Glass Onion On John Lennon Podcasts

Ken McNab and I complete our discussion about his new book 'Shake It Up Baby!: The Rise of Beatlemania And The Mayhem of 1963' and the general atmosphere and events of that breathless year. This time round, we cover the second half of the year as our four intrepid musical explorers continue their furious work rate and have their first proper brushe…

Following the shows on 1962, we seamlessly move to 1963 with the welcome return of Ken McNab to talk about his new book 'Shake It Up Baby!: The Rise of Beatlemania And The Mayhem of 1963'. After Ken gives some thoughts on Peter Jackson’s ‘Get Back’ (his previous appearances on Glass Onion were prior to its release), we cover the events of the first…

We complete our deep dive into 1962 in the outer world and in the Beatles family psychodrama, picking up from late July with Beatles events including a historic change of drummer, John Lennon’s marriage, the group’s first radio interview, their more than troublesome experience recording the simplest song in the world (Love Me Do), gigs with one of …

In this episode, Antony and Ghosty start discussing the Beatles/Lennon events of 1962, covering January to June. Particular focus is put on the Pete Best issue and the death of Stuart Sutcliffe, not to mention John Lennon’s contentious and highly unique reaction to that death. Every year in the Beatles story from around 1960 was packed with activit…

Our latest Lennon odyssey starts with a review of the events of 1962, a tangential conversation in which Antony and guest David ‘Ghosty’ Wills freewheel into all kinds of other territory before setting the listeners up with some pre-1962 context on the Beatles’ progress on their own journey to musical and cultural world domination. 1962 was marked …

We complete our latest Lennon journey with the conclusion of my analysis of some of the more telling quotes from the series of interviews conducted in September 1980 for Playboy magazine by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This episode contains a lot of clips from the original audio of the interviews and focuses mainly on John's comments about who wrote w…

This episode starts with a ‘short intro’ of around 45 minutes, with yet more Coleman vs Goldman material, before continuing our in-depth look at John Lennon’s series of interviews for Playboy magazine in September 1980, which also included Yoko Ono. The interviews offer a fascinating and multi-layered study of a highly eccentric artist and also for…

John Lennon’s series of interviews for Playboy magazine in September 1980, which also included Yoko Ono, are not only a fascinating and multi-layered study of a highly eccentric artist but also form an integral part of the official narrative of John and Yoko’s relationship in 1980 before his death and of the genesis of the songs for their joint alb…

Compilation albums come in many shapes and sizes and some can be justified while others rely on good marketing and glossy packaging to persuade consumers to part with their hard-earned money for the same material. This is an appearance by your humble host on the ‘When they Was Fab’ podcast back in December 2020 discussing the mind-boggling number o…

John Lennon and Paul McCartney are inextricably linked, and what more is there to say at this point? Well, I give it a shot in a podcast of 3 sections, looking at common Lennon/McCartney tropes and assumptions, giving a guitar & vocal lesson on the song 'Two Of Us' and then walking you through the highly entertaining 2000 TV film 'Two Of Us', direc…

The completion of Luke and Antony's discussion of John Lennon, originally recorded for ‘Luke’s English Podcast’ last year. We complete our description of John using adjectives of personality, and then discuss his lyrics, including his lyrical progression, and offer numerous examples courtesy of Antony’s voice and guitar and Luke’s deep knowledge of…

Luke Thompson, a fellow English teacher and podcaster, hosted Antony on his podcast back in June 2021, and this is the Glass Onion version of that talk, split into two parts. This part of the discussion centres on trying to describe John Lennon using adjectives of personality, so this episode is especially recommended for students of English and no…

Jon Stewart, author of 'Dylan, Lennon, Marx & God', makes a quick and very welcome return to the podcast to further discuss Lennon themes from his book. We talk Lennon origin stories, Freudian analysis, Aunt Mimi, Liverpool and the Dylan/Lennon superduo that never was. The last third of the show has host Antony reading a couple of stories about his…

Turning our attention from 1968 itself to the Lennon/Beatles events of the year, what emerges is an epic Glass Onion journey into a year that weighed heavily on John Lennon's psyche and the world-famous group that he'd originally formed. The main events include the trip to India, the Apple launch, the recording of the White Album and John and Paul'…

1968 was among the most turbulent years in living memory. As a forerunner to our look at the Beatles/John Lennon events, Matt Williamson joins the show to dissect the year itself in terms of major events, films and (non-Beatles) singles and albums. This is prefaced by host Antony doing a brief comparison of The Beatles and Monty Python's Flying Cir…

Chris Purcell and I complete our 2-part look at John Lennon's live career and also some of the films and video clips surrounding his performances This part takes us from 1966 to 1975 as we look at such events as the Our World broadcast, Hey Jude & Revolution on the David Frost show, the rooftop gig and John's two most high-profile and substantial s…

