Thass boy...

The Beatles when they're not so fab.

The Unseen Beatles-1963

As the truth of Beatlemania and all that it meant began to dawn on The Beatles, home movies such as these became increasingly important to them, not as rockstars, but as normal guys in their early twenties from ugly, dirty Liverpool, England. Videos such as these shed light on the people behind the swollen name and brand of The Beatles, and offer a fascinating look into a group of very extraordinary friends who simply loved music. Some of the videos above can be seen in the early episodes of The Beatles Anthology. I love watching footage such as this. Everyone has seen their performance at Shea Stadium in 1965 or their Apple Studios Rooftop performance in 1969 countless times, but home footage really brings it home who they were as people, not as musicians. So enjoy!

The new Mojo magazine this month

For those of you who aren't familiar with Mojo magazine, it's a British music magazine that usually comes with a CD. Out of all the various magazines that do articles on The Beatles (Life, Time, Newsweek) Mojo is by far the best. There is virtually a Beatles Mojo out constantly, and they are incredible. Instead of monotonously detailing the information about the Beatles we all know (like, "Ringo was in fact not the original drummer." Come on, we all know that) the various authors of the article, or in this case, whole magazine, closely analyze their social effect, which I think is the most interesting point of study with regards to the boys. Anyway, I have quite a few Mojo Beatles or Beatles-related magazines, but this is the first one that is literally all about them. This one goes in depth to their psychedelic years, from their first experimentation with marijuana in 1964 to the conclusion of the band in 1970. It's absolutely fascinating and might just get you into a subscription to his analytically rich magazine all for the love of great music. Way to go Mojo!

Sick Day

For the past few days I've been sick. I hadn't posted in a while and I thought I could connect my situation with the Beatles. Well, I succeeded.

In 1964, Ringo, who had often been sick as a child, had tonsillitis and was in the hospital for 10 days. During the hectic schedule The Beatles led from 1963 to 1966, it was a serious problem for the band. To make up for their lack of a drummer, they invited another drummer (I don't know what band) named Jimmy Nichols to play with them on their non-stop touring. He actually turned out to be something of a jerk as he criticized Ringo for his drumming. The other three were not impressed by his lack of charisma, something that Ringo had quite a lot of. Nichols' attitude caused John to lash out angrily that Ringo was a great Beatle, even if he wasn't the best drummer, which made him all the more valuable. I think that's kind of weird, as Ringo was and is a fantastic drummer, but whatever. John said weird things like that from time to time. Ringo has reminisced that he hated being stuck in a hospital room and watching news reports on the other three and was quite glad to get back on the road. But then again, everybody was happy to have Ringo back. It's clear that while people call Ringo the "disposable Beatle" people would be very sorry indeed had he not been a part of it.

Why does this not exist in at every crossing, in every town, in every country around the world?

The Beatles-Vultures in the Jungle Book

I haven't seen the Jungle Book in years and definitely before my obsession with the Beatles started. So, I had absolutely no idea who or what these vultures in the movie were supposed to be. Recently, my dad told me they were supposed to be the Beatles. Then I basically freaked out. So I looked up the history of it and thought I'd share it. The Jungle Book, which came out in 1967, was the last movie Walt Disney worked on before he passed away in 1966. The period in which the animators were working on this was at the very end of the Beatles touring period, their last concert taking place at San Francisco's Candlestick Park in 1966. Thus, Beatlemania was still in full swing. Disney asked the Beatles and their manager, Brian Epstein, if they would volunteer their voices to a group of four vultures that happened to have Liverpool accents and mop-tops. I'm not entirely sure if it was the boys who said no or Epstein, but either way, some random British guys were used for their voices instead. I was instantly infuriated. The Jungle Book, had they said yes, would have instantly become the most legendary of Disney classics!! WHY did someone say no?! Man, I'm getting worked up. This is the clip in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo would have been in had they been a part of the movie.

"I'm Down" at Shea Stadium 1965

This is the Beatles' last song of the Shea Stadium concert in Queens, New York in 1965. Yesterday was the 47th anniversary of this legendary rock concert, which I posted about earlier. I mentioned John playing the keyboard with his elbow in this song, so I thought I'd post it so you could see for yourself. Sorry about the so-so quality, but it was one of the only videos I could find that specifically had this song on there.

