A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by Michael Gerber on Sep 17, 01:11 Congratulations, @Maya! I am imagining you waving your hankie and stamping on your clay pipe. Whenever I meet a Yale CompSci person, I am polite but always think to myself, “Weren’t there better places for you to go than this medieval monastery?” When I was young the hives for that were either the obvious ones (MIT, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon), or the big state schools like Urbana or Berkeley. As I recall Yale CompSci was pretty good way back when — I was walking past Prof. Gelertner’s building when his hands were blown off by the Unabomber — but it was not the core of the place by any stretch. Yale, Harvard, Princeton — these were bastions of the Eastern Establishment, which were positively sniffy when it came to anything pre-professional (like comedy writing, for example!). Yale did not consider itself part of the US, and I’m only half-joking. The IDEA that they would pay attention, much less cave, to the wishes of a boorish President who wasn’t part of their own community would be unthinkable to the alums I knew from the 1930s and 40s and 50s. Yale snobbishness is obnoxious and I’ve suffered much at its hands, but it could be protective; money or status did not enter into the equation, much. Yale blue-bloods delighted in ignoring status markers from outside the tribe, which is why stuff like the Senior Societies mattered so much; in a place where Cleveland was still considered the boonies, the News and Record and Bones and Keys and such were how one could join the club. There was even something called “YWAT”, an abbrieviation for the Yale Way of Thought. Anyway, to spend one’s time in such a blessed cloister marinating in the Silicon Valley Way of Thought seems quite wrong-headed to me, and I think it’s a symptom of the money- and status-madness that’s infected Yale and every place like it during my lifetime. The school I went to wouldn’t WANT Elon Musk or Peter Thiel as an alum, because those guys didn’t share the school’s values — on display in a humorous but not wholly inaccurate way in “The Preppy Handbook” — and there was a vision of Yale’s unique mission that (for better and worse) extended far beyond the necessities of maintaining a great big pile of dough. I calculated it once; Yale’s endowment is roughly 17x bigger than when I graduated; there’s just one hell of a lot more money sloshing around there, and the culture is different. Sorry to say, I don’t feel very comfortable there anymore; I much prefer Sally’s or Pepe’s to any place on campus. Yale in 1987-91 was simply ALIVE with history and historians; it was the place to go for American colonial history (Jon Butler), history of the American West (Haward Lamar), LGBTQIA history (John Boswell), military history (Michael Howard), U.S. intelligence history (Robin Winks)…and so forth. The American Studies department was also very good. As one might imagine, Yale’s history department skewed conservative — my love, the history of the Sixties, was too recent for Yale when I was there; it was appropriate only for junior profs (see below). Ten years after I left, they invited Todd Gitlin to be a visiting professor, but anything countercultural (without an LGBTQIA spin) was seen to be a bit sweaty and better handled by Berkeley, NYU and Columbia. Basically, any speciality that Yale’s History department wished to dominate, it did so; with the caveat being that Harvard offered a better grad school education if the top person in your specialty taught there; like if I’d continued on the academic track as I’d initially wanted to, I probably would’ve applied to Berkeley, NYU, Columbia. because that’s where tne New Left had happened, and where they weren’t so close to the US Government — if I had studied the JFK stuff at Yale, I would’ve immediately encountered alumni names, and nobody needed that shit, not me, not them, not Yale in 1991. George H. W. Bush famously didn’t remember where he was on 11/22/63, but he spoke at my graduation. That generation was very much still in charge in certain subcultures of the U.S., and Yale. My main man on the faculty was a junior prof from Brown who left Yale for Oxford and the History Channel; and now is at UVA. He’s a wonderful person and a fine, fine historian; I disagree with him strongly on the JFK assassination, but realize that there have always