STUDIO  TALK

There’s no avoiding it: As you approach the most famous address in British rock music—3 Abbey Road in St. John’s Wood, London—you have to take a selfie of yourself posing on the zebra crossing (or ‘marked crosswalk’, if you prefer) just outside. Yes, you will look like a tourist; yes, you will annoy the traffic, especially if you try this stunt during the morning rush hour like we did—but in your head, you will be paying homage to (and looking as cool as) John, Paul, George, and Ringo when they sauntered across the road at the same spot on August 8, 1969.

Although Abbey Road doesn’t generally allow the public inside, that doesn’t stop thousands of people per year from writing emotional messages, generally Beatles-related, on the pillars and walls separating the building from the street. The local authorities are fully aware of this and have encouraged the practice, putting up signs that say “Help us keep this wall clean – get back to writing on our wall” and so on.

Maybe this all seems a bit much when you’re only reading about it, but when you actually walk into the reception,