I Don't Like Your Tie

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My 9yo daughter (huge fan of Looshkin, BVsM etc) is terrified of AI things. We got the BVsM joke book a few weeks ago and she said 'You don't think any of this is AI do you?' I said to her 'Jamie Smart would NEVER use AI!'

Dustin Gee - Piggies Spinning rare and precious grooves, mostly of a British showbiz or comedy nature, The Downstairs Lounge is a haven for neglected and forgotten records.

Here's something very special for you...
soundcloud.com/agnes-guano/...

[28] GEORGE: So George Martin asks us if there’s anything we’re not happy about and I say ‘I don’t like your tie.’ Ever since we’d got up to the control room and been introduced to him that was the only thing I’d been able to think about. I don’t know why, but something about his tie made me very uncomfortable. So I just blurted it out: ‘I don’t like your tie.’ He laughed like it was the funniest thing ever, then the others all joined in and we went on our way. Things were fine after that, but then one day in it was probably May 66 I come into the studio and he’s got that tie on again. And that same feeling rises in me and I turn around and go home. That was the day we were due to record For No One, which is why I’m not on it. The same thing happened a few more times in the following years – I’m not on stuff like Don’t Pass Me By. Always the tie. When it came to Free As A Bird in ‘94 I couldn’t risk seeing it again so I told Paul and Ringo I’d only do it if we could use Jeff Lynne.

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George Martin was absolutely furious. I suppose tempers were already frayed; it was cold in that church hall and obviously it had been a bit of a stressful night as, let’s be honest, The Beatles didn’t really have the training for that kind of operation. EMI had called John earlier in the night and said the former comedy producer had been spotted in the area, and they just wanted the lads to apprehend and hold him until top brass arrived. So that’s what we did; once we nabbed Martin and got him into the church hall we kept him covered, and John put little George up a stepladder with a rifle. Anyway, Martin was livid - acting very full of himself, criticising our uniforms and our Lewis Gun, asking us if there was anything we didn’t like. Then little George did his tie joke. This made George Martin even more furious. He whips out his little notepad, like ‘Your name will also go on the list. What is it?” Naturally John wants to stick up for him and he’s quick as a flash “Don’t tell him, Harrison!” John was an interesting character you know; he kind of liked being the leader, and it was him who’d got our group together, but in some ways Paul was more suited to it, more debonair, a bit smoother if you will. Often John would come up with a plan, or a chord sequence and Paul would just look a bit pained and ask him if he really thought that was wise. Anyway, George Martin ended up turning the tables on us and was marching us through town with a bomb down my trousers. It’s lucky we bumped into Sir Joseph Lockwood or I don’t know what would have happened. My Life In The Beat-Boom Home Guard, Peter Best, Methuen Books

George Martin was absolutely furious. I suppose tempers were already frayed; it was cold in that church hall and obviously it had been a bit of a stressful night as, let’s be honest, The Beatles didn’t really have the training for that kind of operation. EMI had called John earlier in the night and said the former comedy producer had been spotted in the area, and they just wanted the lads to apprehend and hold him until top brass arrived. So that’s what we did; once we nabbed Martin and got him into the church hall we kept him covered, and John put little George up a stepladder with a rifle. Anyway, Martin was livid - acting very full of himself, criticising our uniforms and our Lewis Gun, asking us if there was anything we didn’t like. Then little George did his tie joke. This made George Martin even more furious. He whips out his little notepad, like ‘Your name will also go on the list. What is it?” Naturally John wants to stick up for him and he’s quick as a flash “Don’t tell him, Harrison!” John was an interesting character you know; he kind of liked being the leader, and it was him who’d got our group together, but in some ways Paul was more suited to it, more debonair, a bit smoother if you will. Often John would come up with a plan, or a chord sequence and Paul would just look a bit pained and ask him if he really thought that was wise. Anyway, George Martin ended up turning the tables on us and was marching us through town with a bomb down my trousers. It’s lucky we bumped into Sir Joseph Lockwood or I don’t know what would have happened. My Life In The Beat-Boom Home Guard, Peter Best, Methuen Books

I'd never listened to your music but just checked out a few songs and really enjoyed them. Will be exploring further...

Beautiful isn't it.

YouTube video by Fathom Remaking the Abbey Road Medley: A Handmade Cover!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GF...

[81] I was lucky to have an encounter with George last year. I am from Argentina and my wife and I took our honeymoon in England. We travelled to Liverpool and saw the site of the Cavern and even met Allan Williams! Then we went to London to Liberty (I bought a tie!) and the railing at EMI House. On our last day we took a bus to Henley in the hope to find Friar Park. When we got to the lodge I knocked on the door. We were surprised when George’s brother Harry opened the door! ! He said George was busy in the house. We told him we had come from Argentina, and had brought some traditional dolls from our country for baby Dhani. Harry told us George would see us! We were very excited. When we got close to the house a man stepped out from behind a bush and I thought it to be a gardener – he had a big brown hat and clothes with soil. My wife knew before I did that it was George! He looked at me. ‘I like your tie' he said. Anonymous contribution, Harrison Alliance Magazine, March 1979

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Thanks - enjoyed reading that.

10am-12 27th March. The Comedy Toolkit.

I’m running a one-off Arvon online masterclass next month… Come along and we’ll take the spanners to some comedy. March 27th. Link here:

www.arvon.org/writing-cour...

Denton is the man. Gorton is the dog.

