(note - this is from two weeks ago... ...time flies) Scene: I'm sitting in a hotel in Boston, drinking my 3rd or maybe 4th Harpoon Imperial IPA, and Scorcese's Beatles doc comes on HBO.
Now, I have to preface this conversation with some context. I am a Beatles fanatic. I recorded the late 90's Beatles Anthology on VHS and watched it (and by "it," I mean parts 1-2... ...starting with Rubber Soul, which I consider their tipping point... ...which is when they started doing drugs.... ...which was TOTALLY cool.... ...or at least i thought... ...think... ...thought... ...think... ...thought... ...) weekly.
What i thought as i watched this awesome documentary was:
1. Brian Epstein and George Martin wore suits and ties to the studio every day. EVERY day.
2. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a teenager during the 60's. Your teenage years are undoubtedly when you are most impressionable in all ways. Music is no exception. In fact, I would argue that the ages of 12-16 are the years when you are more likely to develop your lifetime musical tastes than any other period in your life.
For me, this period was dominated by Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, and the aforementioned Beatles.
When I was watching this film, I couldn't help but think "this is my parents' band." I just happened to embrace, relate, and adore them. It made me wonder if I could ever really love the Beatles the way my parents did...
The first time I heard the Strokes was 2001. At that point, they were pretty new, and the SOUND was something that our Coldplay/Dave Matthews/Bob Dylan/Pavement world had not yet heard. It's not that I am better able to relate to Julian Casablancas than a kid who graduates high school on 2012... ...it's just that for 2001 Clay, it was new, exciting, and groundbreaking. For 2012 kid, "Is This It" is probably a really great album that also has some killer Girl Talk remixes.
None of these thoughts diminish my view of the Beatles in any way. If anything, it fills me with more of a sense of wonder about them. It makes me wonder, "what is my Beatles-love ceiling?"
Eric Clapton said it best when he was asked if he was ever jealous of one of his best friends in the world, George Harrison (keep in mind that this was during the "Clapton is God" phase - there was no single force bigger than Clapton at this point in time).
Clapton's reply? "It was the BEATLES. Come ON!"
I have no Idea what the point of this was, except maybe a small tribute to the best band of all time, and an expression of my awe that it's possible that I could love them MORE than I do now.
Now, I have to preface this conversation with some context. I am a Beatles fanatic. I recorded the late 90's Beatles Anthology on VHS and watched it (and by "it," I mean parts 1-2... ...starting with Rubber Soul, which I consider their tipping point... ...which is when they started doing drugs.... ...which was TOTALLY cool.... ...or at least i thought... ...think... ...thought... ...think... ...thought... ...) weekly.
What i thought as i watched this awesome documentary was:
1. Brian Epstein and George Martin wore suits and ties to the studio every day. EVERY day.
2. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a teenager during the 60's. Your teenage years are undoubtedly when you are most impressionable in all ways. Music is no exception. In fact, I would argue that the ages of 12-16 are the years when you are more likely to develop your lifetime musical tastes than any other period in your life.
For me, this period was dominated by Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, and the aforementioned Beatles.
When I was watching this film, I couldn't help but think "this is my parents' band." I just happened to embrace, relate, and adore them. It made me wonder if I could ever really love the Beatles the way my parents did...
The first time I heard the Strokes was 2001. At that point, they were pretty new, and the SOUND was something that our Coldplay/Dave Matthews/Bob Dylan/Pavement world had not yet heard. It's not that I am better able to relate to Julian Casablancas than a kid who graduates high school on 2012... ...it's just that for 2001 Clay, it was new, exciting, and groundbreaking. For 2012 kid, "Is This It" is probably a really great album that also has some killer Girl Talk remixes.
None of these thoughts diminish my view of the Beatles in any way. If anything, it fills me with more of a sense of wonder about them. It makes me wonder, "what is my Beatles-love ceiling?"
Eric Clapton said it best when he was asked if he was ever jealous of one of his best friends in the world, George Harrison (keep in mind that this was during the "Clapton is God" phase - there was no single force bigger than Clapton at this point in time).
Clapton's reply? "It was the BEATLES. Come ON!"
I have no Idea what the point of this was, except maybe a small tribute to the best band of all time, and an expression of my awe that it's possible that I could love them MORE than I do now.