been pressures on him to toe the Warren Commission line, professional ones of course but also personal (he knew JFK Jr. at Brown). So studying history at a place like Yale is not without its challenges; the prestige and access works for you if you are studying something settled like Harold Ickes and the New Deal, but works against you if you’re trying to figure out whether Charles Manson was part of MK-Ultra. It’s also difficult to overstate how deeply Anglophilic Yale was in those days, in large part due to the Second World War. Without turning this comment into more of a novella, Yale’s student culture changed from fiercely isolationist in the 1930s to fiercely anti-Fascist/pro-British in the 1940s, which led to much of the American intelligence establishment having Yale ties. And those men were taught the trade by Cantabridgians at SIS/MI6. When I was there, the Yale Center for British Art and The Lizzy, both founded and funded by Paul Mellon (Y’28, and Cambridge after that), plus the close ties between Yale and Cambridge (especially Clare College), gave the place a genteel air. Harvard always struck me as more Colonial, more American, more eccentric; but when I was there, the two main subterranean strains at Yale were 1) Anglophilia and 2) New York money. Anyway, had my timing been a bit different–maybe 10 years later?–I would’ve happily gone from Yale either to Cambridge for grad school to specialize in the (Cambridge-led) Satire Boom and the Beatles 60s, or to someplace in the States to study the murkier aspects of the counterculture, the assassinations and the like. This blog has always been, for me, an attempt to scratch this itch in an informal way. Though health and the exigencies of making a living have prevented me from doing some of my more ambitious dreams — so many podcasts and documentaries! — I’m glad that people enjoy Hey Dullblog, and hope that our seriousness and quality here has inspired those who got to formally study the topics I am fascinated by.
A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Sep 15, 10:38 I think it says something about our age that regular people don’t want to engage with the big/hard questions even at the level of your average unquestioningly religious person from 100 years ago (i.e., this is what I’m told happens when I’m die) and prefers to sublimate it to the “now” of fandom – which often reaches its purest expression in the form of “here is why people on the Internet are being mean about my favorite, who never did anything wrong.” I’ve been reading a lot about early Christianity recently, and let me put it this way — I *get* why John Lennon, high on LSD, identified with Jesus Christ, and I also *get* why, knowing that there was a fairly high chance someone might try to kill him during that era of assassinations, he often set about living his *public* life from 1968 – 1980 in a way that might make him particularly martyrable. He clearly thought about it a lot; he bragged about it in The Ballad of John and Yoko.- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Sep 15, 10:11 @Matt, not to immediately make this super dark (proceeds to make it super dark), but if one engages in the thought experiments we’ve discussed about Lennon’s foreknowledge of December 8, then his relaxed-ness makes an eerie kind of sense. As does the boundless optimism he offers in these November/December interviews.
Quadruple fantasy Comment by on Sep 14, 08:56 Absolutely. All of their individual music would have been improved with their usual collaboration, and the bad songs would have been (mostly) voted out. The harmonies would have been so much better, when appropriate, and the synergy was self explanatory. Alas…- You Say it’s Your Birthday (Or Was Yesterday)?; or, How the Beatles May or May Not Have Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll Comment by on Sep 14, 08:51 Is ‘My Ding a Ling’ Rock and Roll because Chuck Berry did it?
- "Hullabaloo Salute to RUBBER SOUL" Comment by on Sep 14, 08:45 I’ve never heard a cover that I have enjoyed as much as the Beatles original. But I Enjoy all the covers the Beatles did more than the originals. You can’t top them!
- "How the Beatles Destroyed Rock and Roll"… Comment by on Sep 13, 18:32 That’s because everything the Beatles did was suitable of LP release.
- Happy Passover, Tatellehs and Mommellahs Comment by on Sep 13, 17:23 Whoa, that link led to a big google warning!
