Nothing Is Real S01E14 - The Mark Lewisohn Interview Part One

Mark Lewisohn is the world’s leading Beatles historian and writer. He is currently touring Hornsey Road, an in-depth 2-hour presentation about the Abbey Road album. As every Beatles fan knows, he is also in the middle of the “30-year project” that is All These Years, the definitive Beatles biography. In the first of two parts, Mark talks about Hornsey Road, and how he went from the pen pals section of The Beatles Book to talking himself out of a job as Paul McCartney’s official biographer. Live on tape from Dublin, it’s Nothing Is Real.
#Beatles #TheBeatles #MarkLewisohn
Website: www.nothingisrealpod.com
Twitter: @BeatlesPod
Facebook Group: tiny.cc/NIRFBG
Originally released October 2019

[@deadbeatdynamo]

Excellent episode. I could listen to the three of you fellas talk all day. Thanks for this great interview.

[@Peter-pb8jg]

still waiting for Vol 2...."I'm getting older all the time"

[@ronaldolaquidara64]

"It's getting better all the time!!" Better better better.. Hopefully Mark will be able to write all his books on the 🐐 The BeaTles 🎸🥁🎹🎙 FYI: the 🐐GOAT =Greatest Of All Time!!✌🏽

[@dalebonifant4855]

I've given up, I'm 66

[@milenakorovljev4209]

Beatles changed music, fashion, outlooks to life, and everything that goes with everything....End of story!

[@bobgrilli1427]

So very glad I tuned in to you three guys again! Great. Still patiently waiting, Mark.

[@simonholyoak8869]

As am i

[@ronaldolaquidara64]

As probably thousands of peeps!! Including Me, Myself and I 😹😂 Paperback Writer Writer writer writer.....

[@michaelharrington75]

We really have no choice. The publishing company needs to give him the ole watch tap. But, Mark has been quiet for the past few months. Hopefully because he's writing volume 2? There shouldn't be 10 years between volumes 2 and 3 either.

[@michaelanthony386]

"The Beatles will exist without us." -George Harrison

[@garethwaugh1]

Brilliant podcast and a brilliant writer/researcher.Thank you. Looking forward to Volume 2 of All these years

[@mikemcconville2495]

Great podcast. Thanks!

[@franciscoop1063]

More updates from Mark Lewisohn in 2021 soon please Gentlemen

[@cristiandavidguerracampo3101]

a great one!!!

[@chriscampanozzi6516]

Good information, thank you.

[@cyeamaculture8486]

Great interview

[@sevans2140]

I got a kick out of your metaphor @ 15:55 - “McCartney just tips his head onto a tape and whatever comes out comes out.” The image it created in my mind would have made good cover art for the album.☺️

[@alramone1]

Nice job, I was also about 14 when I got the Recording Sessions book...

[@davidjackson5449]

So refreshing to be reminded that in the Uk the Beatles weren't that popular. Listening to our American friends Podcasts you would imagine the opposite was true hence their attitude to Ringo's albums in the 80s and onwards. I collected both George and Ringos's albums from purchases in the record shop bargain bins. Keep up the great work lads.

[@milenakorovljev4209]

May be less popular in Great Britain...It was never so in America and Europe it self. One is never recognised in own country.

[@Beatgeneration2010]

So, the first programme.....where are the rest? This show is just two years old now, no more programmes, why?

[@nothingisreal2901]

All our episodes to date are on our KZbin channel. Season Four starts Mar 17th 2021! Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can explore them all (plus loads of other NIR info) on our website here: www.nothingisrealpod.com/episodes

[@tonyr1950]

I gave up waiting for volume 2. If there’s nothing new to tell, then it’s not really an update. Having waited this long, you get the feeling that volume two can’t help but be a let down.

[@mrs.featherbottom5901]

Vol 1 took 10 years. It’s been 10 years now since vol 1 came out. Now is the time to start worrying, all things considered.

[@knockedoutloaded279]

Anyone know if Street of Dreams demo exists......

[@davidjackson5449]

i meant in the late 70s

[@andrewnbrown]

Interesting that Mark talks about them all being able to do they're own things separate from the Beatles. I wonder whether it was considered to put out Yesterday as a Paul solo single? I'm if John knew what a massive song it would become he would have argued strongly to be Beatles with his name as a writer on it!

[@paulharris8983]

Mark would’ve been aged 12 when McCartney’s debut album came out I doubt he had the level of insight to put McCartney’s catalogue into context at that age and to dismiss a lesser work. Maybe I’m wrong and at the age of 8 Mark was stroking his chin listening to Pepper saying ‘wow the Beatles are really pushing the boundaries of pop here’. The idea that a pre teen was disappointed with McCartney’s first solo offering, do me a favour. Personally I found All These Years a little flat, I can’t deny the level of detail but in terms of readability it was very dry. I admired the level of research but if anything Mark made the Beatles dull, some feat.

