lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 11, 2010 11:27:33 GMT -5
Steve just posted an announcement about The Quarrymen doing a short tour of the USA surrounding John's upcoming 70th Birthday, to celebrate the occasion.
For those of you in the New York City area, they will be playing The New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Sept. 23 in Newark, NJ, the Paley Center in New York on Oct. 4, and The Society For Ethical Culture in New York on John's birthday, Oct. 9. They are also playing L.A., Las Vegas, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston on various dates. Steve has the posting.
The concert consists of a screening of the movie "Nowhere Boy", then a Q & A with The Quarrymen, followed by them performing their songs from the days when JPG were in the band.
I heard them at Beatlefest a number of years ago (when Eric Griffiths was still alive) and they do sound pretty good!Wouldn't it be cool if Paul were in the neighborhood and decided to jam with them at one of these gigs??? You never know.......
(I'll be sure to ask Colin Hanton all about his infamous argument with Paul on the bus ride home the last time he ever played with them and when that was and whether he actually played into 1959 with the band, since that seems to be a point of discussion recently here as to when The Quarrymen actually ceased to exist and it was just JPG.)
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Sept 11, 2010 13:10:46 GMT -5
I should be getting updates regarding the Quarrymen and John celebrations. You probably all saw my story that I've seen "Nowhere Boy". (Bought the UK DVD a couple of months back. You need a all-regions player, which I have.) Anyway, it's a better portrait of John than that dumb BBC film "Lennon Naked" was. It's not perfect, but it's enjoyable.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 12, 2010 1:11:51 GMT -5
I heard them at Beatlefest a number of years ago (when Eric Griffiths was still alive) and they do sound pretty good!Wouldn't it be cool if Paul were in the neighborhood and decided to jam with them at one of these gigs??? You never know....... I saw them in Chicago years ago and they were great guys. I wish I could have drank with them after their performance. I bought their c.d. and all but Len Garry were pretty cool. Len was cocky but he still signed my disc. Pete Shotton was a hoot once I mentioned that I had purchased his book years ago and it made me laugh my ass off to read about him and John in school. Pete opened up and got rather poignant with me about his last meeting with John in NYC.. Rod Davis was easily the nicest and Colin Hanton was a really nice chap. Eric Griffiths was shy but nice. I asked Rod a question as he signed my c.d. and he hollered over to Eric, "To answer John here's question." I forget my question but I loved that camaraderie of these guys, they were good mates and it was like they were sitting in a pub. They were funnier than shit in even the five minute audience I had with them. They were having an absolute ball. Len Garry was odd though, kind of a loner as if he was the "Star." Pete Shotton has the most bragging rights since he kept up with John pretty much to the end but he was still good natured when telling me about his book.
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 21, 2010 19:36:02 GMT -5
One Big "Happy" Family at Julian's Photo Exhibition. John must be smiling!!! May Pang was there as well! Attachments:
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 22, 2010 19:00:13 GMT -5
Yoko: "By the way Cyn, I still have your bathrobe I was wearing at Kenwood that morning in 1968, when you came home from Greece unexpectedly, and surprised John and I while we were having breakfast. Would you like it back?" ;D Cyn: "No thanks, you can give it to May if you don't want it anymore." ;D Attachments:
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 22, 2010 21:31:35 GMT -5
I thought that I read there was a group photo of Yoko, Cynthia, May Pang, Pattie Boyd, Julian, Sean and the rest of the "family."
That would be something, it really would be something.
