SUMMARY: In our final episode of Fine Tuning, we summarize our conclusions, respond to listener feedback, issue corrections, share our hopes and fears for future books and offer our thoughts and predictions on the future of Beatles scholarship. PLAYLISTEveryday BUDDY HOLLYHoney Hush BIG JOE TURNERI Fall to Pieces PATSY CLINEProblems THE EVERLY BROTHERSP.S. I Love You THE BEATLESWhispering Bells THE DELL-VIKINGSQue Sera, Sera DORIS DAYJohnny Angel SHELLEY FABARESHit the Road, Jack RAY...

SUMMARY Unseen Paul builds on our earlier episodes by sharing even more quotes, stories, and insights about young Paul McCartney, who deserves a nuanced and dynamic portrait in any Beatles biography. We explore some of his more overlooked character traits: his quirks and gifts; his stressors and anxieties; his unusual interests and values. These features reveal him as a fascinatingly dualistic artist and person.SOURCESPaul McCartney: the Definitive Biography by Chris Salewicz (1986)The...

SUMMARY:  In our 9th episode, we tackle a handful of loose ends from Tune In and pose the question: WTF? Why The Farting?Where's Talented Friend?Washboard To FenderWeird, Those Fruits!Women-Type FansWhores They F*cked?Wow, That's Fabricated!Which Tune's First?Writing's Too FancyWhose Teachers Finest?Wimpy Teetotaler Frenemie PLAYLIST:Tutti Frutti LITTLE RICHARDGood Golly Miss Molly LITTLE RICHARDWhere D’you Get Your Whiskey BOB CORT’S SKIFFLE GROUPMama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean RUTH...

SYNOPSIS:  In her second appearance on AKOM, May Pang talks with Phoebe about Yoko enlisting Paul’s help during the Lost Weekend, John & Yoko’s Tittenhurst Safe Room, The (not) Malibu Dream House and Primal Therapy.The Lost Weekend: A Love Story is currently available for purchase or streaming on most major platforms. Discover more at www.maypang.com  

SYNOPSIS: No Greater Buddy examines how Tune In handles the naughty behavior of its resident Bad Boy, John Lennon. This is a study of Lewisohn’s coverage of John’s bad behavior (rather than the behavior itself). PLAYLISTBad Boy LARRY WILLIAMSLet the Good Times Roll LOUIS JORDANJim Dandy LAVERN BAKERHandful of Keys FATS WALLERUndecided ELLA FITZGERALDAngel Baby ROSIE & THE ORIGINALSNight Train DAVID ROSEDevil or Angel THE CLOVERSI’ll Be on My Way THE BEATLES SOURCESThe Beatles by Hunter...

SYNOPSIS: Spanner in the Works shows how Paul is portrayed as uniquely difficult to manage and unjustifiably obstructive, even to the point of sabotaging the band.  We use Tune In’s reporting of the early friction between Paul and Brian Epstein as a case study to illustrate how Tune In guides the reader to distrust and second-guess Paul whenever he comes into conflict with other major players in the Beatles’ story. PLAYLISTMaybe THE CHANTELSOop Shoop SHIRLEY GUNTER & THE QUEENSTequila THE...

SYNOPSIS: Phoebe talks with Vivek Tiwary, author of “The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story,” a graphic novel celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a new edition!https://thefifthbeatle.com/graphic-novel/ https://twitter.com/fifthbeatle https://www.instagram.com/the_fifthbeatle/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/TheFifthBeatleTV/PLAYLISTIt’s For You CILLA BLACK

SYNOPSIS: In A Prolonged Jealousy, we tackle one of Tune In’s main talking points: that Paul McCartney is a fundamentally jealous person whose obsessive, one-sided jealousy of and over John Lennon was brought to a boil by the presence of Stuart Sutcliffe in the band.  Is Tune In’s unforgiving portrayal of Paul’s jealousy fair? Or is it over the top? We’ll discuss!*This episode was originally posted on Nov 17, 2023 and subsequently re-uploaded on Nov 21, 2023 to add a few minutes of additional...

