Something About the Beatles
Hosted by award-winning author Robert Rodriguez, Something About The Beatles is an intelligent but entertaining examination of The Beatles' music and career. Smart, funny and surprising - just like the Fab Four.
Episodes
331: Full Cyrkle with Don Dannemann
To anyone familiar with '60s Top 40 music, The Cyrkle remain a fond memory, notable for their two hits, 1966's "Red Rubber Ball," a Paul Simon co-write, and "Turn Down Day," an exquisite piece of sunshine pop. They also possess a couple of other distinctions, being the only US act managed by Brian Epstein as well as being one of the supporting acts on The Beatles' final tour, sixty years ago. 
330: Working For The Beatles with Merle Frimark
Imagine having our world rocked by The Beatles as a 1st-gen fan living in New York City. You are a budding musician yourself, and with every release, they inspire you as they advance their art. You see them live - twice - the first time at a renowned event caught on film.
One day, deciding to check out something you've heard, you knock on a door downtown and get invited in to inte
329: A Hard Day's Night Re-Examined with Samira Ahmed
Sixty two years ago, The Beatles cinematic debut arrived , putting the world on notice that their charm and talents were adaptable to virtually any medium. A Hard Day's Night, directed by Richard Lester, has gone down in film history as "the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals," a stunning work as fresh and captivating as the day it was premiered, and yet it was done on a small budget with novices a
328: Meat - The Beatles with Erika White
On March 25, 1966, photographer Robert Whitaker - a surrealist - took The Beatles into his studio to capture a concept piece he called "A Somnamulant Adventure," envisioned as a triptych commentary on the group's fame. But the project slid away from him when one frame, depicting The Beatles with slabs of meat and doll parts, was sent to the US for Capitol to use on their latest compilation album.
327: Jim Marshall's Beatles with Amelia Davis
Jim Marshall remains one of the most esteemed photographers of the rock era, with iconic images of all the greats to his credit, as well as legends of jazz and some remarkable street photography. He was the subject of the 2019 documentary, Show Me The Picture: The Jim Marshall Story, and his work continues to be familiar to plenty of people who weren't around at the time these photos were new.
H
SATB SPECIAL - JANE WIEDLIN
You know her as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member as a co-founder of The Go-Go's, their rhythm guitarist/vocalist whose co-written "Our Lips Are Sealed" first out them on the map. Jane was one of the band's composing mainstays, and she went on to solo success in recording as well as acting. This year she has a topical record, I Protest, coming out, as well as her self-penned story, TMI: Memoirs
326: Beatles (Guitars) For Sale
In recent years there have been a number of Beatle-owned guitars rediscovered (sometimes in someone's attic) and put up for auction; some ended up in the collection of the late Jim Irsay and others did not. But all of these instruments have something in common: they were in the hands of George or John once, and they (mostly) ended up being heard by millions on recordings we all love.
My guest
325: The Beatles Playing Live with Glenn Greenberg
Touring and performing live represented a challenge to The Beatles during their years of rapid artistic growth. Being a successful recording act necessitated touring to maintain one's status and to sell records, but when the infrastructure of the day was insufficient to support both the music they were making as well as serve the high demand for tickets in every corner of the country, the strain
SATB Special: Ivor Davis Remembered
SATB Special: Ivor Davis RememberedLondon-born journalist Ivor Davis holds a special place in the hearts of everyone lucky enough to speak with or spend time with him. He was a charming man who could make you feel like you were old friends in a manner of minutes; a raconteur full of tales from his rich life of the famous he'd crossed paths with and the history he'd witnessed. We came into each ot
324: Recording with Ringo with Bruce Sugar
Since 2003, Ringo Starr has been producing an incredibly prolific run of releases: albums and EPs, plus live recordings. With him on this journey of multiple producers and supporting musicians has been engineer Bruce Sugar, the one constant. Bruce comes with stories and observations about working with the world's most beloved drummer, including alongside Sir Paul McCartney in the studio (including
SATB Special: Martin Sexton
Hailing from Syracuse, NY, Martin Sexton has been a performer/singer-songwriter/recording artist for over thirty years now. Of late he's been touring with a one-man presentation of the complete Abbey Road album.
