Heroin and the Beatles’ Breakup
Finally, someone outside of Dullblog (in fact, George Martin’s biographer, in Salon) says what I’ve been thinking for years: heroin broke up the Beatles. Kenneth Womack does a good job of digging into quotes from McCartney, Barry Miles, and John and Yoko about the Lennons’ heroin habit to show how the Beatles’ delicate balance didn’t just tip, but fracture, in 1969. This [...]
How “Lost” Was My Weekend?
Lennon and friends, up to no good. Especially that woman up front there, she seems like TROUBLE. 🙂 Frequent commenter @Hologram Sam provided this comment in one of our earlier threads. I commented, but as is usual these days had enough to say that I'm making a post out of it. Pop over and read it. I'll wait. I feel obliged to [...]
All Our Troubles Seemed So Far Away…
I saw Yesterday a month ago, one day after it premiered, and liked it. But since I haven’t commented on it until Nancy’s post, clearly the movie didn't spark much of a reaction in me. I think that's because Boyle et al. made the simplest version they could possibly make…which, to me at least, deftly avoided all the most interesting parts of [...]
“Yesterday,” the film: slight but fun
"Yesterday" is wildly implausible, to a degree that makes "Back To The Future" look like a serious exploration of the theory of relativity. It's a sheer waste of time to ask yourself any of the innumerable questions raised by the macguffin that is the film's premise. But if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, it's a pretty fun romp. That's my take, [...]
Beatles as Women
I think I went to high school with Ringolina. Immediately after running across this delightful bit of Photoshoppery, I knew I had to post the following "Shakespeare's Sister" question: Would the Beatles happen today, if four women came together in a band that great? How would it happen? What would it look like? We know it wouldn't have happened in 1957. But [...]
New Commenting Policy
Do you know exactly what you think? Green. OK for trees, but generally nah.Scissors. Necessary, but I don't trust 'em.Tom Jones. My mom would totally sleep with him, and not just because he's Welsh. As you can see, I usually do. So for me the primary joy of this site has always been reading our comments, escaping for awhile into what someone [...]
Beatles Songs In Latin
“Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And for the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry." Rest assured, I didn't translate these myself; I took Latin for five years and never quite got the hang of it. But I got a kick out of these. Classicists, add more in the comments. heri (Yesterday)via longa et flexuosa (The [...]
A Touch of Nilsson in the Night…
Well, it's night here in Santa Monica at least, erstwhile nest of Harry (and John and Paul, at least for a day or two in the Seventies), so I thought I'd share a few Pussycats-era demos from “The Beatles' favorite American artist.” (Thanks to the indefatigable Stephen Kroninger.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjKEu4UDXbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTUL9LPy2Sw
Lennon and McCartney’s “lost reunion,” by David Gambacorta
Posted at the excellent aggregator and original writing site Longreads is David Gambacorta's exploration of the 1974 California jam session John Lennon and Paul McCartney engaged in -- the last time they would play together. Most Beatles fans will be familiar with the history Gambacorta recounts, but it's nice to see it laid out succinctly. Gambacorta does turn up a few facts [...]