#howard smith

[wingsoverlagos]

Lewisohn vs. Howard Smith, January 23, 1972

The Lewisohn-fact-checkification has heated up in other areas of the interent, and while I can't say the reception is unexpected, it's not the sort of thing for which I'm well-equipped. I'm leading with that because, honestly, I don't see the point in actively fighting Lewisohn's reputation anymore. I have several more comparison posts drafted, and I intend to step back after I churn those out. I want to put the evidence out there as clearly as I can - it may not matter now, but down the line, when more people are ready to put the actual history above a sham historian, it will be there. I can't forcefeed the truth to people who are still unreceptive to it.

This isn't a goodbye post (there are still quite a few drafts to go!), but I want to thank the community here for being so funny, openminded, and encouraging! I don't interact with you all as much as I'd like to--I'm an anxious little bird--but your thoughtful responses and feedback have meant the world to me :) Sincerely, thank you!

Anywho, enough whining - I've got an audio comparison today! I love audio comparisons - the immediacy of hearing John Lennon or Brian Epstein or Paul McCartney say words that are clearly different from what Mark Lewisohn wrote can't be beat. Today's comparison comes from Howard Smith's January 23, 1972 interview with John and Yoko. Let's all praise the estate of Howard Smith, as many of his interviews are available for purchase at a reasonable price! You can find this track for purchase here, and two other interviews at this link. There are three interviews available total, each chopped into two tracks, with each track costing ~$0.99-$1.50.

Lewisohn quotes this interview three times, and there are issues with all three quotes. One is a standard Lewisohn rephrasing (you'll find that under the cut), while the other two construct an equally standard but somewhat meatier John v. Paul narrative.

All three quotes fall in the same ~1:30 of the interview, running from 9:29-11:10 in the track linked above. I've included the clip here for your listening pleasure:

Tune In 24-5 vs. Interview by Howard Smith, January 23, 1972

HS: This tape, the Decca tape that we were talking about, that was for a Decca audition I’m informed, January 1, 1962 [crosstalk] JL: That was the famous one that they turned us down on. I listened to it, y’know, I wouldn’t have turned them down on that, not in those days, y’know. I think it sounds okay, especially the last half of it for the time-  the period it was, there wasn’t many people playing music like that. HS: Were you guys very disappointed? JL: Oh, it was terrible, yeah. I mean, See, we used to-Brian Epstein had come down to Liverpool- to London, and then he’d come back and say, ‘I’ve got you an audition.’ We’d all be excited, it was Decca and all that. We met this Mike Smith guy, and we were going to go down there. So we went down, we did all those numbers, [we were?] terrified, nervous- you can hear it on that album, start off terrified, and gradually settled down, and then we went back and waited, and waited and then we just found out they hadn’t accepted it. We really thought that was it then.

(Emphasis indicates quoted phrases. I've bracketed "we were?" because, while I don't hear it clearly in the audio, it's not clear enough for me to say with perfect certainty that John didn't say it)

Lewisohn gives this quote as John's assessment of the day of the Decca audition, but that's only partially correct. The first word, "terrible," is representative of John's feelings about Decca's rejection, which is clear from the context of the quote. The second part of the quote "we were terrified, nervous" does describe how John felt during the sessions, but only partially. He quickly goes on to say they "start off terrified, and gradually settled down."

The next citation continues on with this theme.

Tune In 25-12 vs. Interview by Howard Smith, January 23, 1972

JL: Oh, it was terrible, yeah. I mean, See, we used to-Brian Epstein had come down to Liverpool- to London, and then he’d come back and say, ‘I’ve got you an audition.’ We’d all be excited, it was Decca and all that. We met this Mike Smith guy, and we were going to go down there. So we went down, we did all those numbers, [we were?] terrified, nervous- you can hear it on that album, start off terrified, and gradually settled down, and then we went back and waited, and waited and then we just found out they hadn’t accepted it. We really thought that was it then. HS: What, that that was all? JL: That was the end, yeah, y’know, cause [crosstalk] YO: You think that the sound was too far out for them or something? JL: [crosstalk] Well, we’d been- they all said it’s too bluesy or too rocky, too much like rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s all over now, they used to keep telling us, y’know.