I had a conversation with Martin to discuss The Beatles' impact on him, and what it means to get inside this most revered album and re-present it with a complete re-think of how the son
323: Bob Dylan and The Beatles with Jim Windolf
It may be beyond argument that the two most successful and influential pop/rock acts of the 1960s were The Beatles and Bob Dylan: one, an English ensemble from Liverpool who turned out evergreen standards and evolved seemingly without effort; the other an American from the upper midwest, initially cast as a vagabond folkie who constantly reinvented himself as he was anointed spokesman for a genera
322: Evolver '62 with Chris Purcell and Simon Weitzman
The cinematic treatment of the 2022 Mark Lewisohn lectures on the first year of The Beatles' recording career has been given a terrific cinematic treatment (see it on Amazon Prime). This episode features my conversation with the film's director, Chris Purcell, and its producer, Simon Weitzman.
BOTH filmmakers have produced other Beatle-themed films, including Miss O'Dell, A Love Letter To The
321: Beatles Comic-Con with Glenn Greenberg and Stephen DeStefano
One doesn't immediately connect The Beatles with the world of comic books but there's plenty there. Besides musical references to Captain Marvel and "Magneto and Titanium Man," the group themselves have been regularly represented in the pages of comic books, beginning in 1964; sometimes as plot figures. Then we also have graphic novels and latter-day accounts of their history.To lead *me* in a dis
320: "Our Guitarist George" with Sam Popkin
This month George Harrison would've turned 83. The "quiet Beatle" holds the record for THE most streamed Beatles song, his 1969 composition, "Here Comes The Sun," but to the general public (and not the hardcores), he may remain in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney, despite his key contributions to songs bearing their names. Musician/podcaster Sam Popkin (Gear, There and Everywhere) joins the conv
319: Beatles Olympiad Abbey Road
The Beatles' Olympiad series of shows is nearing its end point, with Gary Wenstrup and myself assessing their final group project for Olympic honors. Where will the bronze, silver and gold land among the 17 tracks? You'll have to tune in to find out (and discover some unexpected developments).
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318: Oliver Murray's Time Machine
If you don't know the name then you certainly know his work: writer/director Oliver Murray was responsible for giving us that twelve-minute making of "Now and Then" video in 2023 that got everyone up to speed (and teary) about the "last" Beatles song. In 2025, he wrote and directed the 9th episode of the re-launched Beatles Anthology documentary series, quickly followed by the short film, "Free As
317: Help! Deconstructions
Returning to the show today is the RPM School trio: Walter Everett (The Beatles As Musicians book series) - Cameron Greider - Jack Petruzzelli. They run the Beatles-centric online school which will be launching the winter 2026 semester with a deep dive into The Beatles' fifth long player, released in the summer of 1965.
In this conversation, we focus on some of the innovations, influences and pr
SATB SPECIAL: Badfinger/Iveys Reissue Series with Mark Strothmann
Beatles proteges Badfinger released six studio albums between 1970 and 1974. Two of their hits were produced by Beatles ("Come and Get It" by Paul, "Day After Day" by George) and another by The Beatles' road manager ("No Matter What" was produced by Mal Evans). But their catalog is filled with rich, tuneful pop/rock for anyone who hasn't already explored it. ALL FOUR members (Pete Ham - Tom Evans
316: Anthology 2025
316: Anthology 2025Presented here is an analysis of the current streaming version of the Beatles documentary first produced 30 years ago. This is less a discussion comparing a cut by cut A/B comparison so much as an overview of some changes that HAVE been made, and much discussion into what the intent behind the new presentation may be, who it is made for, what the strategy is (if any) behind some
315: Beatles Bass - An Appreciation with Arion Salazar and Rob Collier
Sir Paul McCartney, 1t 63, has just completed his Got Back tour of North America. But at the 60th anniversary of Rubber Soul, it's good to look back at how that album marked a turning point in his approach to his primary instrument: the bass. Paul was an innovator, taking its use where no one in pop/rock had ever gone before.