[@chrisnewman7281]

I think he’s treating the Beatles like an academic study not being swept away by adoration and it’s a work that’s extensively cross-referenced and cited. That will be the mark of his work going forward

[@knockedoutloaded279]

He didn't know the 3rd song was Now and then,,,

[@BeatlemaccaAR]

He was actually 10 in 1970. I myself was turning 8 and completely over the moon with the release. Not intellectually ready to discuss it from a lot of levels, of course, but we're all different so you never know really 🤷‍♀️

[@MalEvansUSA]

He isn’t a great writer for sure. He is an amazing researcher. Tune in from a prose and writing perspective is poorly written and his characteristics of Indian and British West Indian culture ie lord woodbine smacks of racist colonialism to be honest

[@strawman80]

Mark uses "we" a lot.. speak for yourself Mark..I bought all McCartneys singles and albums in real time as they were released and thought each one was great .

[@airbloomamplifiers]

Unfortunate intro music

[@natemendsen1629]

Shitting on Ram?gtfo lol

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

Mark lewisohn had the best Beatles source of all time neil aspinall and didn’t do a great job of cultivating him. He fucked up. Period

[@slugbird1955]

According to Lewisohn on another talk, as long as Neil was working for Apple he refused to talk about The Beatles in interviews beyond the party line. In other words, none of his personal recollections. When he retired he said the time has come and Mark was able to get one good interview in the books, with plans for several more meetings. Unfortunately Neil died shortly after.

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

@@slugbird1955 He has said that -oversimplified tale many times In multiple interviews - in reality - that's not exactly accurate - he does discuss many of the off-record lunches and dinners he had with Neil during the anthology - Of course - Neil had to deal with the aftermath of Mark Lewisohn playing unauthorized recordings for journalist at Abbey Road - which resulted in Mark losing his apple credentials - To this day - this is the reason Olivia Harrison and the Harrison camp have nothing to do with him - I blame Lewisohn and hold him accountable for losing Neil as a source and not trying to do more to cultivate his friendship and his position - He plain messed up - That's like writing a biography of the Queen and losing Martin Charteris as a source - its unthinkable - He had an inside track to Neil and he blew it by letting his ego get in the way and playing those unauthorized recordings - What a completely blown opportunity - He was right in the center of it and had Neil's trust - and he blew it - We have all been deprived - Neil would have been amazing source -

[@slugbird1955]

@@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879 I certainly agree Neil would have been the gold standard of sources, with maybe Mal Evans being a secondary source. I am about 15 pages away from finishing the first volume (not the 1,700 page version) and I am loathe to finish as it has been such a great read. Once I started reading the book I learned that Lewisohn had quite a few interviews on KZbin and I believe I have listened to 95% of them. I find him fascinating and he clearly loves his subject. His explanation of the tape "leak" seemed plausible and he had both Neil and I think it was Derek Taylor at the time firmly behind his integrity and explanation of the incident. They both defended Mark to George but alas to no fruitful end. I'm 66 years old. If the timeline from research to finished work per volume is about 10 years (hopefully Volume 2 is released in 2022) I will be close to 90 when I finish the third volume. My fingers are certainly crossed! Stay well in these weird times!

[@Bassman2353]

@@slugbird1955 I just finished the Extended Special Edition - it's worth every cent.

[@eoghanlyng5074]

@@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879 Dude, there is no way Lewisohn could have played those tapes without EMI's permission. And while it cost him his relationship with Harrison, he kept a healthy working relationship with McCartney that continued well on into the new millennium.

[@kb9094]

"in their moment of release, all those early McCartney singles and albums were disappointing." Whatever. Suck it, Mark.

[@chrisnewman7281]

“Mary had a little lamb”

[@kb9094]

@@chrisnewman7281 Hmm? :) It wasn't on RAM or McCartney, which Mark-can-suck-it was discussing, it was 1972 with Wings, and I heard Mary Had a Little Lamb again recently and ... I actually really like it? Nice melody, nice harmonies, a sweet tribute to his daughter.

[@chrisnewman7281]

@@kb9094 loyalty is a great thing

[@jonathanbaggs4275]

He's right. They were disappointing in the moment at the time. We all wanted and thought at the time that the solo efforts would sound like "the beatles." They didn't. We didn't realize the sum total of the individuals together made the Beatles. You had to have been there as it was happening in real time. We didn't know what we didn't know.

[@chrisnewman7281]

@@jonathanbaggs4275 The Beatles always borrowed and reflected the music of the times. So in 1963 it’s the Latin music in 1965 you can hear the Dylan influence by 1966 it’s the Byrds, And Sergeant Peppers has a whole host of influences. Even Abbey road you can hear influences like Santana in ‘she so heavy’. So the influence of the 1970s were bound to come through but to be fair probably wasn’t my favourite period of music but I’m sure that those influences came through on the various Beatles solo efforts. The early 70s sounds like funk, glam rock and The West Coast sound. Not sure where Meridith had a little lamb came comes in in that regard