Beatles Break-Up: Forty Years Later, Ringo Rules

From Huffington Post:

Jonathan Sallet

The formal dissolution of The Beatles was announced on April 10, 1970. And, with the end of the band, the story of Ringo Starr seemed set in concrete. You remember: Ringo, the last member of the band, shunted to the sidelines when the Beatles first recorded for George Martin but, in fact, an under-appreciated artist; his left-handed, backward fills and intuitive timing building the beat of modern rock music.

But there’s a lot more. For forty years now, Ringo, sometimes derided, but with the consistent rhythm of a steady backbeat, has become the living embodiment of the spirit of the Beatles.

Listen to the albums Ringo has released recently — culminating this year’s “Y Not” (the first album he has produced) and last year’s paean to his home town, “Liverpool 8.” You will hear the story of the Beatles being told, and retold. How?

First, with the playful introspection exhibited through an intricate web of references linking one song to another. As the Beatles looked increasingly to their own lives and work for inspiration, their songs created an ever-growing structure of self-reference — the lyrics of “Glass Onion,” for example, refer to five earlier Beatles songs — some of which refer, in turn, to others still. So when, in this year’s “Peace Dream” Ringo calls on us to “try to ‘Imagine'” what happens if we “Give Peace a Chance,'” he’s continuing to weave a tapestry of meaning around their legacies.

By no means has Ringo become a songwriter in the class of John, Paul or George. But as Ringo himself has told us, “It does no good for you to play a pretty song like ‘Yesterday’ ’cause that’s not what I need to say.”

What Ringo needs to say through his songs is the second important ingredient of his legacy, namely The Beatles’ message of love, cosmic harmony and the meaning of life. In “R U Ready,” he invokes Jesus, the Buddha and a blues preacher to say that there will be someone to catch each of us at life’s end. And can’t you hear more than a hint of George, the most spiritual of the four, when Ringo intones the thought that “One and one is only one until you become one with you”?

And then there’s peace and love. Ringo may be the last person on earth who regularly flashes the two-finger peace sign. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE:

Jim Ward Wins Daytime Emmy Award

I would like to congratulate voice actor Jim Ward for winning this year’s Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program category for his role as Eyemore, The Crusher in Biker Mice From Mars. Ward was up against fellow voice actor Jim Cummings in the category, as well as celebrities Joan Rivers, Vanessa Williams, and Amy Poehler.

Jim Ward is also one of the “mooks” on the Stephanie Miller Show on Air America. It was funny to me that I was listening to him in the car when moments before I heard him on “Fairly Odd Parents” as Chet YaBetcha.

http://apocryphalbuttrue.com/home.html

Stacy Conradt The Quick 10: Nine Women Who Inspired Beatles Songs (and one song not inspired by a woman)

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/32747

by Stacy Conradt – August 25, 2009 – 3:30 PM

I’m going through a serious Fab Four phase at the moment, I think because of the eminent release of The Beatles: Rock Band (09.09.09, people, it’s just around the corner!!). When I was younger I was fanatical, bordering on obsessive, but I think it’s tempered nicely over the years… although it does rear its ugly head every now and then. I’ll forgive them for not having a song about Stacy (not many bands do), but I will admit to being slightly envious of the nine girls below… and the one girl who doesn’t really exist.

1. Prudence of “Dear Prudence” from the White Album is about Mia Farrow’s sister (pictured). The sisters were in India studying under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the same time the Beatles were in the late ‘60s, and Prudence was very focused on meditation and stayed in her room alone a lot. This was John’s musical plea to get her to come out and join the group.

2. Lucy of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” from Sgt. Pepper was a real person. The song was not about drugs, as was (and still is) rumored at the time. Years later, when John admitted that other songs were, in fact, about drugs, he maintained that Lucy was based on a drawing his son Julian had done of his classmate, soaring through a bejeweled sky.

3. Sadie, another White Album gal, wasn’t actually a gal at all. “Sexy Sadie” was about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whom the Beatles had had a falling out with. They were under the impression that the holy man had made a pass at Mia Farrow and other girls studying with him and were convinced that he “made a fool of everyone” who had some to learn from him. Most of the group, including Mia Farrow, later said Maharishi’s actions had been misinterpreted and they were sorry to have doubted him.

4. Martha is another one who wasn’t really a girl – at least, not a human girl, although she was utterly devoted to Paul McCartney. “Martha My Dear” was named for his beloved English Sheepdog. He has since admitted that the title may have borne Martha’s name, but the lyrics were “probably” about his ex-fiancee Jane Asher.

