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Latest Posts by chetthedog1904 - Page 3
I like when Mimi stands up for John
‘“It makes me livid when people make snide remarks about John’s millions and ask what he ever did for Liverpool,” Mimi blasts. “To set the record straight, he gave away one-tenth of his income every year secretly to a charity for spastic children. He didn’t make a big fanfare about it. It was just something he wanted to do without a fuss. If people have the chance to make money, they would be mad not to. The secret is to make sure it doesn’t ruin your life and make you swollen headed. John still cared deeply about people and about the world. In his last letter to me, there was one paragraph that summed it all up. It read, ‘so many people are dying so young from getting cancer or some other such horror. I count my blessings, Mimi. Believe me.’ Sometimes it worried me that he cared so deeply about things.”’
- Aunt Mimi Smith on John Lennon (c. Feb. 5th 1981), from The Dream Is Over: Off The Record 2 by Keith Badman (pg. 288)
Note: While I think we all can recognise both the good and the bad side to john in the beatles fandom - I think theres a lot of sort of “outsiders” who’ll see Johns peace movements and charity work as a solely public facade. And yeah, it partly was and we’d be naive to say otherwise - but I still think there was something genuine about that image; and stories like this are evidence of that.
McLennon for sure.
John’s “not that I care” series on Paul’s arrest according to Dakota Days by John Green
Instead of quoting the whole chapter, which i admit, is very tempting, I have decided to just post mini quotes of every time that John tells his psychic that he doesn’t really care about Paul’s arrest in 1980.
Here we go. I’ll start with this introduction from the book:
The Lennons were still maintaining separate living quarters and separate interests when they heard the news of Paul McCartney’s arrest. Paul had been arrested for trying to smuggle marijuana into Japan while visiting there to perform in a concert tour.
Yoko worried that the news of Paul’s arrest might throw John back into the old depression. But when I talked to him over the phone one afternoon a few days after the incident, his voice held no depression, only righteous indignation and sympathy for Paul. (p, 229)
“It’s lousy, Charles. Typical, but lousy. Some petty official probably needed a promotion and set Paul up to get it. Not that I have great love for the man, you understand. (…) If he wanted his smoke, you know he wouldn’t have had to carry it on his own person” (p. 229 - 230)
“Paul’s been busted before, you know. Ths is only going to make life more difficult for him. Not that I care, but it’s just the meanness of the thing that irks me. “ (p. 230)
“So what are they holding him for? That’s just the work of some power-mad little creep showing off to the world, knowing that the longer he holds Paul the longer he is important”
“For someone you claime not to care about you seem awfully upset”
“It’s the injustice of the thing that upsets me. (…) Maybe it affects me a little more because it’s Paul, and I know him, and he’s a musician, but I doubt it. It would bother me no matter who they got”. (P. 231)
“You don’t think they are mistreating him, do you, Charles?”
“Aside from the fact that they are holding him in a jail cell, I doubt that there is any mistreatment”
“That’s good. Not that I really care, you understand, but I wouldn’t want to think they are abusing him in any way”
“You keep telling me how much you don’t care. I begin to wonder if it’s true”
“Of course I care! Not that I want to, but you can’t know a person as intimately as I’ve known Paul and not care. I’m pissed at him, and have been for years, but that’s my private war with him” (p, 234)
Two days later Paul was released. The concert had been canceled and he and Linda left Japan immediately. John greeted the news with a great sigh of relief.
“I’m glad that’s over. I feel like I’ve been keeping a vigil for him. Not that I care, you understand” (p. 238)
And that is the series of Not That I Care by John Lennon. I just find it amusing and endearing, and thought i’d share.
Please keep in mind that this has been sourced from Dakota Days by John Green. Many people consider him an unreliable source. Others, like myself, stand in the middle. There is no arguing that when it comes to insiders, he could be considered one. I believe his insight could be valuable, but at the same time I completely understand why people might feel differently. That said, enjoy! Bwahahahahaha
The man had some chutzpah (with good reason) to get up there and conduct an orchestra. Symphony musicians are so full of themselves.
Sheff did not ask John a question about Paul's bass skills, but yet we learn about them.
August, 1980: In an interview with Playboy writer David Sheff, John doesn’t take kindly to having his former bandmates’ talents underestimated.
