Here goes with another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest post series where we invite musicians we genuinely adore to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. Proud to say this week’s LETTERS FROM THE ROAD guest author is a friend, a brilliant singer-songwriter, Beatles videographer, baseball biographer and more (words can never really do him justice)… Seth Swirsky.
A drawing Seth made of Paul when he was 7, Sgt. Pepper had just come out
MEET THE BEATLE!
By Seth Swirsky
Dear Sir Paul,
I thought you might enjoy a story of what it’s like when a very longtime fan of yours has the opportunity to meet you, unexpectedly.
When I saw you running on the treadmill at my gym, it didn’t register for a good, long moment that it was you in the flesh. I couldn’t help but walk over – not to get an autograph or a picture – but to see if the treadmill next to you was taken (it wasn’t!) in hopes that you would allow me a “hello” or something.
Could you ever really know how deeply you affected so many people’s lives like mine? I was born to 18 year-old parents in 1960. They bought Beatles records from the beginning in 1964, so I “got” it all at a very young age.
By 7 years old, in 1967, I was taking guitar lessons already knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up: you! By 8 years old, I was playing “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday” in front of my entire grade school assembly. At that age, I thought John was very cool, I liked George just fine and Ringo sang “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Yellow Submarine” which both made me feel good as they do to this day. But, you were the coolest.
Inspired by you, I became a staff songwriter with Warner-Chappell Music and EMI Music for over 20 years, writing hits for a number of artists and becoming a recording artist myself. So, to have a chance to even just say “hello” to you would have been a major life thrill.
So, back to the treadmill! I got on the one next to yours, inconspicuously. But I made sure I wasn’t giving out the vibe that I was just another fan looking for an autograph or something.
I noticed out of the corner of my eye that you had turned up the speed on your machine to 7 miles an hour. That is really fast for someone even half your age (nearly 67 at the time). I was impressed and felt I had to at least match that!
So, I put the speed of my treadmill up to 7 miles an hour and scrambled in my mind for something I could say to you if you gave me that ½ a second “opening”.
Now, for the past 5 years I’ve been making a documentary called “Beatles Stories”, which consists of filmed interviews I’ve done with a myriad of people who have a cool story about themselves and The Beatles. While trying not to fall off the treadmill, I was thinking of who would impress you that I’ve interviewed. Graham Nash? No. I needed someone more personal to you, Sir Paul. Perhaps, Sir George Martin? No. You’ve known and worked with him for so long. Mention of his name wouldn’t intrigue you. Sir Ben Kingsley, Art Garfunkel, Justin Hayward? My mind was scrambling as I noticed you ramping down your machine. 6 miles per hour, 5 miles per hour…I had better think of someone quickly…
Then, as your machine stopped and you started toweling yourself off, I noticed you turn slightly towards me as if to say, “Ok. You look like a Beatle person. I’ll give you a shot to ask me a question.”
That’s when I turned to you and said, “Sir Paul, I’m making a documentary and a few years ago I interviewed your original engineer, Norman “Hurricane” Smith (Norman was not only at The Beatles audition in June, 1962 — in which he re-mic’ed Paul’s amp so that they would sound good — but he was their main recording engineer for every song they did up to and including the Rubber Soul album. In short, Norman helped make “the sound” of The Beatles).
I can still see how your eyes lit up, Sir Paul, at the mention of Norman’s name. I told you, that I really understood how ‘you guys’ — as I said it — would love Norman, because, in my afternoon at his home in Sussex, England, I too, had great affection for him. I remember telling you that he was like your favorite uncle that you loved because he let you do stuff your dad might not. He’d be mischievous with you.
Then, you said, as we stood, face-to-face: “Yes, we were young guys (as I’m thinking, THIS IS PAUL MCCARTNEY TALKING ABOUT THE BEATLES!!!) that took a great liking to Norman. He was, as you say, like an uncle to us, very playful and fun.”
We talked a bit more about Norman and you stayed facing me, NEVER giving me the feeling of “ok, you’ve had your Beatle moment now, now move on.”
Then, unexpectedly, you asked me my name as you put out both your hands and took my hand and shook it. After I told you my name you said to me: “Thank you very much for bringing up this memory for me today. It was a real gift.”
I couldn’t believe that the man who had been the great influence of my life was so decent and kind.
So, thank you, Sir Paul, not only for your unparalleled music but for being the really cool person I hoped you would be if I ever got to meet you.
Sincerely,
Seth Swirsky
5/3/10 | Comments (1)Tags: paul mccartney, seth swirsky, the beatles —
Serving up another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest post series where we invite musicians we are utterly nuts about to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. This week’s LETTERS FROM THE ROAD guest author is a friend and brilliant singer-songwriter who we adore, Jim Boggia:
Dear Taylor Swift,
We need to talk.
