I will say this, I wonder if younger generations will find this documentary as compelling as us OK Boomers. If you’re interested in the creative process, yes — if you’re interested in the personal dynamics of four strong personalities trying to collaborate under time pressure — yes, but if you wonder who these old geezers are, then no.
The Beatles were such a part of my life growing up. They changed and shaped popular culture. And yet, what’s so interesting is to watch them as just four individuals — creating, goofing off together, arguing, and exhibiting talents you might not have known they had.
Did you know that Ringo plays piano? So did John. George played drums. I knew that Paul could play all instruments including the Latin zither, but didn’t know about the others. Considering how sophisticated their music became it shouldn’t come as any big shock, but when in public has Ringo ever played piano?
The highlights were watching brilliant songs being written in real time — chords changing and lyrics thought up on the spot. Paul was particularly impressive. My other favorite part was hearing them just jam now and again, playing snippets of oldies, rocking out on guitars — showing a side we’ve never publicly seen.
The lowlight was whenever there was a jam session where Yoko sang. Ohmygod! Imagine a cat being strangled while its tail was set on fire. Yoko Ono is bar none the worst singer on the planet. John was okay with this? As Larry Gelbart once said, “Love isn’t just blind, it’s also deaf.”
The documentary is six-hours. There are moments that are not PC. You really have to pay attention because they talk quickly and often subtitles are also provided. So it’s an intense watch. I can’t imagine seeing the whole thing in one or two sittings. Hour chunks seemed to work well for me.
THE BEATLES: GET BACK is on Disney +. After you watch FROZEN for the 50th time and put your kid to bed, check it out.
from By Ken Levine
Comments
Post a Comment