Michael Gerber • Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

Aspiring or inspiring?

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-07T14:11:45-07:00December 21, 2009|books, John Lennon, Paul McCartney|

John Lennon The Life by Philip Norman The New York Times Book Review sent Philip Norman's new biography John Lennon: The Life to singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, and her very positive review is written in the manner of Lennon the prose stylist. Did she pull it off? I'm of two minds, myself. On the one hand, the review is a chore to get through, in a way In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works are not. As I read, my delight was heavily diluted by frustration. But that's at least in part a genre problem: a book review, [...]

9

No comment necessary

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-11T00:48:18-07:00December 8, 2009|1963, John Lennon|

John and Julian Lennon. I'm not even going to attempt to date/source this photo (we know what happened the last time), but I discovered it yesterday and wanted to pass it along today. Spare a thought, and be good to the people who love you.

1

Nutopia: Threat or Menace?

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-07T14:01:12-07:00December 4, 2009|John Lennon|

Now that's a Great Seal! MIKE GERBER • Hello folks--Dullblogger Mike here. Sorry I've been silent, but it's for the best of reasons: I've just finished a comic mystery about a rock star who survives an assassination attempt, and has to go incognito to find out who did it and why. I'll let everybody know when it comes out; I trust it will meet with your Beatle-bonkers approval. As part of my coming-back-to-life I forward the following from my boon companion Jon Schwarz, proprietor of the very fine progressive blog A Tiny Revolution. It's a good reminder about just how crazy [...]

Comments Off

The best dancer

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-06T23:37:38-07:00September 10, 2009|alternate history, comedy|

And again ED PARK • This sort of I've-been-living-under-a-rock thing shouldn't work...but I think Klosterman pulls it off! It is not easy to categorize the Beatles’ music; more than any other group, their sound can be described as “Beatlesque.” It’s akin to a combination of Badfinger, Oasis, Corner Shop, and every other rock band that’s ever existed. The clandestine power derived from the autonomy of the group’s composition—each Beatle has his own distinct persona, even though their given names are almost impossible to remember. There was John Lennon (the mean one), Paul McCartney (the hummus eater), George Harrison (the best [...]

4

Enjoyable Billy Preston Video Friday

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-05T21:21:47-07:00August 28, 2009|Billy Preston|

Also very enjoyable, very large Afros...on ALL bandmembers! http://youtu.be/gwZe-pUhMsQ

Comments Off

Boo, Jon Landau!

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-05T20:45:35-07:00August 27, 2009|1971, McCartney, RAM uber alles|

Sometimes I transport myself I've been listening to RAM, one of the handful of solo Beatles discs I can listen to (others: All Things Must Pass, POB when I want to reaffirm the value of therapy). For kicks I unearthed this Rolling Stone review from 1971. Justly infamous, Jon Landau's review of RAM starts off as a pure hatchet-job in the standard "how dare Paul McCartney not be John Lennon" RS style, then ascends to a discussion of how The Beatles were better as a group, an observation that had to be tired even in 1971. If you sense a [...]

4

I will never be gainfully employed again

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-05T19:59:37-07:00August 12, 2009|Beatle-inspired|

Beatles Rock band is coming! Soon, soon my little timewaster, you will be mine... http://youtu.be/EgPUqMQU7Vk When my wife Kate sent this to me, she wrote, "What got me was how they narrowed John's nose over time, to show his increasing use of heroin." Dark Irish, she is.

2

God’s eye view

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-07T14:09:35-07:00August 4, 2009|1965, Mike's Various Misidentifications|

God's Eye View of our guys. If you can't identify this occasion within ten seconds, you're probably here by mistake. I wonder how it was taken? Michael Lindsay-Hogg, hanging by his toes from a dirigible? EDIT: So I suppose I must excommunicate myself-- it's not the rooftop at all! Where and when exactly is a matter of debate, which can be sampled in the Comments. Now, where is that hairshirt of mine? (Made of JohnandYoko's hair; I pilfered it from Michael X.)

12

Opposites

By Michael Gerber|2015-01-19T20:27:51-08:00July 26, 2009|McCartney, The White Album, Wings|

I'm listening to my iTunes's "party shuffle" function. Just now it played "My Love," followed by (as a palate cleanser?) "Helter Skelter." I submit that "My Love" is the anti-"Helter Skelter." Can anyone think of a better pair? Try 'em for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SB3x6KtNi4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fvJEpdq8a8

2

"How the Beatles Destroyed Rock and Roll"…

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-28T13:48:32-08:00June 3, 2009|books|

If that's destruction, bring on Ragnarok. ...is the provocative title of a new book spied by Ed this morning via the Very Short List. The book's not out yet, so I'll quote VSL as to its premise: "When the Beatles became 'purely a recording group,' author Elijah Wald writes, 'they pointed toward a future in which there need be no unifying styles . . . bands can play what they like . . . and we can choose what to listen to in the privacy of our clubs, our homes, or, finally, our heads. Whether that was liberating or limiting [...]

1

About Michael Gerber