Hello, my name is Alyssa Kirchherr, and I'm 19 years old. I'm from Germany, Berlin, being more precise. It was September 1960 and I was having a lovely holiday in London… oh… I just love England! Don't know why, but I've always had the feeling that I should have been born there…

First of all, I'll tell you some things about me… (I know you're willing to know me better!). As I've already said, I was born in Berlin (the 19th of June, 1941), but when my dad (Gunther Kirchherr) died in 1946, my mum decided to move to Hamburg, where my father's sister, Frau, lived. So, I grew up in Hamburg, in an expensive and respectable town called Eimsbüttelerstraße.

I went to the most expensive school my mum could find, but anyway I graduated with the lowest mark you can imagine… I hate to study. I think it's a total waste of time…

In my spare time I like to play music. I've got an old and ramshackle white Rickenbacker guitar. It is my love… is like the child I'll never have… (I simply hate those noisy little bastards… always crying and puking… yuck!)

I used to live with my boyfriend (that in that moment was sleeping beside me and snoring like an animal, the fucker!) in a big flat, not far away from my aunt's house. I was very independent and I worked to pay the fucking rent. My job was a little… I dunno how to say it… a bit… oh, the hell with it! I was a stripper. I enjoyed being one… mostly because I didn't have to use my brain. I just had to dance and undress myself to a bunch of drunk and drooling bastards (it really wasn't such a big deal)… and the pay was great!

Well, well… time to describe myself. I have black and long hair, dark eyes and I'm really short (1.55 Mts.). I'm slim, not thin, neither fat. I'm… medium.

Let's go back to the story, then, I'm not boring you anymore with stuff about myself. As I told you, I was on holiday with my big boyfriend Herman. We came back to Hamburg the 12th of September and went directly to my flat.

That evening, my cousin Astrid came home to welcome us back and told us that a new British group friend of hers was playing at the Indra Club which was situated at the Große Freiheit, a street full of Clubs with strippers and prostitutes in them, and asked us to go with her and said she wanted to introduce us to her new boyfriend, who played the bass in the band. We agreed to go with her and she told us she would pick us up at 11 pm, and left.

“Dammit, I was planning to spend the night with you,” Herman said while he hugged me, “Can't we stay?”

“Oh, c'mon, it will be fun. We'll meet the guys and hear some… music”

“Who cares about the music? I'll go an put on the record player if you want music!”

“Hey! Don't be such a fucker!”

“I'm not! But--”

“Stay if you want”

“Can I?”

“Sure you can, I'll go with Astrid alone.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sure, no problem.”

“Oh, baby, thanks, I love you,” and he kissed me deeply.

Well… this was kinda… awkward. I had never told him that I loved him. First, because I didn't. And second, because I just can't say those words easily. So, I kissed him when he did. Anyway, he didn't seem to care, and we got along well that way.

“Now be a good Herman and let me go and have a bath”

“Or I could be a better Herman and have the bath with you, what do you think?”

“Mmm… ok. You go and run the bathroom, I'll look for my clothes…”

“As you wish, ma'am”

This was the good thing about Herman, he always did what I wanted.

After having the bath I got dressed and sat on the couch, waiting for Astrid. I was wearing black leather trousers and a white tight T-shirt. No bra. Little trick in case I wanted to hook someone.

Astrid came on time and we left to the Indra. The club was full of smoke and we walked through the crowd till Astrid saw her friends and started walking towards them.

We got to the table and she introduced me to everybody. There was a girl and five guys.

“Hey guys,” Astrid told them, “meet my cousin Alyssa.”

“Hello,” the girl said, “I'm Prue”

“Hey…” I said, looking at her. She was a very pretty blonde. Tall, thin, green eyed and she seemed to be nice. “Hey, Alyssa, nice to meet ye,” a very handsome man said, “I'm John.”

“Oh… nice to meet you too.” He had dark hair, the same as his eyes. He was very tall (at least for me!) and had a charming smile.

“Hi,” a guy said, “I'm Paul”

This fella was handsome too. Had a beautiful baby face, dark hair and big hazel eyes. Oh God what a perfect nose! He was very tall, too.