SYNOPSIS: Phoebe Lorde and Allison Bumsted talk with Kenneth Womack about “LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND: the Mal Evans Story.”We discuss several of the amazing topics raised in this wonderful book; Elvis, cowboys, Allen Klein being horrible, the tougher-to-write moments in the book, interpersonal relationships within the Beatles' circle, and of course the fascinating life of the incomparable Mal Evans.

SUMMARY: Leader Lennon examines Tune In's major thesis, that John Lennon was and is the leader and implicit owner of The Beatles forever.  We take a hard look at Tune In’s obvious affection for hierarchy and dominance and how this pervades its storytelling. We'll discuss the deficiencies of this framework, why it is a problem, and how it distorts the Beatles’ story. PLAYLISTTiger Man RUFUS THOMASLovin’ Machine WYNONIE HARRISHoney Don’t CARL PERKINSBesame Mucho TRIO LOS PANCHOSCrying, Waiting,...

SYNOPSIS: This episode explores Tune In’s unequal treatment of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's childhoods, with particular attention paid to the disparate coverage of their childhood stressors and the deaths of their mothers, Julia and Mary. We go pretty deep into what we know of John and Paul's boyhoods and how those experiences shaped their personalities and affected their adult behaviors,  Does Tune In do the same? For both? We’ll see! SOURCESThank You Very Much by Mike McCartney...

SYNOPSIS: In Creative Whirlwind, we take a look at how Tune In reports and characterizes young Lennon and McCartney as budding artists.   We’ll show that Tune In significantly downplays and shortchanges (and sometimes even ignores) crucial aspects of McCartney's artistic development and identity. On the other hand, Lennon’s creative development is shown from all angles in loving detail and with unbridled admiration.Our discussion will be divided into three major sections: Visual Arts,...

SYNOPSIS: This is a look at Tune In’s most positive descriptions of John and Paul respectively. All examined passages will be from the text, i.e. the author’s own depictions of John and Paul. By comparing how Lewisohn chooses to describe John versus Paul, we will reveal many undeniable discrepancies in word choice, enthusiasm, depth, and tone.  What do these discrepancies mean? We’ll discuss! SOURCESBeatles Anthology (2000)Beatles Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies (1968)John, Paul and Me:...

SYNOPSIS: Welcome to Fine Tuning, an Examination of Mark Lewisohn’s Tune In.This episode presents an overview of our 11-part series including its impetus, our objectives and summaries of the upcoming installments. PLAYLISTJohnny B. Goode THE BEATLESCarol THE BEATLESSome Other Guy THE BEATLESToo Much Monkey Business THE BEATLESThank You Girl THE BEATLESBaby It’s You THE BEATLESI’ll Be On My Way THE BEATLES Lewisohn Quoted from Podcast Fab4cast Part 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkrFSnGnriQ  

ELEANOR RIGBY lives in a dream, waits at the window, died in the church and was buried alone with her name!!!This is an episode of McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, a new podcast with Sir Paul McCartney himself from iHeartMedia, MPL, and Pushkin Industries. Listen and subscribe!

SUMMARY Phoebe and Daphne answer more listener mail! In Part 2 they tackle: the controversial production of Strawberry Fields Forever, an alternate theory on Paul and Jane’s breakup, what Mick Jagger and Pattie Boyd know about India, Projecting Onto George, granny music, voodoo dolls and more! FULL LIST OF TOPICSSecurity BlanketMidas ManPattie’s PostWhat Does Pattie Mean?Maharishi Hit on a Beatle?Sympathy for Teenage PaulEstranged Fiance TheoryProjecting Onto GeorgeSFF (John’s...

