Magical History Tour

Sweet! Here's another awesome Fab 4 thing to look forward to besides Martin Scorsese's upcoming George Harrison documentary!

This summer, you can join Beatles fans from throughout North America on the MAGICAL HISTORY TOUR to Liverpool, London and Hamburg. Fifty years ago, The Beatles journeyed to Hamburg, Germany, and fans will get to follow in the Beatles' footsteps in the city where The Beatles turned from boys to men. In John Lennon's own words, "I grew up in Hamburg, not Liverpool."

The visit to Hamburg is part of Liverpool Productions 27th annual "MMTour" from August 21-September 2, 2010, which brings fans to all the Beatles homes, schools, clubs, homes, early hang-outs and other sites in the three main cities connected to the history. Fans wishing to go to Liverpool and London only, the dates are August 23-September 2, and there are also options for Liverpool-only stays and shorter options.

Interested? I know I am! 50th Anniversary of The Beatles in Hamburg!

Make It Louder!

Migwell

Paperback Eiffel

Ok. True story.

I took this shot back in November of 1994. It's a group of French school children singing Frère Jacques, in Paris, right next to the Eiffel Tower. Pretty Disneyesque, in an It's A Small World After All kind of way, I know, but... So, fast-forward to 2008, I'm scanning the print, a print I developed in like, 1998, in the makeshift darkroom of my bud Patrick Gill, an awesome and primitive set up in Patrick's detached garage behind his flat in San Antonio. Anyway, so I'm scanning the print and The Beatles' Paperback Writer comes out of my speakers via my first iPod, Lani Makana, set on super-mega-shuffle. Singing along I start thinking, "Wow, this does kinda look like a paperback cover..." Hmmm.

I do a Google to get a bit more background info on the song in an effort to find a fake, yet convincing author name for the fake book and, thanks to the mighty wikipedia, man, did I get a some background! I've probably listened to Paperback Writer at least 100 times in my lifetime and never, ever, did I hear The Beatles singing Frère Jacques in the background, but sure enough, listen to it - it's there!

The more I learn about the Beatles, the trippier life gets.

Make It Louder,

Migwell

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" inspiration dies

The woman who inspired the iconic Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" has died, a charity said on Monday.

Lucy O'Donnell was a childhood friend of John Lennon's son Julian, and the song title was inspired by a picture that he had drawn of her at school.

Julian Lennon with his father John and Yoko Ono

"That's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," Julian explained to his father when he took the picture home.

Many fans believed that the classic 1967 hit, recorded for the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, was a thinly disguised paean of praise for the hallucinogenic drug LSD.

But O'Donnell, a housewife whose married name was Vodden, revealed two years ago that she had in fact been the source.


Above is Lucy Vodden: She was at nursery school with Julian Lennon.

"I remember Julian and I both doing pictures on a double-sided easel, throwing paint at each other, much to the horror of the classroom attendant," O'Donnell told BBC radio in 2007.

"Julian had painted a picture and on that particular day his father turned up with the chauffeur to pick him up from school."

The St Thomas' Lupus Trust charity said O'Donnell had died aged 46 after losing a fight against the autoimmune disease lupus.

It said Julian and his mother Cynthia, Lennon's first wife, were "shocked and saddened by the loss of Lucy."

"It's so sad that she had finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long," said Angie Davidson, the Trust's campaign director.

Thanks to Michael Holden at Reuters.

Heinz Edelmann

Sad news about Heinz Edelmann, he passed away yesterday, July 21st 2009. Edelmann was 75. The photo above is from 1968.

With Heinz Edelmann, the graphic design community looses one of its most innovative practitioners. During his long and prolific career he has created groundbreaking work in the fields of Animation, Advertising and Publishing.

Among the best known of his creations are the illlustrations he did for twen Magazine and Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazine, his book designs for the publishing house Klett Cotta and his posters for the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (West German Broadcasting).


Then there is of course the one chapter in his oeuvre that has made him known worldwide: his stunningly inventive work on the Beatles movie Yellow Submarine.


Edelmann also designed many book covers, including the first German edition of Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' and won a contest to design the mascot of the Expo '92 world fair in Spain.

More here: AGI. RIP Heinz.

That's Right,

HMK