Fine Tuning further listening

Mark Lewisohn Podcast and Interview Recs

Audio for most of these interviews can be found on Mark Lewisohn, a Beatles Historian, a beautifully maintained fan-made YouTube channel that has archived almost all of the interviews on this list. 

Interviews are linked directly to Apple podcasts, when possible. (YouTube links also included when applicable.)

Interview with Jean Louis-Polard, 2014 Topics of note: Neutrality and lack of bias

Fabcast podcast, 2017 013 MARK LEWISOHN (YouTube) Topics of note: The 80s and Paul McCartney’s solo career

Humans in Love podcast, 2018 #1 (Part One) Beatles Authority Mark Lewisohn Topics: Paul’s reaction to John’s murder

Fab4Cast podcast, 2019  Talking to Mark Lewisohn: #1 Writing The Beatles' History and #2 Spring 1969 (YouTube links: #1, #2) Topics: Heroin; Allen Klein; the Liberty Bell; John and Yoko’s wedding; Paul and Linda’s wedding

Nothing Is Real podcast, 2019 The Mark Lewisohn Interview #14 Part One and #15 Part Two  Topics of note: Tensions with Apple

Interview with Giljs Groenteman, 2019 Topics: Unbridled enthusiasm for John

I Am the EggPod podcast, 2019 The Star-Club tapes (YouTube) Topics: John’s leadership; intention to make all his research accessible after the books are published

From Me To You podcast, 2020 Mark Lewisohn In Conversation w/ Richard Courtney (YouTube link) Topics: Philip Norman; today’s “anti-John stuff” 

Let It Roll podcast, 2020 Mark Lewisohn in Conversation w/Nate Wilcox (YouTube) Topics: The “no greater buddy” incident; Lewisohn defending Paul

Let It Be Beatles podcast, 2020 Mark Lewisohn - The Complete 2020 Let It Be Beatles Interview Podcast (YouTube) Topics: The benzedrine incident; John’s threesome with Royston Ellis; the 444 meeting and Geoff Emerick.

Fans on the Run podcast, 2022 Ep 73. Mark Lewisohn  Topics: Working for Paul; tensions with Apple

I listened to the Nothing Is Real podcast and WOW. He is really, REALLY openly salty about Apple in Part 2. He may be right to feel that way, I guess, although his insistence that the Beatles should be GRATEFUL to him (??!?!?) and TRUST him because he's not "just some bloke" is a bit...? Like, bro, EVERYONE outside the inner circle is "just some bloke" to the Beatles. You are not special to them!!!!

Idk, it comes off weirdly entitled to me. Repeatedly insisting your work should be acknowledged as the ultimate of compliments... whatever. I think it's up to the recipient to determine whether something is a compliment or not. Also, your relationships with Neil and Derek are... totally irrelevant? to how the Beatles themselves should feel about you? When those advocates were gone, apparently it turned out that the Beatles and heirs themselves... don't like you too much, actually. Or trust you. Or feel "fortunate" to receive your "compliments." I understand that is disappointing and probably legit hurt your feelings, but people get to distrust whomever they want for whatever reason. And they are THEIR archives, which I assume they don’t just throw open to other authors either. So, what you’re complaining about is not getting special treatment (anymore). Not a great look.

Anyway, clearly this constitutes a significant conflict of interest. Common sense says it does, and certainly the official guidelines for professional historians says so too (as thoroughly illustrated in this post by mythserene.) 

Whatever. I don't know. Maybe Mark Lewisohn is totally unswayed by his own personal feelings. Maybe it's totally normal and professional for historians to call their subjects "you bastards" on the airwaves? (He called them bastards in another interview too; don’t remember which one.) But still, this is a MAJOR issue that needs to be kept in mind. This is all very very personal to him. By his own admission! We don't have to dismiss or condemn him for this, of course, but EVERYONE should keep it in mind.

Here are the bits of the NIR podcast I found most blatant, between minute 24 and 32. My own transcript of that portion is below cut. (Bolding for emphasis is mine. Italics reflect speakers' tone of voice.)

"I think they are fortunate to have anyone write their biography in this way."

"It's the ultimate in flattery for the Beatles... if only they knew it."

"I'm trying to write the book that matches that Truth, in every sense, as the ultimate of compliments to them."

"So it's the ultimate compliment to them, and it grieves me that this is not recognized by them."

"Anyone who reads [the trilogy] will understand the Beatles in a way that they couldn't get that understanding in any other form."

"Now people [at Apple] have agendas and I'm someone's agenda."

"My biggest beef with Apple these days is the cowardice of how they've operated with me." 

"George took against me---which was just ludicrous,  cuz you know, he charged me with offenses I'd never done."

"You bastards. I'm trying to write your book here." "I thought, 'Mm! Right, now I know who I'm dealing with here.' But it's so unnecessary, it's so ridiculous. I'm trying to write their story and they're stopping me. And I'm someone that they can trust and did trust. I'm not just some bloke they don't know."