With bass historian/musicologist Rob Collier (www.beatlesbasslines.
314: Anthology 4 and The Beatles' SDEs - A Critique
Thirty years after the first Anthology collection was released, several years after the Special Deluxe Edition (SDEs) series commemorating individual albums became a thing, and on the eve of an unexpected 4th Anthology series installment, we take stock. Are The Beatles (or Apple or otherwise those overseeing these re-packages) doing as good a job as they can be? There are plenty voices in the worl
313: The Iveys with Ron Griffiths
The story of Badfinger is bookended with The Iveys as prequel and the Head First album on the other end, months before the tragic suicide of Pete Ham. We explored the latter with Bob Jackson earlier this year (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/304-badfingers-head-first-with-bob-jackson/id1483392342?i=1000706620569 ) but this time it's the pre-history we examine, with Ron Griffiths, bassist and
312: Contentious Credits 2 - This Time It's Personal
Back in May 2025, two hardcore Beatle historians haling from down under came on the show for an analysis of the conventional wisdom regarding Beatles instrumental credits and how, in certain instances, it was found to be lacking. They're back again, and this time we examine: "Long Tall Sally"
"I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" "Michelle"
"We Can Work It Out""Paperback Writer"/"Rain"
"Sgt. Pepper
311: Dear Beatle People with Sara Schmidt and Allison Bumsted
311: Dear Beatle People with Sara Schmidt and Allison Bumsted Most Beatles fans are generally familiar with the story of their UK fan club, managed by Freda Kelly and depicted throughout the 2013 documentary, Good Ol' Freda. But the story of their North American fan clubs is, if anything, even more fascinating: their set-up was treated nearly as an afterthought upon the group's 1964 arrival here,
310: The Beatles' Legacy with Sean Murphy
Why are we still talking about these guys? Does a band that stopped recording together over half a century ago have any relevance in the 21st century? Have we reached the bottom of the barrel yet in terms of exploring every aspect of their story?
If you answered yes and no respectively to the last two questions, press on, because in this conversation with author Sean Murphy, we dive into the c
309: Some Fun Tonight with Chuck Gunderson
We are now sixty years on from the crest of The Beatles' touring years, if you figure the August 15, 1965 Shea Stadium show that kicked off their second North American tour as "the top of the mountain," as John Lennon once did. Therefore, who better to talk about those three intense years and shows than Chuck Gunderson, author of Some Fun Tonight: The Backstage Story of How The Beatles Rocked Amer
SATB Special: Power To WHAT People? - Canceling Lennon in 2025 with Candy Leonard
This special episode is, in effect, a part two of episode 308 (The Politics of Beatles), again with Candy Leonard, as an examination of the decision made by Universal Music Group (with the tacit approval - if not agreement - of the Lennon estate) to reissue the 1972 John and Yoko album, Some Time In New York City, as a background component of the Power To The People set, showcasing the pair of On
SATB Special: Ribbons of Rust Book Launch with John Leckie, Sibbie O'Sullivan and Richard Mills
Ribbons of Rust: The Beatles' Recording History in Context is this first installment of a multi-volume series, building out the history of everything The Beatles did in the recording studio to reveal the influences around them and the world they created in. I (Robert Rodriguez) am the author of or contributor to over half a dozen Beatles books, while Jerry Hammack is the creator of the five-volum
308: The Politics of Beatles with Candy Leonard
In 2014, sociologist Candy Leonard published Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans Remade The World. It was a groundbreaking work, representing a serious exploration into the phenomenon of fandom and the reciprocal relationship between artist and audience, and the impact that all of it had on lives - and the world - that reverberates ever onward even today, sixty years on.