John Lennon was a unique live performer, both with The Beatles and in his solo career, though following his split with the Fabs he showed a reluctance to play full concerts and so we should cherish what little we have in that regard. This 2-parter on John’s live career sees documentarian Chris Purcell make a welcome return to the show. In this part…

Jon Stewart, former and current guitarist with 'Sleeper', is the author of a fantastic new book that offers a unique new take on the fascinating John Lennon/Bob Dylan relationship, and this is the conclusion of Antony's talk with him and returning guest, radio DJ and Bob Dylan podcaster extraordinaire Ben Burrell. In this part, we touch on the role…

This time around, Antony is joined by Jon Stewart, the author of a fantastic new book that offers a unique new take on the fascinating John Lennon/Bob Dylan relationship, and also welcomes a returning guest, radio DJ and Bob Dylan podcaster extraordinaire Ben Burrell. Before diving into the main topic, we talk a little about Jon's previous (and cur…

Having set the scene of 1969 in the first part of this 2-parter, Scott and I go through the John Lennon-related events of the year, one dominated by John & Yoko's sincere quest for world peace. Join us for bed-ins, bags, billboards, Give Peace A Chance, Live Peace in Toronto, Abbey Road and more... The conversation is complemented by a smorgasbord …

1969 was, even by the standards of the tumultuous decade of the 60s, a remarkably eventful year both for John Lennon and the world at large. Scott Phipps makes a welcome return to the podcast for a 2-parter about John in this year. I should come clean and say that there is very little John Lennon/Beatles in this part, so call it a build-up to the m…

James Corbett joins the show to discuss the 2006 documentary about John's political activism and his fight against the Nixon administration to stay in the U.S. We also take some time to look at the political landscape of the time and the difference between then and now in terms of how much the public is shown about what is really happening in the w…

For this episode, we take you back to a couple of my proto-podcast adventures in Beatleland way back in November 2013. Firstly, I answer a few questions from friends and then I'm joined by schoolfriend and (then budding) musicologist Edmund Holliday as we take a casual look at the tracks from Revolver and discuss other Beatle/Lennon matters Enjoy! …

Another guest appearance by your humble host, this time back in October on the wonderful podcast 'The Mindbuzz'. The host Gill and I get into some Lennon/Beatles topics, such as John's progressive attitude to drugs, him as a victim of 'cancel culture' on social media, 'Paul Is Dead' and a few other things... Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, sha…

An appearance by your humble host on Matt Williamson's 'Pop Goes The 60s' you tube channel. We discuss the perils of finding truths about the Beatles, Glass Onion's Goldman revisionism, some of the classic performers' relationships with the fans and a few other things... Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedb…

Gaz Keenan, a John Lennon tribute artist, joins the show to discuss the finer points of playing John in terms of the voice, the music and everything in between. There are numerous audio clips, tangents in all the right places and a musical treat at the end. All the links for Gaz and his band 'John Lennon Tribute UK' can be found below Enjoy! Please…

Writer and journalist Eoghan Lyng joins the show once again to discuss John Lennon's remarkable 3 books of writing and drawing, namely 'In His Own Write', 'A Spaniard In The Works' and 'Skywriting By Word of Mouth'. We also discuss Eoghan's reading habits, who may have influenced John's books and how they give us a glimpse into the thin veneer that…

Chris Purcell and Simon Weitzman join me to discuss some key Beatles documentaries, predominantly the Maysles brothers' 'What's Happening! The Beatles In The U.S.A.' (aka The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit), 'The Beatles Anthology' and 'Timewatch: Beatlemania'. Chris and Simon also discuss their own fan-related films (links below)and we discuss the …

David 'Ghosty' Wills and I complete our answering of the wonderful questions sent in audio form by Glass Onion listeners. Topics covered in this part include the 1968 Beatles psychodrama, Bernard Purdey, Lennon's bad behaviour, Beatles influencers and fictional reunion set lists. Thanks once again to all those who sent in questions Enjoy! Please (x…

In the first of a traditional Glass Onion 2-parter, I'm joined by radio D.J. David Wills a.k.a. Ghosty, to answer questions from the listeners in audio form. Topics covered include (in no particular order) guitar technique, weed pseudonyms, White Album reimaginings, the ever-changing Lennon, political fad-hopping, future Beatles books and tubas! Pa…

Therapist, musician and Liverpudlian Alun Parry joins me as we pool our shared psychological knowledge to discuss John and The Beatles from a variety of angles, all the while taking pains not to offer speculative diagnoses of our wildly contradictory hero and his ex-bandmates Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… …

Erin Weber, author of 'The Beatles And The Historians', joins me to discuss various aspects of John Lennon and the Beatles using her historiographical skills. We also discuss history and propaganda in a general way and the challenge of achieving objectivity and finding the elusive truth among ever-changing narratives. Links to Erin's work can be fo…

