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A podcast that chats to a wide variety of Beatle authors and writers. What inspired them to add their entry into a library of over 1000 books?
94 Episodes
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I'm joined by Peter Doggett for this special episode as we look back over his entire career.
Peter began writing for Record Collector magazine in 1980 and was also engaged in work for Beatles Monthly, meaning he was soon in the sphere of many Beatle adjacent people. By the late 1990's he had become a renowned author and his books 'The Art and Music of John Lennon' and 'You Never Give Me Your Money' are two of the finest ever written on The Beatles.
I'm welcoming Richard Mills back to the pod today, this time to talk about his book 'The Beatles ad Black Music'.
Beginning with the grand narrative of British colonial history pre-Beatles, Richard's book covers the influence of Black music and culture on the Beatles' teenage years in the 1950s, their association with Lord Woodbine, their love of American Rhythm and Blues in the mid-1960s, and extends to a discussion of post-colonial British identity and the lasting effect Black music has had on the Beatles' legacy and continues to have on the solo careers of Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.
My guest for this episode is the brilliant Stuart Maconie who is here to discuss his book 'With A Little Help From Their Friends'.
Stuart's book tells the story of 100 fascinating members of The Beatles' supporting cast - people they encountered during their career either in a major or minor way.
Split into 3 sections, Before The Beatles, With the Beatles and Beyond the Beatles, Stuart tells the epic tale of the people who made the band who made Britain, and along the way adds his own experiences, encounters and conversations to further illuminate the story.
My guest today is Jonathan Gould who joins me to discuss his 2007 book 'Can't Buy Me Love'. More than just a group biography, 'Can't Buy Me Love' tells the social history of Britain and America in the 1960's and provides a sharp musical analysis of The Beatles songs.
He also tells us about his new book on Talking Heads, 'Burning Down The House' which tells the story of one of Rock's most influential groups and the New York scene that they came from.
My guest for this episode is Robert Rodriguez who joins me to discuss the book he co- wrote with Jerry Hammack, 'Ribbons of Rust - The Beatles' Recording History in Context: Volume 1 - July 1954 - January 1963.
Robert and Jerry's book tells The Beatles thrilling early story in context, describing the sights and sounds of that time creating an effect that feels like you are you are in the room with The Beatles, from the first Liverpool recording at the Percy Phillips facility to Forthlin Road, their Hamburg sessions with Tony Sheridan, Decca and Parlophone.
I'm welcoming the journalist and writer John Harris back to the pod today, this time for a special bonus episode on his book 'Maybe I'm Amazed - A Story of Love and Connection in Ten Songs'.
When John's son James was born, and three years later diagnosed with autism, music became a source of precious connection and endless wonder for both of them.
James connected with so much music, but one of his strongest passions was The Beatles. As a Beatle obsessive himself, John talks about his own relationship with the band and tells us how watching his son discover and explore The Beatles became a source of inspiration for them both.
My guest for todays episode is Ian Leslie, who joins me to discuss his brilliant book on John and Paul - 'A Love Story in Songs'.
Ian's book traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection.
My guest for todays episode is Allison Bumstead who is here to to discuss her brilliant book on Teen fan magazines. She focuses mainly on Teenset which under the stewardship of the remarkable Judith Sims was one of the most forward thinking and exciting pop publications of the 60's.
We talk about how The Beatles were portrayed in these magazines and how essential their existence was to the first generation Beatles fan.
My guest today is Seth Rogovoy who is here to discuss his book 'Within You Without You - Listening to George Harrison'
Seth's book is a highly personal exploration of George's essential contributions to the Beatles and his solo work, as well as his significant role as a Western proponent of Indian music and beliefs.
I'm delighted to welcome Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair back to the pod to discuss Volume 2 of their McCartney Legacy series.
Volume 2 covers Paul's life from1974 up until the start of 1980 and is researched in the same fascinating detail as Volume 1 was - for this conversation I wanted to focus on what happened to Paul and Wings after their 1976 World Tour concluded, he'd reached the top of the mountain again - what happened next?
