In this two-part episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore Cleave's profile on George Harrison. In part two they explore the second half of the interview which focuses on George's home, his home life with Pattie, and his thoughts on war, the old guard, and religion. As in part one, George is amusingly blunt, witty, and endearingly earnest. These exceptional interviews, originally posted in the Evening Standard, provide rare intimate glimpses of the Beatles in 1966, sometimes countering the...

In this two-part episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore Cleave's profile on George Harrison. In part one, they examine the first half of the interview, going on an adventure with George Harrison, who is unusually open and revealing at this time. These exceptional interviews were originally posted in the Evening Standard in March and April 1966; They provide rare intimate glimpses into the world of the Beatles.  Many thanks to the fabulous Dr. Duncan Driver! @drduncd Learn more about...

This is part two of the Maureen Cleave interview with John Lennon.  In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver dig into the second half of the Cleave interview: visiting John's library, exploring his Phantom V Rolls Royce, and accompanying him to the doctor. John, as always, is entertaining, opining on money, power, and his future. Titled "How A Beatle Lives," these exceptional interviews provide a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966. Thanks to Dr. Duncan Driver!...

This is part one of the Cleave profile on John Lennon.  In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the first half of the interview. Titled "How A Beatle Lives," these exceptional interviews provide a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966.  These contemporaneous portraits are meaningful because so much of our understanding of the Beatles has been informed by what the Beatles said later, through a post-breakup lens. And this especially applies to Lennon, who was most...

This is part 2 of the Cleave profile on Paul McCartney.  In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the second half of the interview.  Titled "How A Beatle Lives" these exceptional interviews provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966. This fascinating interview with Paul vindicates McCartney's portrayal in the book Many Years From Now. It captures McCartney when he is on top of the world: razor-sharp, opinionated,  witty,  and fully immersed in the...

This is part one of the Cleave profile on Paul McCartney.  In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the first half of the interview.  Titled "How A Beatle Lives" these exceptional interviews provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966. This fascinating interview with Paul vindicates McCartney's portrayal in the book Many Years From Now. It captures McCartney when he is on top of the world: razor-sharp, opinionated,  witty,  and fully immersed in the...

The 1966/67 Series begins with a deep dive into the Maureen Cleave interviews—which were done for the Evening Standard in March 1966.  Titled "How Does A Beatle Live" these exceptional profiles provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles at a time when they were riding high!  Episode one explores her piece on Ringo Starr. Diana is joined by OSD regular Dr. Duncan Driver for this exploration. Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diana is joined by writer and author Ian Leslie to discuss the songs that made his Hidden Gems list. Ian writes about psychology, culture, technology, and business for the New Statesman, the Economist, the Guardian, and the Financial Times — and he has a newsletter called the Ruffian. He is also the author of the book Conflicted and is working on a book about Lennon and McCartney. Ian's newsletter: The Ruffian: https://ianleslie.substack.com/ @mrianleslie http://ian-leslie.com/ Support...

The One Sweet Dream Get Back Series continues with an interview with music journalist and author Rob Sheffield. Rob is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing about music, TV, and pop culture; he is also the author of multiple books, including Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World.  In this interview, recorded in December 2021, Diana and Rob cover many topics, including the just-released film Get Back, Martha, the song Girl, Paul's relationship with...

In part two of this Get Back Series episode with Martin Carr,  Martin and Diana discuss the dynamics of the Lennon and McCartney relationship around this period.  Martin Carr https://www.facebook.com/GOLDLIFT/ @martin_carr Support the show

In this two-part episode, Martin and Diana discuss the intricacies of the Get Back film with special emphasis on the dynamics between Lennon and McCartney at this time. This is part one. Martin Carr https://www.facebook.com/GOLDLIFT/ @martin_carr Support the show

In the next installment of the Hidden Gems and Unsung Masterpieces Series, Diana is joined by brilliant singer/songwriter/ film and TV composer Michael Penn to discuss the songs that make his list. Follow Michael Penn: @MPenn Support the show

In part two, we continue to go through Brian O'Connor and Simon Barber's lists of hidden gems and unsung masterpieces.  We look at early Beatles songs and late day solo Beatles music through a new lens, highlighting their greatness. Check out Brian and Simon's podcast here: https://www.sodajerker.com/ References   The Breakup Series episodes...

