Glass Onion: On John Lennon

• Episode 113: Lennon Naked with David 'Ghosty' Wills

  David ‘Ghosty’ Wills is back once more to look at another biopic that’s not really very good (we’ll do something classic next time, I promise!), though our levels of (non-)appreciation of 2010’s ‘Lennon Naked’ differ slightly Christoper Eccleston gives something of a powerhouse performance as a very brutal and cutting version of John Lennon, starting in 1964 but mostly focusing on the 1967-71 period. All the main events of that time in John’s life are covered here, with a soap-opera style reminiscent of the previously reviewed ‘John & Yoko: A Love Story’. Antony and Ghosty also discuss biopics in general, and the difficulty in capturing charismatic figures and writing dialogue worthy of them There’ll be another Glass Onion 2-parter to round off 2025, the first part due to come out in November Enjoy!   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glassonionjlpod   Twitter handle https://www.twitter.com/OnionLennon   Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony's 'Life And Life Only' podcast (on Psychology and Alternative media) https://www.lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com   Ghosty’s Cliff Richard/Shadows podcast and you tube channel https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-p5kf8-10892e3 https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS/videos   episode links Lennon Naked film pages and full film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560164/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennon_Naked   The fictional Magical Mystery Tour press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdXLdbJ_xk8   Scene comparisons with real events https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mFsahlxZZc   Glass Onion’s 2020 episode on depictions of John Lennon on film (including Lennon Naked) https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/episode-30-john-lennon-on-film-the-good-the-bad-and-the-cameos-with-ed-chen   Elliot Roberts watched every Beatles biopic… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eon5X1W8uGc   John & Yoko’s real encounter with Gloria Emerson (keep smiling) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIM7D_IfCtI   Freddie Lennon’s 1965 smash-hit Xmas single (not quite) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azAiSG09FBk   The World of John & Yoko (BBC 1969) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqVemtlJvk   Pete Shotton’s recommended memoir https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1154066.John_Lennon   John Lennon at his humorous best (Get Back 1969) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K9zuXRTul0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdYb-16F7c

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• Episode 112: Birth of the Beatles (Part 2 of 2)

  We complete our look at ‘Birth of the Beatles’, the 1979 biopic which holds a unique place as the only one of its kind made while all 4 Beatles were still alive. The timeline goes somewhat awry but we go from the boys having departed Hamburg in late-1960 to the tragic death of one of their band members and then the arrival in the story of their well-groomed, well-spoken but also fragile guardian angel. From there, destiny takes its course… Before this, Antony offers a short item on ‘The John Lennon Letters’ print/audio book, a fine entry in the canon of Lennon/Beatles books that offers us personal and valuable insights into the eternal enigma that was and is John Lennon. The voice of Christopher Eccleston, who portrayed John in the TV film ‘Lennon Naked’, can be heard reading some of the letters   Enjoy!   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glassonionjlpod   Twitter handle https://www.twitter.com/OnionLennon   Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony's 'Life And Life Only' podcast (on Psychology and Alternative media) https://www.lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com   episode links Birth of the Beatles film page and full film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078865/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpIA_87cxM   Scene comparisons with real events https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAY0_CGZNRY   Backbeat (1994)- Stu’s death & John’s tribute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3WmUNvMpKo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5h_Cr0i7o   Pete Best on the Letterman show and TV-Am (1982/1990) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3j7nqx0Pgs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_p_zKrKWFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpBXrESRig   Mona & Pete Best discuss Pete’s dismissal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_p_zKrKWFE   ‘Drummed Out!’ book (recommended) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2372130.Drummed_Out_   ‘The John Lennon Letters’ (essential Lennon reading) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528387-the-john-lennon-letters   John promotes ‘In His Own Wife’ with a little help from George https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1SjHkEepuk   ‘A Shot of Rhythm and Blues’ BBC version (powerful Beatles rock cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VgvJj4EBpc

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• Episode 111: Birth of the Beatles (Part 1 of 2)

