolco, because I was determined to buy “Sgt. Pepper’s” with my savings. Well we get there and there is the giant display of The Beatles brand new releases “The Red Album: 1962 -66” and “The Blue Album: 1967 -70” both at $7.98 each, well I am pretty sure I had about $10.oo total. I walked over to get “Sgt. Pepper’s” at $5.98 list price. Then my Dad said “Look this one is brand new and is a double album, which is twice the songs, and this “Blue One” has the song you are looking for” so i got the “Blue Album” which strangely about a year later my Uncle John gave the “Blue Album” on 8-Track, even though I did not have an 8-Track player, I just thought about how my Dad only had three 8-Tracks for his VW Beetle, so I was planning ahead for our next car.
*Then Lennon Was Shot*
It’s safe to say I was a Beatles fan since very early on. But when I was in high school (S.C.West) Lennon was shot and killed in Dec 1980. I remember I was upstairs and had just finished taking my bath, I was walking down the stairs when I heard “This just in, special report, Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed tonight in New York City just outside of his home” I was devastated. However, I saw many people at school, who only months earlier LOVED Disco, all of the sudden say they were long time Beatles fans … BS. They hopped on the wagon folks.
“Magic Acid Band”
In 1980 I met Mikey Langley in the lunchroom at West High, someone mentioned he played guitar, and mentioned to Mike I played a little guitar (not much really, my usual joke was when asked “Oh, you play a little guitar?” me “No, I play a great big one”) well I already knew a Drummer Jeff, and a little while later I had art class with a Bass player named Brett, so we put together a band (mostly them) where we did a whole lot of Beatles songs, I was really into the Rolling Stones then, Jeff loved The Who and Brett was in to Cheap Trick. Mikey had been playing in Nashville since he was 10 so he went onto great things.
*Beatles Tribute Bands*
In the Summer of 1989 my then girlfriend Lori loved going to the Iowa State Fair, myself I had never been, thinking it was just a bunch of farmers etc. One night she came to my apt. and said “Well you should have been there last night” I asked “Why’s that” she responded “Do you know who was there last night? The Beatles! and for FREE!” So intrigued, I went the next night (I must add I was not there for more than 15 min. before some drunk spilled his beer all over me on the way to the stage) well, sure enough there was a Beatles Tribute Band there in a couple different costumes. They weren’t too bad, I do remember thinking, “I could do this”. A few years later myself and my close friends at the time went to see another Beatles Tribute, “The Fab Four” I believe it was, while they were great they really only covered the early period of the Beatles, which I prefer the “Mid” period of The Beatles, Myself. Then in 2009 I went to the “Half Time Rec” in St Paul (I later played there with “MrZERo” in Nov 2014) to see The Beatles Tribute “Rubber Soul” and their opening band “Revolver & The Secret Agents” honestly I was blown away by “Revolver”.
*The Art For Mr. Zer0’s*
In mid 2009 I pulled together a group of friends and we formed Mr. Zer0’s on 14 April 2009, and opened in Roseville 55113 a few months later. When I decided on the name, which I took for The Monkees TV Show Episode #52 “Devil and Peter Tork” where Monte Landis played Mr. Zero aka The Devil (because at the time I felt I was selling my soul the the devil in opening my own record shop) I thought Mr. Zero should look very much like “The Joker” without actually being the Joker, (DC copyright). My friend-business partner Aaron introduced me to Angel Medina the art on “KISS PSycho Circus” comics who then introduced me to Jose Delbo (9 December 1933 Argentina) a DC comic artist who’s 1st job was to work on “The Monkees” Comics and then Beatles: Yellowsubmarie. Upon meeting him I asked him if he would create a character “MrZerr0” based on the Beatles Yellow Submarie art, he responded “No, I don’t do that” I thought fair enough, but while I was waiting around for Angel to finish up my KISS sketch, I overheard Jose bickering in Italian with his daughter about what was available for lunch. Having been very familiar with Italian, it was a reflex to spout out “Mangia Mo” (Eat Now!) . Jose turned to me and asked “Where are you from?” I responded “From Argentina” he then said “No, you’re not” I said “Yea, why’s that” he stated “Because that’s where I am from, so why do you speak Italian slang like this?” I informed him I was with a lady (Grace) born in Naples for over 2 years, he added “That’s always the case, so what was it you wanted?” I told him again a character in the style of Beatles Yellow Submarine. He said it will be $XXX.oo and I thought “Oh man, that’s all I have on me, wait this is a one time opportunity” So I said “Go ahead, do it” he asked “What if you don’t like it?” I said “Coming from you I will Love IT!” and in about 15 min “MrZerr0” was born, one of my crowning achievements.
*A Hard Day’s Night*
In about 2014 I met Paul L.a friend of the then bass player in “KISSin Time” he wandered into Mr. Zer0’s and asked if we knew each other from decades ago in S. MPLS. I told him “NO, I am from Sioux City, home of Tommy Bolin” we hit it off and became good friends. Paul figure out I was a huge Beatles Fan, and told me his friend Hevy Kevy (the Drummer For KISSin Time since 2017) was in a Beatles Tribute called “A Hard Day’s Night” and I should go check the out at “The Park” this was about 2016, I’d say, I loved these guys and began to follow them, and became friends with their band leader Joe Covert. Well in Jan 2022, my dream came true I got to sit in with them in practice at the “School of Rock” in St. Paul. I got to play “Come Together” and “Money” with them. A dream came true for me.
And so there you have it folks, the MrZerr0 experience on The Beatles. If you’d like to learn more on The Beatles, check out my articles on RosevillePatch.Com and TwinCitiesBUZZ.Com. Be sure to tune into my weekly Radio Show (Since 2017) on Radio WDGY 740AM, Streaming, FM: 92.1, 103.7, 107.1. You can hear the last 90 Episodes of “the PsychoGello Show” and “The Cover Up Show” at www.MrZeroS.Com -Podcast. And check out Mr. Zer0’s “Evolation Show” and “Hits And History Show” on MixCloud.Com under Mr Zeros.
Mr. Zer0’s
*Est.2009
1744 Lexington Ave. N.
Roseville, Mn. 55113
www.MrZeroS.Com
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