Transcript starting from minute 24 below cut:

DR. FRANKENSONG⚡️w/ Adrian Sinclair and Allan Kozinn, Authors of THE McCARTNEY LEGACY Vol 1.

— Frankensong: noun 1. a dynamic, hook-filled McCartney composition comprised of two or more independent songs sutured together — Listen HERE

Men having correct opinions about Little Lamb Dragonfly 😌

New episode next week! AKOM Talks w/ the fabulous May Pang ahead of her new film “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story” in US theaters April 13, 2023! 

Find movie tickets here

McCartney and Mozart, con spirito! Is Paul McCartney the 20th Century’s Mozart? Phoebe and Daphne tackle this question with radio host and classical music programmer, Valerie Ing.

We discuss the similar biographies, artistic processes and whimsical spirits of these two creative dynamos and share some of our favorite pieces from both composers. We also debate Bach, listen to birds and reflect upon the evolving legacies of Herr Mozart and Sir Paul.

Join us for a musical adventure into Mozartney!

AKOM welcomes Caleb Nichols to discuss their new album Ramon, a Beatles-inspired rock operetta. 

Caleb, Daphne and Phoebe chat about The Gay Agenda, Brian Epstein, Bisexual John Lennon, Queering History and the special influence of Queer people and culture on the Beatles Story and Universe. Listen HERE

“I always felt the split was a mistake in many ways.” -John Lennon, 1976.

In this series, Phoebe and Daphne will argue that the breakup of the Beatles was an accident, the result of insecurity, hurt feelings and misread signals. Backed by rigorous research, we’ll analyze the events between September 1969 and April 1970 with probity, thoughtfulness and empathy.

–

Episode One will examine the divorce meeting that triggers the six-month-long standoff between John & Paul. We’ll discuss Paul’s reactions, both in the moment and over the following week. We’ll also dissect some striking statements from John in a revealing interview he gives just days after the divorce meeting.

Listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts!)

A MISTAKE IN MANY WAYS: Ep2 The Beatles Thing is Over

Episode two of our series provides a comprehensive examination of Paul’s state of mind in autumn of 1969. We discuss the deluge of problems he faces and consider how this confluence of issues triggers one of the worst episodes of Paul’s life. How might this depression have impacted Paul’s ability to interpret and respond to John’s continuing attempts to communicate through the media?

We dissect four key interviews (and a surprisingly overt personal gesture) from John, identifying and tracking the gradual evolution of his outreach to Paul as the communication gap between the two men grows ever wider and deeper.

Listen HERE

A Mistake in Many Ways: Ep3 Probably a Rebirth

After the new year, John approaches the Beatles with a new outlook and a new idea for the future. The trial separation, John predicts, “will either be a death or a Rebirth.” And John has made his choice! Episode Three delves into John’s hopes and fears for the fate of Lennon/McCartney in 1970, and then ties in some pertinent quotes from 1980 which show how he processed and framed the breakup in later years and the philosophical outlook he ultimately achieved.

And of course we continue the unfolding drama of the standoff between the estranged partners in Phase Two of the Trial Separation. Listen HERE

A Mistake in Many Ways: Ep4 That Makes Two of Us 

— When John’s attempts to lure Paul back to the fold prove unsuccessful, he orchestrates one final outrageous maneuver. But John’s actions are another miscalculation; Paul responds irately to John’s tactics and further digs in his heels with a combative questionnaire inserted into press copies of his McCartney LP. Early April shows an escalation in the acrimony between Lennon and McCartney, and by the end of Episode 4, the floodgates are open and the Breakup of the Beatles irreversibly begins. — Listen HERE

In the final (2 part) episode of our series, we’ll address the final event in the Breakup drama of April 1970: the battle of Phil Spector’s production of The Long and Winding Road. 

We’ll also take an in-depth look at Paul’s revelatory interview in The Evening Standard. Candid, comprehensive and intriguing, this interview is an important piece of history we have dubbed “McCartney Remembers.”

We’ll examine some of the recurring issues highlighted by Paul in the interview and address the ultimate question: Could John and Paul Have Turned Things Around? Listen HERE 

“I also think that what they [Rock critics] really miss, and what they’ve always missed is who and what Paul is in the sense of music. 

And if you listen to The Beatles and are surprised you get RAM, then you’ve missed something.”

-Dr. Allison Bumstead on Another Kind of Mind’s

From GENIUS COMPOSER to POP LIGHTWEIGHT: How the 1970s Rock Press Rebranded Paul McCartney

AKOM on GET BACK: Brothers, Friends, Bandmates

Episode 2 is all about George, Paul and George & Paul; we take a look into their dynamic as bandmates, friends and surrogate brothers. We also examine George as a Producer for insight into the creative conflicts between Paul and George. Listen Here (x)

DAPHNE: “I think the Hey Jude solo was not the greatest choice for Paul to bring up, because....You know how sometimes when you have a standing conflict with someone close to you, and it comes up in your relationship again and again? But, there does happen to be ONE instance from the past that you hashed out afterward and mutually agreed the other person was right, in that particular instance. But then, whenever the conflict resurfaces, that person ALWAYS brings up that ONE time they were in the right. And that would’ve been so frustrating! Like, ‘Just because you were right THAT TIME doesn’t mean you’re right NOW. Not EVERYTHING is the Hey Jude solo, Paul!’”

