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Hello all;
Turns out “a touch of flu” actually means “a case of COVID.”…
But a mild one in the scheme of things (the other extreme being the Ray Connolly kind). When all the symptoms weren’t shaken off as fully as I would’ve liked, I checked into it further and realized that there are reasons. So listen to your body and get fully boosted – flu shots aren’t a bad thought either.
On the subject of maladies: I am sorry to report on the ongoing illness of Badfinger’s Joey Molland, the band’s sole surviving original member. Though known for working virtually non-stop through the years as a performer and a recording artist, he took ill in November and it was actually quite serious – the life-threatening kind. You can read about what he’s been going through here at his GoFundMe page. It would appear, guardedly, that the worst may be behind him, but the road to recovery is fragile and long.
He and I have been friends since the 80s. He’s always been a congenial, upbeat guy and an artist of no small talent, having contributed to seven of the group’s albums as well as his own solo releases plus works by George and John. (He was also at the Concert for Bangladesh.) Some samples here:
Joe had promised a conversation for the show when last we talked – he’s a strong guy and stubborn, and I know that when he’s ready, Joey’s gonna come around.
A sad loss this week was filmmaker David Lynch. You may wonder what the director of works like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks has to do with The Beatles – I would tell you, “Plenty,” because like so many others millions of us, his life trajectory was profoundly impacted by the group; specifically, in his embrace of the brand of meditation known as TM, or “Transcendental Meditation” – the kind espoused by the Maharishi.
Lynch saw The Beatles as a high school senior at their first US concert – the one in DC. From then on he was hooked, and their artistic daring certainly inspired him. But when they in effect became the public face of TM in 1967-8, he too checked it out and not only got on board, but he then utilized his platform to advocate for it to be taught in schools and brought to the masses at an early age. The David Lynch Foundation began in 2005, focusing on at-risk populations (veterans, refugees, inner city students and so forth). In 2009, Lynch presented an all-star charity concert in NYC: among the artists performing were Paul and Ringo, united onstage for the first time since 2002’s Concert for George. You can check out highlights from the show here. Astonishingly, “Sexy Sadie” was not dusted off for the occasion, but “Cosmically Conscious” – a McCartney composition with origins going back to Rishikesh – was trotted out.
You can check out a conversation between Macca and Lynch here but for anyone interested in learing more about his life’s work that doesn’t concern film, this documentary is quite captivating.
In other news, the Brian Epstein biopic Midas Man had been available for awhile streaming outside the US on Prime, but will be coming to North America this week for purchase.
Last, Ringo had quite the time in Nashville last week launching Look Up with a stage loaded with guests. Several folks I know were there and I expect we will hear from at least one of them on the show soon…. In the meantime, this.
The show I have started cutting and the book I am set to launch will not hit the finish line by themselves, despite my best efforts at wishing this were so, so I’m off. Thanks for all the new newsletter sign-ups and definitely share with anyone you know who would be interested.