A brand new episode of Robot Sweatshop featuring just Dan! This is Robot Sweatshop as you've never heard it: Listen as Dan discusses Paul McCartney live at Citi Field, a new form of pan-handling he saw on the NYC subway, talks Batman and Robin and Wednesday Comics, RiffTrax Live, AND takes some phone calls. A must listen -- AGAIN!
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5 comments:
This episode should be called a trip into the mind of Danny Brooks. It's like Herman's Head for radio!
i couldn't agree with you more about your beatle assessment. RAM is by far a masterpiece, george has made some beautiful music, and john was a great artist, but musically speaking, he's always been weaker. That's the issue- some people are more lyric-oriented (i.e. most rock music "critics") and so the quality of the music escapes them- they're all about the lyric. I just did "End of the Line" at open mic- go george!
one thing i will say- i've come to respect Yoko as an artist. Not as a musician- she's absolutely terrible, but as a fine artist, she's actually quite good. Every time I see something of hers at a museum, I'm impressed. The Guggenheim had some of her word paintings (little poems in painting frames) and they were quite good. Her "cut-up" performance, filmed by the Maysles Bros. is quite brilliant. I had read about it, but seeing it was really something. So I gotta say, I get why John dug her (though his maternal issues are a whole 'nother topic.)
I always thought Paul's "Let Me Roll It" wasn't so much a John parody, but a lyrical response to "How Do You Sleep?" which was an acerbic indictment of paul by bitter john. Paul, as always, took it in stride and let it roll...
Mick: I hope that means you liked it.
Anon: Congrats on End of the Line at the open mic! That's awesome. We had Handle With Care played at our wedding. (And Calico Skies was our song!)
Yeah, Paul is the best. I don't mean to throw John under the bus, cause I love him and his music, but there's a noticeable dip in quality with his solo stuff. I mean, even if you're not going to compare it to Paul, George or the Beatles, I find a lot of it to just be simplistic, cynical and narcissistic. Not the qualities I look for. That being said, I can put together a mean John solo mix CD. But my Paul mix CD is better.
Re: Yoko, I dunno man. I would like to see her non-musical art at some point, but I have such a distaste for her as a person, I don't know if I could get past that. And it's not cause I think she broke up the Beatles, which is dumb, but just everything I've ever read about her makes her seem like a ghoul.
Yeah, Let Me Roll It is definitely a response to John in some manner. But y'know, Paul started the whole thing with Too Many People, so he really dug his own hole.
When it comes to celebrities, i mean, who knows what they really are like in person- and most likely, they're probably all assholes to one extent or another- it's what money and power does to you pretty much 100% of the time. And what's wonderful about art is exactly the fact that everyone is capable of creating something, regardless of who they are, otherwise. Even Hitler made paintings- it's the good and bad of being human. So let's give Yoko a chance (that's all we are saying...) She's definitely proven herself to have talent- just not in the music category.
To play devil's advocate, you have to hand it to John, though- songs like "Give Me Some Truth" are really great. In a totally different way from Paul-great, but that song has a genuine edge that hasn't eroded in 30 years. "Watching the Wheels" is a beautiful song- not only a nice melodic structure, but again, he really nails what he's trying to express lyrically- one can't ignore his talent, either, and I understand why he's more respected than Paul, simply because he chose the difficult road even though he could have raked in the cash via his name.
I've been a Paul fan since the 80's, and it's a little annoying to see all these ex-Paul haters suddenly giving him props- why do you have to get old and / or die to get some respect? Ridiculous!
Yeah "Gimme Some Truth" and lots of the stuff on Imagine is great. He had lots of gems on each album (except maybe Sometime in NYC. Yikes!). I actually like the Double Fantasy takes from the Lennon Anthology box set. Worth checking out if you haven't!
And yeah, it seems like it became okay to like Paul again after Linda died and then after the divorce with Heather. Really annoying.
Due for critical reassessment: Back to the Egg!
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