Of old songs and ageism

Sitting in my classroom at WBGS, less than 15% awake (how did I drive all the way here..), last teaching day of the year. I’m so tired, I haven’t slept a wink / I’m so tired, my mind is on the blink (quoting John Lennon of the Beatles, you may have heard of them although they probably might not be not your favourite cup). I think I just gave myself an ear-worm. Thinking of that Beatles’ White Album, which I had on order at the local record store weeks or months before it came out. There was a magazine (hardly more than a fanzine, actually) called Ritmo y Juventud through which I tried to keep in touch with what was on in those distant parts like London. So I knew the White Album was coming. It came with a large poster with a collage of photographs, and four more or less A4 size photos of them. The poster was on my bedroom wall for a long time until my father tore it down in rage (‘are you a f&*%ng queer or what’). So I would put little posters in several places on the wall of the house where I depicted him (who out of the house was always in an immaculate dark suit and white shirt, etc)as Dracula and the heading was his name, in full ‘Pascualino’ having changed the ’s’ into a swastika …. I suppose I deserved whatever came my way, any ageism directed at me couldn’t be as bad as mine towards my parents and elders...