I want you to know up front that I really tried to find someone else to write to – someone else who could ease my pain, someone else who might not make me feel so bitter. But I am bitter, Taylor – bitter about things you’re probably too young to understand and that you probably, to be fair, are not so much responsible for as you are representative of.
You know where this is going. Yes, it’s the Grammy thing. That performance. You can’t sing. You took home four Grammys . . . . and you can’t sing. There’s a moment in the first chorus of ‘Rhiannon’ where you can see Stevie Nicks is visibly cringing at how flat you are singing. Let me make sure you understand this, because you’re young and this might be lost on you. This is not Stevie WONDER we’re talking about cringing at your performance, but Stevie NICKS, a woman who owes her career to sleeping with a genius guitar freak/audio architect. Because you see, that’s how it was done in the old days and we didn’t necessarily approve of it, but it got us laid, so ok – let the girl who likes to pretend she’s a witch sing a couple of songs. But even she still had to hit the notes.
How can I make you understand?
A long time ago, we had a group called the Beatles. You might have heard of them as they are now a video game. Anyway, we loved them so much that we even liked to hear their drummer, Ringo, sing one song an album, even though he couldn’t really quite hit the notes. But, the thing is Taylor, he was the DRUMMER. And we really loved the Beatles. And everything else they did was so groundbreakingly amazing. And it was only one song an album.
When you don’t hit the notes it’s different, and not in a good way. I know, I know, on your records, it sounds like you CAN hit the notes. But see, we’re sophisticated now and we know it’s auto-tune and that’s not your fault either but I still have to tell you that it’s no fun living in a world where it’s easier to make someone who looks like you do sound good than it is to make someone who sings like I do look good.
Which brings up another point. You know that song of yours? The one where she’s the cheerleader and you’re the unpopular outsider? Well, I’m having a hard time buying into that because – not to dwell on this but, um . . . . LOOK AT YOU. You can feel free to read this next sentence in the voice of Grandpa Simpson, but: In my day, girls who looked liked you WERE the cheerleaders and then, as now, girls who looked like you wound up getting the guy you talk about in that song. And music . . . Music . . . MUSIC . . . well, that was OUR territory – the folks who really were unpopular. You should check out a tune called ‘At Seventeen’ by Janis Ian. Then you should check out Janis Ian. I mean do a Google Images search. See? SHE was in the bleachers wearing a t-shirt, Taylor, not you. Can’t you just be happy being the cheerleader? Do the popular kids have to take over music, too?
But why am I blaming you? The popular kids took over our game a while ago. There was a bit of a back and forth tussle for a while, but there was a moment – it might have been when Kurt put the bullet through his head – that it was over, the cool kids won and popular music (not POP music, but music which is massively popular) became about being popular and not about making music. And it’s not just you – those guys in Franz Ferdinand can’t sing, either. And on and on. And on and on.
So, no – you are not to blame for this world that you find yourself in – a world that has been this way pretty much since you were born. But you were just given four Grammys. There was a time when you kinda had to be able to bring it, really have your craft down and then, if you caught a break or two, maybe you’d win a Grammy. The process is reversed now. You’ve been awarded your Grammys already. I hope you step up, work hard to really become a musician (and, most specifically, a singer – please learn how to sing) and earn them somehow retroactively.
To end on a positive note – I’m not going to tell you that Beyonce made one of the greatest videos of all time.
Musically Yours,
Jim
Tags: Beyoncé, Jim Boggia, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, Stevie Nicks, Taylor Swift, the beatles —
Highlights of what’s been running through the speakers here at OUTLANDOS HQ the last month or so:
1. The Silver Seas, Chateau Revenge
So I’ve talked about these guys a billion times and in fact will be featuring almost this entire record on THE DAILY DOSE all next month… it’s that good. This is their third release, the other two are equally brilliant. They had to change their name in the middle of everything which was a slight bummer, they used to be The Bees (US). Either way, I love them. I bet you will too. Daniel Tashian (son of Barry Tashian, of legendary New England garage rockers The Remains) et al.
2. Jets Overhead, No Nations
Canadian outfit, this is their sophomore effort. It took little while to grow on me (I love that) and then I found myself turning it louder and louder. Kind of an updated Human League sort of vibe. That doesn’t make it sound cool, I know — but it is.
3. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Inspired by a hands-down brilliant presentation OUTLANDOS cofounder Scott Freiman has been giving out and about (so good we’ve seen it twice!), we had a good solid listen to the entire thing the other night on the couch. It’s important to do that I think, to go back, to give something your full attention again (even if it’s the millionth time).
xo
2/15/10 | Comments (1)Tags: human league, jets overhead, NOW PLAYING, the beatles, the remains, The Silver Seas —