- Old Draft: Beatles Folk Memory 1970-1995 Comment by on Sep 13, 14:07 60s-70s music in general is pretty well remembered and loved, not just the Beatles. Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, even the Monkees are still fairly popular. This is probably due to the technology of the LP. In the 80s-90s, VCRs meant film became the best art form (I recently watched RoboCop for the first time and couldn’t believe how much better it is than most movies nowadays. That’s not nostalgia, because I never watched it back then.) In the 00s-10s, DVDs gave us prestige television (with commentary tracks!) Today the best art form seems to be YouTube-style lo-fi horror films. McLennon, I think, is a side effect of millennials and zoomers consuming huge amounts of internet porn from a young age. It’s just assumed that you can hop online and insantly find porn of anything you like, complete with labeled categories. McLennon falls under the categories of “forbidden love” and “pining,” just like that gay hockey show every girl loves.
- First Thoughts on “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event” Comment by on Sep 12, 12:09 I just read Pete Shotton’s book, and he says the Beatles acted pretty much like the Sex Pistols before Brian made them behave.
- First Thoughts on “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event” Comment by on Sep 12, 11:44 The Hours and Times is my favorite Beatles movie, I think. And that’s largely because it’s not trying to be a Beatles movie. It’s a work of fiction inspired by a real event. That’s why John and Brian’s trip in the movie is 4 days in Barcelona, while in real life it was about 2 weeks starting in Barcelona and ending up in a seaside town. The movie is about a lonely gay man and a lonely straight man trying to figure out their situationship. The John character tries to start an affair with the Brian character, but he can’t follow through because he’s too heterosexual. For a while it looks like their friendship might be destroyed, but they patch things up and become closer friends than ever. Broadly speaking, I think something like this could have happened in real life. But even if it didn’t, it’s just a cool little story in its own right. I think movies like this can benefit from not trying to bring up every entry in the band’s Wikipedia. If I were going to make a Beatles movie, I’d make it about the “fun” era of the Beatles: from the time Brian discovered them to the time they stopped touring. And I’d give it a comedic tone, because that’s what people want from the Beatles. I’d cut out Stu Sutcliffe’s death (some might call this disrespectful, but I don’t think so.) The darkest events would be the threats during their final tours.
- It happened in Toronto Comment by on Sep 11, 17:17 Deviously and successfully wooed John away from his wife, kept him from his friends, wouldn’t allow him to treat Cynthia or Julian as part of his family, I vote DRAGON LADY!
- A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Sep 11, 15:51 I was bumbling around on the internet and thought I would check in on this hibernating website…what a delight it is to discover that it’s back! Somehow it’s been almost a year and I didn’t notice, but better late than never. Thanks for turning the lights back on, Michael. Anyway, as a newly minted Yale alum, I think it’s pretty sad that comp sci is Yale’s most popular major. There are better (and cheaper) places than Yale to get a degree in computer science. But Yale’s humanities education is still something you can’t get anywhere else. I know they’re trying to stay atop the rankings in a world where STEM is prioritized above all, but it feels like they are sacrificing what they are uniquely good at.
- Little Help From Our Friends? Comment by on Sep 11, 10:41 You can get the details @ They May Be Parted
- Little Help From Our Friends? Comment by on Sep 11, 10:39 No one knew about the hidden mike except Hogg & crew. The table was reserved for the Beatles & co. BTW, Jackson takes some seriously misguided artistic license IMO. He tries to make viewers believe that it was only John and Paul there, and he changes some of the conversation timeline around. But there were many people at the table, including Ringo, Linda and Yoko. There is much more to the conversation in the Nagra tapes, but it is still fairly incomprehensible.
- Killing Joke Comment by on Sep 11, 10:32 Agreed. Paul has a very Liverpudlian sense of humour. I enjoyed the whole shtick, and Colbert is great
- A Youtube Gem Comment by on Sep 11, 10:00 I had never heard of Hey Bulldog until my son made me a USB of all the Beatles songs. One of their best, IMO. love the dogs howling at the end. They were so playful in those days.
- The magic number Comment by on Sep 11, 09:56 Have to disagree with the above, Michelle is an amazing song, as is all of Rubber Soul
- What Sexy Sadie did Comment by on Sep 10, 17:18 It’s interesting in Get Back, when they’re talking about their time in India, there doesn’t seem to be much acrimony, except for Georges typical snide remark to Paul.