(Emphasis indicates quoted phrases. This segment overlaps with the transcript above)

Here, Lewisohn recounts Paul and John's reactions to Decca's rejection of the Beatles. The quote isn't too butchered, though there are some small changes (e.g. "they all said" to "they always said")

That's a quibble, though. The main issue here is Lewisohn's misrepresentation of John's feelings at the time. Lewisohn's assessment that "[John] also wondered if they'd shot their bolt" is correct, but the rest, which I've underlined in pink, isn't supported by the source. Lewisohn contrasts Paul’s reaction with John’s: Paul thought the rejection was “shortsighted” but, as Lewisohn writes, “John marked it differently. He knew the Beatles had underperformed on the day.”

John does not express that sentiment in this interview. Within the same brief span that John gives the “too bluesy” quote, he also says of the Decca tape, “I listened to it, I wouldn’t have turned them down on that, not in those days. I think it sounds okay, especially the last half of it for the period it was, there wasn’t many people playing music like that.” John says that their nerves were apparent for part of the session, but he clearly didn’t view it as a dud overall, and underperformance isn’t the reason he states for the rejection. When Yoko asks for clarification (“You think that the sound was too far out for them or something?”), John gives the answer that Lewisohn quotes here: “They all said it’s too bluesy or too rocky, too much like rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s all over now, they used to keep telling us.”

Lewisohn intentionally misrepresents the above quotes to set John up as more knowing, more aware than Paul, who, per Lewisohn's version, even with hindsight couldn't see the flaws John spotted the day of the audition. In reality, John and Paul were of one mind—they didn’t think the audition was that bad. Paul’s assessment that Decca’s rejection was “shortsighted” goes hand in hand with John’s true thoughts on the matter, which I’ll quote here a third time, in case I’ve failed to get the point across: “I wouldn’t have turned them down on that, not in those days. I think it sounds okay”

Tune In 5-17 vs. Interview by Howard Smith, January 23, 1972

JL: The first day I got interested in rock, the first six months, y’know, when Presley’s heartbreak hotel came out in England, they were saying rock was gonna die already, which- “Is calypso gonna take over?” That was what they were talking about then. So whenever- Even in Hamburg, when we auditioned for those German companies, they would tell us to stop playing the rock and the blues and concentrate on the other stuff, y’know. Cause they all thought rock was dead, y’know. But they’re wrong. They’re still saying rocks dead, right?

Minor changes. John starts this quote by discussing one time frame ("The first day I got interested in rock") and then changes to another ("the first six months") - Lewisohn swaps the order of "I got interested in rock" and "the first six months." John also clearly says "gonna" instead of "going to" - this is exceptionally minor on its own, but I do think there may be some interesting patterns on when Lewisohn preserves vs. erases vs. introduces certain colloquialisms and dialect-specific spellings. That would take a more in-depth analysis to tease out, and I shall resist the urge - I'm clearing my drafts & touching grass!

Sources:

Lewisohn M. 2013. The Beatles: All These Years Vol. 1: Tune In. New York (NY): Crown Archetype. [ebook]

Smith H. 1972 Jan 23. Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Purchased 2024 May 28. Available from: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B00JMTMOTU

[thebarroomortheboy]

“It was an odd dream. Very odd dream. Willoughby. It was summer, very warm. Kids were barefooted. One of them had a fishing pole. It all looked like a Currier and Ives painting. Bandstand, bicycles, wagons. I've never seen such serenity. It was the way people must have lived a hundred years ago. Crazy dream.” - Gart Williams 

The Twilight Zone | 1.30 A Stop at Willoughby 

[nofatclips]

Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)

[gatutor]

Eva Gabor-Howard Smith-Glenn Ford "Vaya marineros" (Don´t go near the water) 1957, de Charles Walters.

[mx-pastelwriting]

Saving My Fanfiction Work

First. Side note: This post was only intended to give resources to fanfiction writers and enjoyers. My talk on recent political events was a context/reasoning on why I made this post. Also I’ve had to add more information to this post over time due to people’s confusion in my comments. Explaining it was to make sure that this post didn’t come off as out of the blue for my followers and this community. Which is fanfiction.

