1980 Archives - Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

Last Recorded Audio of John Lennon, 12/8/80

By Michael Gerber|2026-08-14T10:52:11-07:00August 14, 2026|1980|

John and Yoko being interviewed, Dec. 6, 1980 YouTube in its infinite wisdom served this up to me today, and I spent a melancholy five minutes listening. Where do people get this stuff? How do they get it? I wonder when Yoko passes, will there be a lot of new things to listen to? And will I still be young enough to care? :-) As much as we've (rightly) discussed the enervation of John's Dakota years -- the weight loss, the torpor -- and been generally skeptical of the "househusband"-focused PR John was doing in late 1980, it's fun/sad to remember [...]

8

From Victoria: Oracle’s spoken: John Green’s Dakota Days (1983)

By Michael Gerber|2025-12-08T12:23:13-08:00October 18, 2022|1980, books, john and yoko, Reviews, Uncategorized|

When Victoria, a regular commenter here on Dullblog, asked if she could write up a review of John Green's out-of-print book Dakota Days, I immediately said "yes!" I remember reading it as deep background for my comic novel Life After Death for Beginners, and finding its glimpses into soothsaying and John and Yoko fascinating and maddening in equal measure. Here are her thoughts. Enjoy.—MG The Dakota, a Renaissance Revival building constructed in the 1880s, is well-known as a glamorous and sought after residence, and as the site of supernatural happenings in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. Beatles fans know it, however, as John [...]

60

Drugs and Differences

By Nancy Carr|2022-09-04T17:56:19-07:00May 16, 2016|1980, Drugs, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Wings|

Given the comments on a recent thread beginning here, we've decided to resurface a great post by Nancy on the topic. Originally posted 3/13/13.--MG On the apparently unstoppable "How Do You Sleep?" thread, Peter Deville commented that "it's interesting to note that the growing differences within the band coincided with a divergence in their individual drugs of choice, having made the collective journey from alcohol to uppers to pot." He adds: "Acid initially created that soon-to-be familiar fissure, with John, George and Ringo on one side and Paul on the other. I'm not suggesting that the drug divergence was responsible for the [...]

65

Jack Douglas in Beatlefan, 1999

By Michael Gerber|2022-09-04T18:01:17-07:00October 7, 2015|1980, Double Fantasy|

In the run-up to John Lennon's 75th birthday this week, this old post of ours is getting a lot of traffic. If you haven't read it, it's great -- and an example of the wonderfulness of Bill King's magazine Beatlefan. And after you read it, you might head over to this thread on The Beatles Bible. [Originally posted July 20, 2010; reposted October 7, 2015.] * * * (Folks, in the process of answering a comment from stalwart commenter Nancy, I stumbled across this excerpted Beatlefan interview with Jack Douglas, the producer on "Double Fantasy." I found it interesting--perhaps you will, too.--MG) [...]

31

Lennon in the 80s

By Michael Gerber|2015-10-05T12:21:47-07:00October 4, 2015|1980|

"Someday, son, this will all be yours. If you have Garage Band." I am always trying to figure out a non-obnoxious way to spotlight some of our great old posts. (There are over 600.) Today, commenter Damon F. solved that problem for me by finding this impassioned burbling on "Harry Nilsson: The Shadow Beatle", which spurred him to burble the following in response: "I think it’s a bit unfair to say Lennon squandered his gifts considering he was shot dead at age 40. He worked five years post Beatles yet is compared to the others who worked much longer. All [...]

15

John Lennon, Where Are You?

By Michael Gerber|2015-08-21T22:44:15-07:00August 21, 2015|1980|

Inside: Laurence Shames' "John Lennon, Where Are You?" I am in the process of throwing out the contents of several filing cabinets, almost a decade's worth of paper. It's quite a daunting task. This morning I unearthed something cowering among the dust and silverfish that I thought might be of interest: "John Lennon, Where Are You?" by Laurence Shames. Published in the November 1980 issue of Esquire, Shames' unsuccessful attempt to meet and interview the ex-Beatle is a fascinating portrait of Lennon taken from an oblique angle. It's nowhere online, so I've uploaded the PDF below, to make the information [...]

32

The Many Faces of Coming Up

By Michael Gerber|2015-01-06T21:55:11-08:00January 6, 2015|1980, solo|

In addition to famously sparking John Lennon's dormant creative flame, "Coming Up" has proven itself to be one of the most versatile songs in Paul McCartney's catalog. Here's the original, from 1980's McCartney II. Crisp and clean and plenty of caffeine. http://youtu.be/NnHu-WLvY5U Now the single, which was performed by Wings in Glasgow, 1979. http://youtu.be/EXNFynXEow0 And here's the great, funkified version Macca did at Knebworth, in 1990. http://youtu.be/xkoFdUrNTpw Finally, here's the Twin Freaks' remix, which I was obsessed with for a solid month back in 2012. Must've been something about the Mayan Calendar. http://youtu.be/EdsRYyTDEN8

2

John Lennon on Evolution

By Michael Gerber|2014-10-16T13:54:19-07:00October 16, 2014|1980, Interviews, John Lennon|

Yes, this is Mike's old college humor magazine I'm still collecting my thoughts about The Fest for Beatles Fans, but in the meantime wanted to pass along this hilarious quote from our own John Lennon. I was editing a humor piece for a friend of mine, and went to Wikiquote to confirm that Lennon did in fact say, "There are no problems, only solutions." (In the piece, I attributed it to Vince Lombardi -- a little Easter Egg joke for Beatlepeople.) Along the way I found this priceless snippet of John Lennon on evolution: Nor do I think we came [...]

11

Phil Rickman’s “December”: Wrestling with Lennon’s ghost

By Nancy Carr|2013-12-07T07:50:41-08:00December 7, 2013|1980, Beatle-inspired, Beatles fiction, books, Double Fantasy, John Lennon, Reviews, Uncategorized|

It's hard to write Beatles-related fiction without backing yourself into a corner NANCY CARR * What Beatles fan who was alive in 1980 hasn't wished he or she could have done something to prevent Lennon's murder? And what thoughtful Lennon fan hasn't been troubled by the contradictions manifested in Lennon's personality and life? Those questions drive Phil Rickman's 1996 novel December, a worthy read for this time of year despite its flaws. The book's action starts on December 8, 1980, not at the Dakota in New York City, but at a decrepit abbey in the Welsh countryside where a band fraying [...]

2

Sean to play "Double Fantasy": cool or creepy?

By Nancy Carr|2013-08-14T03:42:15-07:00May 16, 2013|1980, Double Fantasy, John Lennon, Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono|

NANCY CARR • According to this article in the New Musical Express, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon will be touring together this summer, with one of the scheduled events being the performance of Double Fantasy in its entirety. (That will be at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 23, closing out the Meltdown Festival.) Not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I think it's great for artists to play music they've worked on live for people who will enjoy it—especially when that music wasn't played live when it was released. For that reason I'm all in favor [...]

16