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- POV - July 19, 2013
ED PARK • Beatles fan and litblogger (and novelist) Mark Sarvas catches a curious NYT juxtaposition—the obituary for Richard Poirier mentions his Beatles essay, and what do we see in the margin?
Yes—it’s an image from the impending Beatles Rock Band release, illustrating the recent NYT mag story…
Speaking of which: What do readers/dullbloggers think about the story/the release/everything?
Much to mull over. I was most struck by the contrast between Paul’s and Ringo’s attitudes:
1) “That’s what you want,” [McCartney] told me. “You want people to get engaged.” McCartney sees the game as “a natural, modern extension” of what the Beatles did in the ’60s, only now people can feel as if “they possess or own the song, that they’ve been in it.”
2) “It took me a while to understand downloading,” [Starr] said. “The last record was a wristband.” (His 2008 album, “Liverpool 8,” was released in the unlikely format of a USB drive that doubles as a bracelet, as well as on CD and MP3.) “The game is the biggest thing in the world right now, they tell me.”
That NYT mag headline made me laugh out loud.
I’m not surprised Ringo’s all “whatever” about the game. He lives it, after all. If there were a wildly popular video game called “Magazine Editor,” I probably wouldn’t want to play it in my free time. I guess I’m just over the glamour…
Ed, I think it’s fantastic. Anything that allows me to live inside Beatles music is a good thing, and they certainly seem to be taking proper care.
A good friend pre-ordered it for me for my 40th in June, and I’m furiously practicing RB to be able to play ’em. I DO wish that developing the skill helped you actually play the music, though. One of the difficulties I have with the game is when I actually try to play the tune as if playing my 325, instead of simply following the colored pads.
I think John Lennon would’ve adored this. I’ve always thought he would’ve gotten heavily into cyberspace–especially given its early affinity with psychedelia. And of course he loved TV!
I want one of those pics of McCartney saying “Don’t Fuck This Up!” to hang over my desk.