Video find: Paul McCartney and Wings "Back to the Egg" TV special 1979


Pop tweets!




Today's other best picture ever: Super Bowl!


More Captain America: Winter Soldier posters




Lost Lennon interviews coming on 8-CD set

Via Beatlefan:

I'm Not the Beatles: The John & Yoko Interviews
with Howard Smith, 1969-1972

Available as 8 CD Set on April 14th

This eight CD box set features John Lennon & Yoko Ono's five iconic conversations with Village Voice journalist and radio personality Howard Smith. These in-depth discussions about music, love, creativity, peace and politics illuminate the couple's transformation from Beatles into revolutionaries.

These interviews have been mastered from Smith's original audio recordings, which had been buried in the back of his West Village loft for 40 years. Never before released on CD.


May 28 - 29, 1969 - Live phone interview, the Bed-In Montreal (35 min)

Smith speaks on the phone with John & Yoko, who are in their suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. Among other things, they discuss selling Peace as a commodity, the Activist Movement, and Lennonʼs denial of being, nor intention of being, a leader.

Dec. 17, 1969 - Ronnie Hawkinʼs Ranch, Ontario Canada (89 min)
Smith traveled to Ronnie Hawkinʼs Ranch outside of Toronto to interview John & Yoko. While eating shrimp tempura, they discuss the ins and outs of recording with the Beatles, the bandʼs uncertain future, Woodstock vs. Altamont, and the impact of the Youth Movement.

Dec. 12, 1970 - Regency Hotel, NYC (86 min)
Smith interviews John & Yoko the day after the Plastic Ono Band albums are released, and they are in the midst of shooting 2 art films. They discuss the emotional process of their music including specific songs from the albums, their time in Janov therapy, how they handle fame, and whether the Beatles will ever get back together.

Sept. 9, 1971 - St. Regis Hotel, NYC (71 min)
Smith interviews John & Yoko on the day Lennonʼs album Imagine is released. They discuss the album, Onoʼs upcoming artist retrospective, Paulʼs, Georgeʼs and Ringoʼs own individual albums, the mediaʼs criticisms of their relationship, Johnʼs "working class" nature, and future plans.

Jan. 23, 1972 - The Lennonsʼ Bank St. apartment, NYC (86 min)

Smith drops by John & Yokoʼs West Village apartment on the day of a WPLJ Beatles marathon which can be heard at times playing in the background, often inspiring and directing the conversation. They discuss the experience of being a Beatle (and a Beatle wife) and the break up, stage fright and the emotional rollercoaster of performing, breakthroughs acquired in Janov therapy, love, and Revolution.

About Howard Smith:
Howard Smith is an Oscar winning film director, journalist and broadcaster. As a writer for more than 30 years, his articles have appeared in, among others, Playboy and The New York Times. Smithʼs weekly column "Scenes" in the Village Voice helped cement the paperʼs position within the emerging counterculture.

Pre-Order Link - http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=MVD6105A

Today's best picture ever: Steven Spielberg


Pop culture roundup: Jim Henson! Bill Finger! Ringo! Rocky and Bullwinkle!

Via Electronic Cerebrectomy: Here's a surviving episode of Jim Henson's 1955-61 Muppets skit show "Sam and Friends":

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There's a campaign afoot for a Google doodle celebrating the 100th birthday Feb. 8 of Batman co-creator Bill Finger. Although artist Bob Kane nabbed all the credit for the character during Finger's lifetime,  the character would never have been the same without Finger's concepts and scripts. Below, cartoonist Ty Templeton provides and example of what Batman might have looked like without Finger's input.


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Variety has a nice new interview with Ringo Starr who recently joined Paul McCartney for a performance at the Grammys. The duo also will appear in an upcoming special celebrating the Beatles' first appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show."
....his relationship with Paul is stronger than ever. “If we’re in the same town, a lot of times we hook up,” Ringo says. “We’re the two people (left) who actually experienced the life we led in the Beatles. Besides that, we have the rest of our life to relate to. I’ve been on several of his records, he’s been on mine. It’s not like we don’t work together; it’s just that we don’t make a fuss about it.”


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Comics creators Mark Evanier and Roger Langridge discuss their upcoming Rocky and Bullwinkle series from IDW. Sounds promising!
I can't recall ever liking a comic book version of a cartoon or comic strip that didn't look reasonably like the cartoon or comic book. I mean, the way Roger draws these characters -- that's what they look like! I'm sure he could come up with a great-looking squirrel but it wouldn't be Rocky. The Rocky he's drawing looks like Rocky.

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Via BoingBoing: Why Stevie Wonder's clavinet part in "Superstition" is even more awesome than you thought.




Fab Friday: Revolver back cover photo shoot



Video find: The Psychedlic Experience short film 1965

Introduced by Timothy Leary with music by Ravi Shankar.



Today's best picture ever: Jim Henson


Pop focus: Classic Corgi Bat-vehicles

The 1960s Batman craze spawned lots of toys, including numerous versions of the Batmobile. But nobody ever topped the version made by Corgi Toys, which was available for sale through most of the 70s.


A sturdy die-cast number, it was very faithful to the TV car and could even fire plastic rockets out the back and had a retractable blade that popped out of the front. It's a favorite collectible of fans of a certain age, for sure. I still have mine -- along with Corgi's Batboat and Batcopter! But pictures of these great toys still catch my eye when I come across them online.

Below is a great batch, along with a couple of print ads for the toys, and images of some of the small Bat-vehicles Corgi produced.

We'll spotlight Corgi's James Bond vehicles at some point, too!

Notice the Batman figure on the bottom of the car.
This decal was packaged with Corgi's Batmobile toy in the 70s.
 

As a special bonus: Here's a 1980s TV ad plugging Corgi toys, including Bat vehicles: