Things We Said Today

[@michael.in.taiwan]

I paused and watched the Washington Colosseum show at your suggestion. Surprised to find the whole thing on Youube. You're right, it's incredible. Thanks for prompting me to look for it. Really is worthwhile for any Beatle fan. But unlike what you said, they had offstage people running up to turn Ringo's drumkit. At one point it happened so fast that it looked like Ringo doing it, because he got off the riser. Rewinding, I noticed it was a quick illusion. Anyway, back to the show!

[@JohnRedshaw]

I don't hold with the notion that the country fell in love with the Beatles because of the mourning of the JFK assasination. The reason the Beatles made a cultural, popular smash is because they were immediately engaging, joyful, and talented. Also, they had a sendoff in February 1964 that seemed blessed from heaven. They essentially had free press to popularize them to the world, and most importantly, they had the ability, to a lot of the TV viewing public, to sell the hype with almost no effort. They not only lived up to the hype, they surpassed it with their recordings, live performances, and attractive personalities.

[@tonymichaels5547]

Good discussion guys. Nice job. Kudos to Allan for what I think is a "clear-eyed" take on the whole "Beatles filling the void left by JFK". Like Allan, I've never believed this theory either. It's revisionism. While a little interesting, I think it started with somebody in an article, in a book, maybe a video, saying that, and the theory was repeated by others. I believe the band caught on in late '63 in the U.S. because of a stupendous, ground-breaking single in "I Want To Hold Your Hand" that sounded like nothing before it that was able to be backed in perfect time by Capitol's marketing arm. AND, before this, The Beatles were already huge in England and throughout Europe, plus, they'd already hit in Canada. Nothing to do with the JFK theory. The Beatlemania deal was sealed with the band's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. They looked, sounded and acted like no other act before them.

[@mikeciresi3697]

I’ll watch this podcast after I watch the movie this Friday.

[@UnclePaulsBeatlesPopPlayhouse]

Incredible as usual...sadly as soon as i saw the trailer i felt this may not be what fans wanted...tho perhaps the newer generation will learn about the mania! I did also watch Washington again...always an incredible concert. Cheers from the playhouse my friends!

[@jmcohen17]

I was in 8th grade when Kennedy was assassinated. Yes I was deeply affected , but there was no correlation for my love for The Beatles. I was not looking for something to fill the void.

[@techknowology]

In regards to the JFK assassination and how it uplifted the mood in America, I can personally see how this could have uplifted the American mood. I can only give a conjecture opinion as I was not alive yet to experience Beatlemania, however I was alive during another horrific event and that was the terrorist attacks on 911. I will circle back on this point to illustrate what got me out of that deep depression as a young adult. I know some may say the Beatles were going to hit big no matter what. Yes that is also true too, but the intensity might have been a little different. Here is why. For one, Beatlemania didn't simply happen 2 or even 3 months after the JFK assassination, it had to build up. Remember the song I Wanna Hold Your Hand debuted on American radio stations on December 16, 1963. A good 3 weeks later from that tragic event. If you take the entire embodiment of the JFK event, which spanned over a week, it was literally less than 2 weeks later before the majority of Americans who are getting their first taste of the Beatles, a few days later in fact. Next, you have Walter Cronkite, one of the most watched and trusted news anchors of the day who does a profile of The Beatles on December 17, 1963. This is pretty significant as the buzz is beginning to take shape. Other publications, news media, DJs and Ed Sullivan want to book them as a result of Walter Cronkite’s broadcast. The JFK assassination was a gut punch in the stomach. Families especially in the New England area had a JFK portrait hanging in their home, along with the JFK vinyl record. JFK was the first TV president and everyone for the first time truly felt connected to the First Family, so the feeling of him being cut down had a huge profound effect on their nervous systems. And remember our parents are a reflection of us. Yes the kids can rebound faster, but the parents not so much, and because of that mood, the kids had to endure those feelings of hopelessness in the home. The impact of The Beatles gave the kids the ability to scream, to suppress the sad mood their family and the country were feeling, It was a necessary escapism. This is why The Beatles have said over and over and over the decades that America was on another level above any other country when it came to going insane. It was thrilling and yet scary at the same time. But make no mistake, The Beatles always had a soft spot for America for how they were embraced in so quickly. The truth of the matter is that Americans needed them more than the Beatles needed America. When 911 hit, that was also a gut punch to the stomach moment. We could not comprehend as to what was happening and why it was happening. It was a feeling of great despair, the unknown and what this all means. I remember I had to escape from the 24/7 reminder of what happened that day, and I found a positive event that became a widespread revolution on how we consume media, music and transformed radio forever. That was the announcement of the iPod, nearly a month later, and we had that magical device in our hands in November. That device saved me. It was a wave that many of us gravitated towards in the 10s of millions. I focused on my music during those dark days, Podcasts started to become a thing on how we consume radio like programs, the music store a couple of years later. It became a worldwide phenomenon in a positive way. That got me through the 2000s. The question isn't whether or not the Beatles would have been successful, of course they would have, but would they have been influential long enough is the question, because the intensity was so great and so magnetic, it propelled their attention to new epic highs. Think of it as a "Shock Impact" moment. Do you head towards sadness or do you break free and run to something more positive? JFK and Beatlemania are forever linked.

[@charliebadger]

Beatles 67, would have been a better documentary :)

[@mikeciresi3697]

I think one of the biggest factors in the whole thing was the fact that rock ‘n’ roll was in an all time low. I’m not so sure about the Kennedy theory taking into account that the parents of the kids were against The Beatles at first.