SUMMARYThe AKOM Team tackles a variety topics including: the upcoming "Now and Then" release, Why Allen Klein Is Still Trash, possible undercover hookups, the challenges of friendship, LSD, Elvis, betrayal and SO MUCH MORE!Full List of Topics:SOLO PAUL!LAWR OBJECTIONPAUL AND MOZARTNOW AND THENELVIS BOOKJOHN IS HIGH MAINTENANCE FRIEND?WOMEN IN FANDOMPAUL BLOCKING GEORGETWO VIRGINSKLEIN v. EASTMANSSKYWRITING BY WORD JOHN, PAUL AND ILYPAUL ON JOHN'S SEXUALITYWHAT'S LSD LIKE?NORTHERN SHARES EARLY...

DR FRANKENSONG! AKOM talks w/ Adrian Sinclair and Allen Kozinn Summary: Authors of the McCartney Legacy Vol 1, Adrian Sincalir and Allen Kozinn speak with Daphne and Phoebe about Paul McCartney’s “Frankensongs,” dynamic compositions that consist of two (or more) songs that are sutured together to form a mega-song.  In this episode: Another Day, Back Seat of My Car, Little Lamb Dragonfly, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Band on the Run. PLAYLIST:Too Many PeopleJetAnother DayBack Seat of My...

SUMMARYAKOM talks with the fabulous May Pang about “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story” and a variety of big and small topics including: John praising Cynthia’s parenting, meeting Paul and Linda in the 1980s, visiting David Bowie w/ Paul and Linda, and the ride John abstained from at Disney World.PLAYLISTSurprise Surprise JOHN LENNON (1974)Real Love (demo) JOHN LENNON (1977)#9 Dream JOHN LENNON (1974)Tennessee (Take 5) JOHN LENNON (1975)(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess JOHN LENNON...

SUMMARY Welcome to STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, an AKOM series about Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney after John Lennon's death. It's the new millennium! Paul and Yoko get real and the truth comes out! Will it draw them and their families closer together? Or deepen the divide? How do Paul and Yoko see their own relationship? As kindred spirits or mortal enemies? Hear our conclusions in Episode 4! SOURCES Paul McCartney “The Howard Stern Show” (2001)Tampa Bay Times, Yoko Ono: 10 pressing questions: Details...

SUMMARYWelcome to STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, an AKOM series about Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney after John Lennon's death. Episode Three covers the 1990s, a decade that sees some of the most significant highs and lows between Ono and McCartney. Goodwill abounds when Paul inducts John into the Rock Hall in 1994. Building on this positivity, Yoko earns Paul’s gratitude during the making of the Beatles Anthology.  But the peace is short-lived, and a set of seemingly minor squabbles escalate into their...

SUMMARYWelcome to STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, an AKOM series about Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney after John Lennon's death. In Episode 2 we welcome author Joe Hagan for a loose, candid and wide-ranging conversation centered around Paul, Yoko and Jann Wenner.  Topics include: Rolling Stone’s stake in the Ono-McCartney drama, Jann’s autobiography, the Rock Hall, Paul’s endorsement of Wenner’s book, McCartney’s image building, Joe’s experiences interviewing both McCartney and Ono, Yoko’s attitude towards...

SUMMARY Welcome to STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, an AKOM series about Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney after John Lennon's death. Episode 1 delves deep into the 1980s! Discussed in this episode: Paul’s grief and Yoko’s peculiar comments in the aftermath of John’s death, Yoko’s kindness towards Paul and his efforts to reciprocate, Paul’sfailed attempt to recover the Lennon/McCartney catalog, the McCartney/Ono origin story, the burgeoning Lennon Industry, a lawsuit, an award, a tribute concert and more. It...

SUMMARY Is Paul McCartney the 20th Century’s Mozart? Phoebe and Daphne tackle this question with radio host and classical music programmer, Valerie Ing. We discuss the similar biographies, artistic processes and whimsical spirits of these two creative dynamos and share some of our favorite pieces from both composers. We also debate Bach, listen to birds and reflect upon the evolving legacies of Herr Mozart and Sir Paul. Join us for a musical adventure into MozARTney!   PLAYLIST Penny Lane ...