- Needed: Paid Research Assistant(s) for a Beatle Project - October 28, 2023
- From Faith Current: “The Sacred Ordinary: St. Peter’s Church Hall” - May 1, 2023
- A brief (?) hiatus - April 22, 2023
The big, beautiful beast that is the rest of my life.
Hey Dullblog wouldn’t be what it is today without my dayjob, The American Bystander. For the past several years, I’ve been working with a team to create the next great print humor magazine. Issue #1, a big and beautiful softcover book, is finally done — or it would be, if you guys would stop distracting me! (“Were John and Paul Lovers?” I still have no idea, but I predict the comments will hit 250.)
Both John and George were involved with projects like this; John hung around National Lampoon for a while when he and Yoko lived on Bank St. And George, well, you better believe I’d be contacting Mr. Papadopolous if he were still alive. This time, he’d only have to mortgage Friar Park’s garden shed.
The American Bystander. Fab.
We’re running a Kickstarter campaign to see if there’s still an audience for print humor magazines. If you have this peculiar itch, Bystander #1 will surely scratch it — it boasts material from all sorts of impressive folks: Jack Handey from Saturday Night Live, George Meyer from The Simpsons, Monty Python’s Terry Jones, Roz Chast, and many others. You can check out the Kickstarter here. There’s also a video, so the next time I type, “I love Magical Mystery Tour!” you’ll sorta hear me saying it.
Nancy, Ed, Devin and I make a point of not promoting our own work on the site; it was tempting to remind everyone of Life After Death for Beginners on Lennon’s 75th, but I decided against it. But I’m making an exception this once because, without the time paid for by The American Bystander, Hey Dullblog would have coasted amiably to a halt in 2013. Instead, I’ve been able to show it the kind of attention normally reserved for paid gigs — making sure that whether you’ve been reading us since 2008, or just arrived today, Hey Dullblog adds something unique to your love and appreciation of the Beatles. Over the weekend, a new reader wrote to say that they had been going through a rough time and that the site was a real comfort. You’re welcome, friend, and remember: nothing is Beatle-proof. (I’m not kidding.)
I’m so delighted with what we’ve made here together; going and pledging to The Bystander is a nice way to tell me you feel the same. If cash is tight, and when is it not, sharing the link will help. Email it, tweet it, post it on Facebook: http://kck.st/1Mz7yPo. Mr. Papadopolous would approve.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
Related posts:
The Beatles and National Lampoon: “Magical Misery Tour” (1971)
Besame mucho
Call for Submissions!
BBC Arena: "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited"
The Beatles and Fantasy Football?
Sleeveface: Change your head
The best dancer
The Beatles on Stella Street
“You, my pal, ROCK!”: Inspiration from the spam filter
Shenk on Lennon/McCartney
Introducing…The Beach Pals!
CARS Checklist
Some great names connected with this. Jack Handey made me laugh at a time when I thought I’d lost my sense of humor. It’s great to see him published anywhere. Simpsons people, Monty Python people… this is going to be great.
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In a different thread I learned of Yoko’s claim that John was kept up nights with his disappointment that nobody covered his songs. If he only knew about a whole new generation of talented young people who reinterpret his songs lovingly, on ukulele:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ad2ooFPRUs
A sweet cover of “I Feel Fine” with tasty harmony. Reminds me that John was a melody man as well as a fine lyricist.
Mike/Nancy/Ed/Devin: this seems like a good spot to say thanks for all the time/love you’ve put into this fab website. I may not get here everyday but when I do land here it always brightens my day and I’m always beyond curious to see what y’all have written. You’ve given this Beatle boy many hours of enjoyment and intellectual stimulation not to mention a sense of camaraderie with you and fellow readers. Thanks
Mike – the Bystander looks very promising. I’m perusing the Kickstarter page now. Also, I read Life After Death a few years ago and highly recommend it to anyone reading this site.
And to think I knew you when. 🙂
Congrats Mike!
Thank you my friend! We’ve just become a Kickstarter Staff Pick, which is apparently a very good thing.
Open thread?
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Retronaut has a photo essay on Stuart, the “other Beatle”
http://mashable.com/2015/10/22/beatles-stuart-sutcliffe/#opD2JdRk5kqh
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He looks so miserable onstage with the others. Like he wishes he could tell John “Look, I really don’t want to do this, I just want to paint.”
As far as getting the word out, would it be helpful to send a link to the kickstarter to BoingBoing?
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Lots of Simpsons and Monty Python fans over there.
We’re trying, @Sam. I’m going to try to talk to BB and Dangerousminds.net, too. Such great sites.
I keep checking back every few days to see how you’re doing and I am cautiously encouraged. The thing seems to be chugging along.
You surpassed your goal! Congratulations!
Thanks, @Sam! Couldn’t have done it without you.
And now, on to the STRETCH GOALS!
Yes, congratulations! As a print (and humor) lover, this gives me hope.
And you, too, Nancy!
Glad to give some hope, always.
I’m a little late to the party but I pledged anyway. Glad to see it succeed.
Never too late, @Sandy. Many thanks to you, and to everybody else. The initial goal was just to exist; now we are trying to improve it.
Interesting interview with Buck Henry. He talks about the American version of This Was The Week That Was, and how it was squashed:
http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2015/11/an-interview-with-buck-henry.html
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The American version was live – but we were not that live. In the second year [during the 1964 presidential campaign] the Republicans bought our time period four weeks in a row [with paid political announcements]. That did us in. All expectations left and people forgot we were there. That was probably the first and only time that ever happened – that politicians bought out a show.
I’d never heard that, @Sam. When the Kickstarter dust settles, I’ll read that interview!