#the fireman

[fagaday]

12/31/2024

The fag of the day is Paul McCartney, one half of the musical duo the Fireman! (circled)

[sgtpeppers]

So after I posted those photos of Linda and Paul yesterday, taken by Allen Ginsberg, I started doing some digging into their relationship with Allen. Maybe this is all old news to everyone, but I found some cool stuff, so thought I'd share!

So Allen first met the Beatles on his 39th birthday, although at this point it was just John, Cyn, George and Pattie (x):

"At the party Allen got completely drunk and stripped off his clothes, putting his baggy underpants on his head and hanging a hotel ‘Do not disturb’ notice around his cock. It was at this moment that two of The Beatles arrived: John with Cynthia, and George with Pattie. John and George quickly checked that no photographers were present. Allen kissed John on the cheek, and John told him that he used to draw a magazine at art school called the Daily Howl [in reference to Ginsberg’s poem Howl]; they were friendly enough and accepted drinks, but then made quickly for the door. I asked John why he was leaving so soon. ‘You don’t do that in front of the birds!’ he hissed in my ear." 

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

Despite this interesting first meeting, it looks like they went on to be friends with all of them, including Paul. In 1967 Allen gifted Paul an early copy of his book 'TV Baby Poems', with the following inscription:

“For Paul McCartney That all fantasies harmonise sweetly & also Hari Krishna!”

(x)

In the same book, Allen actually name drops John and Paul, in the poem Middle of a Long Poem on These States: Kansas City to St. Louis.

You can read the full poem here, but also... here's the section that they're mentioned in:

Paul later goes on to use the phrase 'Electric Arguments' as the title of his 2008 The Fireman album. And I'm just gonna... leave that there.

It seems like they became closer friends in the 90s, and Allen talks about his friendship with Paul in this interview:

I had been talking quite a bit to [Paul] McCartney, visiting him and bringing him poetry and haiku, and looking at Linda McCartney’s photographs and giving him some photos I’d taken of them.

And around this point, Allen and Paul collaborated on an accompanied version of Allen's poem The Ballad of the Skeletons.

Here's Paul talking about how he got involved, but the TLDR is that Allen called him asking if he knew a guitarist that would accompany him at the Royal Albert Hall, and after recommending a couple of people, Paul assumed it was Allen's round about way of asking him.

The performance is so so good, you can watch the full thing here:

Paul just looks so happy doing it!

They also went on to record a version of this as well, which had a more complicated instrumental composed by Paul and then recorded with Allen on vocals, Philip Glass on keyboards, Paul on guitar, drums, Hammond organ and maracas, Lenny Kaye on bass, Marc Ribot on guitar and David Mansfield on guitar. - you can read more about it here.

And I just love this quote from Allen about working with Paul (from this interview again):

He reacts to the words in an intelligent way. You can hear it on the tape. Like if I say on the recording, “What’s cooking,” all of a sudden he brings in the maracas to get that really funny excitement. When I say, “Blow Nancy blow,” he blows on the Hammond organ. He added a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of interpretation. And sometimes, when I made a flub, he covered it. He left his lead sheet in his guitar case, so we had to share my lead sheet [at Albert Hall], which was fun.

I just love finding out all these random little things Paul has been involved in, he gets everywhere!

Allen also (tried) to give Paul advice on his poetry (x), and Allen's comments about Eleanor Rigby were one of the things that lead Paul to publish his own poetry in Blackbird Singing.

I used to hang out a bit with Allen Ginsberg in the Sixties, and later on during the last couple of years of his life we became good friends. And he said to me “That Eleanor Rigby is a f- good poem, man.” So I thought, well, he’s no slouch, and so, with Adrian pushing me, I looked at them again, and thought, yes, some of them could be read.

(x)

Allen Ginsberg unfortunately passed away on the 5th April 1997, about a year before Linda, but it seems like those last few years of Allen's life included a really beautiful, collaborative friendship with them!

[chaplinlegend]

Charlie Chaplin and Eric Campbell on the set of "The Fireman" (1916)

[chatnoir0163]

Şayet kendinizi yalnız ve diğer insanlardan soyutlanmış hissediyorsanız gülünç olan­dan keyif almanız mümkün değildir.

[fictional-gods-tournament]

Round 1

Characters' info under the cut

The Almighty Dollar (wiki)

Domains: Money, Consumerism, Products, Capital, The free market

Propaganda:

This idea is just too funny to me

The Fireman (wiki1, wiki2)

Domain: The supreme force of Good and Existence

Propaganda:

He is practically God who wants creation to thrive, the opposite force of JUDY who wants to end existence/the show

[onenakedfarmer]

For those who celebrate ...

HAPPY TWIN PEAKS DAY 2024!

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[eeviacportfolio]

[acetheticsdraws]

Beatles LOVE (1/3)

Since The Beatles LOVE is closing in July, I wanted to make a mega piece for the show to commemerate! Heres part 1, with more characters to come! Check out. My instagram if you want to see the characters posted daily!

Solo Portraits

Characters featured so far:

- The Fireman played by Connor Bartlett

- Lucy in the Sky played by Daria Sobelman

- Mr. Kite played by Jordan Delvingt

- Krishna played by Indrajit Kumavat

- Father McKenzie played by Eugen Brim

- The Kids of Liverpool

[fireintheimpala]

Paul McCartney has a secret experimental and electronic band??? Oh, I’m done for.

[fabfourfaceoff]

Beatles Solo Battle #12

Please do not vote for an album unless you have in fact listened to both! If you are still curious about the results there's a handy button just for you!

Feel free to reblog and tag with why you voted the way you did!

More album battles!

[seanleelevin]

This is the water

And this is the well

Drink full and descend

The horse is the white of the eyes, and dark within

My rewatch of Twin Peaks: The Return continues with the remarkable Part 8.

[ultra-nohai]

Bubblegum dance/pop/rock is weird, but pretty much AMAZING.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

I'm gonna be listening to Rushes now, but since I'm at work I won't be live blogging. I'll try to report back with my thoughts!

[mitjalovse]

To be honest, the superstars from the previous periods somehow ended up being quite prominent in the 90's and their work from then spoke of their fame at that particular time point. For instance, Paul McCartney had a weird period in the 90's. He basked in the legacy of his band, yet he also wished to remind everyone he still cared. McCartney is a fascinating character, when we discuss his music and the 90's presented us with the most intriguing proposition – him doing an electronic music project. The Fireman, his duo with Martin Glover, feels like at times a pop version of many Warp signings. There's something fabulous about him tackling IDM, since he cannot escape his past, but the latter does enrich the soundscapes more than anyone would be willing to admit.

[angietherose]

Feeling the feels with this one.