47th Anniversary of the Beatles' Performance at Shea Stadium

      Today is the 47th anniversary of the Beatles' performance at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. On August 15, 1965, the Beatles performed to a record-breaking audience of 55,600 in the middle of a baseball diamond. The legendary concert, the first of its kind for a pop group, saw the peak of the superstardom of the band. The Beatles, already worn out from incessant touring during the past two to three years, have cited the Shea Stadium concert as one of the main reasons why they were so eager to stop the touring schedule, especially to the United States. Paul has said in numerous interviews, specifically The Beatles Anthology that if you were to really look hard at the footage of the performance, that you can seen John "crack" a bit. I mean, it's a bit weird when he starts playing the keyboard with his elbow during Paul's number, "I'm Down."
       Despite this, the concert remains one of the lasting testaments to the Beatles' extraordinary performance skills. Even though virtually 55, 600 teenage girls were screaming the entire duration of the concert, they never lapsed in the quality of their performance.
        In addition, Shea Stadium also can be pointed to the advancement (somewhat) of the Civil Rights Movement that was currently taking place in the United States. Unlike their homeland of England, segregation between African Americans and white Americans was still implemented strongly in the US. When the Beatles were told that they were to play to a segregated audience, they refused. It's a stretch to say that the Beatles are responsible for furthering the Civil Rights Movement, which was already well under way in the late 1940s, but the fact that the Beatles were so influential in the superstardom surrounding them adds to the significance of this concert.
       Unfortunately, Shea Stadium no longer exists. It was replaced rather recently. But, in 2009, Paul performed his "Good Evening New York City" concert in the same place, his first time since he played with his three friends in 1965.

A graphic novel about the Beatles...BRILLIANT!

A couple weeks ago, I bought this book at Diesel. That day I read it cover to cover. It's SO cool. The story is mainly about Astrid Kircherr (who inspired my haircut) and original Beatles bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, but involves the Beatles without Ringo during their Hamburg days. As you can see on the cover that I've posted, it's amazing how the author, Arne Bellstorf makes his simplistic drawings look so much like the actual people. Coming from a very harsh critic of Beatles fan art (I rarely see drawings of them that I'm impressed with), I absolutely loved reading this book. In the intro at the front, Bellstorf talks about meeting with Astrid and getting ideas for what the Beatles actually said during her experience with them. It gives as accurate an account of the Beatles before they were fab and an interesting take into the doomed life of Stu Sutcliffe. I seriously recommend it. It was a pleasure to read.

Happy 72nd Birthday Ringo!

Today, July 7, 2012 is Ringo Starr's 72nd birthday! The oldest of the four, Ringo is one of two that carry on the legacy of The Beatles, and he does a great job of carrying that out!

Richard Starkey was born on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. His father left when Richard was very young, and I can't tell you anything about him (Ringo doesn't talk about him much when discussing his childhood). So he was brought up by his now-single mother and her sisters. Probably due to the lack of substantial income that his mother brought in as a single parent, Richard was the poorest of the Beatles and lived in the rough area of Liverpool, which is partially why he was a member of quite a dangerous gang in his late teenage years. When he was 7, he was afflicted with appendicitis and was consequently in the hospital for 10 weeks. From that point on, he was sick for most of his childhood, and was rarely, if ever, in school. In his spare time at the hospital, Richard was first introduced to the newly popular genre, fresh from America, called rock 'n' roll. But unlike the other three future-Beatles, Richard was not interested in guitar, but was instantly taken with the drums.

Once he had moved past his sickly childhood, Richard became something of a "wild child." Like I said earlier, he was part of a gang in Liverpool in which he witnessed (as he claims in The Beatles Anthology) people get stabbed and their eyes gouged out. His interest in rock 'n' roll only emphasized this rebellious phase he was in even more. He joined the most popular Liverpool band of the day, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, as the drummer and gained a substantial following even before he met John, Paul, and George. It was then that he changed his name to the forever immortalized one, Ringo Starr, due to the number of rings he wore on his fingers. He met the other three when both their bands were playing in Hamburg, Germany at various clubs on the red light district of Hamburg, St. Pauli. Rory Storm was much more successful than the hodge-podge-barely-put-together Beatles made up of John, Paul, George, original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and original drummer Pete Best. Nevertheless, the two bands became good friends and Ringo told them to look him up whenever they went back to Liverpool. Which they did.

By 1962, Pete Best was not the drummer that would catapult the Beatles to fame. With Sutcliffe gone (he died of a brain hemorrhage in April 1962), the Beatles were ready to do whatever it took to get them signed. When the three and Best went to EMI Records to audition in front of record producer George Martin, Best failed to impress and he was kicked out. They remembered Ringo from their Hamburg days and the few times he had stood in for Best at concerts at the Cavern in Liverpool and invited him to join the band. But Ringo, still the drummer for Rory Storm, declined. Then the Beatles offered 25 pounds whereas Rory Storm offered 20 pounds. So Ringo took the Beatles for the money and his life was changed forever.

