Suggestions for a newbie?
Read this in a comment this morning: "I am 59 years old, and a brand new Beatles fan as of two months ago, so basically a blank slate with no preconceived thoughts on the band." Which got me to thinking, what sources would I recommend to a person who was new to The Beatles? Of course I'd start with the music. I'd [...]
Astrid Kirchherr, 1938-2020
And so we say goodbye to one of my favorite parts of the Beatle story, the complex and talented Astrid Kirchherr. Though their influence is impossible to quantify, Astrid, Klaus and the "Exis" are foundational to what John, Paul, George and Ringo became. It was in Hamburg that the Fabs transformed from a group of English teenagers playing sloppy covers of American [...]
Go Fug Yourself: John and Yoko at Cannes with matching couple shirts
The consistently illuminating and funny duo who run the comedy fashion site gofugyourself.com, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, just posted a photo of John and Yoko at Cannes in 1971 to promote their film Apotheosis. I highly recommend checking out Heather's comment on the photo, and the site as a whole. I'd never heard of this film. Wikipedia summaries it thus: "The [...]
RIP Little Richard, Unique Trailblazer
Richard Penniman, whose music and performance stylings reshaped rock 'n' roll, died on Saturday at the age of 87. His full-throated, emotion-packed singing, piano playing, and songwriting had a profound influence on the Beatles, as well as on a wide range of other musicians and performers through the decades. I wrote about seeing Paul McCartney perform "Long Tall Sally" at Candlestick [...]
A bolt of insight!
This morning while listening to "Fame," the David Bowie song guest-starring our pal John Lennon, I realized something. At a certain point, John ad-libs "What's your name?" Why does he do that? Because, when you're famous and someone comes up to you for an autograph, you ask… "What's your name?"
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Blues Beatles
Stumbled across this via a comment thread on BoingBoing.net, and it was too good not to share. By the way, you'll like the BoingBoing post as well. https://youtu.be/xaDsbnhK2CQ
Of course you want a Beatles face mask!
It was 20 years ago todayyou didn't have to walk around wearing a goddamn facemask If you want a Beatles face mask, and of course you do, here's where to order one. If the zombie apocalypse comes, there will be Beatles-themed machetes. (Not officially licensed, but still.)
Buddhist Monk Singing Yellow Submarine
What the world needs now, I feel, is this: a Buddhist monk singing Yellow Submarine. I know who I want to go do karaoke with! Enjoy! (And enjoy the two minute sit afterwards.) https://youtu.be/QLELtdrRyhs
Is internet Beatle culture toxic?
Wake up, Sheeple. When approving the last ever comments on the gargantuan "Were John and Paul Lovers?" thread, I found myself asking a simple question, which some of you might have an interest in as well. There are certain niche interests where, if not for fan-generated content, there wouldn't be anything new to talk about. I suspect that if you're interested in [...]