SHEFF: Critics would criticize Ringo’s drumming by saying, you know, “If he wasn’t a Beatle—” JOHN: Ringo’s a damn good drummer. He was – he was always a good drummer. He’s not technically good— SHEFF: But critics used to criticize him all the time. JOHN: Well – yeah. I think Ringo’s drumming is underrating – underrated, the same way as Paul’s bass-playing is underrated. Paul was one of the most innovative bass players that ever played bass. And half the stuff that’s going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatle period. He was always, uh, coy about his bass-playing. He’s an egomaniac about everything else about him, but his bass-playing he was always a bit coy about. He is a great musician who played the bass like few other people could play it.
Now if you compare Paul’s bass-playing with The Rolling Stones’ bass player’s bass-playing, and you compare Ringo’s drumming with Charlie Watts’, they’re equal to, if not better. But the credit has always gone to, uh, Bill and Charlie, and Paul and Ringo didn’t get it. But we got other credits that must have made them feel bad, too, so it all equals out in the end. But I always objected to the fact that because Charlie came on a little more arty than Ringo, and knew jazz, and did cartoons, that he got credit. And I think that Charlie’s a damn good drummer and the other guy’s a good bass player, but I think Paul and Ringo stand up anywhere, any – with any of the rock drummers. Not technically great, and none of us were technical musicians, none of us could read music, none of us can write it, but as pure musicians, as – as inspired humans to make the noise, they’re as good as anybody.
2003: The Quarrymen have conflicting hazy memories on what happened the day John and Paul first met. (Note: In order of appearance: Rod Davis, Len Garry, Colin Hanton, Eric Griffiths. Ignore the erroneous lower third that pops up indicating Len Garry; it’s Eric Griffiths.)
OMG look at Ringo! Why was it necessary to have a random girl in this pic?
Having a swim in 1963
Y’know, now that I know about how Paul saw John multiple times before meeting him at the fete and was somewhat infatuated with him, really has me hearing I Will in a whole new way.
Who knows how long I've loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
Oh, you know I will
I will
Paul's favorite subject - John
Listen to this one, “Girl”. John’s been reading a book about pain and pleasure, about the idea behind Christianity – that to have pleasure you have to have pain. The book says that’s all rubbish, it often happens that pain leads to pleasure but you don’t “have” to have it, all that’s a drag. So we’ve written a song about it, with I suppose a little bit of protest – though we really don’t protest. Listen to John’s breath on the word “girl”: we asked the engineer to put it on treble, so you get this huge intake of breath and it sounds just like a percussion instrument.
[…]
I don’t read as much as John does. My main thing is, I’ve got to be settled to read. The times I would read are on a holiday, or in bed at night. The other day I took John to the Times Bookshop. I’d been there before and bought a copy of “The Emperor Jones” signed by Eugene O’Neill which really knocked me out, and the fellow there showed me the original manuscript of “Under Milk Wood”. The great thing about the Times Bookshop is that nobody’s going to bother about who you are. Well, John spent an hour there, and £150. It was a good day for the Times Bookshop and a good day for John.
— Paul interviewed for London Life Magazine (4th/10th December 1965 Issue)
Sweet
"We did the Shirelles’ “Soldier Boy,” which is a girl’s song. It never occurred to us. No wonder all the gays liked John. And Ringo used to sing “Boys.” Another Shirelles number. It was so innocent. We never even thought, Why is he singing about boys? We loved the song. We loved the records so much that what it said was irrelevant, it was just the spirit, the sound, the feeling" - Paul McCartney
Beautiful boys
Lennon/McCartney by David Bailey, 1965.
Click for large versions of 1, 2, 3, 4.
"One of the reasons auntie Jin came down to visit me in London when I was about twenty-four or twenty-five was to talk to me about the sin of smoking pot. Her nickname was ‘Control’, and she had been sent down by the family as an emissary. I suppose the word had got back that ‘our Paul’ was going a bit wild in London, so someone needed to go and check in on him. Anyway, she came down to visit me in Cavendish Avenue, where I’d been living for a while. When your auntie comes to visit, you do some of the old things you did when you were younger. So I was sitting around, playing a bit of piano, having a drink, playing cards, and having a good old chat. It was a very warm atmosphere, and the song arose out of that sense of family"
— Paul McCartney on his aunt Jin and the song 'Your Mother Should Know' from The Lyrics, 2021.