Candy has twice
307: Borrowed Time with Alan G. Parker
Director Alan G. Parker's newest film is a personal expression of gratitude toward John Lennon for being a figure that helped him through some difficult years when he was growing up. Borrowed Time: Lennon's Last Decade includes interviews with dozens of figures who knew him; everyone from Aunt Mimi (archival footage) to journalists like Ray Connolly, Chris Charlesworth, and Anthony DeCurtis, plus
306: Beatles Olympiad - Glyn Johns' Get Back with Gary Wenstrup
In late May 1969, producer Glyn Johns turned in a draft album, culled from hours of tape recorded in January 1969 during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. His work reflected the original concept: catching The Beatles as they really were in the studio, with off-the-cuff performances of oldies, warm-ups, false starts and blown takes. It would have made for a fine tie-in with the original cut of the L
305: Contentious Credits
In recent years, the quality of Beatles scholarship has risen considerably, and the old days of accepting and repeating any old data (even coming from sources that should be credible) - without examining it deeper to see if it really stands up - are long gone. With The Beatles, music is always at the heart of their story, and in particular, what they did in the studio. Examining how their recordin
304: Badfinger's Head First with Bob Jackson
Beatle proteges Badfinger were an Apple band that simultaneously produced some of the finest pop/rock of their era while beset by management malfeasance leading directly to their decimation by suicide. It was fifty years ago that Pete Ham, their songwriter responsible for "No Matter What," "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue" and co-writer with Tommy Evans of "Without You" took his life at 27. Only a
303: John and Paul - A Love Story in Songs with Ian Leslie
My guest has produced one of those rare books in The Beatles' literary canon not penned by an insider (or by someone named Lewisohn) that has arrived with a tidal wave of press; in advance and since. Ian Leslie, who in the past has written about psychology, has put together a thesis examining the singular personal and professional relationship between Lennon and McCartney, and how it manifested in
SATB SPECIAL: ONE TO ONE with Gary Wenstrup
On April 10, 2025, the film One To One: John and Yoko was released in US theaters. Gary Wenstrup (SATB Olympiad series) attended a screening, and in this SATB Special, have a discussion on what we saw: what was good - what we thought was less so - what was in it - what was not in it.
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302: TeenSet and Rock Fan Magazines with Allison Bumsted
An important part of understanding both rock history generally and The Beatles' history specifically is contained in a study of the fan magazines produced throughout the 50s and 60s. For the purposes of this discussion, Dr. Allison Bumsted's newly-published TeenSet, Teen Fan Magazines and Rock Journalism: Don't Let The Name Fool You is THE roadmap to understanding the role these journals played in
301: The Beatles' Bag of Tricks Volume 2 with Jack Petruzzelli and Cameron Greider
Returning guests Cameron Greider and Jack Petruzzelli (both of the RPM-School.com) are on hand to discuss more of what The Beatles used in their songcraft: 6th and minor 3rds. If ths sounds like indecipherable music theory, hang on - it isn't and once you become aware of it, you'll recognize it everywhere - how often and how artfully they used it, and to what effect.
Also in the conversation: Ne
300: Something About The Beatles' 300th Episode
YOU the loyal listeners decided what your fave moments of the show were, and based on your input, SATB runs down moments from the past 7+ years, featuring only a sampling of the many guests we've had on the show. These include (alphabetically):
Nancy Lee Andrews
Christine Feldman-Barrett
Pattie Boyd
Allison Bumsted
James Campion
Laura Cortner
Dennis Diken
Duncan Driver
Elliot Easton
Debbie Gendle
299: Ringo's Beats and Threads with Gary Astridge
For most whose lives were changed by The Beatles, it can only remain a dream that they would one day meet one, much less work alongside one and develop a key role in that Beatle's life and develop a friendship. But Buffalo, New York native Gary Astridge was one exceptional fellow, whose passion for percussion, inspired by the 1964 Ed Sullivan Show debut, would impact his life in ways far beyond im
SATB Extra: Magical Mystery Camp 2025
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296: The Beatles and Fandom with Richard Mills
Beatles scholar Richard Mills is the author of The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death and Progressive Fandom (published by Bloomsbury). We discuss the unique and enduring aspects that of the group's multi-faceted base and how it is that decades later, a good portion of the population is STILL obsessed.