I'm not going to go on an on about the Beatles, as I'm sure people know the story of the Fab Four pretty well. Ringo, called the "funny one" was somewhat unfairly labeled the disposable Beatle. He was hardly at all involved in the songwriting process, something that was almost always reserved for John and Paul, much to the frustration of George, and therefore has been called the Beatle that could have been replaced. He isn't my favorite, but I will completely defend Ringo for his legitimate contribution that he made to not only the Beatles, but to the nature of rock 'n' roll drumming. He is truly a legend, and one that shows no sign of stopping any time soon. So, I wish a very happy birthday to Ringo Starr!!

Happy 216th (I think) Birthday, America!

Today, July 4, 2012, is the 216th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence! While I often complain that I'm not British, I am proud to be an American (sometimes). The picture above is one that I normally criticize. I mean, the Beatles are from England, so why are they in front of an American flag?? But it fits today. Although our countries may have had our differences "All Those Years Ago," one of the many things that binds England and the United States today is our everlasting fascination and appreciation for the Beatles. Happy Birthday, America!

Oh, John...you make our lives so much funnier

Paul McCartney...the legend rocks on at 70!

I wish a very happy 70th birthday to Paul! Even though his hair isn't as dark or his beautiful eyebrows have diminished much, he's awesome for still touring the world 5 years after most people retire. Here's to many more (hopefully...) years on stage singing "All My Loving" and still making girls cry, like me.


James Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 in the Walton Hospital in Liverpool, England to Jim and Mary McCartney. The oldest of the two boys, James assumed his middle name early on. He grew up listening to music. His dad used to be the leader of a big band in the 1920s called Jim Mac's Band in Liverpool and made sure that music played an important role in the lives of his two sons. Jim McCartney plated trumpet, clarinet, and most of all, piano. Paul recounts in The Beatles Anthology: "I have some lovely childhood memories of lying on the floor and listening to my dad play "Lullaby of the Leaves"... and music from the Whiteman era ( Paul Whiteman was one of his favorites), old songs like "Stairway to Paradise." Jim insisted that Paul learn an instrument, which Paul did. But soon the trumpet lost its spark and Paul was hit with the "Elvis fever" that hit three other young boys in Liverpool around the same time. Paul asked his dad to buy him a guitar.


Mary McCartney was a nurse, and all accounts that Paul has given of her has been very positive. She passed away from breast cancer when Paul was just twelve (fourteen months before he met John Lennon) and Jim had the responsibility of raising twelve-year-old Paul and ten-year-old Michael. Paul kept on going with the guitar, using it as a channel in which to deal with his grief. Then at a church fete on a sunny summer day in Liverpool, Paul first met John. John was playing with his new skiffle (a British genre of music that combined rock 'n' roll, country, and hillbilly music) group the Quarrymen. Paul tried out for John, who was very much threatened by the younger but more-skillful guitar player, and he was in. To make a long story short, the Quarrymen shrunk and turned into the Beatles. After a few months of playing in German clubs in Hamburg, which very much tightened them as a performing group, the Beatles were signed to NEM Records and Brian Epstein was their manager. "The four lads who shook the world" were poised to take over Britain, France, and then the world.


The Beatles were more than he could have ever hoped. As a main component to the writing of Beatles songs, (he was half of it: Lennon-McCartney) Paul served as one of the leaders of the group, second only to John. He was the most professional of the four, loved performing, and was always able to deal with the press. Of course, he became a bit more than a professional young man from Liverpool to the millions of girls around the world who had every inch of their walls plastered with his face. As the "cute one", Paul was catapulted into superstardom, along with his other three best friends. Together, they faced the tidal wave of hysteria that surrounded them everywhere they went from 1963 (the year Beatlemania hit) to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. The touring Beatles ended but a new period of intense spiritual, psychological, intellectual, and musical development began.


Paul began to interest himself in the intellectual life that his girlfriend of 5 years, Jane Asher, led. He read books, classics, philosophy books , and scientific books. It then translated to his music. However, even with the released tension that not touring had given them, the four friends began to grow too different. Each wanted to go in their own personal direction, and the Beatles, the miracle that they hoped for when they were 18, had become a burden. Paul loved the Beatles, but wanted to be able to express himself through his music without John and George. So he officially quit the Beatles in 1970 and sued the other three. It was a very dark period for all of them, but Paul immediately hit a post-Beatles depression that lasted for months. Only a blond American photographer named Linda Eastman could bring him out of that dark time.


