books Archives | Page 3 of 9 | Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

John Lennon and Branwell Bronte

By Nancy Carr|2015-07-28T11:43:54-07:00July 28, 2015|Beatle-inspired, books, John Lennon, Paul Is Dead (PID), Victorian literature|

St. James' earlier book on the supposed connection between Branwell Bronte and John Lennon NANCY CARR * A recently self-published book by Jewelle St. James, John Lennon and the Bronte Connection, claims that John Lennon was the reincarnation of Branwell Bronte, the brother of the more famous Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. Also that the author is, perhaps, the reincarnation of Emily Bronte. And that in an incarnation previous to this 19th century one, Jewelle and John were lovers (as "John Baron" and "Katherine St. James" in 15th century England). The new book is an elaboration of her 2011 work, The [...]

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Cynthia Lennon: 1939-2015

By Devin McKinney|2015-12-30T11:19:58-08:00April 1, 2015|books, Cynthia Lennon, Obituaries, Wives and girlfriends|

The news today that Cynthia Lennon, ne Powell, is dead at the age of 75 has hit me, and I’m certain many others, with unexpected force. As her book A Twist of Lennon (one of the better Beatles-insider memoirs) made clear—without ever seeming bitter or vengeful about it—sweet Cynthia often got the shit end of the genius stick. She and John, I gather, shared most of their best times together early on, before fame; she was one of the things, perhaps the most important thing, that kept him, and so the band, together and moving forward. Cynthia (sitting, left) serenaded by [...]

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1965: The Most Revolutionary Year In Music

By Michael Gerber|2015-03-11T22:00:15-07:00March 11, 2015|1965, books|

Gentle Readers, the following is an excerpt from Andrew Jackson's "1965: The Most Revolutionary Year In Music." You'll have to read the book to decide whether his title speaks the truth, but in the meantime here's Andrew's take on The Beatles, Dick Lester, and the little-known bit of 60s cinema called "The Knack…and How to Get It." My only question is -- having seen the movie once, about 20 years ago -- is Ray Brooks obviously John Lennon? The author is giving a reading tonight (Thurs 3/12) at Los Angeles' Book Soup. And of course, videos, playlists, and more excerpts can be [...]

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Robert Christgau on “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band”

By Devin McKinney|2015-04-15T11:17:49-07:00March 10, 2015|Beatles Criticism, books, JL/POB, John Lennon, Robert Christgau|

John and Yoko with (l-r) unidentified, Neil Aspinall, Ringo, and Maureen at John's 31st birthday party in Syracuse, NY, where Robert Christgau met them. DEVIN McKINNEY • Robert Christgau’s new memoir, Going Into the City: Portrait of a Critic as a Young Man, contains a passage on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album that struck me as resonant, and more than relevant to recent discussions on this board. As I sought at length to explain in my review of the book, posted at Critics at Large, Christgau is often a wise man and often merely a wise guy, and a [...]

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The Making of John Lennon

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-22T10:56:05-08:00December 20, 2014|books|

Now here's a book for Dullbloggers! After all the breath expended on the topic of John Lennon -- a large cloud of it by the man himself -- I'm dogged by the persistent feeling we're no closer to finding out what really made him tick. But there's a new book on Mr. Chief Beatle that approaches him from two new, and potentially very fruitful, directions: his hometown, and his relationship with Aunt Mimi. Francis Kenny's The Making of John Lennon is an "investigative biography" which attempts to untangle some of the knottiest strands of Lennon's personality, and place the man [...]

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Where’s Ringo?

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-10T11:49:46-08:00December 10, 2014|Beatles merch, books, The Fest for Beatles Fans|

In Pacific Palisades, I think Back in October at LA's Fest for Beatles Fans, I was taking a final gallop through the merch bazaar before Kate came to pick me up. A few final hugs and handshakes for vendors I'd spoken with or seen talk about their books; a quick glance here and there to see if there had been anything I missed. Frankly, I'd already spent too much and was determined not to spend any more -- and then I found a charming book called "Where's Ringo?" It's a lively Waldo-style hunt-and-find, with each detail-crammed illustration taking place at [...]

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Collector’s Edition by Stuart Tolley

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-30T23:59:21-08:00December 1, 2014|books, Covers, Paul McCartney|

In the run-up to the holiday, I'm going to begin posting on some of the Beatle books that have been hurled over our e-transom in the last several months. This morning author Stuart Talley wrote to tell me about his book Collector's Edition, a roundup of the graphic and product design employed in limited-run collectibles. It looks like a fascinating book -- who wouldn't want a peep at The Vatican Secret Archives, for example, "hand-bound in the Vatican and produced in an edition of just 33 copies"? "One Man and His Dog......" by Paul McCartney But there's something of special [...]

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Interview: McCartney Recording Sessions author Luca Perasi

By Michael Gerber|2014-10-28T13:52:09-07:00October 28, 2014|books, Interviews, Paul McCartney, Wings|

"Groundbreaking and definitive" Here's a welcome sign that Paul McCartney's solo work is being looked at with new and appreciative eyes: Luca Perasi's Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) catalogs all Paul's solo recording sessions in detail. Well, the first 44 years of his post-Beatles career, anyway. Among the book's revelations is just how often McCartney recorded songs he didn't release for years, or in some cases didn't release at all. In the course of his researches, Perasi interviewed over seventy people who have worked with Paul over the years, and the perspectives they give on the man and his work are invaluable. Better still, Perasi doesn't let his obvious affection for McCartney's [...]

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Interview with Man on the Run author Tom Doyle

By Michael Gerber|2014-09-24T11:02:26-07:00September 23, 2014|1970s, books, Interviews, Paul McCartney|

At this late date, it's a rare book that fundamentally redefines what I think of a Beatle and his work. But after reading Tom Doyle's Man on the Run, I'm hearing Paul McCartney's Seventies music in a whole new way -- not as tuneful, inoffensive AOR, or bargain-bin Beatles, but as a legitimate second act -- a bit like Dylan after the motorcycle crash. Doyle is just the right man for this job; a longtime contributor to the Beatles-crazy UK music mags MOJO and Q, the spine of Man on the Run was formed by a series of interviews he did with [...]

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Joshua Wolf Shenk on Lennon and McCartney (Take 3)

By Devin McKinney|2014-08-15T10:35:18-07:00August 15, 2014|John and Paul, Joshua Wolf Shenk, Reviews|

Nancy & Mike, I feel like Peggy Lee: Is that all there is? If The Atlantic put this on the cover, it must have been a slow cycle, without much happening in the world. Or maybe they just needed a shot of Beatles magic in the rump. “The Power of Two” isn’t a waste of time, because it gives us all a chance to engage in more Beatle chatter, and is further evidence, or suggestion, that the Beatles will not dematerialize into nostalgic ether when the Baby Boomers pass from our midst. But taking the piece on its intrinsic, not incidental merits, [...]

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