Also, why I made this post was from people asking if they could download my fanfiction because of the recent political events in America hence why I named it “saving my fanfiction work” and added my context. So this was also a post to tell people that liked my fanfiction they could download it as long as it was for their personal collection. I merely just wanted to list resources to people who wanted to download fanfiction and don’t know where to start or don’t have the immediate resources. I’m not here to fear-monger. I am just giving resources and the reasoning on why I’m giving them along with urging people to look into those information/recent events as staying aware is important. I respect everybody who’s given their opinion and yes, some of my grammar in this post is not adequate as this post was merely made for giving/stating resources.

Lastly, I will no longer update this post with comments as I’ve said my peace, nor will I pay attention to the notifications as they are muted. As my page is for fanfiction not politics. Thank you for the people in this community who share this post for the resources see you around the tags! Stay safe friends!!✨ Remember I love you! And you are loved!💛

-

Due to the recent events in the United States. To clarify the recent events being Trump becoming president of the United States, Project 2025 more than likely going to be integrated. If you are not familiar with Project 2025 I urge you to look it up.

Along with the KOSA bill that has many problems and it has passed the senate now needing the finally vote in the house, which both are majority red. Go here to learn more on why it needs to be stopped and how you can. This is another component that will harm our communities. Go to: stopkosa.com

With all of its harmful plans some of the plans are to take down/restrict internet sites that have LGBTQ+ communities that means communities like the fan-fiction communities/sites in the United States.

I am only giving resources to those inside and out of the US in case they banned sites that hold fan-fiction. Better safe than sorry.

Being that I live in the US the possibly of mine and many others Fanfiction has the possibly of being in danger. Therefore I'm giving you recourses. (I'm not leaving or stopping my writing, I'm here for the fight!)

For those wanting to save my fanfiction, I give you permission to download them off of AO3 and to be used for your personal collection. Meaning, your eyes only. To clarify I’m saying this as others have asked if they could download my fanfic so for those who would like to you can.

If you do not know how to download them many others on online have tutorials on how to download them and add them to our phone libraries.

Here are some links to tutorials:

Downloading Fanfic

Adding to Iphone & Android Library

Adding to Kindle Library - Video on How (On TikTok)

Adding Book Covers (At the bottom) - Good EPUB Cover Changer (I use this)

Types of Files and What they mean

Please stay safe out there! Remember to follow the rules below.

DO NOT share the downloaded file anywhere online.

DO NOT repost the downloaded file under your name.

Fanfiction is protected under copyright law when plagiarism is involved. If you plagiarize my work, either a piece or whole in any language, I will take legal action. Inspiration or the same idea does NOT apply to this, only word-for-word plagiarism in any language.

♥ mx-pastelwriting does not consent to their fanfiction being copied, copied & credited, translated, used in videos and/or audios, screenshotted, used in AI, or reposted on any other platform without permission.

♥ mx-pastelwriting does give consent to "reblog," sharing links to direct work, and being in recommend lists.

Please stay safe out there friends! I love you so much! Know that there will always people that love you and in for the fight to make sure you are loved!

And here are some resources in case you don’t feel okay! Resources here

[badmovieihave]

Bad Movie I have Call Northside 777 (1948)

[azertyrobaz]

"Wait, "Wild Wild West" has its own line dance?"

[lostinmac]

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Dir. Jane Schoenbrun

[gradexmovies]

[cinematicmasterpiece]

i saw the tv glow (2024)

[chronophotographic-gun]

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

[coloradosnumber1dad]

absolutely seething because I can never find any good fanfiction for a girl who isn’t some timid little fuck puppet. Like I get that some girls are hyper feminine but oh my god I just need a reader who can kick ass and hold their own. I’m not 4 foot 2 and 3 pounds I’m a decent sized female who could easily fill out the shirts of men I thirst over. I’m not cutely strolling into the room in my little pink sundress and white sandals, no dude I’m stomping into that room in jeans and a t shirt combat boots and saying the most disgusting dick joke you’ve ever heard. Sorry guys I’m not a girly girl

[oddcorecunt]

BTS from Jane Schoenbrun's Facebook ✨💕

[flightlessribbons]

Pt. 1 for the AU drawings! Gonna work on some more tonight, but I wanted to work on fleshing out the groups different dynamics with each other and their own personalities in my drawings 👍

[babadork]

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

[mx-pastelwriting]

me: feeling like I'm using the words your and you too much, but I'm fucking writing in the second person.