Sunday, February 17, 2008

Fab Four


I spent yesterday wandering around Red Hook, in Brooklyn. It’s kind of an adventure to get out there -- Red Hook has no subway service, so you have to take the subway to Carroll Gardens and then either ride the bus or walk. I opted for the latter, naturally, and I had a great time. You know me -- I always love to explore.

I’m about to start Bob Spitz’s massive biography of The Beatles, which came out a couple of years ago. It’s been sitting on my shelf for months, and then Friday night I had some intense moments with the Fab Four. I came home tired from moving all day, poured a glass of wine and put on “Abbey Road,” and the album literally stopped me in my tracks a couple of times: at the first gentle strings of “Here Comes the Sun,” at the dreamy vocals of “Because,” at the wistful “Golden Slumbers.” So then I put on “Let it Be” and the White Album, and they did the same: especially “Good Night,” in all its lush orchestration. Yesterday I kept up the pace by listening to “Magical Mystery Tour.” Wow! Records so good they give me chills. Now I’m psyched to start the book!

And speaking of perfectly-balanced artistic expression, Vanity Fair this month has an article on the making of my favorite movie of all time: “The Graduate.” Fascinating!

(Photo: Shadow of the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge, with the top of the Manhattan Bridge in the background; Dumbo, Brooklyn, Jan. 2008)

3 comments:

  1. Abbey Road is one of two records I actually wore out from playing them so often (the other was James Brown, Live at the Apollo Theater). Hope the book is half as good as the records!

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  2. I have a lot of memories tied to the Beatles because I was twelve when they came to the US and they were hugely popular throughout my high school years.

    I used to walk to school with my transistor radio and for some reason I think of "Michelle" when I think of that.

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  3. The shadow in the picture is wonderful! Love the pic.

    your walk sounds like it came right out of the short story "Only the Dead Know Brooklyn" (Thomas Wolfe)

    When I think back to those little transistor radios I always think of summertime-- and beatle songs like Across the Universe and Something.

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