Your host Antony recently appeared on the 'Classic Film Jerks' podcast to take a comedic but still analytical look at the Beatles’ first film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. Is it a classic? You can probably guess what I thought but what did Michael and Andrew from CFJ conclude after their first watch? The intro to the show contains more information on the u…

Journalist and Glass Onion listener Spencer Cox joins me for a wide-ranging deep dive into John Lennon 1980, psychology, drugs and even the British royal family (just briefly...) Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal donations to glassonionpod@yahoo.com OR Support the show at https://…

The second half of a double swapcast with Sam from the 'Paul or Nothing' podcast looking at Lennon and McCartney's covers album adventures is a review of Paul's 'Russian album', CHOBA B CCCP. Links to Sam's show can be found below Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal donations to gla…

Sam Whiles of 'Paul or Nothing' guest hosts the first part of a double swapcast looking at Lennon and McCartney's covers album adventures. First up is John's 'Rock And Roll' album from 1975. Links to Sam's show can be found below Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal donations to glas…

Caitlin Hair returns to offer more first-hand memories of the Lennons, Albert Goldman, Fred Seaman and her mother Marnie, who was a close friend of both Yoko and Goldman, in the ongoing quest of this podcast to find the truth about John Lennon's final years. The conversation is preceded by another guitar lesson from the host and also the launch of …

Matt Sergiou joins me to talk about some of the occult and conspiratorial aspects of the Beatles and John Lennon. The discussion covers, among other things, the 60s counterculture, LSD, mind control and hypnosis. There are links to Matt's work below Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Payp…

In a break from the regular shows, here is an appearance made by Antony in January on the excellent Elvis Presley podcast ‘TCBCast’, discussing some of the parallels and differences between Elvis and The Beatles. Topics include their management, tribute acts, their films, Beatles songs covered by Elvis and the songs covered by both acts. The discus…

Dan Richter makes a welcome return to the show as we tackle the difficult label of 'genius', using among other things Dan's recollections of his close working relationships with John Lennon and Stanley Kubrick. The conversation is preceded by another 'guitar lesson' from your host Antony Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, …

Ken Womack joins me to talk about his 2020 book which looks at the final year of John's life. Among other things, we discuss New York and London, the recovery of John's muse and the impossibility of knowing what was really going on behind closed doors in that most contentious year. The conversation is preceded by your host reading a remarkable list…

Al Sussman joins me for a freewheeling discussion of the enigma that was John Lennon and various other topics. Al is an author and also the long-time executive editor of 'Beatlefan' magazine. The conversation is preceded by your host showing some of the Beatles tricks and common chord structures on guitar. Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share…

The conclusion of my talk with David 'Ghosty' Wills about the relationship between John Lennon and Elvis Presley, this time focusing on the 1970s/early 80s period and the unfortunate demise of our two heroes in very different circumstances, as well as discussing their legacies and the public's rather morbid fascination with death Enjoy! Please (x m…

David 'Ghosty' Wills and I continue our deep dive into the relationship between John Lennon and Elvis Presley, this time focusing on the 1960s period, including the 1965 Beatles & Elvis summit meeting and Elvis's Comeback Special and early Las Vegas period Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and volunta…

For this first-ever Glass Onion 3-parter, I'm joined by radio DJ David 'Ghosty' Wills for a deep dive into the relationship between John Lennon and Elvis Presley, both with their meeting in 1965 (this will be covered in Part 2)and all the other strands that interwove them. Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Fee…

In this episode of the show, I'm joined by Ben Rowling and Caitlin Hair to discuss the opposite narratives of John Lennon presented in the biographies written by Ray Coleman and Albert Goldman. Caitlin is the daughter of one of Goldman's key sources for the Dakota years (1975-80) and she shares personal reminiscences of her time as a child in that …

A recent appearance by your humble host on the excellent 'Under The Covers' podcast, discussing John's best and worst cover versions, both with The Beatles and in his solo career. Expect lots of 'Mr Moonlight'! Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal donations to glassonionpod@yahoo.com…

Kit O'Toole, Ken McNab and I finish counting down the worst to best John Lennon albums, including his contributions to Beatles albums. There are links to Kit and Ken's work below. Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal donations to glassonionpod@yahoo.com OR Support the show at https:/…

Kit O'Toole and Ken McNab, both Beatles authors and veterans of this podcast, join me to count down the John Lennon albums, the twist being that we are including his contributions to Beatles albums, leaving us 19 to choose from. There are links to Kit and Ken's work below. Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Fee…

To mark John Lennon's posthumous 80th birthday, I thought I'd do something different and invite 3 of my most loyal listeners (or perhaps I should now say 'friends of the show'!) to talk about John, The Beatles and their history with this podcast. Enjoy! Please (x many) like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review etc… Feedback and voluntary Paypal …