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Post by mikev on Sept 23, 2010 7:15:00 GMT -5
Here is Julian at his photo exhibit with Art Garfunkel, Cheech Marin and Reverend Jim ;D
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 23, 2010 10:37:03 GMT -5
I thought that I read there was a group photo of Yoko, Cynthia, May Pang, Pattie Boyd, Julian, Sean and the rest of the "family." That would be something, it really would be something. So why is Patti at a Lennon family affair with all of John's girls????Hmm. Maybe I got the quote right under the new photo of John and George around 1974 that just surfaced? Hmmm. ;D
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 23, 2010 10:53:45 GMT -5
I thought that I read there was a group photo of Yoko, Cynthia, May Pang, Pattie Boyd, Julian, Sean and the rest of the "family." That would be something, it really would be something. So why is Patti at a Lennon family affair with all of John's girls????Hmm. Maybe I got the quote right under the new photo of John and George around 1974 that just surfaced? Hmmm. ;D LOL! As those who read her book know, Pattie rather slyly denies ever sleeping with John and she writes something curious like, "and I think John would deny it too if he could."[emphasis added] Why does she "think" John would deny it if in fact it never happened? Pattie is now a photographer so I understand her visiting Julian's exhibit and frankly Pattie is one of those persons who clings to the edge of celebrity as I think she needs the dough. She ruefully notes not fighting George at all in their divorce and having the bad luck to divorce Eric Clapton right before his finances took off with Unplugged and some other cash-making projects. She even notes the digs that EC's manager gets in on her to this day saying she divorced Eric too soon. I realized pretty quickly into her book that Pattie would never be content with a Mid-Western small town attorney like me. I'm glad now that I didn't wait in line for hours at Beatlefest to serenade her with the powerful love song I wrote her. I don't play guitar but rather cowbells and I was having trouble getting them into the Beatlefest venue anyway. Damn post-9/11 security.
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 24, 2010 9:20:02 GMT -5
I saw the Nowhere Boy film last evening at the Quarrymen concert in Newark, NJ. I agree with Steve, it is an excellent film. I found that it is primarily about the relationship between John and his Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia. The Quarrymen story is secondary in the film. It really delves into John's psyche over his feelings of family and trying to understand why he was being raised by his Aunt when his mother lived in the same town. And it credits Julia with inspiring John to music and opening his eyes to Elvis and the 50's rock scene. The best scene in the movie is the confrontation between Mimi and Julia and John when John demands to know what happened when Mimi took John in and chose to raise him. It is a gut-wrenching moment which really shows what turmoil John was going through as a young teenager. At the Q&A after the film was shown, Len Garry said that at the premiere of the movie in England, which Pete Shotton attended (he is not with the band on this trip due to his health), Pete told Len that the movie really captured accurately the two women in John's life at that time and how that relationship affected John. Len said Pete was in tears talking about that aspect and how real it seemed watching it all unfold once more on the screen.
They all agreed that they never recalled John ever punching out Pete or Paul as the film depicts after Julia's death. But you could easily see how it could have happened.
The band sounded pretty rusty in their concert following the film last night. Poor Len has to do all the lead vocals now, that John (and Paul) once did in the band, and he never did, and Rod's guitar solos were also a little rusty as well, but it was fun to see them back up there making some music and doing the songs they had done over 50 years ago just the same. They invited audience members up onstage to join them by playing the washboard and tea-chest bass they had brought, so a bunch of fans, some just kids, got a chance to play with them.
Nice evening, was great to see the film in this context. Every Beatlefan will need to see the film. It really helps explain where John was coming from personally rather than just his history as a Quarryman and later as a Beatle.
And the soundtrack of the film is phenominal!!!
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Post by scousette on Sept 24, 2010 10:32:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the review, lowbasso. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it premieres here in San Francisco in a couple of weeks. I really wish the Quarrymen were coming to the Bay Area. I went to one of their shows in Liverpool a few years ago as part of a Beatle Tour and it was so much fun. It took place in the section of the Beatles Story exhibition that is set up just like the Cavern.
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Post by OldFred on Sept 25, 2010 23:30:57 GMT -5
Just came back from the Fab Faux concert at Radio City Music Hall that celebrated John's 70th birthday. The Fabs' were incredible as usual, starting the proceedings with a note perfect version of 'Tomorrow Never Knows', and the evening continued getting better with fantastic versions of 'Watching The Wheels', 'Jealous Guy', 'Nowhere Man', 'A Day In The Life', 'Cold Turkey', 'Imagine', among many Beatles/Lennon songs. One of the highlights of the evening was a short set by John's original band The Quarrymen, who performed on a separate area of the stage underneath one of the giant video screens, which at one point showed the image of a young John Lennon from the Hamburg days. Seeing the elder Quarrymen performing with the young image of their original leader above them was very poignant. Other images of John were shown on the screen throughout the evening. It was a great celebration of John's life and music, done justice by the Fab Faux. If you haven't seen this incredible band yet, if they play in your area, do yourself a favor and go see them. You'll love it. The Quarrymen on stage at Radio City.
