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What are you reading these days?
5 October 2021
4.35pm
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Vera Chuck and Dave
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I like to think of Crime and Punishment as being kind of the opposite of Camus’ The Stranger

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penny lane
6 October 2021
2.00pm
Toxic34
West Palm Beach, FL
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I happened to be looking back through Mike Love’s book “Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy,” to see if my visceral hatred has ebbed.

Nope, not a single bit of softening to it.

From all of Love’s constant historical revisionism to try and portray himself as an equal with Brian Wilson, his constant petty and snide comments about the other members of the band and Brian’s current wife Melinda, his incessant whining that “I’m not a bad guy, really!” and that he doesn’t deserve his reputation of infamy, but most of all, his unparalleled hatred and jealousy of Brian’s music and the fact that he became considered the genius behind the group, it’s far too much to take, and truly vile and loathsome.

Not to mention there are many things Love conveniently leaves out of his narrative, especially regarding his history with ex-wives and children, several of his many lawsuits against Brian (including the one where he sued over Brian’s completed solo version of SMiLE in 2004, suing him over an album and material that he despised because it wasn’t following the old tired threads of “fun, summer, surf and cars” of the past), and so on. All this with his constant assertions that “I wrote this part, I deserve credit for it.” Say what you will about Paul and the Barry Miles book, at least Paul has persuasive evidence to back it up. Not to mention the way Love takes Paul’s politeness as a sign of being a friend, then in that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech we’ve cringed at many times, takes a steaming dump over his supposed friend, as well as The Beatles as a whole, and The Stones.

It’s no wonder that Mike Love is considered the villain of The Beach Boys ‘ story; not the Wilsons’ abusive father/manager Murry, not Brian’s manipulative and sleazy therapist Eugene Landy, not even Charles Manson. I dare say he is without a doubt, the a*****e of rock and roll, with Ritchie Blackmore a very close second, just in terms of actual rock stars; if you put him in with people involved in the industry as a whole, including figures like Allen Klein, Phil Spector, Landy, Metallica’s therapist Phil Towle, and so forth; Love still winds hands down!

How is it that someone who studied meditation of the Maharishi with The Beatles could come out of that experience and use it in his everyday life, and become MORE of an a*****e?

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vonbontee
8 October 2021
3.38pm
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sir walter raleigh
In our yellow (IN OUR YELLOW) submarine (SUBMARINE AHA!)
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Working through Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, one of the best comic storylines i’ve ever read. So excited for the upcoming series. 

@Timothy This and Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing i’ve been reading together, really opened my eyes to the serious yet abstract narratives that exist in DC. I highly recommend 

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Timothy

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

21 October 2021
9.01am
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meanmistermustard
Thankfully not where I am.
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Reading my way thru the ‘Anthology’ tome; currently they are in Miami in 1964. It’s a fascinating read filled with a lot of humour and it never comes across as John is from archive material. I’ve read sections and excerpts before but it is really enjoyable going thru in order, tho considering this is thru the all conquering Beatlemania it was always going to be.

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Rube

"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)

1 February 2022
11.07am
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Rube
United Kingdom
Candlestick Park
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I’m currently reading the original 1964 edition of ‘Love Me Do : The Beatles’ Progress’. It’s been great so far. 

Winner of Most Hardcore Beatles Bible Fan 2021

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2 February 2022
4.58pm
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penny lane
Without music, life would be a mistake
London Palladium
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Timothy said
I’ve read a number of books recently due to lockdowns and free time.

[…1984

Animal Farm

Fahrenheit 451

On my to read list: The Count of Monte Cristo, Lord of the Flies, Brave New World]

  

Some of my favourites, I hope you like Brave New World, there is always the comparison between 1984 and BNW – who was most right, but I suppose it depends  to some degree on which side of the Iron Curtain you lived in the last half of the 20th Century. Many in the Eastern Bloc would fall heavily on 1984 as their reality, not fantasy. Both books are “right” in many ways. I only read Fahrenheit 451 this year, always meant to and it was fantastic.

In the summer we found a  great hardback copy of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago in one of those  old red telephone boxes that have been converted into little book depots, where you can take or exchange a book or leave  money. I haven’t started it yet. but don’t want to leave it until spring, I think it’s a winter book. Recently read Lamentation by C. J. Sansom, a Tudor mystery, with a  hunchback lawyer as the protagonist, sounds grim but it’s great. That was chosen randomly, found out it was book 6 of a series, so I am now on Book 1; Dissolution.  

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“I know, Jerry, that you are as human as the rest of us, if not more so." 

2 February 2022
5.02pm
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QuarryMan
Rishikesh
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Currently reading H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness. Interesting stuff. 

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penny lane

I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound. 

8 February 2022
5.28pm
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Doctor Doctor My Real Name Is Proctor
Casbah Coffee Club
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Teaching myself to read German by reading the Gospel of Matthew in German from Luther’s translation.  Finished the first three chapters so far.  Takes me about an hour to wrestle with one chapter (average of about 20 sentences). 

Sometimes I have to dig around through my dictionary and grammar book (P.G. Wilson) and use my thinking cap to realize connections, like with —“…da tat sich der Himmel auf Über ihm.”

Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by...

school

8 February 2022
5.30pm
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Doctor Doctor My Real Name Is Proctor
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P.S.:

I wondered what that “tat” was doing there; then I realized there must be a verb “auftun” (“tat” being a conjugation of “tun”), and lo and behold, there is, and my understanding “opened up” for me!

Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by...

school

9 February 2022
2.27pm
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Von Bontee
496 km NW of the '69 Toronto Rock n Roll Revival
Apple rooftop
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Rereading “Riding So High”

Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.

         

7 June 2022
4.29pm
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meanmistermustard
Thankfully not where I am.
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No idea where to put this so here is where it is.

Currently reading my way thru ‘Way Beyond Compare’, the first of John C. Winn’s Beatles books. 

I’ve always had the idea that the Beatles loved America and had a happy jovial relationship with the US press until ’66 when the whole Jesus controversy exploded. Reading chronologically thru ‘WBC’ however, the picture becomes they loved the first visit in February ’64 when it was a short visit; they did some TV, a couple of concerts and it was all pretty much new and contained. Going back for the first full US tour in August they were firstly already exhausted having been to Hong Kong, Australia (a place they had a great time in, especially after Ringo returned) etc for a month with little rest before heading back out around America for nearly a month of shows where they met this insane way over-the-top almost out uncontrollable hysteria which was vastly different to that first visit and that left them completely unable to enjoy most of the experience. As the tour progressed those in charge because far too hardhanded in their efforts to control the environments by stopping the fans getting closed, which the Beatles disliked yet wrongly took a lot of the blame for, the press themselves were often rude, pushy and demanding (the few reporters the Beatles liked they did spend time with, giving interviews and having proper conversations (some off the record)), and the press conferences were at times a shambles with some having more fans in attendance asking the questions than reporters. Additionally, most questions where the same in every venue they attended. 

This led to the Beatles, particularly John and George, getting fed up and at times quite abrupt and clearly pissed-off in the press conferences. 

The 5th September ’64 conference is heavily lacking in humour, Ringo is virtually silent, George does speak a few times, John is making almost no effort at all to be pleasant and even Paul is struggling to put on a friendly front.

Makes me wonder how happy they were going back in ’65, never mind ’66.

 

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Richard

"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)

11 September 2022
3.24pm
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Rube
United Kingdom
Candlestick Park
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I am currently reading ‘Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba’ by Carl Magnus Palm, who is also a huge Beatles fan. I have the 2014 paperback version.  It’s a wonderful and very detailed biography that goes from their childhoods up to their lives in 2014. 

Winner of Most Hardcore Beatles Bible Fan 2021

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3 January 2023
5.04pm
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Neely
Memphis, Tennessee
Ed Sullivan Show
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The Hobbit. I got a LOTR box set for christmas.

7 January 2023
5.01pm
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Rube
United Kingdom
Candlestick Park
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I am reading ‘Who I Am: My Story’ by Melanie C AKA Sporty Spice at the moment. Apart from Emma Bunton, she’s my favourite Spice Girl.  Her parents actually first met at The Cavern on 1st November 1969. Melanie first met Paul at Radio 1. She managed to make a conversation with him after being shell-shocked for a moment. June 2016 was the second time, when they both played at ‘Dine and Disco’. It’s an event that Chris Evans does every year for charity. Melanie entered into Paul’s dressing room after her set. “Alright, girl, how’s it going?” he greeted her. The last time was at Glastonbury 2022. 

Here’s a photo of them together, backstage.

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Mary took the cover photograph of Melanie’s third solo album, ‘Beautiful Intentions’ and directed the music video for ‘Better Alone’ from that album.

In 2021, Melanie was competing in ‘Dancing With The Stars’. She and her partner, Gleb Savchenko danced the foxtrot to Here Comes The Sun . After the performance, there was a lovely video message from Ringo. 

Winner of Most Hardcore Beatles Bible Fan 2021

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7 March 2023
5.21pm
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Neely
Memphis, Tennessee
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I just read “The Yellow Sign” which is in Robert W. Chamber’s “The King in Yellow”

I only read it because I finished a math state test so I had thee time. It was short; only took about 30 minutes. I really enjoyed it though.

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Sea Belt, Rube
7 March 2023
8.18pm
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Sea Belt
Candlestick Park
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The Men I Have Chosen For Fathers (1990), by Marion Montgomery.  Likely I won’t read it cover to cover; but will nose around picking out passages.  A series of essays about different men: Robert Frost, Alexander Solzshenitsyn, Ezra Pound, Eric Voegelin — and one woman, Flannery O’Connor.

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Beatlebug

Now today I find, you have changed your mind

23 March 2023
12.44pm
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Rube
United Kingdom
Candlestick Park
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I am currently reading ‘Conversations With Friends’ by Sally Rooney. I’m up to Chapter 3 so far and it’s an interesting read. 

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Richard

Winner of Most Hardcore Beatles Bible Fan 2021

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23 March 2023
1.36pm
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Neely
Memphis, Tennessee
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I am reading “The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek” by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal for school. It’s a tolerable book.

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Rube
26 March 2023
11.05pm
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vonbontee
Northern Ontario, and in Von Bontee's mind
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Read good reviews of this months ago, and found it in town here yesterday, so I’m pretty excited to start it tonight or tomorrow. (I’ve got Chuck’s own ’87 autobio; it’s fascinating but imperfect, and his final three decades obviously weren’t covered.)

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Neely, Richard

GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty. 

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https://rateyourmusic.com/~Myo.....Von_Bontee

30 April 2023
1.06pm
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Rube
United Kingdom
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I am reading ‘The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions’ by the brilliant Mark Lewisohn.

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vonbontee, Richard

Winner of Most Hardcore Beatles Bible Fan 2021

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