[@bengordon6053]

It’s absolutely brilliant marketing that this topic keeps resurfacing with 16 year olds singing along every single word

[@MalEvansUSA]

It’s a well known fact that on Lee Harvey oswalds record player was a vee jay early pressing of from me to you which they found in his rooming house on 11 22 1963. Either Oswald or his Russian 🇷🇺 wife were early beatle fans

[@JohnRedshaw]

Do you have a source for that story?

[@MalEvansUSA]

@ famed jfk assassination expert mark lane in his rush to judgement book circa 1966. Vee jay was a mobbed up Chicago record label where Jack rubys sister was a secretary. And signed the mobbed up Italian singing group the four seasons Italian 🇮🇹 mobbed up little mafiosi backed boy band. Veejay It’s the link between Oswald ruby and the mob. Another interesting connectivity link between Oswald and conspiracy. It was also mentioned on Rob reiners podcast the men who killed Kennedy. Ruby was backed by Chicago mob and he was from chicago

[@JohnRedshaw]

I don't hold with the notion that the country fell in love with the Beatles because of the mourning of the JFK assasination. The reason the Beatles made a cultural, popular smash is because they were immediately engaging, joyful, and talented. Also, they had a sendoff in February 1964 that seemed blessed from heaven. They essentially had free press to popularize them to the world, and most importantly, they had the ability, to a lot of the TV viewing public, to sell the hype with almost no effort. They not only lived up to the hype, they surpassed it with their recordings, live performances, and attractive personalities.

[@MalEvansUSA]

Great post. Spot on. Lazy documentary filmmakers using false narratives to make up history is very infuriating very lame

[@davidrowe7967]

Have the problem with the silent mlc’ been overcome during George’s performance of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ at Washington concert?

[@Mr.-J-2024]

Before it was WPLJ-FM, wasn't it WABC-FM? Seems to me Scorsese is taking credit for the Maysles' Brothers work. Love the Capitol album reissues.

[@kenmichaelsradio748]

It most definitely was WABC-FM before WPLJ. I only listened when they were WPLJ. Where do you feel Scorsese is taking credit for what the Maysles Brothers filmed?

[@Mr.-J-2024]

@@kenmichaelsradio748 Ah, those great early day's of WPLJ... I remember listening overnight to Alex Bennett.. remember him? Something to me just doesn't feel right about this Scorsese doc. The Maysles did a great job with the original "What's Happening" film and I don't see why Disney+ wouldn't just release that original film and maybe add on the complete Sullivan Shows (not just the Beatle's performances) to capture the feel of the times. Didn't MS jus re-edit a wealth of the Maysles footage and add some updated interviews, etc? Really enjoy your program. Great stuff. Thx. :- )

[@allankozinn192]

@@kenmichaelsradio748 that(re Maysles) wasn’t him, it everyone’s pal “Mal Evans.”

[@bobtaylor170]

I was in sixth grade when Kennedy was killed. It's not so much that The Beatles filled in for Kennedy as it was that there was a void of glamor. Who do you think was more "JFK - like"?: Elvis, Frankie Avalon, and Bobby Vinton or The Beatles? Right. If Kennedy had not been killed, I think The Beatles would have been "as big," but their impact would have been more gradual, not as sudden and overwhelming. I was almost four when Elvis hit the big-time. He was a sensation, much joked about by adult show biz types, too, but he wasn't all of a sudden the biggest story in the world. By far The Beatles' best live performance I've ever seen is their five song set at the 1964 NME Awards. You should be able to find it on KZbin.

[@t221000]

You guys saw the movie 🎥 in advance?

[@charliebadger]

That soundtrack is on youtube under 'Releases' on their channel. It's pointless :)

[@lemontiki]

I mean, without being too deep into John’s mentally, could it possibly be because Cynthia was around on that trip??? Don’t think he could cut loose like the other boys. ????

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

JFK death helped the Beatles. It’s revisionist to suggest they wouldn’t make it if jfk lived It’s hard to say what the impact would be if he lived. One things for sure is that Jfks death killed Vaughn meaders career. It never recovered. He was instantly forgotten kind of like Pete best

[@allankozinn192]

Not a single one of us, nor anyone in the film, suggested that the Beatles wouldn’t have made it if Kennedy hadn’t been shot. We said, in fact, just the opposite. So I’m not sure whose revisionism you’re calling out.

[@MalEvansUSA]

Pete fornatale may have been a groundbreaking dj. I am sorry he passed. However He was also a serial pedophile and died in prison. Why mention this awful person 😢.

[@MalEvansUSA]

Scorsese should stick to gangster films. He is wrongly 😢taking credit for the Malyses brothers work which is awful

[@allankozinn192]

The Maysles Brothers get credit, and nobody on the planet thinks that the very familiar Maysles footage - which Apple has already released twice - is Scorsese’s. But you should learn to read credits. Scorsese isn’t even taking credit as director, but as producer, which is pretty much an honorific in film. And surely you’re not suggesting that the Maysles Brothers directed this. It uses a lot of their footage; but there are lots of other sources too - the Sullivan and Washington footage isn’t theirs (except the apartment/family viewing Sullivan stuff), and there is a good deal of newsreel footage, some 8mm fan footage, and a lot of contemporary (and some archival) footage, which also originates in sources other than the Maysles.