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298: May the Second - The Found Weekend with May Pang
Returning guest May Pang has had a busy couple of years, both with the presentation of her story in the acclaimed documentary, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, as well as her ongoing touring photographic exhibit of her photos taken fifty years ago. In this conversation, we discuss a number of topics outside the doc, including Allan Klein, Dick Cavett, the Imagine film (1972), and the productive per
297: All I Want Is The Truth with David Whelan and Robert Rosen
2024 winds down with the merging of two guests that have appeared on the show this year, in a spirited discussion of David Whelan's investigation into John Lennon's murder as presented in Mind Games. Robert Rosen (Nowhere Man) serves as skeptic in a conversation weaving together the bigger picture that converged on December 8, 1980, as well as the sketchy players surrounding the convicted killer b
FEED DROP: Crime Capsule
Staten Island is known as the mystifying borough, and it is home to numerous ghosts and eerie tales. The Alice Austin House was once home to a pioneering photographer, but ghostly images of a different sort now appear among the beams. The Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp holds tales of supernatural echoes, while over at the Old Bermuda Inn, the specter of Martha Mersereau, waiting for the return of h
295: Beatles '64 with David Tedeschi and Margaret Bodde
Many of you have by now seen the new doc, re-presenting the February 1964 footage of The Beatles' two-week jaunt in NYC, Washington and Miami, shot by Albert and David Maysles. As you know, producer Martin Scorsese has a history of music documentaries (including Living on the Material World) but this one is directed by his associate, David Tedeschi and produced by Margaret Bodde, who have worked t
294: White Album Olympiad with Gary Wenstrup
The Olympiad series picks up again, with music scholar Gary Wenstrup on board, picking up where we left off at episode 276, the Filmtrack Olympiad.
Be sure to add your name to the satb2010@gmail.com Newsletter list to enter the giveaway of the vinyl Beatles '64 Mono Capitol albums.
About "(Wild) Honey Pie"
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293: Macca's 80s with Glenn Greenberg
Viewed at one level, Paul's 1980's career was bookended by the album triumphs of Tug of War and Flowers In The Dirt. But that would be to overlook the January 1980 Tokyo drug bust, the dissolution of Wings, John's murder, and then a period that may best be described as uneven: duets (of varying quality), the diminishing returns of Pipes of Peace, the lambasting that Give My Regards To Broad Street
292: The Comedy of The Beatles with Jeff Martin
An essential component of The Beatles' appeal was their sense of humour, showcased not only in their two feature films (A Hard Day's Night, Help!) but also their TV appearances, interviews and even their music. TV comedy writer (Late Night with David Letterman, The Simpsons) Jeff Martin returns to the show to discuss how this facet of their talents was not only exceptionally developed, but also an
291: December 8, 1980 with David Whelan
In the 44 years since John Lennon's death, the trauma of that night is still as raw, so much so that, for most people, the facts of what went down are far too painful still to examine closely. But when one does, as returning guest David Whelan has, they depict sometihng far more disturbing and sinister than the story we thought we knew. Whelan's research was presented in his book, Mind Games: The
290: "Hey Jude" Reconstructed
In 2023, I hosted writer James Campion with Jeff Martin for a discussion of The Beatles' 1968 mega-hit and Apple Records debut. This time, we're drilling down deep for an analysis of the song's composition (as well as possible sources of inspiration) with the musicologists of RPM School: Walter Everett (author of volumes one and two of The Beatles As Musicians) plus working musicians and recording
289: A Hard Day's Night At 60
With The Beatles' film debut turning 60 this summer, the time was right for a deep dive into the cultural and cinematic significance of it all. Joining the conversation are two new guests: Sarah Pleydell and Moya Luckett. Both were born in the UK, one's a first-gen fan, and both are authors and academics with cred particularly suited to the topic. Rounding out the talk are our three fave 1st-gen f
288: Band On The Run (Hand Clapping) with Luca Perasi
My guest, Luca Perasi, first appeared on the show in 2023 (262). He is the McCartney historian based in Italy, whose previous works include Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas 1970 - 1989 as well as his newest, Paul McCartney and Wings Band On The Run: The Story of A Classic Album. You can check out all his works on his site here.
