A podcast about the Beatles... everything about the Beatles. 24/8!
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
When we first started this podcast way back in 2018, one of the reasons we called it “BECAUSE the Beatles” was because we wanted to be able to not only talk about the Beatles, but anything adjacent to them in any way … hence "because" the Beatles. And one of our original reasons was because we wanted to do the episode we’re FINALLY doing today — an episode on Cilla Black!
Cilla is unique in the Beatles’ story — the only woman managed by Brian Epstein, and, as we’ll discuss, she was one of his favorite artistes and close to him personally too.
Later in her life, she became known as a TV presenter and the recipient of an OBE for her contribution to entertainment. She had 19 Top 40 singles in the UK, including two #1 hits - “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “You’re My World” — and recorded 15 studio albums. And this past year she became one of the best memes on TikTok.
This episode focuses on the beginnings of her fame and hitmaking — and of course, references the spectacular made-for-TV miniseries Cilla, which we highly recommend.
- Learn more about Cilla
- Cilla biopic on iTV
- "Surprise Surprise" on TikTok
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- 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
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
This week, we're sharing an episode of one of our favorite Beatles-adjacent podcasts, We Say Yeah!, a show about Cliff Richard and the Shadows. This is one of the only — if not the only — podcasts exclusively about Cliff Richard, who was, of course, a huge success in the UK, and a contemporary of the Beatles. Erika was recently a guest host, discussing Wonderful Life, a movie musical that was released mere days before A Hard Day's Night, but couldn't be more different.
About the podcast: Cliff Richard & The Shadows dominated the British pop and rock music world from 1958 to 1963 and weathered the storm of Beatlemania to continue to release hits for years to come. Many were even recorded in Studio Two at Abbey Road…and they wrote a lot of their own material!). Although pre-Beatles British rock and roll music is largely ignored by American rock historians, the We Say Yeah! podcast has spent nearly three years reviewing every single, EP and LP released by Cliff and The Shadows (either together or apart) in chronological order.
Hosted by David “Ghosty” Wills, former Sirius/XM DJ and cartoon voice actor, each month’s episode features the host and a guest not only reviewing records but also venturing into sidebar discussions about popular music of the era, the film and television industry in Europe and more!
In addition to hosting We Say Yeah!, David has been a Beatles fan since the age of 12 but came in through Paul McCartney’s solo career (which he says he loves “more than anything else on Earth”). He became a fan of Cliff Richard through his early 80’s U.S. hits and when he discovered an album of his 60’s hits.
- Listen and subscribe to We Say Yeah!
- Hear the full soundtrack to the film Wonderful Life
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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
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Today we're joined by Laurie Kaye, author of the new book, Confessions of a Rock 'N' Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading up to John Lennon’s Last Interview.
As a young rock journalist, Laurie got the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the day with John and Yoko at their home in New York City. She and her team spent hours with the couple, and the resulting interview was one of the most candid John had ever given. It touched on a wide range of topics, including their latest album release, John’s Lost Weekend, and his thoughts on Paul and the Beatles. It ended on an optimistic note, with John having high hopes for the future. But that day was December 8, 1980, and that interview was the last one that John ever gave. A few short hours later, John was tragically murdered.
Laurie tells this story, and so many more, in her new book. In this memoir, Laurie details her life up to that fateful day in 1980, a day she called “both the best and worst day of my life.”
Laurie Kaye began her career at San Francisco’s top 40 station KFRC-AM, where she was both an on-air reporter and writer. She later moved to RKO radio, where she co-produced many rock specials, including RKO Presents the Beatles (later expanded and renamed The Beatles from Liverpool to Legend). Other notable projects include writing Dick Clark’s weekly radio countdown show and leading the location production of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s Special Extended DVD Edition. Laurie now works in the film and tv industry, handling creative content and line producing for network docuseries.
- Buy the book, Confessions of a Rock and Roll Namedropper: My Life Leading up to John Lennon’s Last Interview
- Visit Laurie Kaye online
- Hear John Lennon’s last interview, The Dakota Apartments, December 8, 1980
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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, or wherever you’re listening now.
