#music history
People who claim “Black Betty” originated as a British marching song be like:
“attention readers: no homo”
just guys being pals
Historical figure: hey i want this dudes lips to touch my lips bcs he is my soul and my life
Historian: I’m sure there’s a very heterosexual explanation for this, honest
THIS SOUNDS EVEN GAYER IN POLISH BTW
HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOOD NEWS
CHOPIN WAS NOT STRAIGHT
You read like one letter of Chopin’s and quickly realize he is very bi or pan. I mean, he was OBSESSED with George Sand. That alone should raise a rainbow flag.
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George Harrison at the White House
On December 13, 1974, keyboardist Billy Preston, sitarist Ravi Shankar, saxophonist Tommy Scott, manager Denis O’ Brien, publicity agent Michael Sterling, and George Harrison’s father, Harry, all accompanied the former Beatle to the Ford White House. Harrison and company were in the midst of their 1974 North American tour and were performing in nearby Landover, Maryland, on December 13.
Jack Ford said he invited George and friends to the White House because he had been invited backstage at the Salt Lake City show. "They were so hospitable to me I wanted to return the favor,“ he said.
A lunch of vegetables and beef was served in the solarium while George’s Dark Horse album was played in the background. It was reported George stuck to the vegetables.
Jack and his sister Susan acted as tour guides as the entourage viewed the White House rooms. In the East Room, Harrison and Preston sampled a few bars on the 1938 Steinway piano situated in the historic room. President Ford met briefly with them for about 15 minutes in the Oval Office. Politics was apparently avoided that day. After the meeting, Harrison stated, “I didn’t ask him [Ford] about Bangladesh or anything else political … I didn’t want to bug him.”
Tom Scott recalled they were brought to a conference room outside the Oval Office to wait until the President became available. "We walked into the presidents’ conference room with the oval table and the chair and signs saying, ‘Secretary of Defense,’ 'Secretary of this and that’ and we sat down in the chairs, clowning around.” Scott went on to say that George and Billy did some jamming on a piano in the room, but then it was time to meet the President.
As Harrison’s entourage was leaving the office, Jack told his father, “I promised George a WIN (Whip Inflation Now) button.” When one could not be immediately found, the president sent appointments secretary Terry O’ Donnell to find one. In return for the WIN button, Harrison gave the president an “Om” mantra pin representative of Harrison’s interest in Eastern spirituality.
Harrison would remember Ford as quite amiable both in the immediate aftermath of the visit as well as in his 1980 autobiographical work, I Me, Mine. Harrison confessed that he felt “good vibes about the White House.” On whether the president was a follower of Harrison’s musical output, Harrison admitted shortly after the meeting, “I don’t think he’s too familiar with my music.” Later that evening at the Capital Centre, Harrison was seen onstage wearing the pin given to him by President Ford.
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In 1971, John Lennon wrote the following scathing missive to Paul and Linda McCartney in response to a letter from Linda in which she had chastised him for, amongst other things, not publicly announcing his departure from The Beatles.
Bag Productions Inc.
Tittenhurst Park,
Ascot, Berkshire.
Ascot 23022Dear Linda and Paul,
I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it. I resisted looking at the last page to find out – I kept thinking who is it – Queenie? Stuart’s mother? – Clive Epstein’s wife? – Alan Williams? – What the hell – it’s Linda!
You really think the press are beneath me/you? Do you think that? Who do you think we/you are? The “self-indulgent doesn’t realize who he is hurting” bit–I hope you realize what shit you and the rest of my ‘kind and unselfish’ friends laid on Yoko and me, since we’ve been together. It might have sometimes been a bit more subtle or should I say “middle class” – but not often. We both “rose above it” quite a few times – & forgave you two – so it’s the least you can do for us – you noble people. Linda – if you don’t care what I say – shut up! – let Paul write – or whatever.
When asked about what I thought originally concerning MBE, etc. – I told them as best as I can remember – and I do remember squirming a little – don’t you, Paul? – or do you – as I suspect – still believe it all? I’ll forgive Paul for encouraging the Beatles – if he forgives me for the same – for being – “honest with me and caring too much”! Fucking hell, Linda, you’re not writing for Beatle book!!!
I’m not ashamed of the Beatles – (I did start it all) – but of some of the shit we took to make them so big – I thought we all felt that way in varying degrees – obviously not.
Do you really think most of today’s art came about because of the Beatles? – I don’t believe you’re that insane – Paul – do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up! Didn’t we always say we were part of the movement – not all of it? – Of course, we changed the world – but try and follow it through – GET OFF YOUR GOLD DISC AND FLY!
Don’t give me that Aunty Gin shit about “in five years I’ll look back as a different person” – don’t you see that’s what’s happening NOW! – If I only knew THEN what I know NOW – you seemed to have missed that point….
Excuse me if I use “Beatle Space” to talk about whatever I want – obviously if they keep asking Beatle questions – I’ll answer them – and get as much John and Yoko Space as I can – they ask me about Paul and I answer – I know some of it gets personal – but whether you believe it or not I try and answer straight – and the bits they use are obviously the juicy bits – I don’t resent your husband – I’m sorry for him. I know the Beatles are “quite nice people” – I’m one of them – they’re also just as big bastards as anyone else – so get off your high horse! – by the way – we’ve had more intelligent interest in our new activities in one year than we had throughout the Beatle era.
Finally, about not telling anyone that I left the Beatles – PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything – asking me not to say anything because it would ‘hurt the Beatles‘– and ‘let’s just let it petre out’ – remember? So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney – the cunts asked me to keep quiet about it. Of course, the money angle is important – to all of us – especially after all the petty shit that came from your insane family/in laws – and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL – see you in two years – I reckon you’ll be out then –
inspite of it all
love to you both,from us two
P.S. about addressing your letter just to me – STILL….!!!
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In the late 1970s, Paul first met Willem de Kooning, still a sprightly man in his mid 70s. The connection goes back years, as Linda McCartney’s father, Lee Eastman, was de Kooning’s long-standing lawyer and close family friend, often bringing in special visitors, often including Linda and Paul, to see the ageing artist. And it was visiting his studio one day, to watch him mix colours and paint, that got McCartney hooked on de Kooning’s process itself. Unlike music there were no rules in abstract painting, so it must have felt liberating for Paul: perhaps, with its luscious colours and strident brush strokes, McCartney’s abstract works, such as ‘Key of F’ and 'Robot and Star’ [photos #7 and #8, respectively] carry a little of Willem de Kooning on to this day.
PAUL:“I was lucky enough to know Willem de Kooning because Linda’s father, Lee Eastman Snr., was his lawyer. We would visit his studio in Springs, Long Island and admire his works in progress. I once asked him what one of his abstract pictures was and he said he didn’t know and that it was open to my interpretation. I thought it looked like a purple mountain, he thought it looked like a couch! The point was that his painting was more to do with composition, colour and style rather than anything of significant meaning. Once he’d said this it was a great inspiration to me to start painting, where as in the past I would have been too embarrassed to even buy a canvas and paints. Friends of mine had looked at de Kooning’s paintings and said, 'I could do that,’ but in fact this is far from true and I consider him to be one of the greatest abstract painters ever.”
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Dmitri Shostakovich, Stalin, and government censorship of the arts. It’s all part of the history behind Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony.
Why is Beethoven’s 5th such a well known piece of music?
Getting medieval today. I just really like how this ’s’ turned out. Haven’t done much hand lettering on the computer but it has turned out ok so far.
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The history behind John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and a quick introduction to how a march is written. Let me know if there’s a particular piece you want to see in the next video and I’ll try to make it happen!