5. Eleanor Rigby, the haunting girl from Revolver, has a couple of different stories. The song was almost “Daisy Hawkins,” but McCartney decided that it didn’t quite flow and began searching for a more suitable name. The Beatles had just starred in Help! with Eleanor Bron, and McCartney later said her name was probably rattling around in his subconscious when he chose Rigby’s identity. The surname part of it came from a shop called Rigby – McCartney said he felt it was a very ordinary name, but rather special all at the same time. He put the two together, and sad Eleanor Rigby was born. However, there’s rumor of an Eleanor Rigby who actually lived in Woolton, England, where John and Paul used to hang out back in the early days. That’s her gravestone in the picture. “It’s possible that I saw it and subconsciously remembered it,” McCartney later said.

6. Pam of Abbey Road’s “Polythene Pam” was a fan from the Cavern Club days, but her name was Pat. By her own admission, she used to tie polythene (Polyethylene, the stuff shopping bags are made of) into knots and eat it. So… that’s weird. But even stranger is John’s later admission that some of the song was based on a girl named Stephanie who was dating poet Royston Ellis in 1963. She liked to dress in polythene for kinky sex purposes, although John said he may have stretched the truth a little bit. “She didn’t wear jackboots and kilts,” he said. “I just sort of elaborated. Perverted sex in a polythene bag. Just looking for something to write about.”

7. “Julia,” on the surface, was about John’s mother who was hit by a car and killed when he was just 17. But it’s also about Yoko Ono, whose first name means “Ocean child” in Japanese. Lennon had a lot of mother (and parent) issues, so it’s not surprising that he tangled up mother and wife all in one song.

8. Rita from “Lovely Rita,” another Sgt. Pepper tune, has no cryptic meaning – it’s really about meter maids. After the song came out, a woman who did actually issue violations said she gave McCartney a ticket when he was parked at Abbey Road Studios. Her name was Meta Davies, and he came out just as she was placing the ticket on his car. According to Davies, he looked at her signature on the ticket and asked if her name was really Meta, apparently finding “Meta” and “meter” to be rather lyrical. But McCartney says nay. “’Wow, that woman gave me a ticket, I’ll write a song about her’ – never happened like that,” he commented. Rather, he said, he was amused by the American term “meter maid” and found that “Rita” rolled off the tongue nicely when coupled with the phrase.

9. Melanie Coe isn’t mentioned by name in Sgt. Pepper’s “She’s Leaving Home,” but she inspired it just the same. Paul had seen a headline in The Daily Mail about a 17-year-old girl who had run away from home, leaving her parents with no clue as to why she had left. She says he got most of the details right, except that she didn’t met “a man from the motor trade,” but a casino worker; she also split in the afternoon and not the morning.

10. “Michelle” from Rubber Soul isn’t really about anyone in particular, and was in fact just a little song Paul messed around with before the Liverpudlian lads were famous. He had been at a party where he felt some art school guys were being pretentious with their French singing and goatees and decided to make up a song to mock them. It included a lot of faux-French and groaning noises. During the Rubber Soul sessions, John asked Paul if he remembered the little faux-French ditty and encouraged him to make it a real song.

Share your favorite and tell us why in the comments. And is anyone as pumped as I am about the game?!

Have a Q10 request? I’m on Twitter and I’m all ears! Err… all keys. Something.

Dick Armey did a good job not calling her “sweetheart”

I watched “Meet the Press” last Sunday and was so happy to see Rachel Maddow on the round table. I usually don’t watch. I miss Tim Russert and I’m sick of the same old bla bla bla. When I saw Rachel was on I wanted to watch. She is the most intelligent and knowledgeable of all the radio hosts I listen to (or used to listen to. Talking a break from excessive talk radio). She’s rational and calm. Always the most rational person in a room full of white men who usually disagree with her.

She was sitting nest to Dick Armey. Let’s pretend I had the sound off. Maybe I did because I was on the phone. Anyhow, body language showed that Mr. Armey was very humored that a little lady thinks she can debate and have a discussion with the big boys. She’d be a pretty little gal if she wore some purdy make-up and put on a frilly dress. Every time she spoke—he snickered. Men can be so intimidated by smart woman. Especially a woman who has absolutely no use for his penis.

FROM HUFFINGTON POST:

Rachel Maddow appeared on “Meet the Press” for the first time on Sunday, August 16th. On a panel with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the MSNBC host more than held her own.