Brian O'Connor and Simon Barber join Diana for the kickoff of a new series: Hidden Gems and Unsung Masterpieces, which, like the podcast itself,  aims to revisit songs through a new lens.  This series provides the opportunity for guests to advocate for any Beatles-related song.  This is part one with Brian and Simon — each of whom brought six songs to discuss. Part 2 will include the second half of their lists. Check out Brian and Simon's podcast here: https://www.sodajerker.com/ Mike...

In this episode, Diana talks to Joe Hagan, author of the brilliant Jann Wenner biography Sticky Fingers, and host of  Vanity Fair's podcast: Inside The Hive.  We discuss Joe's experience writing the biography, his insight into the relationship between Wenner, Ono, and Lennon, and the impact of Wenner's partisanship on the Beatles narrative. We also discuss Joe's newfound appreciation of the early solo works by the individual Beatles — as well as his hot take on...

In part 3 of our deep dive into Get Back, Jonathan Skovron and I discuss the following: The India scene,  Klein, the rooftop performance, the Peter Sellers scene, the hypothetical Beatles collective—and we again return to George Harrison walking out, Yoko, and of course, the Lennon/McCartney partnership. The majority of this episode was recorded in December 2021. About Jonathan Skovron: Jonathanskovron.bandcamp.com https://youtube.com/user/jonathanskovronmusic Thanks to Romane Cameron for...

In part two of this deep dive into Peter Jackson's Get Back film, Jonathan Skovron and I discuss the trajectory and momentum of the project,  the impact of Billy Preston, the secret lunchroom scene, leadership, George Harrison's walkout, the musical conversation between Lennon/McCartney and the musicianship of the group as a whole.  In the next episode—part three,  we cover the Peter Sellers scene, the hypothetical Beatles collective concept, the independent album concept,  the India scene...

This Deep Dive into the Get Back film was recorded on multiple occasions with musician Jonathan Skovron, resulting in the OSD Deep Dive Trilogy! Peter Jackson would be proud! In part 1, we explore Jackson's narrative choices, the Lennon and McCartney dynamics,  George's predicament in the band, the working relationship between the men, and the impact of Yoko's presence. In Part 2, we cover the trajectory of the project, Billy Preston, the secret lunchroom scene, leadership, the musical...

The Get Back Series kicks off with a recap of the events of '67 & '68—as discussed in the Breakup Series—a primer for the series, and is followed by a roundtable discussion about the Get Back film with Dr. Paul Thompson and Dan Rivkin.  Paul Thompson: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-McCartney-His-Creative-Practice/dp/3030790991 Dan Rivkin: https://theymaybeparted.com/ Additional References:  The Nagra Tapes https://amoralto.tumblr.com/ Thanks to Tanya Clarke, as always. Support the show...

The OSD Get Back Series continues with an episode that was recorded before the Get Back Documentary Series was fully available to the public.  Journalist, broadcaster, and author Pete Paphides screened and reviewed the documentary for the Evening Standard prior to its general release, and we discussed his impressions of the film. Pete's review of Get Back: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/peter-jackson-beatles-documentary-review-get-back-disney-plus-b968008.html Pete's memoir,...

The Get Back Series continues with a conversation with musician Aimee Mann. We discuss Aimee's impressions of the film and her observations of the band's dynamics — drawing on her experiences working in bands, collaborations, and as a solo artist.  Follow Aimee at @realaimeemann Aimee Mann music referenced:  Queens of the Summer Hotel: "Burn It Out" and "In Mexico" The Magnolia Soundtrack: "Save Me"  Mental Illness: "Goose Snow Cone" I Am Sam (music from and inspired by the motion picture):...

In this episode, Diana and comedian/Beatles aficionado Tim Heidecker explore some key Beatles themes.   Tim Heidecker is a comedian, writer, musician, podcaster, actor, and half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric. He co-hosts a parody film review web series called, On Cinema and is the host of the podcast, Office Hours Live With Tim Heidecker. https://www.timheidecker.com/

In episode 2, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver dive into the headlines surrounding John's divorce statement yet again—this time questioning whether John was as "gleeful" about quitting The Beatles as the media would suggest.  Fortunately, John gave an interview three days after the infamous Divorce meeting, shedding light on John's state of mind. In this episode, we explore what John communicated..  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Onesweetdream)

In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver discuss issues that are currently in the news—primarily Paul's obsessive need to promote the "John asked for the divorce" storyline, simplifying a complex subject down to a soundbite. We explore the 4-ish reasons McCartney might be so attached to this idea and how it impacts his image.