[41]GEORGE HARRISON: So George Martin asks us if there’s anything we’re not happy with and I say ‘Well for starters I don’t like your tie’. The thing is though…I absolutely loved his tie. I’ve always had an eye for fashion, ask any of the others. So naturally I’m going to pick up on a good silk tie; bright colours, really distinctive horse pattern, you know? All I could think of from then on was how to get it off him somehow. I decided I’d talk the tie down so much that he’d ditch it, then I could get my hands on it. And that’s what happened. Every recording session after that, he wore the tie and I went on and on and on at him about how awful it was until one day he said ‘Right George – I’ve had enough of this!’, took it off and chucked it in the bin. he went to the toilet I got it out and stuffed it in my pocket. I actually wore it to his birthday party that year, but I don’t think he noticed. He didn’t let on, at any rate. And as you can see, I’m wearing it now. Nice, eh?

XTC Anniversary: Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999) A personal, track‑by‑track look at XTC’s 1999 album Apple Venus Volume 1, sharing my thoughts on each song.

'Apple Venus, Vol 1' by XTC turns 27 today so I've taken a look at the album, track by track. gayleramage.co.uk/xtc-annivers...

Great write-up. I really like that album.

Happy 84th to Glyn Johns! 🎂

Matt is finding it really hard to get any work.

AI has had a devastating impact on his writing jobs. He’s had five clients let him down this year.

If you need the services of a great writer, have a look at his website
www.mathew-owen.co.uk

Nice one - will have a listen!

The only event I can find linking Bart, Garland and The Beatles is this one, from the following year: www.beatlesbible.com/1964/08/12/r...

Wondering if @marklewisohn.bsky.social knows anything about this?

Listening to Lionel Bart's biography this morning on Radio 4 Extra, mention was made of Lionel Bart, Judy Garland and Alun Owen watching The Beatles at The Cavern in 1963 during Bart's preparations for Maggie May.

[86] GEORGE MARTIN: I must say after that first encounter with The Beatles I didn’t think about ties all that much for a good while – things seemed to happen so fast with them. It must have been about 1968 before I had chance to stop, catch my breath as it were, and realise that I’d never once seen George wearing a tie since that day back in June 1962. Then one day in January 1969 I go into the Apple studio on Savile Row and the first thing I see is George, wearing…let me try and describe it: imagine the kind of velvet bow tie you’d see on an eight-year-old at their first violin recital, or a teddy bear in Hamleys. That’s what George was wearing; the most ludicrous, tasteless tie I have ever seen in my life. Where had it come from? Why, after seven years of no ties had he chosen to re-enter the world of the tie with…that? I didn’t say anything but at one point while they were running through For You Blue I made eye contact with George and he grinned at me and winked.

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Love Me Shoe!
For a subtle piece of Beatles artwork, check out these superb illustrations of the Fabs' footwear.

Get your prints here:

www.mullydoodles.com/shop

#Beatles

The fictional character Tony Hancock?

The Beatles live: their first Cavern Club show The Cavern Club, situated on Mathew Street in central Liverpool, had played host to The Quarrymen before. On this day, however, The Beatles made their debut at the venue. The Beatles swiftly became a ...

9 February 1961:

The Beatles perform at Liverpool's Cavern Club for the first time. They are paid £5 to share between themselves.

"The other groups were like Cliff Richard and the Shadows, but the Beatles' music was so vibrant."

See more:

www.beatlesbible.com/1961/02/09/l...

[26] CHRIS NEAL: The first couple of songs were nothing special. Once they got to the one with the harmonica Norman must have heard something in them though, cos he sent me down to fetch George Martin. While I was gone the evening tea trolley came round so I missed it. Once they’d finished playing George got them up here, taking them to task over God knows what. I wanted to get the paperwork done as quick as I could so I could go and eat. As I worked I was running through what we had in at home – it was a Wednesday I remember and that’s the day Liz does the shopping. I hoped she’d got pork chops again. Or perhaps a pie. I was practically fainting just at the thought of it, finishing off the session sheet while George gave those Scousers what for. As I was crossing the final T’s there was a sudden silence, then one of them, the little sulky one, said something and they all fell about laughing. I didn’t stick around to hear what it was all about. That pie stall closes at ten.

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Thanks - will check it out!

Interesting! Which one is this?

[76] GEORGE HARRISON: We get to the studio, set up and we’re about to start when one of us, John probably, says to the engineer ‘So where’s this George Martin?’ Cos that was the name we had. The engineer said Mr Martin was in the canteen but they’d fetch him if they needed to. So we started running through the songs we’d prepared. It all sounded ok but when we got to Love Me Do it turned out John had forgotten his harmonica. I said the harmonica was such an important part of that song it wouldn’t work without it. So we moved onto PS I Love You or whatever it was. All through it the engineer’s watching us – taps his foot occasionally but no sign of fetching Mr Martin. In the end we went through everything we’d planned to do, apart from Love Me Do obviously, packed up our gear and left. As we were on the way out we bumped into George Martin in the corridor – didn’t say more than a few words to him really. I remember he had this awful tie on. So that’s how we ended up on Fontana.

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[77] RINGO: Paul didn’t even say the new song was written with AI by the way. We were pretty clear that John’s voice was extracted using machine learning – which is a whole different thing. Folks start tap-tapping away and the bloody headline comes first. We’re used to it. But we were always up on technology -we’d rush round if someone had a Moog. In fact, in 1985 I was in New York, and offered to drop off Paul’s Yamaha CS-80 with a guy called Harold Cohen. He fixed synths – but he was also working on a program called AARON. This program, if you gave it enough information, could create an image for you. Maybe an image of something that you’d never seen? You could get people who HAD seen it to offer all the information they could, and AARON could recreate it. So if for some reason you weren’t there for say a big joke you could see what something had actually looked like. I did give him a request, yes. But while AARON looked like it might be able to handle the job… y’know. Not to be.

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