- What Sexy Sadie did Comment by on Sep 10, 08:48 Yoko’s ‘notes’ to John in Rishikesh we’re the straw that broke the camel’s back IMO. He probably wanted out before that, but once she hooked him, she gave him the confidence to try and make it on his own. (with her) Had she not appeared on the scene, he might have stayed a Beatle (unhappily?), and history would be completely different. I’m glad Paul pushed them all to make everything from Pepper on, otherwise, it would have been a much smaller catalog of the greatest music ever.
- I read the news today: "Oh Boy!" Comment by on Sep 9, 18:03 That’s a serious accusation to make without proof.
- Four-string serenade Comment by on Sep 9, 18:00 I was never a use fan, but the guy in the video above is truly amazing.
- "Let It Be" dissected Comment by on Sep 9, 17:54 Great album, I listened to it over and over for years in high school and college. I wish they had played more Maggie May!
- Little Help From Our Friends? Comment by on Sep 9, 09:23 I would be very pleased, within the limits of exceedingly limited skills, to lend a hand in any way that would be of benefit. A little off track, but do any of the readers here have an idea if Paul McCartney, in the Get Back film, had an idea that a microphone had been placed in the cafeteria by Michael Lindsay-Whole-Hogg? For some reason this just crossed my mind as I was walking the other day and it struck me as being a bit contrived so I went back and listened to a few minutes of that section. Sure, placing a mic is contrived, but how did Hogg know that the group would sit at exactly that table? Did they always sit right there? Was it always reserved just for them? I know that is getting pretty far in the weeds, but something just seems off. And then what in the blazes is that comment “What are WE going to do about George?” I had missed that before. Anyway, for musicians who were geniuses with lyrics, that cafeteria chin wag was painful. I have heard 4th graders voice their thoughts in a more structured and cogent manner. I understand that no one speaks like Jacob Rees Mogg 24/7, but still… Somehow Hogg knew that the principals were going to repair to the cafeteria and that they were going to to discuss (a stretch) band business. How did he know this or am I just letting a random BB bounce around my head?
- Video: You Can’t Do That Comment by on Sep 4, 08:01 Although it isn’t noticeable here, I love the way Paul comes in with the base after the first lead in.
- "The mopheads or whatever" Comment by on Aug 31, 12:40 A lot of people have gone a long time not being especially impressed by The Beatles. I didnt become a fan until I saw A Hard Day’s Night. The attitude is probably more common than you think. To be honest, even I cringe when I hear some fans fawn over The Beatles like they were a holy event. I can understand why John would find it a breath of fresh air to get away from that.
- A Few Words on Conspiracy Theory Comment by on Aug 30, 11:26 if anyone can produce a doppelgänger that looks as much like, and is as talented as their predecessor as Paul Mccartneys was, I might consider the possibility. Otherwise, I have always dismissed it out of hand. Same with most CT’s.
- Sgt Pepper Versus Revolver Comment by on Aug 30, 10:32 I love Pepper, and I love all the albums. but if I had to be stranded on a desert island with only one, it would be Abbey Road, especially side two. As I listen to Beatles songs in my set list, only an Abbey Road song will make me diverge to listening to the whole album. For me, I think it is literally because it was THE END. Best song ever written IMO.