In this conversation, we discuss the tumultuous creation of Paul's po
287: The Historian and Get Back with Erin Weber
In the years since Peter Jackson's epic re-imagining of the January 1969 saga landed, SATb has examined it through a number of angles: from Brits - women - musicians - authors - and so forth. But this will be the first time I have actually had a conversation about it with a professional historian, your friend and mine, Erin Weber. This conversation analyzes the film through the prism of (secondary
286: Nowhere Man '24 with Robert Rosen
In this conversation, my returning guest (see episodes 189 - 245 - 266) discusses his recent visit to Spain, where a belated Beatlemania is in full swing. He also offers his insights on the recent May Pang documentary, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, as well as his take on David Whelan's investigation into John Lennon's murder and the latter's preoccupation with "lucid dreaming."
Check out Robert'
285: Sixty Years Ago in America with Lee Abrams, Dennis Diken, and Elliot Easton
As part of the ongoing campaign in 2024 to look back at 1964, we present another conversation with first-gen fans, this time focusing on the Capitol issues as well as US Top 40 radio. Returning guests Elliot Easton and Dennis Diken (The Cars and The Smithereens respectively) are joined by Lee Abrams, radio visionary and co-founder of Sirius XM. We discuss their fandom as it unfolded in real time,
284: Sixty Years On with Ivor Davis
Returning guest (episodes 130 and 174) Ivor Davis is a British journalist who, in 1964, went on tour with The Beatles for the Daily Express, covering their North American dates while ghost-writing a column for George Harrison (having taken over the assignment from Derek Taylor). He did similar duties for the following year, and after which, he settled in California as west coast correspondent. His
283: Giles on Trial - The Reissues Critiqued with John Leckie and Jerry Hammack
Beginning with the 2017 Sgt. Pepper 50th anniversary release, a series of deluxe reissues (The Beatles, Abbey Road, Let It Be, Revolver, 1962-1966, 1967-1970) featuring remixing and the application of MAL (“machine-assisted learning”) to deconstruct and re-assemble the master recordings have hit the streets. Supervised by engineer Sam Okell and Giles Martin, these issues have met with mixed reacti
We Didn't Start The Fire - British Beatlemania with Mark Lewisohn (Part I)
YEAH YEAH YEAH, we’ve been waiting 88 episode for this and it’s finally here!! In the 60s, The Beatles’ rise to fame would change the landscape of pop music and fandom forever. People were so excited to watch them, they’d urinate and scream so loud you’d struggle to hear the music. No one had ever seen fan culture or heard music like it. So it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely ecstatic to chat t
282: The Women’s Revolution (Or: The Beatles’ Effect)
My guests are three very special ladies whom have all appeared on the show before, but this time, all three have memoirs out. Debbie Gendler was the first to appear on SATB (121: New York Stories) and her story as the 1st US fan (as far as I’m concerned) was initially laid out there. But now HER memoir has been published, I Saw Them Standing There: Adventures of an Original Fan During Beatlemania
281: The Beatles and The Cars with Elliot Easton
Of the 73 million Americans who viewed The Beatles’ live debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, we know with absolute certainty that a high percentage had their lives changed forever – this is not hyperbole. And of those, many were moved to take up instruments or start bands. And of that fraction, a handful went on to stellar careers in music, producing art that became a part of our lives
280: All You Need is the Love You Make with Steven Gaines
As the first insider Beatles tell-all (not counting Francie Schwartz’s Body Count – because why would I) – 1983’s The Love You Make, a collaboration between Brian Epstein’s protege Peter Brown and today’s guest, shocked fans with what was perceived as an airing of dirty laundry. Drug use, infidelity, betrayal, wife-swapping, and overall bad behavior was chronicled in detail, and Brown’s insider st