  Following our last exploration of a biopic of dubious quality, Antony flies solo this time to explore another one which, despite having some sense of time and place, is also somewhat lacking and to some extent unintentionally comedic. ‘Birth of the Beatles’, which came out in 1979, will always hold a unique place as the only Beatles biopic made while John Lennon was still alive. Considering that he’d reacted negatively to Cynthia’s apparent rewriting of history in her book ‘A Twist of Lennon’ in 1978, it’s quite something to ponder what he might have thought of this Dick Clark-produced TV film. Preceding this, Antony offers a guitar lesson for the Bob Dylan song ‘Masters of War’ and then the song that it inspired (musically at least)- John Lennon’s ‘Working Class Hero.' There are also pre-outro Easter Eggs to be found in this episode…   Enjoy!   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glassonionjlpod   Twitter handle https://www.twitter.com/OnionLennon   Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony's 'Life And Life Only' podcast (on Psychology and Alternative media) https://www.lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com   Antony demonstrates Beatles guitar parts on ‘Pop Goes The 60s’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Y4f1efz6s   episode links Birth of the Beatles film page and full film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078865/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpIA_87cxM   Scene comparisons with real events https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAY0_CGZNRY   Backbeat scenes (Prellies/Astrid photographs the band) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIpUr1wX5Rw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq3l4frmFDo   The development of the Scouse accent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcpXePrrCIk   Working Class Hero official video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMewtlmkV6c   Saturday Night And Sunday Morning (Angry Young Man) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B_G9niYeB8Q   Cry For A Shadow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4WMeOLHp28

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• Episode 110- John & Yoko: A Love Story and more... with David 'Ghosty' Wills (Part 2 of 2)

  Ghosty joins Antony once again to wrap up our dissection of ‘John & Yoko: A Love Story’, and there is also some discussion of two other presentations from 1985. ‘John Lennon: A Journey In The Life’ is a ‘cheap and cheerful’ trawl through the Lennon story, with another Liverpudlian Bernard Hill portraying our hero in John’s own words, and ‘John Lennon Remembered’ is a short documentary featuring two of the other ‘frontline Beatles’ (sorry Ringo) plus other talking heads who knew Lennon at different stages of his life. Ghosty will be back later in the year for another documentary review, and the next episode will be a review of another slightly hilarious Beatles biopic.   Enjoy!   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glassonionjlpod   Twitter handle https://www.twitter.com/OnionLennon   Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony's 'Life And Life Only' podcast (on Psychology and Alternative media) https://www.lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com   Ghosty’s Cliff Richard/Shadows podcast and you tube channel https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-p5kf8-10892e3 https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS/videos   Ghosty on the 4Kids Flashback podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAi2NSYpECo   episode links John & Yoko: A Love Story https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089380/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlTZRynp5j0   John Lennon: A Journey In The Life (1985) https://archive.org/details/john-lennon-a-journey-in-the-life-tv-movie-1985_202312   Roger Waters- Across The Universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThSDoOpnWmc   John Lennon Remembered (1985) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl9C7QXonGw   Big Train George Martin sketch (must-watch!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIA_NVFnXZ8   ‘One To One: John & Yoko’ film trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxagfYjeMV4   John Lennon: Love Is All You Need (2010 doc) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3345610/

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• Episode 109- John & Yoko: A Love Story with David 'Ghosty' Wills (Part 1 of 2)

  We’re happy to welcome back David ‘Ghosty’ Wills to discuss John & Yoko: A Love Story, a 1985 biopic starring Mark McGann and Kim Miyori that was very dear to our hearts, at least until we rewatched it! We discuss some of the better scenes and also the unintentional comedy and ‘TV movie tropes’ of others. We cover about two thirds of the film here, and next time round we’ll complete our review and also look at a couple of other presentations from the same year. The conversation is preceded by Antony’s thoughts on two recent John & Yoko documentaries, namely ‘Daytime Revolution’ and ‘One To One: John & Yoko’ Enjoy!   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glassonionjlpod   Twitter handle https://www.twitter.com/OnionLennon   Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony's 'Life And Life Only' podcast (on Psychology and Alternative media) https://www.lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com   Ghosty’s Cliff Richard/Shadows podcast and you tube channel https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-p5kf8-10892e3 https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS/videos   episode links IMDB page and the full film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089380/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlTZRynp5j0   ‘Daytime Revolution’ and ‘One To One: John & Yoko’ trailers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkjiRlTVVnQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxagfYjeMV4   John and Yoko with David Frost 1972 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg9Aovt29UQ   Mark Chapman gets John Lennon’s autograph (Chapter 27 film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFUXP2NYl5c

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