Episodes
![Playing Those 'Mind Games' Ultimate Collection Remixes (Part 1)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Mindgames-cover_300x300.jpg)
3 days ago
3 days ago
We're going deep with a two-parter celebrating the new release of John Lennon's solo album, Mind Games.
In part one, we discuss the original album, the musicians who made up the "Plastic U.F.Ono Band," and the expansive offerings in this new set. And Erika tells Allison about the Mind Games Dolby Atmos listening event in New York City this month, which included a 50-year reunion of the entire Plastic U.F.Ono Band!
Plus, enter our giveaway to win your own copy of Mind Games.
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!['Midas Man' Film Trailer: First Impressions (And How to REALLY Say Brian Epstein's Name)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/MidasMan-Cover_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
'Midas Man' Film Trailer: First Impressions (And How to REALLY Say Brian Epstein's Name)
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
The trailer for 'Midas Man' — the new film about Beatles' manager Brian Epstein — dropped this week, and we couldn't be more excited!
Scheduled for release on August 29, 'Midas Man' follows Brian's career from 1963 through his death in 1967. It delves deep into Brian's family life, the Liverpool music scene, and his struggles as a closeted gay man in a world where homosexuality was still considered a felony.
After noticing how Brian's last name is pronounced in the film (hint: you get bleeped for saying it that way on our podcast), the second half of the show is an encore episode, where we presented our case for the RIGHT way to pronounce his name. Plus, we bring back one of our favorite listener contributions, a delightfully clever way to help us all remember it.
- Watch the 'Midas Man' trailer
- More on Brian: our "Eppy-sode"
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com
![Almost a Beatles Reunion: The 'Ringo' Album](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Beatles-Ringo-cover2_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Almost a Beatles Reunion: The 'Ringo' Album
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
We celebrate Ringo's birthday by diving into the solo album that was almost a Beatles reunion: 1973's Ringo. With contributions from John, George, and Paul, Ringo gave fans hope that, although their breakup was acrimonious, the four Beatles might find a way back together. For Ringo, the album, his third, was a triumph after a shaky start to his solo career and produced some of his most beloved tracks thanks to his collaborations with not only the other three Beatles but also a host of who's-who musicians Ringo called friends.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of the Ringo album and what the Beatles were up to in 1973. We also chat about Allison's experience at Ringo's birthday parties in Beverly Hills and THE MAN HIMSELF!!! answers one of our burning questions.
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
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- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com
![Manila Mayhem: The Beatles’ Disaster in the Philippines](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Beatles-Manila-episode-cover_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Manila Mayhem: The Beatles’ Disaster in the Philippines
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
On July 3, 1966, the Beatles landed in Manila, The Philippines, for the final stop on the first leg of their world tour. But two days later, after a misunderstanding with the country's first family, the band and their entourage narrowly escaped with their lives.
The third part of our touring years series dives into this harrowing moment — an event that would kick off a summer of strife, and reinforce the Beatles' determination to stop touring for good.
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+Subscribe to BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.
+Buy us a coffee!
+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
![The Beatles' Early Tours: Johnny Gentle and Helen Shapiro [Encore]](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Bc-the-beatles-Early-tours-cover2_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
The Beatles' Early Tours: Johnny Gentle and Helen Shapiro [Encore]
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
This week, we’re re-releasing a double header of episodes (two-in-one!) that digs into pivotal moments from the Beatles' touring career. The first part is about their very first tour backing Johnny Gentle in 1960. Part two discusses the band’s Winter 1963 tour, opening for UK singing sensation Helen Shapiro — a tour that intersected directly with the rapid rise of British Beatlemania.
These two episodes are the first two parts of a three-part series on the Beatles’ touring years. And next week we dive into the harrowing incident with the Beatles in the Philippines — the final installment of this series.
- Johnny Gentle and The Beatles: First Ever Tour, by John Askew (Johnny Gentle)
- Helen Shapiro singing "Look Who It Is" on Ready Steady Go! with special guests John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
![The Beatles' Historic Stance Against Segregation, with Dr. Kitty Oliver](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Bc-the-beatles-KittyOliver-2_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
The Beatles' Historic Stance Against Segregation, with Dr. Kitty Oliver
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Today is Juneteenth, a day that has held significance for the Black community for many years and one that, for the past four, has become a national holiday in the United States. It’s a day for education, listening, learning, and increasing awareness of the Black experience. Though we are two white women who are still doing a lot of learning and listening ourselves, we wanted to celebrate Juneteenth by exploring the Beatles’ connection to civil rights, especially during their 1964 tour.
1964 was time of continuing segregation and heightened racial tensions in America's southern states. But racial segregation, as it was in America, didn’t exist in England. The Beatles were famously appalled at the idea that any of their concerts would take place in front of audiences separated by race, and they refused to play to segregated crowds. John Lennon famously remarked, “We never play to segregated audiences and we aren’t going to start now. I’d sooner lose our appearance money.” The city was resistant but eventually relented, resulting in Jacksonville's first integrated concert.
Our guest today is Dr. Kitty Oliver, who has firsthand experience of this moment. As a Black Beatles fan growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Oliver jumped at the opportunity to attend the integrated concert; she was one of few Black teens in the audience.
Beatles fans will recognize Dr. Oliver from her appearance in the Ron Howard-directed documentary Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years. She joins us today to recount her story of attending the first integrated concert in Jacksonville history, against the backdrop of growing up in a segregated city.
Dr. Oliver is a veteran journalist, an academic, an author, an oral historian, producer, and professional singer. She holds a PhD in Comparative Studies focusing on race and ethnic communication. She calls herself “a product of the civil rights era who came of age with integration in the US,” and is the founder of the cross-cultural Race and Change Oral History Archive, which is housed in Special Collections at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. She has written and/or compiled three books focusing on race, change, and her own memories of growing up Black in the South.