When Armey said he took no responsibility “whatsoever” for the virulent protests against President Obama and compared it to MoveOn.org running an ad comparing President Bush to Hitler, Maddow pointed out that that never actually happened. Later she elaborated, pointing out that major conservative groups had speakers going around the country comparing Obama to Hitler, Pol Pot and Stalin and asking supporters to put the fear of God in their congresspeople. When Armey said that he denounced violence, Maddow pointed out that his organization, FreedomWorks, was in a coalition whose website was promoting the violent fight at a Tampa town hall as a good thing.

Maddow also questioned President Obama for not getting more personally involved in the legislation while Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is letting Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have an equal say even though a huge Democratic majority was voted in in November.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/16/maddow-battles-dick-armey_n_260549.html

Glen Beck loses sponsors for racist Obama comment

Glen Beck is on my who makes you turn the channel list.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/06/glenn-becks-obama-racist_n_253264.html

Fox News’ Glenn Beck is feeling the consequences of his controversial comments on the July 28 episode of “Fox and Friends,” when he said that Barack Obama was a “racist” who had a “deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.”

According to TVNewser, Beck advertisers Procter and Gamble, Lawyers.com and Progressive Insurance have all pulled their ads from Beck’s 5PM ET show. This comes in the wake of groups like ColorOfChange.org’s efforts to get companies to distance themselves from Beck.

Fox News told TVNewser that the advertisements were simply moved to other time slots on Fox News, and thus had no effect on the network’s revenue (which, incidentally, was a bright spot in News Corp’s otherwise dismal earnings).

Watch Beck’s original comment’s here.

Michael Jackson, Elvis or the Beatles

We all have our favorite. Some say Elvis was “the King” and Michael Jackson was “the King of Pop.” The Beatles don’t have a catchy name and they are not one person. For that reason alone, I hate that they are compared to Elvis and MJ.

The Beatles shaped my childhood. When I was about 9 or 10 I got the double red and blue albums of best songs. I was hooked. My best friend and I collected everything we could about the Beatles. We each had our favorite. Hers was always Paul, mine was always Ringo. However, it was John Lennon who inspired us the most and it was George Harrison that we saw in concert in 1974.

George Harrison, Chicago 1974

I still have the scrapbook-type items I saved from the early ’70’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t know to save the whole magazine and just cut out the articles I liked. I also have all the newspaper clippings from George Harrison’s 1974 Tour.  30 years later I saw Paul McCartney.

Paul McCartney, San Jose 2005

The music catalog that Lennon-McCartney created is like none other. Happy songs, sad songs, brilliant songs, funny songs, political songs, oh, and they did love songs too. The Beatle’s music IS the background of my life. “Twist and Shout” is my favorite song to dance to and “Blackbird” was the song I sang to sooth my baby to sleep.

While searching for information on Michael Jackson owning the Beatle Catalog, this post from NPR asked the same question I did. Now that Michael Jackson has passed, will Paul McCartney get the rights to his songs back?

The Beatles Catalog And Michael Jackson

by Robin Hilton

Earlier this year, the British tabloid The Daily Mirror reported that Michael Jackson had drawn up a will, giving the publishing rights to some 250 Beatles songs back to Sir Paul McCartney. Though a number of other sites were quick to report the news, The Mirror cited unnamed sources, and the reports have never been verified. Now, with Jackson’s passing, the question is very much up in the air.

For those who don’t remember or never knew, Jackson and McCartney recorded a couple of hits together back in the ’80s, “Say, Say, Say” and “The Girl Is Mine.”

The two struck up a friendship. At some point, according to some accounts, McCartney reportedly told Jackson how he’d made a lot of money by owning the publishing rights to other people’s music. This inspired Jackson to start his own side business of buying, selling and distributing publishing rights to numerous artists. When the Beatles catalog, which was owned by ATV Music Publishing, came up for sale, McCartney initially said he wasn’t interested in buying it because it was too expensive. McCartney eventually changed his mind and attempted to persuade Yoko Ono to join him in a bid for the music, but she declined. In the end, Jackson purchased the catalog for $47.5 million dollars. McCartney, according to the Mirror, said ‘The annoying thing is I have to pay to play some of my own songs. Each time I want to sing ‘Hey Jude’ I have to pay.

It’s hard to separate fact from fiction in this 25 year-old story. But according to the Associated Press, McCartney issued a statement today saying “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones.”

—————————————————————

Let it bequest – Jackson wants to leave Paul McCartney Beatles back catalogue

EXCLUSIVE by Zoe Griffin 3/01/2009

‘Dying’ Jacko to leave Macca £350million Beatles rights in will.

MICHAEL Jackson hopes to bury his 24-year feud with Sir Paul McCartney – by leaving his share of the Beatles back catalogue to him in his will.