“I'm George” This was a skinny guy, with such a big head. He seemed to be very shy. Poor little rat!

“Hello, lady! I'm Peter… Pete if you like.” Another guy said. He had black hair and wonderful blue eyes. After his cursi greet, Prue looked at him and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“And, lastly,” Astrid said going beside a guy, “he's my boyfriend, Stuart”

“Hello, Alyssa” he said, giving me his hand.

“Hey, Stu!” I said, shaking his hand, “good choice, Astrid! He seems to be a thousand times better than Klaus!” And with my comment, everybody laughed, Astrid blushing furiously.

We chatted a little till the guys went to the stage because their break time was over. Prue, Astrid and I stayed in our sits, drinking and talking about them.

“And what are you doing with them here, Prue?” I asked, feeling real curiosity.

“Well, that's something I ask myself all the days,” she said with a chuckle. “Actually, I'm John's cousin. I came with them because I speak German and they needed a translator.”

Simple and selfish, there should be another reason. And maybe there was.

“And college?”

“I… well, I am studying languages”

“But I thought you knew how to speak German and so…”

“Yes, but I want to have a degree in English, German, Spanish and French.”

What a stupid thing, why anybody in the world would want to study languages?!

“I know you mightn't care,” she added, “I can see you're not the studying kind, but, anyway, I want to have something to support myself without being a stripper or some shit like that.”

“And what is wrong with being a stripper??” my face was growing hot and I wanted desperately to thump her.

“Well… it's not a very nice job. At least for me, it isn't my objective, anyway,” she might have realized something was wrong because she said, “you are one, aren't you?”

Oh, that was it… the little bitch was very proud of her academic aspirations and was laughing at me in her insides, obviously she didn't have the guts to do it in my face.

“Yes”

“I knew it, sorry then… it wasn't my intention to offend you in any way, I was just giving my opinion.” She laughed and added, “The guys will like you!”

“Yeah... don't worry.” Now I had to change the subject… “do you play any instrument?”

“Yes! A very good friend of mine taught me to play the drums! And I know a little of guitar and bass”

“Oh, great! I know how to play the guitar and the piano.”

“Gear!” She didn't seem to mean it at all, she was just being polite.

“And how's your relationship with the boys?” my interview continued…

“Well… let's see. John is a great lad, very funny, intelligent and sarcastic. I have a fab relationship with him since we're here in Hamburg, we're really close friends. George is my best buddy, he's always making me laugh and I really love him. Pete and Stu are good guys, I'm not very close to them, anyway… maybe more to Stu, he's loving.” And with that comment, Astrid grinned happily and proud.

“And the other one?” I asked

“Paul?”

“Yeah”

“He's a bastard”

“C'mon, he's not!” Astrid said, “he's a nice guy!”

“Yeah, with you!” Prue added, “he's spent all his life teasing and embarrassing me in front of everybody. He's an asshole.”

“Don't you do the same with him??” I asked, wondering how a guy as hot as him could be so idiot.

“Of course! And it's pretty fun, you know? I always end embarrassing him and I really don't like to… well… not much, anyway. I feel guilty then, but it's unstoppable!” She laughed

“Don't play the innocent child with us!” I laughed, “It isn't anything more funny than to piss somebody you hate off!”

“Yes, it's cool! But I always use to embarrass him in front of all the band… you should see his destroyed face!” And we burst in a big laugh.

I continued going to see them at the Indra, to the Kaiserkeller when they moved there (It was bigger and better, and they lived in a room four floors above it), and I became pretty good friend of everyone, specially Prue (she wasn't a bitch after all… well, just a little).

They all were very good musicians (except for Stu, he couldn't follow the rests and always missed the chords). I really liked the band. When they told me their name was “The Beatles” I had a laughter attack. It sounded exactly as “peedles” (in German, “little dicks”). “Ah! The Peedles!” And I laughed like a maniac. The only one that seemed to understand was Prue who started to laugh with me leaving the guys completely astonished. After we calmed down, we had to explain them and at first they were pretty offended… but then they laughed with us. I was very happy to have those amazing new friends.

continued