Lewisohn's Book
-
Thisbe211:
Our Paul doesn't come off too well in this book. He seems quite petulant and difficult to deal with, and not too popular with many people. You may have a tendency to expect that more with John, but it appears John was liked more by those they knew, despite all his crazy, cruel, nasty behavior. Some things never change...
Yeah, he definitely doesn't get as much print time as the others, either.
-
Fan4-45years:
Thisbe211:
Our Paul doesn't come off too well in this book. He seems quite petulant and difficult to deal with, and not too popular with many people. You may have a tendency to expect that more with John, but it appears John was liked more by those they knew, despite all his crazy, cruel, nasty behavior. Some things never change...
Yeah, he definitely doesn't get as much print time as the others, either.
Geniuses are never popular in their own time. I truly believe that it will take Paul's death for him to be recognized for the musical genius that he is (by the public, especially those in the U.K.) I think that the people who talked so much about John just had some great anecdotes about all of his wild & crazy antics. Did this mean they actually liked him more? Who knows?
-
For those of you reading the book who have never been to Liverpool, I thought I would post some pics of various locations that are mentioned in the story and photos that Mark talks about, but are not in the book: Paul's cousin Ian Harris' wedding, Mar. 8, 1958 (John was "bevvied"/drunk! & George has just turned 15 eleven days earlier) Photo by 14 year old Mike McCartney (1st color photo of them and only one for 4 years!) Cowboy shirts with Arthur Kelly, later in Mar. 1958 The Jacaranda (in 2011; I think it went out of business & closed in 2013) Ye Cracke (in 2011)
-
-
Thanks Nancy! These are quite awesome.
-
Whoo hoo! My copy of the extended edition arrived this weekend. Yesterday I started reading. Not finished yet. I have read some other (far too many, perhaps) Beatle books, but this one beats them all. What a book. 2 comments: I don't like end notes, I would have preferred foot notes, now I have to go to the end and back every time. Just nit-picking. While reading I have my laptop running to type in street names and the like, to see where they are situated and to see pictures when available.
-
Foxx54:
Whoo hoo! My copy of the extended edition arrived this weekend. .
Nice! Mine arrived, too, but I was told I have to wait until Christmas for it Even though I've read the standard edition, I am absolutely going to read this one front to back as well.
-
Be sure to let us in on some of the differences between the editions, Dr!
-
Something I don't think I knew before this book (unless I forgot!) is" Japage 3"! ( And people thought "Beatles" was a weird name? Japage???)
-
Foxx54:
I don't like end notes, I would have preferred foot notes, now I have to go to the end and back every time. Just nit-picking.
I share your frustration but to be fair to Mark, there are plenty of 'footnotes' anyway at the bottom of the pages (some have to be spread over two pages) and to have placed all the 'reference sources' at the bottom of the pages.....well, I doubt there would have been the space available.
-
Thisbe211:
Something I don't think I knew before this book (unless I forgot!) is" Japage 3"! ( And people thought "Beatles" was a weird name? Japage???)
That and Paul seriously considering changing his name (in 1962 for professional purposes) from Paul McCartney to Paul James? Paul James and Wings? Hmmm.......
-
Kestrel:
Thisbe211:
Something I don't think I knew before this book (unless I forgot!) is" Japage 3"! ( And people thought "Beatles" was a weird name? Japage???)
That and Paul seriously considering changing his name (in 1962 for professional purposes) from Paul McCartney to Paul James? Paul James and Wings? Hmmm.......
Yeah, that one, too! We always heard about "Ramon" but James is a new one. "Lennon-James"? Not quite the same, is it? (Which just caused a thought: knowing how Paul prefers "McCartney-Lennon", and one of the reasons given for it being "Lennon-McCartney" was it was in alphabetical order, maybe Paul figured he could beat John out with "J" because it comes before "L"?)
-
Thisbe211:
Kestrel:
Thisbe211:
Something I don't think I knew before this book (unless I forgot!) is" Japage 3"! ( And people thought "Beatles" was a weird name? Japage???)
That and Paul seriously considering changing his name (in 1962 for professional purposes) from Paul McCartney to Paul James? Paul James and Wings? Hmmm.......
Yeah, that one, too! We always heard about "Ramon" but James is a new one. "Lennon-James"? Not quite the same, is it? (Which just caused a thought: knowing how Paul prefers "McCartney-Lennon", and one of the reasons given for it being "Lennon-McCartney" was it was in alphabetical order, maybe Paul figured he could beat John out with "J" because it comes before "L"?)
-
Kestrel:
Foxx54:
I don't like end notes, I would have preferred foot notes, now I have to go to the end and back every time. Just nit-picking.
I share your frustration but to be fair to Mark, there are plenty of 'footnotes' anyway at the bottom of the pages (some have to be spread over two pages) and to have placed all the 'reference sources' at the bottom of the pages.....well, I doubt there would have been the space available.
Yeah, I noticed there are foot notes, too. The end notes fall into 2 categories: 1. original date and place of interview quotes, and 2. some further explanation of things mentioned in the main text. Those (2) I would have preferred as foot notes. Yes, that would cost some space but there will more space at the end, in that case, because of lesser or no end notes. But hey, what am I mumbling about. This is a truly wonderful book.
-
Somebody online wrote this Lewishon fellow doesn't really know much about music, that he wrote an entire book on the Fabs' music without mentioning a single musical instrument. True?
-
SusyLuvsPaul:
Somebody online wrote this Lewishon fellow doesn't really know much about music, that he wrote an entire book on the Fabs' music without mentioning a single musical instrument. True?
I have no idea if he is a musician himself, and he titles himself a historian and writer, but he certainly knows enough about music to have written so many essential works on the Beatles over the past 25 years!
-
DrBeatle:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Somebody online wrote this Lewishon fellow doesn't really know much about music, that he wrote an entire book on the Fabs' music without mentioning a single musical instrument. True?
I have no idea if he is a musician himself, and he titles himself a historian and writer, but he certainly knows enough about music to have written so many essential works on the Beatles over the past 25 years!
He's does say he is not a musician in the foreword to Beatles Gear. Not really sure how it's relevant when he is a writer, researcher, and a historian. He's not writing a book on The Beatles as musicians, but their biography.
-
SusyLuvsPaul:
Somebody online wrote this Lewishon fellow doesn't really know much about music, that he wrote an entire book on the Fabs' music without mentioning a single musical instrument. True?
What book is that?
-
SPOILERS AHEAD: I'm up to almost the end of 1959 now and they quoted a woman who used to frequent the Casbah that "everybody liked Paul." I think she was probably referring to the girls though. Funny story in there about a bunch of them spending the night in the Best's front parlour and Paul was almost caught by Mrs. Best in a "compromising position" with some young girl! "Paul! What are you doing?" "Nothing Mrs. Best!"
-
dcshark:
DrBeatle:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Somebody online wrote this Lewishon fellow doesn't really know much about music, that he wrote an entire book on the Fabs' music without mentioning a single musical instrument. True?
I have no idea if he is a musician himself, and he titles himself a historian and writer, but he certainly knows enough about music to have written so many essential works on the Beatles over the past 25 years!
He's does say he is not a musician in the foreword to Beatles Gear. Not really sure how it's relevant when he is a writer, researcher, and a historian. He's not writing a book on The Beatles as musicians, but their biography.
EXACTLY!