Paul married Linda in 1969 and together they raised four children in their almost thirty-year marriage. Heather, Linda's daughter from a former marriage, is now an artist, and has a very solid relationship with her stepfather. Paul and Linda had three other children together: Mary (after his mother) in 1969 is a photographer, Stella (yes, the extremely famous fashion designer that serves her customers like Kate Winslet etc...) in the 1970s, and James in the late 1970s. Sadly, Linda contracted the same disease that had killed Paul's mother and she passed away in 1997.


Paul has married twice since the love of his life died. The disastrous marriage between him and Heather Mills in 2007 ended in a multi-million dollar divorce that was anything but private. Together, they had a daughter named Beatrice. This past October, Paul has married again to Nancy Shevell, another American, who is a businesswoman. They seem to be happy together, but I still believe that Paul would be married to Linda today had she not passed away.


Despite his age, Paul tours today throughout the world. A couple of weeks ago, he played at London's Diamond Jubilee in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's 60th year as queen. In the coming months, he will close the ceremony to the 2012 London Olympics. A 70-year-old rock star (definitely old enough to be my grandfather) is a funny phrase, but no one embodies it better than Paul. Of course, he is more than the Beatles, but no matter what, his role in that monstrously significant band has made him the superstar that he is today. As he closes in The Beatles Anthology: "It were a grand thing, the Beatles."

Paul McCartney's Performance at last week's Diamond Jubilee in London

Paul McCartney has confirmed he will be performing in the 2012 London Olympics!

Paul has confirmed that he will be performing this summer at the 2012 London Olympics! (He might be opening, I'm not sure). I kind of expected this because it would almost be incarceration-worthy for whoever denied his performance in London, but it's very exciting all the same. I wish I could go so badly, but, alas, it's super expensive to travel to Europe, let alone the Olympics! So, I can only say I'll watch him on TV. Congratulations Paul!

FINALLY watched Martin Scorcese's documentary

On Friday, I bought Martin Scorcese's recent documentary "George Harrison: Living in the Material World." It aired some time at the beginning of October this past year on HBO, but I don't get HBO on my T.V. so I was out of luck. But it came out a couple of weeks ago on itunes and on dvd, so you should get it at soon a possible. It's absolutely wonderful. I've always regarded George as the "unknown" Beatle and Scorcese does an awesome job capturing his life from 1943 to 2001. There are so many interviews with Paul, Ringo (of course), Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, George Martin, Pattie Boyd, Olivia Harrison, Dhani Harrison and so many others. It's about of 3 hours long, which is basically heaven for me. Seriously! Go get it!

Another great photo of my favorite lads!

That awkward moment when you haven't posted for a month...

I'm sorry for not posting in over a month! I've been so busy with AP prep and softball and such and I keep forgetting to bring some Beatles everyday. By the way, I chose this picture because it's and example of a really awkward Beatles picture and I feel awkward for not posting in forever. So, if you were wondering why I chose a rather unattractive picture of them, that's why. Plus, it's unbelievably amusing.

The Beatles having fun with recording equipment

I saw this video a while ago, but it came up in my regular searches for Beatles videos on Youtube. I absolutely love watching them interact when it's not scripted, and this is just that. Enjoy!

This Day in 1965

On March 18, 1965, the Beatles filmed the Olympic Ski Jump sequence in the Alps in Austria for their second movie, Help! It was the  first time that any of them had ever skied, and Ringo recounted in The Beatles Anthology that the director of Help! pushed them down a slope and started filming!

This Day in 1964

 On March 8, 1964, The Beatles were awarded the Best Group Award by Princess Margaret at the Mecca Carl-Alan Awards at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square, London. Due to other engagements, Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles from 1962 to 1967, received on the behalf of the band.

This Day in 1963

On March 6, 1963, the Beatles performed their fifth and final appearance on the British radio show, Here We Go. The Beatles would be doing less and less of these radio appearances as they became international rockstars (with the exception of the Live at the BBC recordings).

Happy 69th Birthday George Harrison!

Today, February 25, 2012, is George Harrison's birthday. He would have been 69 years old. Born in Liverpool, England on February 25, 1943, George was the youngest out of four children in the Harrison household. He had two older brothers, Peter and Harry, and an older sister named Louise. The youngest of the Beatles as well, George is considered the Quiet Beatle. He was the lead guitarist in the band and in his musical endeavors outside of the Fab Four and even learned several other instruments, including the violin, Indian tabla, and most famously, the sitar. I won't give a whole background on him, because I do that on the anniversary of his death, but those who knew him say that he was a wonderful person who truly adhered to the Beatles' motto of "All You Need Is Love." Even though he has passed, George's music and his influence on rock n' roll lives on and affects people everywhere, such as me. I would have loved to have met him. Happy Birthday George!