So ridiculous.
Psychotherapist Hugo G. Beigel analyzes the sexual appeal of the Beatles. Circa 1964.
Great picture
The Beatles
This is really good information
Getting Arrested 101
In light of yesterdays ruling on the Miranda rights, now that the cops don't need to read you your rights, I figure it's as good a time as any to make a crash course post on what to do if you get arrested in the US. Know your rights and how to invoke them, because cops will try and trick you into reneging on them whenever they can. Here's my bible on engaging with police, and feel free to add on if you have other tips.
If you encounter police at all, especially if it's for a protest, engage as little as possible. Protests will sometimes have police liaisons; if they do, deflect the cops onto them. They have training for this. Otherwise, say nothing to them if they don't engage first.
If they engage first, do not escalate. Cops are trained to try and escalate situations. It wins them PR, and it makes it easier for them to justify violence against you and in turn, the other protestors. I don't care how punk you think it is, do not escalate.
When they engage, if you think you're being arrested, ask them in no uncertain terms and demand a clear answer. Say "am I being arrested," and if they evade, repeat it until the answer is no or yes. If it's no, walk away and don't engage further. If it's yes, then:
Shut the fuck up. Say absolutely nothing from this point forward until you reach the station. No matter what they say, no matter how serious or casual the conversation is, you say nothing. Zip. No exceptions. This is especially important to remember because they will try and humiliate you and make the arrest process as difficult as possible to try and make you crack, so do the simplest thing and say nothing.
If you are arrested, once you make it to the station, there's a simple three step process to remember. Exact wording isn't necessary, but try and be close. Remember, you don't want to be Lawyer Dogged. Once again, be as clear as you possibly can.
"Am I being detained?" If no, leave. If yes, then say:
"I invoke my right to have a lawyer present." Any time they try and push on that, you say:
"As I am detained, I invoke my right to remain silent until my lawyer is present."
You want it to be 100% undeniable, in as much of the record as possible, that you were being detained, and therefor you need a lawyer. Otherwise, the cops will retroactively decide you weren't actually held there, and therefor you had no rights to invoke, so get that shit down. And once again, aside from saying #3, shut the fuck up. Same principle applies as #4 on the first list: they will do whatever they can to get you talking, and once they do, they'll say "oh, they decided to not use the lawyer after all because they started talking without one." So do. Not. Budge.
Lastly, some general pieces of advice, both for before and during the arrest process:
If you're going to a protest, the sort of thing where arrests can be planned for, there will likely be an organizer with some experience. They may be able to give you specific advice for that protest with regards to things like ID, liaisons, or any specific protocol. Check with them as well.
If you're in a situation where arrests are likely or expected, especially with a protest, plan accordingly. Power off your phone and deactivate the fingerprint or facial recognition unlock options, or leave it at home entirely. Don't bring anything you wouldn't want to be arrested with. Think carefully about leaving your ID at home, though. John Doe-ing can cause extra trouble for the cops (good), but it's also risky, since it can make it harder for you to pay for bail and can make things harder for you down the line.
Police always lie. Let me repeat. Police. Always. Lie. Again, Police. Always. Lie. This should be your fucking mantra. They will tell you you'll get out easier if you cooperate. They will tell you any information they can find about your friends and family. They will threaten you and them. This is all hollow. Your friends have rights as well. All of this is posturing to get you to talk and incriminate you and your friends. Police always lie.
Every American should know this, but it's especially important for any activist, or advocate. Knowing your rights is the only defense you have against cops, so you need to game that system to keep them from gaming it back.
JOHN LENNON: "When the Beatles were depressed -thinking the group was going nowhere, and this is a shitty deal, and we're in a shitty dressing room- I'd say, 'Where are we going, fellas?' And they'd go, 'To the top, Johnny!' And I'd say, 'Where's that, fellas?' and they'd say, 'To the toppermost of the poppermost!' and I'd say, 'Right!' Then we'd all sort of cheer up."
I never realized John joined Paul on the stairs. I thought John had left by then. Good show of support.
John Lennon & Paul McCartney at the British Embassy after their concert in Washington, DC | 11 February 1964 © Fred Ward