- A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Aug 29, 18:06 I saw Ms. Kessler on Matt Williamson’s fabulous Pop Goes the 60s podcast, but I must admit that I only watched a few minutes as she creeped me out. Now, I fully realize that is on me, but here is my excuse… It was when, for whatever reason, I was wrestling with the concept of Fandom and the question of what would some of these super fans do if they actually met their hero/heroine and they did not like them? What if the object of their admiration was dismissive, rude, and generally someone you would tire of after a few encounters? We all know that even couples who were once madly in love often end up separating. I know for certain that there are those with whom we work that we have avoided as much as possible ( with the opposite, of course, being true). I had yet to understand that Fandom is setting aside all those nagging details of reality. Fandom, at most, requires us to say “Sure he might be quick with a tongue-lashing to others, but he wouldn’t do that to me.” I know…Fandom is supposed to be fun. It is meant to be an escape and to allow for flights of fancy, but I have never liked the imbalances inherent in it nor have many of the artists themselves. It is an artificial scaffold that is not meant to support real and meaningful relationships. So I stand in the dock and can only look at the judge and say “M’lord, I did not mean to speak poorly of the good lady, but that level of Fandom is WAY too deep for me. “
- Beatle interviews, 1969-70 Comment by on Aug 29, 11:25 Didn’t Paul say in Get Back, I can’t do part time Beatles’?
- Beatle interviews, 1969-70 Comment by on Aug 29, 11:24 I don’t think Paul would have gone along with less work, he survives on it. I don’t think John would have agreed to any kind of touring, nor George. Ringo? He was easy, even if he said it didn’t come easy.
- A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Aug 27, 20:31 I think historical fiction, at its best, can be marvelously revealing. Gore Vidal’s novel about Lincoln is the perfect example — partly because Vidal did his research, yes, but also because he had an interesting perspective on his subject, and he was able to express it in an interesting way. But what Jude Southerland Kessler is doing strikes me as well-researched fanfiction. I read an interview with her, and her take on John Lennon doesn’t seem much deeper to me than that of Ray Coleman’s biography, a sentimental portrait of a seemingly tough guy with a “heart of gold.” I read through a long excerpt from one of the books, and despite the polished faux-Liverpudlian dialogue, something seemed off to me. Then I figured it out — there’s no swearing! A John Lennon who never uses curse words is truly a creature out of science fiction.
- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Aug 27, 17:31 Paul, the interview on Dec 8 was with RKO radio. Peebles was a few days earlier, on the 6th.
A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Aug 27, 15:48 Absolutely, Michael — in that post I went on at some length about how legitimate histories or biographies flag when a point is disputed, and while the historian or biographer may adopt a specific view, it’s indicated in the text as a choice. I did read Sutherland’s first book and it is historical fiction. That doesn’t make it bad, it just describes it accurately. And it’s perfectly possible to write good, illuminating fiction about the Beatles! Your novel and Kevin Barry’s “Beatlebone” spring to mind. Then there are riffs on the Beatles like Mark Shipper’s “Paperback Writer.” My contention is that it’s best to own up to what you’re doing as fully as possible, and be careful that you’re not deluding yourself or others about what that is.- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Aug 27, 15:22 That’s a good point. And the probability that John himself – codependent as he and Yoko were, under the stress of a tour – would relapse (if, indeed, he had not already by December 1980) seems high. The bottom line is though, these are two people – full of innumerable paranoias and deep psychological insecurites – who spent a decade building their own fortress to avoid contact with lower earth. Unless they underwent a complete mutation of personality, touring would have been anathema to them in every regard.
- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Aug 27, 12:43 there is also one of his audio diaries on YouTube, 35 minutes.
- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Aug 27, 12:42 3 hours with Andy Peebles:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z15Zgn3P6cM#:~:text=The%20complete%20John%20Lennon%20and%20Yoko%20Ono%20Interview%20with%20Andy%20Peebles.%20He%20was%20in%20full%20swing%20in%20late%201980%20giving%20long%2C%20time%20consuming%20interviews%20promoting%20Double%20Fantasy%20and%20getting%20the%20message%20out%20that%20he%20was%20back%2C%20rested%20and%20raring%20to%20go.%C2%A0
- Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80 Comment by on Aug 27, 12:39 He does sound unusually amiable there. Do we know anything about this interview? Maybe it was all promotion.
- A quick yawp from Mr. History Comment by on Aug 27, 12:24 And thus the popularity of historical fiction these days, and many people believe they are reading all facts!
Recent CommentsMichael Gerber2020-09-14T13:07:50-07:00
