- From Faith Current: “The Sacred Ordinary: St. Peter’s Church Hall” - May 1, 2023
- A brief (?) hiatus - April 22, 2023
- Something Happened - March 6, 2023
“All right, I’ll sing it for you…just this once.”
Help me, Dullbloggers, you’re my only hope…I was speaking to someone last week who was at a party in the Seventies with Ringo Starr which devolved into a singalong. I seem to recall there being a Beatleg out there with Ringo, George, and a bunch of partygoers warbling “Yellow Submarine.” Does anybody else remember that as well? I thought the track was on Artifacts III, but I looked on Bootlegzone and didn’t see it. Did I dream it? Ringo singing Yellow Submarine…given Ringo’s rowdy Seventies, how rare could that be?
At this same event, I was introduced to Peter Fonda who said he knew what it’s like to be dead looked just like he did in “Easy Rider.” (No, I wasn’t drinking, the guy just looks great.) When he heard I was working on a comic novel based on Lennon and The Beatles, he smiled and said, “Don’t forget about George Harrison.” The wry way he said it made me want to grab his lapels. “All right, Fonda–we’re not leaving until you tell me everything.”
Peter F., then and now
Nearly every time I’ve talked to somebody who knew an historical figure–Charlie Parker, for example, or John Belushi–they’ve told me things a million times more interesting (and insightful) than the official version. But not wanting to imperil my wife’s career, I simply nodded and said I’d do my best.
Are you thinking of “Let’s Have a Party,” recorded in Syracuse on John’s birthday in 1971? It’s all singalong party tape, with supposedly “Ringo, Maureen Starkey, Allen Ginsberg, Klaus Voorman, Jim Keltner, Phil Spector and some others” among the warblers. “Yellow Submarine” is among the tracks. You can find it Octaner’s Blog (also your one-stop shop for Purple Chicks), though I warn you it’s pretty bad.
I so envy your meeting Peter Fonda (you know why).
Just finished Devin’s book and found the blog. Good job, guys.
I’m a major Beatle fan, not in the convention going kind of way (Although I did go to my first last year – Chicago – and it was far less nerdy than I thought it would be. I only saw one guy in the Sgt. Pepper garb). I’m also not the obsessive bootleg type either. My deal is with the spirit of it all. I always liked George’s comment when he said that “It seemed like when the Beatles broke up the ‘spirit’ jumped to the Python group.” I always loved the idea that the “spirit” was something that could be passed on or that you could catch it. I’ve spent a lifetime rolling around in that “spirit,” nurturing it, drawing strength from it.
Anyway, I probably won’t comment all that much, although it’s hard for me to stay quiet for too long, but just wanted to say hello and Love the blog, Bulldog.
Tom B
Hi Tom,
I’ve only been to one convention myself, the Beatlefest in Secaucus six years ago. I mainly dug the flea market, where I scored a Marvel Comics “Beatles Story” I had bought and lost as 12-year-old; the 30th anniversary edition of “All Things Must Pass” on vinyl; some T-shirts; a butcher cover poster; and a Sgt. Pepper drum squeeze toy. The speakers weren’t much that year: a couple of minor Wings, and old Sid Bernstein mumbling into his bridgework. And there was only one guy in Beatle garb. I think he was modeling Lennon in the Chiswick Park “Rain” video, but he wasn’t half as good-looking.
I like what you say about the passing of the spirit. Any Beatlehead will know what you mean.
We’ll see if Mike and I can’t do something about your lack of a bootleg obsession.
Devin
Tom, the intersection of Beatledom and the comedy world is fascinating and well worth a post of its own, if not a subsite somehow. I’ve got the bones of something from a talk I worked up for the students at Yale last November; as soon as the stock market gives me some peace, I’ll put it up.
I always say I became a comedy writer because The Beatles weren’t hiring. Seemed like the next best thing. And I too went to the Chicago ‘fest about five years ago, for the first time since 1985. Great fun, and surprisingly un-cringeworthy.
Welcome aboard, Tom. If anybody can serve up a tasty collection of Beatlegs, it’s Devin–he’s got this entirely alternative Anthology in his head…
[…] Mansion in 1965, Lennon overheard…”) Peter Fonda died this week at age 79. As I said in this earlier post, I met him at a party in 2009, and we talked Fabs. He was tall and gracious and looked just like, […]