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Post by ursamajor on Sept 26, 2010 4:38:40 GMT -5
Thanks for that Old Fred, great photos. Any chance of the Fab Faux coming to New Zealand ?
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Post by OldFred on Sept 26, 2010 8:22:12 GMT -5
Thanks for that Old Fred, great photos. Any chance of the Fab Faux coming to New Zealand ? You can check their tour schedule on their website. So far it looks like they're only touring the States. You could contact them and suggest that they come to New Zealand. www.thefabfaux.com/
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Post by sayne on Sept 26, 2010 9:32:19 GMT -5
Here is Julian at his photo exhibit with Art Garfunkel, Cheech Marin and Reverend Jim ;D And isn't that David Lee Roth in the background?
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Post by winstonoboogie on Sept 26, 2010 10:06:37 GMT -5
Here is Julian at his photo exhibit with Art Garfunkel, Cheech Marin and Reverend Jim ;D And isn't that David Lee Roth in the background? LOL!
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 26, 2010 11:12:57 GMT -5
And isn't that David Lee Roth in the background? LOL! No kidding, LMAO! These lyrics really apply to Roth and this dude trying to crash the photo: "I'm just a gigolo and everywhere I go, People know the part I'm playin'. Pay for every dance, sellin' each romance, Ooohh what they're sayin'? There will come a day, when youth will pass away, What will they say about me? When the end comes I know, there was just a gigolo's Life goes on without me."
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 5, 2010 14:58:51 GMT -5
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gloi
Very Clean
Posts: 222
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Post by gloi on Oct 6, 2010 3:25:36 GMT -5
When I was at the Beatles convention at Liverpool in August Julia Baird was there. She was really livid about the Nowhere Boy film. She really was on one telling people about the lies the film was portraying about her family, saying that all John's family in Liverpool were furious about it but there was nothing they could do.
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 6, 2010 9:45:36 GMT -5
When I was at the Beatles convention at Liverpool in August Julia Baird was there. She was really livid about the Nowhere Boy film. She really was on one telling people about the lies the film was portraying about her family, saying that all John's family in Liverpool were furious about it but there was nothing they could do. What was her beef, the portrayel of her mother Julia? I thought that Julia Baird didn't care for Mimi because of all the efforts Mimi went through, early on, to get John in her home, including the calling of what we call Child Protective Services on her own sister, Julia. It is true that Yoko wasn't there but Julia Baird would have been just a child and her memory clouded by such. Interesting though! I was most struck by Phillip Norman's research that the Lennon side of the family was very involved with John his early years with one Lennon kin having custody of young John for a period of time when Mimi and clan disowned Julia and apparently little John! To read the earlier books would have us think that John never had contact with the Lennon side of the family except sometimes father Freddie. That was simply not true. True, his mother's side was to dominate that after John was five or so but Mimi was very hard in that regard, keeping the Lennons out(but even her own sister too).
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Oct 6, 2010 10:55:07 GMT -5
When I was at the Beatles convention at Liverpool in August Julia Baird was there. She was really livid about the Nowhere Boy film. She really was on one telling people about the lies the film was portraying about her family, saying that all John's family in Liverpool were furious about it but there was nothing they could do. Did she elaborate on what lies she felt the movie portrayed? I am curious now having seen the movie. It really puts Julia (John's mother) in a quite favorable light as an inspiration to John's musical enlightenment. And the actress playing Julia really seemed to capture her free spirit that John always talked about.
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gloi
Very Clean
Posts: 222
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Post by gloi on Oct 7, 2010 3:47:12 GMT -5
I didn't get too close enough to her to hear everything she was saying but I know she was unhappy with their portrayal of her mother and of the way John went to live with Mimi. I think in general she is unhappy with the way Julia is judged by the media as being feckless rather than dominated by her older siblings. She did seem to be a bit tipsy shall we say, and letting her feelings be known.