+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Our excitement over the upcoming Sam Mendes Beatles biopics got us thinking about some of our favorite Beatles movies. From classics like Birth of the Beatles and Backbeat, to contemporary Beatles stories like Nowhere Boy and Yesterday, we look at some of the most impactful biopics to hit both the big and small screens.
And, inspired by the recent Academy Awards—and Sean Lennon’s win for the animated short, War is Over!—we created our own awards show for all things Beatles movies. Do you agree with our picks for the best—and the worst—in the Beatles Cinematic Universe? Find us on social media and let us know!
- Our first Beatles biopics episode, discussing the upcoming Sam Mendes films
- More about Sean Lennon’s animated short, War is Over!
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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.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Sara Schmidt returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles North American Fan Club.
Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles’ North American Fan Club tells the stories of both the official and unofficial fan clubs in the US and Canada. With over 100 photos and rare historical documents like fan club membership cards and letters, this book gives new insights into the engine that fueled North American Beatlemania.
You may know Sara as the founder and editor of the website, Meet The Beatles...For Real, a treasure trove of memories and photographs from fans that have met one or more of The Beatles in person. She’s also the author of the book, Happiness is Seeing The Beatles: Beatlemania in St. Louis; and a contributing author to A is for Apple (Volumes 2 & 3); and has given presentations at Beatles conventions across the United States.
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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.
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Four new Beatles biopics are coming, and we're obsessed! Oscar- and TONY-award winning director Sam Mendes will direct the films, slated for 2027, with full life rights for all four Beatles.
We break down what we know so far, speculate on what's to come, and opine on our dream casts.
Plus, we look at Pattie Boyd's upcoming auction full of memories of her time with both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and congratulate Paul on being reunited with his original Hofner bass.
- Beatles Get a Biopic. A Fab Four of Them, Actually (NY Times)
- The Pattie Boyd Collection at Christie's Auction House
- Paul McCartney's First Hofner Bass is Finally Returned (Bass Magazine)
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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.
![Happy Birthday(s), George! [Encore Episode]](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog3029018/George-encore-2_300x300.png){kind=logo}
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
This week marks what would have been George Harrison’s birthday… or is it birthdays? So we pulled one of our most popular episodes out of the archives in his honor. We’re looking at George’s early life in Liverpool, his all-encompassing guitar obsession, and the talent that even impressed the much-older John Lennon. Plus, we attempt to get to the bottom of the age-old question: what is George’s actual birthday?
Links we mentioned:
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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.
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
This Valentine's Day, we're reading some of the love letters fans sent to the Beatles 60 years ago this year, published in 1964's Love Letters to the Beatles. Plus a recap of the 2024 Fest for Beatles Fans at the fabulous TWA hotel!
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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, or wherever you’re listening now.
+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
It’s the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first American visit and their groundbreaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. We’re tracing the twists and turns that brought the Beatles to America, and opened the doors to a cultural revolution in the process.
And we tell the story of Erika’s grandfather, the jazz guitarist who met the Beatles, got his picture taken by none other than Paul McCartney, and maybe… overdubbed George Harrison on The Ed Sullivan Show?
- Rebeat’s interview with Louise Harrison
- More about Erika’s grandfather, Hy White, and his encounter with the Beatles
- “Take My Break, Please:” McCall and Brill’s opportunity of a lifetime—an appearance on Ed Sullivan—became a disaster, thanks to being on the bill with the Beatles (This American Life)
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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, or wherever you’re listening now.
+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles
+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
This week, we welcome Dr. Richard Mills, author of the book The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death, and Progressive Nostalgia, as we discuss the intricacies of Beatles fandom in all its glory. From sex and death to slash fanfic and tribute bands, join us for this fun trip down the rabbit hole of the quirky, creative, and sometimes freaky fan world.
Read the AMAZING “Into My Life” fanfic: https://www.alsfrombothsides.org/intomylife/index.html
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+Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, 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