Paul McCartney's New Album: Kisses on the Bottom

I bought this today at Starbucks. It's good, but very different from anything that you're used to hearing from rock legend Sir Paul. It's a jazz album, which I thought was funny because when the Beatles were in their Hamburg and Cavern days, they always talked about how much they hated jazz "elitists" as they called them. I like it, but it's weird hearing him sing like Tony Bennett instead of Little Richard.

Paul McCartney at the 2012 Grammys

Just bought this book

I was shopping at the Thousand Oaks Mall when I saw this book at Urban Outfitters (kind of a random place, but it was marked down by $30). It's actually a very interesting study on how the Beatles' fashion influenced fashion and social aspects everywhere and how it reflected their ever-changing interests and music styles. I haven't had a chance to read it because I have an unbelievable amount of homework, which I'm procrastinating right now in fact, but I hope to read it in the coming days.

This is just way too awesome...

This is the movie, Across the Universe's version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." I'm pretty sure that I've posted this video before, but I was just listening to the soundtrack while I was getting ready for school, and it came on, and I had no one around me so that I could describe how unbelievably awesome this is. Martin Luther McCoy is the main singer, with Jim Sturgess as back up. McCoy's voice is one of the prettiest things I've ever heard and the guitar that comes in around the middle of the song is so B.A. Please listen to it, it will blow your mind if you haven't heard it before.

Saw Daniel Radcliffe yesterday!!!!!

Ok I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with the Beatles, but I just had to share it! Yesterday, my sister and I zoomed down to the Grove near LA to see the show Extra interview Daniel Radcliffe. As an avid Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe fan, this wins as the coolest celebrity that I've ever seen. I wish that we could have met him, but we were close and that's enough for me! I have a list of people I want to see ranking in how badly I want to see them and I can check off spot number 2! First, of course is Sir Paul McCartney, because, well, come on! He's Paul! Anyway, sorry that it's not Beatle-related but I can't stop talking about it!

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

The COOLEST Shoes in the world!

How awesome are these? So unbelievably cool. Unfortunately, you either have to be a tremendous artist or willing to pay quite a bit of money for custom-made Beatle shoes like these. I would probably wear those shoes pretty much every day of the week. Well, here's to wishing that I get these for my birthday in 9 months!!

Klaus Voormann's Beatles Art

There's always fan art of anything you can think of. Some of it's absolutely stellar and others...well...not so much. Unfortunately a lot of the Beatles fan art are either just weird (such as putting the Beatles' faces on the bodies of some punk kids from the 90s) or just plain, sorry-I-tried-to-make-it-look-like-them. However, this wins as one of the best I've seen. It fits, as the artist himself knew the Beatles personally in their Hamburg days, as seen in the picture above. Klaus Voormann, who was Astrid Kircherr's (the woman who introduced the mop-top to the boys) girlfriend at the time, lived and worked in Hamburg, Germany and remained pretty close  to the Beatles throughout their time here. He also spent some quality time drawing them, giving us Beatle fanatics a rare and personal glimpse of them before Beatlemania hit in 1963. This is pretty much all I've seen of his work, but you should look up his other stuff and see if it wins like these two drawings do!

Finally someone addresses Paul's eyebrows!

Who is this and how much do I need to pay to get this for me?

I love these! There's no way I would ever be able to do this on my own (I can barely paint my nails one color) but they're so awesome! If anyone has any idea who would be able to do this I would be much obliged!

I don't know how else to say this but...FAIL!

Ok so you know how I had my whole New Year's resolutions post about trying to blog everyday? Well, I already failed! Looks like the last time I posted was, January 7 and it's now January 16. That's a bit of a problem. The good news is that I am going to try again and give myself a second chance. I strongly believe in second chances, because if it weren't EMI Records giving that new band the Beatles a second chance after they were rejected by Decca Records, there would be no Fab Four and no reason for me to live. So let's hear it for second chances!

Song of the Day: Twist and Shout (1963)

Song of the Day: Penny Lane (1967)

Song of the Day: Don't Let Me Down (1969)

Merry Belated Christmas/Whatever-you-celebrate and a Happy New Year!

I know that it's late, but I hope that everyone's holidays were absolutely wonderful! I'm sorry that I haven't posted since December 19, but this year, the holidays were busy. I probably should have posted yesterday, you know, being the first day of 2012, but I think that the second day is alright too. One of my resolutions is to really, really, try to post something everyday. So, here's to an absolutely incredible new year with the Beatles! Happy New Year!