279: The Mal Evans Project Part One with Ken Womack
At last: the SATB conversation with the man who brought The Beatles’ road manager’s long missing manuscript to press. Living The Beatles Legend is the story Mal wanted to tell before his life ended at 40 in Los Angeles in a hail of gunfire in 1976. But perhaps the wait was worth it to get his insider eye-witness story augmented by research and interviews Ken has conducted to fully flesh out the st
278: An Hour With Pattie Boyd
Today is her 80th birthday, and given the attention being brought by the auction of some personal items through Christie's (see https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/pattie-boyd-collection/lots/3508 ), the time was right for a conversation. We made the most of the hour, given the demand for interviews right about now, but among the things discussed were: Meeting George on the set of A Hard Day's Ni
277: "Mike Tree" in Nutopia with Michael Meideros
Listeners: you may recall my conversation with Robert Rosen (245), detailing the blocking of a pair of books by reputable authors that detailed the "househusband" years of John's life; it evolved out of an essay Robert wrote. Well, one of those writers is here to tell his story himself. Michael Meideros was hired in 1977 to work on the indoor gardening at the Lennon's Dakota apartments. But as h
276 Filmtrack Olympiad: Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine
Picking up where we left off (259: Sgt. Pepper Olympiad ), lecturer/professor Gary Wenstrup and I resume the Olympiad series with a pair of releases featuring film score music, the 1967 Magical Mystery Tour EP/album and 1969's Yellow Submarine release. Owing to the unique issues, with the latter representing only four new Beatle songs and the former being a six-song double 7" set, we got creative
275: Anomalies in the Assassination of John Lennon with David Whelan
There's no joy to be had in this subject, but it is an important topic for an open discussion. We have been fed a narrative for 43 years regarding the murder of John, yet there were aspects that either lacked detail or, upon closer inspection, made little sense. At least a couple of of authors have published books on the case, but documentary-maker David Whelan has approached the subject with fres
274: George, The Reluctant Beatle with Philip Norman
The author of Shout: The Beatles In Their Time has brought out his third Beatles individual biography, forty plus years after the publication of his group one. George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle was put together tapping Norman's body of old interviews (with witnesses now beyond reach) as well as fresh research and new conversations (including his star witness, Pattie Boyd). The complexity of th
273: My Private Lennon with Sibbie O'Sullivan
We have discussed the insights of 1st gen fans who, frankly, were screamers in the presence of The Beatles (Debbie Gendler, author of this upcoming memoir and Carol Tyler, author of this one); see thisfor a detailed discussion. Then there's Sibbie O'Sullivan - a high schooler when Deb and Carol were middle-schoolers. She too was swept up in the wave of mania in her native Maryland; like Deb,
272: Born At The Right Time with Ray Connolly
This British journalist/author/screenwriter/playwright is a SATB fave and was heard most recently among the 21 guests in the "Now and Then" discussion. But here he is alone in the spotlight, recounting his fabulous life as a chronicler of creators and a creator himself. Check out his website for a full accounting of his works - https://www.rayconnolly.co.uk/ - and this show for a discussion of his
271 Here and Now with "Now and Then": a SATB Special
The release of a new Beatle recording in our lifetime warrants a special approach. To that end, I assembled a group of some of your favorite podcast guests, plus a few new ones to discuss, critique, and analyze the new Beatle record. Folks representing a number of geographical and generational perspectives weigh in with their insights and observations. In alphabetical order, they are: Nancy Lee