PHOEBE: “Okay I agree with you in that, if it is a past wound that is somewhat healed over, then yes, don’t pick it! ...However if it’s an open wound, that they haven’t made peace with—if it’s the elephant in th room—then I think yeah, Paul should talk about it. But, if it’s just scabbing over, for God’s sake, Paul! Let it go!”

AKOM presents: Pizza and Fairytales

Episode 5: Make it Right

‘Pizza and Fairytales’ is John Lennon’s phrase -a brilliant one- and he conjured it to describe one man: Paul McCartney. 

John in the 1970s is fairly well documented. But what about the less communicative, less examined half of Lennon/McCartney? In this episode, Phoebe and Daphne give McCartney two things he doesn’t often get: detailed lyrical analysis and recognition of his atypical self-expression. Extending this basic respect serves to shine a brighter, warmer light on the Lennon/McCartney relationship—not just in the 70s but up to present day and beyond.  Lennon and McCartney will be joined forever; they deserve to have their true story told.

listen here

“We want to emphasize that we in no way think Paul loved John any LESS than John loved him.”

“Paul has spent the decades since 1980 talking about John and TO John in the way people only talk about a great love of their life—whether that love is platonic, romantic, queerplatonic, homoromantic, or any other label you want to put on it.”

“At the time of the breakup, John and Paul had most likely been in love for years.”

AKOM presents: Pizza and Fairytales

Episode 5: Make it Right

‘Pizza and Fairytales’ is John Lennon’s phrase -a brilliant one- and he conjured it to describe one man: Paul McCartney. 

John in the 1970s is fairly well documented. But what about the less communicative, less examined half of Lennon/McCartney? In this episode, Phoebe and Daphne give McCartney two things he doesn’t often get: detailed lyrical analysis and recognition of his atypical self-expression. Extending this basic respect serves to shine a brighter, warmer light on the Lennon/McCartney relationship—not just in the 70s but up to present day and beyond.  Lennon and McCartney will be joined forever; they deserve to have their true story told.

listen here

paul and john circa 1976

AKOM presents: Pizza and Fairytales

Episode 4: Then We Will Know What happened between Paul and John that forever altered their relationship and created the emotional stalemate John dubbed “Pizza and Fairytales?”

In episode Four, we evaluate four likely scenarios based on a comprehensive study of the available evidence.

Join Phoebe and Daphne on a deep exploration into the inspiration behind and meaning of Pizza and Fairytales.

Listen here

We are issuing a special invitation to LGBTQA Beatles fans to listen to this episode! Pizza and Fairytales Ep 3: Love is Wanting (x)

The mainstream Beatles discourse is woefully behind the times in terms of how it discusses sexuality and much of it still views ANY discussion of non-heteronormative dynamics within the Beatles (especially Lennon/McCartney) with ignorance or outright hostility. But we firmly believe the fandom is ready for a leap forward!

We at AKOM are, to the best of our knowledge, the ONLY podcasters in the Beatles community who have ever spoken out against Arthur Janov’s homophobic beliefs, practices and horrific defense of the barbaric practice known as “conversion therapy.”  We are also speaking openly about all facets of John’s sexuality with POSITIVITY.

If you enjoy or value the work we’re doing, please reblog or — if you could —a positive review on iTunes WOULD BE GREAT. Reviews boost our visibility and help spread this conversation to a wider audience.

Thanks to our LGBTQA Beatles family and allies!

AKOM presents: Pizza and Fairytales

Episode 3: Love is Wanting

1975 and 76 represent a pivotal moment for John Lennon, and his choices at this juncture determine his fate in his final years. Episode Three is a deep exploration of John’s ongoing inner conflicts: his lasting trauma over the Beatles breakup; his susceptibility to Yoko’s continuing mind games; his predilection for jealousy and insecurity. 

All this, plus the long shadow cast by the nightmarish Primal Scream Therapy John underwent at the hands of Arthur Janov. It’s a topic which usually slides under the radar of Beatles discourse—until now. AKOM’s hard, probing look at Janov reveals his therapy’s catastrophic effects on John’s psyche and on the Lennon-McCartney relationship. 

Ultimately, John chooses not to revive his partnership with Paul McCartney in New Orleans. How does this alter the course of their renewed relationship? And how does John’s eventual descent into depression, paranoia and superstition alter both his feelings for and perceptions of Paul?

Listen here

Oh my god the stuff about Janov and primal scream...

poor John. :(((((