Lewishon and his stupid minutiae
Oct 21, 2017 13:38:21 GMT
Post by antiram on Oct 21, 2017 13:38:21 GMT
not yonder said:
I can't wait for his 1963 story. That's the part I'm most interested in - when they were still hungry. When they were yet to reach the toppermost of the poppermost. I really want to know every single detail of how Beatlemania gradaully took hold in the UK in the first few months of the year. Not so bothered about the detail of every BBC session, but I hope he has something about every single gig they did, touring around in that little van - stories from fans at every venue, stuff from the local media about the mania spreading.I wonder if Mark reads this thread? If you're out there, Mark, one thing I'm fascinated to know is how much new stuff you've discovered about the pre-1963 story since volume 1 appeared. That plea in the back of the book for information and documents must surely have produced some results. But of course, stuff about the early years would have been too late. I wonder how that new stuff will be made available in the future. One thing I'm fascinated to know more about is Alf (Freddie) Lennon's wanderings throughout the 1950s. Working every summer washing dishes in Morecambe, and then just drifting around the rest of the time. There must be so many stories out there somewhere.
1. I always laugh at "I wonder if (insert name here) is reading this thread?" comments, which appear in the lamest threads on the lamest forums (so there are many on Hoofman forum). Normally, I'd laugh again, but Lewishon seems like such a Beatarded loser himself that I think he may very well be reading their stupid thread...
2. Think about what this guy is asking for. He is eager to read fifteen hundred pages of details about every single gig they did. "On August 7, 1963 at Higgenbottom Hall, the boys opened with a blistering version of "Twist and Shout" As one concert goer recalled, 'Ringo was really on fire during the Higgenbottom 'Twist and Shout', thwacking the drums with special relish' This was undoubtedly due to Ringo's joy at receiving a post card from his Auntie Emma earlier in the day over a luncheon of jam butties and chips. Noteworthy also was that the Higgenbottom show was the second time Harrison wore ordinary wingtips rather than Beatle Boots. Lennon, of course, delivered a masterful lead vocal, while McCartney's "woos" bordered on cheeky. One minute into the song, the sheer energy coming from the stage caused a loose microphone to droop nearly four inches. "The bloke in front had to stoop lower to sing his vocals" remarked a lorry driver who had attended at the behest of his daughters. While his claim could not be independently corroborated, a photo taken during the show does show the #2 microphone set at a lower angle than the others. The band must have known they were one step closer to stardom when the pitch of the audience's screams didn't waver as the boys launched into an unusually touching and sensitive version of "Till there Was You"
3. I second his plea that there be 200 pages or so devoted to Alf (Freddie) Lennon drifting around in the 1950's. I also hope there are a hundred pages on Derek Taylor's boyhood, another 100 pages on Cynthia Twist's high school days, a whole chapter on jelly babies vs. jelly beans, and 450 pages of analysis of their second Ed Sullivan show appearance and the effect it had on making them the toppermost poppermost. In fact, I would absolutely love it if it included all that. It still could happen...
4. As far as I am concerned the Beatles were ok and Beatles fans were tolerable, if smelly sometimes, until Lewishon arrived on the scene. Nobody has ruined a band or its fans more.
5. I'm not one to wish death on anyone, and I hope Lewishon lives to a ripe old age if he isn't one already. However, it sure would be...funny if he died somewhere in the middle of Volume 3.
6. Anyone else bothered by how he stole Timothy Leary's line for the series? What has Timothy Leary got to do with the Beatles? Maybe for a book on the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane or something, but even then it is a cliche. To me it is just symbolic of what an awful writer he is. And for all his tortured writing, his interviews are even worse...
90 pages of this shit and counting: forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/beatles-biography-by-mark-lewisohn-sixth-edition.343943/page-90
