This song haunts me in the best way since first hearing it on Danny Howells Global Underground Miami:
Have a nice trip 
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This is more than just a listen. It’s a significant investment in viewing time. There’s 3 DVD’s and it took me 4 evenings to watch them all. You’ll see and hear the development of what I consider to be some of the best cuts from a mature (and sometimes immature acting), Beatles.
I took away a new perspective on song writing and ideation while watching / listening to them hammer out hits like Dig a Pony, Don’t Let Me Down, Get Back (Billy Preston was perfect for this), and more. They take a song from the motif, flesh it out, then goof on it. All the while molding it into its finished form and practicing their improv chops at the same time.
Watching the dynamics between the band members and how the ever present caterwauling of Yoko Ono affected the relationships was fascinating. I love George & Ringo more than ever for their calm, steadfast brilliance and am equally annoyed by that talentless plastic Ono hack. What did John see in her? Certainly not talent, and she’s not even remotely hot.
Peter Sellers makes a cameo appearance and reveals his inability to keep up with John’s banter (he just stands there without any writers to help him out).
John: “They died, that we might wank”
Sellers: nothing
John: “I’m talking about the Boy Scouts, who aren’t allowed to masturbate. It’s very tempting when you’re wearing shorts. If they only wore long trousers, maybe they’d stand a chance, y’know. But I can tell you, you don’t go blind, but very short-sighted”.
Sellers: stands mute while thinking “lines please”.
This video gives a deep & wide view into the creative process & is a must for musicians / fab 4 fans.
Yoko is as big an influence on performance art as John is on music. And on music itself, she had a huge influence on punk and no-wave artists (especially women). He saw in her an artistic and spiritual equal.
Some things:
- Paul himself makes fun of the idea of Yoko causing any strain in the sessions by ironically quipping “cause she sat on an amp.”
- Yoko had recently had a miscarriage.
- My partner, a performance artist, had a course with an influential Japanese choreographer. During the classes, his wife, flying all the way from Japan to France, sat in his class much in the same way Yoko sits in sessions (my partner made mention of this while we watched Get Back and the “amp” quip led me to explain all the sexist / racist bullshit Yoko has faced over decades). So perhaps we’re missing some cultural context.
And imo Sellers comes off as more annoyed with John’s puerile, heroin-induced “wit” than intimidated.
But I absolutely agree that Get Back is an incredible thing, a massive testament to the creative process.
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Perceptions. Your thoughts on cultural context are totally valid. I’ve traveled the world and worked in some out of the way places (oilfield boat trash) and can attest to the difficulties of getting outside your own head in order to coexist a little better.
I’ve watched some old youtube videos of her performance art & just don’t get it. Her screeching vocals grate on my nerves. Never was a punk or speed metal fan and I absolutely despise the gratuitous vocal vibrato in opera. I just finished an AA as a music major and we were forced to go to a few operatic performances. I really tried to like it (and thought I might while the pit warmed up), but as soon as the screeching starts I just want to jam pencils in my ears.
You could also be right about Sellers (I’d have to re-watch and try to flip my perception).
I’m an intolerant / snap judgy human who’s trying to be better and doing a mediocre job of it.
My big takeaway from the film is the creative process and learning a few new licks from Billy Preston! I’ve never paid attention to him before and now he’s my new virtual instructor.
I love how the vibe does a 180 the minute Billy walks in.
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They have always been here before
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Saturday afternoon with.
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