- Learn more about Dr. Oliver and follow her on Instagram
- See her appearance in Ron Howard's Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com
![The Sound of ‘One Hand Clapping’ Track-By-Track, with Sam Whiles of the Paul Or Nothing Podcast](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Bc-the-beatles-OneHand-2000px_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
Paul McCartney and Wings’ One Hand Clapping is one of the most bootlegged albums in rock history. Fifty years later, the album is being officially released for the first time, with a fabulous new mix by Steve Orchard (and Giles Martin collaborating on the Atmos version).
We’re joined by Sam Whiles, host of the Paul or Nothing podcast and the Macca in your Attic YouTube series. Join us as we nerd out over one of the most interesting and exciting Paul McCarrtney releases in recent history!
Plus, we discuss Mark Lewisohn’s letter to the Times regarding Tony Bramwell’s obituary, the recent rise in anti-Lewisohn rhetoric online, and the latest casting rumors around the Sam Mendes Beatles biopics.
- Listen to the Paul or Nothing podcast
- Watch Sam’s Macca in Your Attic YouTube series
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
![John’s Not-So-Lost Weekend, with May Pang](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Bc-the-beatles-MayPang-cover_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
John’s Not-So-Lost Weekend, with May Pang
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Our guest today is the wonderful May Pang, who we’re so excited to welcome onto BC the Beatles! May began her career in the music industry at ABKCO and Apple Records before transitioning into being John and Yoko’s personal assistant. Three years later, Yoko came to her with a strange request: to be John’s lover and companion during a period of their separation. This became his “Lost Weekend” in 1974-1975, in which he and May split time between NYC and LA. May was witness to many of the tall tales that populate the period including John’s infamous heckling of the Smothers Brothers at the Troubadour with Harry Nilsson, the recording of John’s Rock And Roll album with Phil Spector (and Spector firing a gun in the studio), among many more of John’s drunk escapades.
Although they technically broke up in early 1975, May and John continued to see each other through 1978, having their last conversation during Memorial Day weekend in 1980. In 1983, May wrote about her time with John in her book Loving John and in 2022, her story hit the big screen in the documentary feature The Lost Weekend: A Love Story. She’s also a photographer whose photos of her time with John are now on tour around the country as well as being featured in the book Instamatic Karma.
- Watch The Lost Weekend: A Love Story on Amazon Prime
- May's upcoming photo exhibition dates
- May's YouTube channel
- Learn more about May at her website
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
![The Beatles and Doctor Who: A Shared Timeline, with Ed Chen and James Ryan](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Bc-the-beatles-DoctorWho_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday May 29, 2024
The Beatles and Doctor Who: A Shared Timeline, with Ed Chen and James Ryan
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Wednesday May 29, 2024
This month, two behemoths of British culture crashed into one another, when the new season of Doctor Who featured a much-anticipated Beatles episode called “The Devil’s Chord.” Both fandoms have been hoping for this crossover episode for years, and we finally got it, complete with an incredible new villain played by Jinkx Monsoon.
Erika is joined by James Ryan and Ed Chen, who both have one foot solidly planted in both of these fandoms, giving us an excuse to nerd out over these worlds colliding. With their love of Doctor Who, the Beatles, and alternate history stories, there are few people more qualified to talk about this topic.
James (Jim) Ryan is the author of the novels Raging Gail and Red Jenny and the Pirates of Buffalo, as well as the popular history The Pirates of New York and short stories in numerous anthologies. He writes the column “Fantasia Obscura” for Forces of Geek, continuing on from his initial run at REBEAT. A lifelong Beatles fan, his alternate-history stories of the Beatles have been published in a collection called Alt Together Now.
Ed Chen is the co-creator and co-host of the When They Was Fab and the Toppermost of the Poppermost podcasts. He tells us that somewhere, buried in his deep dark past is a Beatles/Doctor Who fanfic, where he “Mary Sue’d” himself and his friends into the companion roles.
We’ll be talking about just some of the many connections between the Beatles and Doctor Who, including their shared timeline, actors who played both Doctors and Beatles, and the many Beatles references over Doctor Who’s 60-year history. We’ll also recap the Beatles-specific parts of the Doctor Who/Beatles episode, “The Devil’s Chord.”
We’ve kept this episode focused on the Beatles-related elements of both the history and the episode, and we’ll be discussing spoilers for “The Devil’s Chord.”
If you want more Doctor Who, the When They Was Fab podcast has an extended cut of this conversation with a deeper dive into the Doctor Who side of things.
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
![The Redhead on the Roof, with Kevin Harrington](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/Kevin-Harrington-episode-cover-2_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday May 22, 2024
The Redhead on the Roof, with Kevin Harrington
Wednesday May 22, 2024
Wednesday May 22, 2024
Our very, very special guest today is the great Kevin Harrington, who most Beatles fans will recognize as the “redhead on the roof” in the Let It Be and Get Back films. At the time, Kevin was only 18 years old(!) but had been working for the Beatles, in some capacity, for years, first as an errand boy at NEMS and then as an assistant to Brian Epstein. He worked alongside Mal Evans as the Beatles’ “roadie,” as he’s billed in the Let It Be credits.
After the Beatles broke up, Kevin stayed closely in the fold, even living at Friar Park with George and Patti during the recording of All Things Must Pass. Then, he finally struck out on his own in the ‘70s and beyond and was a roadie with some of the biggest names in music, including Wishbone Ash, Motorhead, Petula Clark, Ted Nugent, Tina Turner and more.
To learn more about Kevin's time with NEMS and the Beatles, check out his memoir, Who's The Redhead on the Roof?
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.
- Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.
- Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
- Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.