Macca was furious when Jacko outbid him in 1985 to win ownership of the £350million publishing rights to the whole Lennon-McCartney songbook.

The stars, once good pals who collaborated on early 80s hits The Girl is Mine and Say, Say, Say have not spoken since.

But the debt-ridden King of Pop, now said to be battling a serious genetic lung disease, is determined to make peace with McCartney.

Jackson, 50, who according to some reports is convinced he is dying and has been using a wheelchair, has drawn up a new will where Sir Paul, 66, will inherit control of his share of the Beatles songbook if the troubled star dies before him.

Sources close to Jacko say he has always regretted falling out with Macca. One insider said: “Michael is worried about his health so decided it was time to look at his finances.

“Most of his estate has been divided up between his three children. But Michael told his lawyers he was sad he no longer talks to Sir Paul and said he wanted to make things right.”

The source added: “Michael is suffering serious back and leg pain and has for a few years. He gets spasms in his back which means he spends a lot of time in bed and a wheelchair.

“He weighs just over seven stone and is very frail. He’s also had a nasty bout of emphysema and there have been reports he has another lung disease.”

Jacko sold half of his Beatles back catalogue rights to Sony in 1995, but still makes about £40million a year from them.

Macca said recently: “The annoying thing is I have to pay to play some of my own songs. Each time I want to sing Hey Jude I have to pay.”

Last night a source close to Sir Paul said: “If Michael Jackson was to give back the song rights in his will then Macca would be delighted.”

Michael Jackson’s spokesman has officially denied the star believes he is dying.

zoe@sundaymirror.co.uk

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/01/03/let-it-bequest-jackson-wants-to-leave-paul-mccartney-beatles-back-catalogue-115875-21013162/

Rosie heads to Sirius XM Radio

Heading back to the air in a brand new setting, Rosie O’Donnell will be heard and not seen. The familiar TV face is launching her own daily, two-hour show for Sirius XM Radio this fall, to be called – what else? – Rosie Radio.

O’Donnell says that the deal came through after she yakked on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show earlier this year.

“He’s been very encouraging,” O’Donnell, 47, said about the shock jock, the Associated Press reports. “After I did his show, they called and asked if I was interested. I don’t really listen to radio, so I started thinking about it and listening. I asked if they could possibly do it at my house because that would really make it convenient for me with four kids, and they said yes, so I was like, ‘Wow. Let’s try that.’ “

Essentially off the air as far as a regular gig was concerned after herheadline-making departure from ABC’s The View in 2007, O’Donnell will host her new show from a recording facility currently under construction inside the guesthouse on the New York property she shares with partner Kelli Carpenter and their four children.

A Call-In Show

“I think it’ll be good for me,” O’Donnell says of the new venture. “I’ve been lucky. I’ve had seven years of early retirement. All my kids are in school now, so all day long I have nothing to do. This was the first year that they were all in school all day, and I found myself very bored. I was saying to Kelli, we either need to get another kid or I’ll have to go back to work.”

Once it starts up in the fall, Rosie Radio will air Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET (7 a.m. to 9:00 a.m, PT) on SIRIUS XM Stars, SIRIUS channel 102 and XM channel 155.

Sirius is already home to Oprah Radio, Martha Stewart Living Radio and O’Donnell’s former View mentor and tormentor, Barbara Walters. And, yes, Rosie will take phonecalls.

Randi Rhodes is coming to San Francisco!!!

For those who don’t know, Randi Rhodes is a progressive talk-show host. She was fired from Air America because, while doing stand-up in San Francisco, she called Hilary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro “whores.” She didn’t mean it in a sexual sense but the “powers that be’ fired her ass.

Then she was on NOVA M radio for a few months. I’m not sure what happen with them but she’s finally back on my Green960 and I could listen to her all day.

Yesterday I caught her conversation with crazy-person Randall Terry of Operation Rescue. She hung up on him and I was glad. I never heard her get so angry at anybody before but that guy actually said that “hate is good” to motivate people. Yeah, like the guy who killed Dr. Tiller. Randall Terry is a modern day Charles Manson. He incites hate and killing. He should be in jail with all his “supporters” and fans.

I love this song!!!

At work I have politics in the morning and music in the afternoon. I love this song. Didn’t know who or what it was but when I found out it had Hank, it just figured I liked it (I had an Hank Williams, Jr. obsession back in the 1980’s).

After loving this song for months, I finally watched the video.

LOVE IT and still gotta love that Bocephus!!

Here are some more of my favorites.