My very special guest for this episode is Elliot Mintz who first encountered John and Yoko in his role as a late night radio host in 1971.
A strong bond between the three of them formed after these interviews, and soon Elliot became an almost daily part of their lives. His book tells the story of this friendship, from the breakup of The Beatles to the birth of Sean, from John’s death and beyond, Elliot was there through it all, either to witness it or as a friendly voice at the end of the phone.
I'm joined for this bonus, mini episode by Yvonne Innes to discuss her biography of her husband, Neil Innes.
In my view, Neil was one of the largest contributors to British culture of the last 50 years, and is beloved to all Beatle fans as co creator of The Rutles. Yvonne's book is full of humour and love and tells her husband's remarkable life story with all the insight you'd expect.
I'm joined by JR Moores today to discuss his book 'Off The Ground'. JR takes a detailed look at Paul in the 90's and suggests that apart from the 60's, it turned out to be the most influential decade of Paul's professional life. Studio albums, huge tours, classical pieces and ambient side projects, as ever McCartney packs more into 10 years than most artists do in a lifetime.
I'm welcoming David Hepworth back to the pod today, this time to talk about his book 'Hope I Get Old Before I Die - Why Rock Stars Never Retire'.
David's book begins at Live Aid, where Paul McCartney sings into a defective mic, and ends today where he and Ringo are more celebrated than ever. The book looks at how we got here- via knighthoods and Nobel prizes for rock's greatest generation.
My guest today is renowned music journalist and author Patrick Humphries who joins me to discuss his book 'With The Beatles'.
Patrick interviewed Paul, George and Ringo at various points during their solo careers, and uses this a basis to tell The Beatles story from beginning to end - with particular focus on how the Beatles legacy and impact grew after they went their separate ways.
For this very special episode, my guest is former Apple employee Merle Frimark who joins me to discuss her time as an Apple employee between 1967 and 1970. On July 23rd 1969, Merle attended the recording session for 'Come Together', where she watched The Beatles at work and captured some amazing candid pictures.
The Guardian piece referenced in this episode can be found here - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/24/from-sorting-fan-mail-to-seeing-abbey-road-being-made-my-life-as-a-teenage-beatles-employee
My guest for this episode is Neil Fox, a Professor of Film Practice and Pedagogy at Falmouth University, and co-host of the acclaimed film podcast, The Cinematologists. He's here to discuss his book, 'Music Films'. We focus our conversation, of course, on The Beatles movies - what makes Hard Day's Night great and Help less great? What influence did The Beatles films have on other music films of the 60's? And how did The Rutles inspire This Is Spinal Tap?
My guests for this episode are Greg Armstrong and Andy Neill who join me to discuss their book 'When We Was Fab - Inside The Beatles Australasian Tour 1964'.
Greg and Andy tell the story of this tour in great detail - from it's conception to The Beatles frenzied arrival and look at the legacy that they left behind.
My guest today is Tracy Daugherty who joins me to discuss his book 'We Shook Up Th World - The Spiritual Rebellion of Muhammad Ali and George Harrison'.
Ali met George in a Florida boxing ring in February 1964 - and ten years later as Ali was staging one of the great sporting comebacks George was struggling across America on his Dark Horse tour - Tracy's book looks at the journey these two men took over those 10 years and how 60's icons dealt with the changing world of the 70's.
My guest today is Debbie Gendler who is here to discuss her book 'I Saw The Standing There - Adventures of an Original Beatle Fan During Beatlemania and Beyond'.
Debbie fell for The Beatles in late 1963 and soon found herself in the audience for their first US TV appearance on Ed Sullivan. This led to a lifetime of devotion and many crazy adventures and Beatle encounters - she shares all these stories with me, including a less than satisfactory meeting with the lads themselves.
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such a terrific episode
I'll always defend Maxwell's Silver Hammer! It's a fantastically funny and dark song. Abbey Road would be so much less without the likes of Hammer and Octopus's Garden to provide balance. I'd never assume I know better about what tracks to use more than the fab four and George Martin!