270: Top Ten Most Important/Influential Beatles Sources with Erin Weber
The first half hour+ was taped live at The Fest in August 2023, as you can doubtless tell. The rest was done in the usual way, and you'll note we didn't necessarily cover everything we listed in great detail, but that's showbiz. Here's Erin's list: 1. A Hard Day's Night film 2 and 3. The Internet. Two slots because I see it impacting the historiography in two major ways: First, it has vas
269: George Harrison in the 70s with Eoghan Lyng
Between 1970 and 1979, George issued six studio albums (plus one triple-live one), followed by a second draft of his 1980 album the following year. Rock scribe Eoghan Lyng and I re-examine these works with fresh ears - we hope you will too. Eoghan's book: https://www.amazon.com/George-Harrison-70s-Eoghan-Lyng/dp/1789521742
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268: Buddy Holly and The Beatles with Luther Russell
The Beatles were the end result of an array of confluences, circumstances and influences. On the short list near the very top (if not THE top) was American rocker Buddy Holly. In his short career, he wielded his influence on the budding Liverpool rockers in an array of ways, which returning guest Luther Russell and I discuss here. Though his time on earth was brief, the impact he made casts a long
267: Sgt. Pepper's Guitars
Conversations about a familiar subject with guys who know what's what are invaluable, because the depth of knowledge shared will always shed new light and get you to listen with fresh ears. My guests are the returning trio of pro musicians and musicologists: Cameron Greider (Sean Lennon), Jack Petruzzelli (Fab Faux) and Walter Everett (The Beatles as Musicians Vol 1 and 2). You've heard their insi
266: Nowhere Man '23 with Robert Rosen
The author of Nowhere Man (2000) returns for a conversation prompted by the book's recent re-publication, augmented with an array of new material and appendices. Robert will also be making a rare personal appearance in St Louis on October 4th in St. Louis - details here. Among the subjects we talked about this time round were: May Pang
Fred Seaman
Early 1970s US politics and its coverage i
265: EMI Days with John Leckie and Friends
Returning guest and renowned producer John Leckie is back on SATB and this time he brought his friends; colleagues from EMI with impressive credentials of their own, who also worked with The Beatles: Nick Webb and Roger Ferris. It was a real delight to be a fly-on-the-wall as three guys who've known each other for decades spun stories about working at the most famous recording facility on earth,
264: Harrison, Lennon: It's Also Complicated
As a follow-on to my last conversation with author Glenn Greenberg, we sat down to explore the Harrison-Lennon dynamic. A couple of things referenced in the show can be found below: Here's John's 1974 note to George. Here's John's 1976 Q&A. Glenn Greenberg's Making of the White Album bookazine can be found here. "I Know It's True" (end song) by Iamaphoney can be found here.
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263: Fab 4 On Film: The Dick Lester Films with Steve Matteo
Journalist Steve Matteo has a new book out - Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film. It's an all-encompassing volume detailing and contextualizing the making of every one of their cinematic projects, including a few that didn't actually get filmed. For this first discussion, we focused on their first two, both directed for United Artists by Richard Lester and produced by Walter Shenson.
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262: McCartney's Musicality; Post-Beatles with Luca Perasi
My guest today has recently completed the first volume of an exhaustive study of Paul's body of work in Paul McCartney: Music is Ideas 1970 - 1989. Luca Perasi is a Beatles historian who specializes in the group's bassist, post-split. He was a consultant hired by MPL for the recent 7" single box set, as well as the Italian translator for Paul's The Lyrics book. For our first discussion, we focus
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