Lennon rules - ask Marcus

The Wanneroo Times 25 May 2004 :: By John Murphy

Beldon musician/singer Marcus Cahill (32) does his best to look like Beatle John Lennon, sing like him and speak like him.

Not only is he a lifelong Beatles and Lennon fan, but his birthday is one day before that of Lennon and remarkably, of Lennon's son Sean.

For four days in June he will sing and play John Lennon along with hundreds of other Beatle impersonators at the Australian Beatles Festival in Adelaide, where the Beatles started their Australian tour 40 year ago.

Cahill was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 8, 1971, the year John Lennon bought out his song "Imagine" and says he became a Beatles songs fan and singer from about five years of age.

His father is a professional musician and Marcus has been a professional singer and guitarist all his working life - 16 years.

His wife, Lisa, is also a song and music fan, but of Elvis Presley, not the Beatles.

Their home is stacked with all kinds of Beatle memorabilia, records, CDs and videos and Cahill said one of the most thrilling experiences in this life was going to The Cavern, in Liverpool, where the Beatles sung many of their early songs.

"You go down, down, downstairs - like going down into the basement of that mental asylum in the movie Silence of the Lambs," he said.

"But just being there was an experience I'll never forget."

His next biggest thrill was being invited by the Sydney-based group Australian Beatles to sing with this in the Beatles Festival in Hong Kong in 2000.

At the festival in Adelaide, he will be in four shows from June 11 to 14. And he hopes to meet up with special guests Pete Best, who was the Beatles original drummer, and Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird.

"I think the distinctive thing about Beatles music is it's longevity," he said.

"Every other band just died, but they've never ceased being popular."