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 8, 2010 11:16:28 GMT -5
JSD's dilemma:
My wife's birthday is October 9th and amazingly my oldest stepson's serious girlfriend's birthday is also October 9th.
Last year my wife was 50 and I threw a huge and wild party for her that is still being talked about in Logansport. JL got lost last year to me in my scramble to throw my wife a party of her lifetime. This year is John's milestone 70th year had he been allowed. The stepson and girlfriend want to hook-up for a big dinner gathering.
I want to pay silent tribute to and honor John Lennon's life tomorrow and simply surround myself all day with as much of his newly reissued music as possible.
What do I do? You folks know where I am coming from and always offer insightful, caring and sensitive advice.
Thanks in advance!
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Post by vectisfabber on Oct 8, 2010 13:06:37 GMT -5
This is simple. Your family are more important than a musician who has been dead for 30 years.
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 8, 2010 13:54:11 GMT -5
This is simple. Your family are more important than a musician who has been dead for 30 years. There's that insightful, caring and sensitive advice I knew I'd get! ;D You would normally be 100% right wth that solid advice, dear vectis, but we are talking my family, my wife and I shelled out a lot last year for her. 51 is just funny especially since I am "only" 47(I know, I'm remarkably mature for my age). Okay, who is willing to tell me more along the lines of what I want to hear? By the way, go to Google's home page as there is a Lennon tribute! How cool! RTP, when does Macca get a Google tribute?
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gloi
Very Clean
Posts: 222
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Post by gloi on Oct 8, 2010 15:35:04 GMT -5
This is simple. Your family are more important than a musician who has been dead for 30 years. Your wife will appreciate your birthday wishes/presents much more than John and you have to live with her for the rest of the year! Doesn't stop you thinking about him though. Have your own tribute on the 10th.
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 8, 2010 15:46:21 GMT -5
This is simple. Your family are more important than a musician who has been dead for 30 years. Your wife will appreciate your birthday wishes/presents much more than John and you have to live with her for the rest of the year! Doesn't stop you thinking about him though. Have your own tribute on the 10th. Thank you gloi! Good idea! I really do want to immerse myself in the music this weekend(except when my Colts are on Sunday!).
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Oct 9, 2010 1:17:00 GMT -5
JSD's dilemma: My wife's birthday is October 9th and amazingly my oldest stepson's serious girlfriend's birthday is also October 9th. Last year my wife was 50 and I threw a huge and wild party for her that is still being talked about in Logansport. JL got lost last year to me in my scramble to throw my wife a party of her lifetime. This year is John's milestone 70th year had he been allowed. The stepson and girlfriend want to hook-up for a big dinner gathering. I want to pay silent tribute to and honor John Lennon's life tomorrow and simply surround myself all day with as much of his newly reissued music as possible. What do I do? You folks know where I am coming from and always offer insightful, caring and sensitive advice. Thanks in advance! Tell them it's Lennon's 70th and you're spending it with his music. And don't back down. ;D
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Post by theman on Oct 9, 2010 9:57:19 GMT -5
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Post by sayne on Oct 9, 2010 10:46:44 GMT -5
JSD's dilemma: My wife's birthday is October 9th and amazingly my oldest stepson's serious girlfriend's birthday is also October 9th. Last year my wife was 50 and I threw a huge and wild party for her that is still being talked about in Logansport. JL got lost last year to me in my scramble to throw my wife a party of her lifetime. This year is John's milestone 70th year had he been allowed. The stepson and girlfriend want to hook-up for a big dinner gathering. I want to pay silent tribute to and honor John Lennon's life tomorrow and simply surround myself all day with as much of his newly reissued music as possible. What do I do? You folks know where I am coming from and always offer insightful, caring and sensitive advice. Thanks in advance! Tell them it's Lennon's 70th and you're spending it with his music. And don't back down.I don't see the big. Why does it have to be one or the other? John liked to party. Go party. The Irish have it right. Their wakes were full of jokes and laughter. John would agree that life is for the living. Go out and live. Enjoy good food, good drink, good music, and enjoy the people who are important to you - and give this toast in honor of John, "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
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