Ravi Shankar, died yesterday at the age of 92. From the WSJ:
Mr. Shankar’s popularity in the West was boosted by his partnerships with foreign musicians, most famously Beatles guitarist George Harrison.
“When people say that George Harrison made me famous, that is true in a way,” Mr. Shankar said in a televised interview in 2009, according to this report.
But when Mr. Harrison first approached Mr. Shankar for lessons in the mid-1960s, the idea of blending Indian classical music with pop music was puzzling to the sitar maestro.
“It is strange to see pop musicians with sitars. I was confused at first. It had so little to do with our classical music. When George Harrison came to me, I didn’t know what to think,” said Mr. Shankar in Raga.
“But I found he really wanted to learn. I never thought our meeting would cause such an explosion, that Indian music would suddenly appear on the pop scene,” he added.
Mr. Harrison revered Mr. Shankar, saying he was “the first person who ever impressed me in my life.”
Mr. Harrison’s collaboration with Mr. Shankar influenced the music of the Beatles, who went on to release several Indian-inspired songs. Among them was the 1966 track “Love You To,” one of the earliest examples of a pop song incorporating elements of Indian classical music. The song was composed by Mr. Harrison, who also sings and plays the sitar in it.
Of note to more modern audiences: Norah Jones’ father. (Though that certainly isn’t all you should know about Shankar.) RIP.
The Beatles’ sons are considering forming a band, according to Paul’s son James McCartney. (ht popculturebrain on this one) Here are the photos of the sons, done up “Let It Be”-style. Can you see it?
The sixth Beatle? ”A Christie’s employee displays a letter inviting an unknown drummer to audition for The Beatles, at their auction house in London, on Oct. 17. The handwritten letter by Paul McCartney, dated 12 August 1960, inviting an unknown drummer to audition for The Beatles, was discovered folded-up inside a book, by an anonymous collector at a car boot sale in Bootle, Liverpool, England. It is expected to sell at auction for 7,000-9,000 pounds ($11,050-$14,200).” (Photo via Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
I am so proud of my achievement.Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy • The former Miss Canada finalist graduated from Liverpool Hope University with a Masters degree in Beatles studies. “Beatles, Popular Music and Society” was the first ever such course to offer such a degree, making Zalahan-Kennedy the world’s first collegiately accredited Beatles expert. source (via • follow)
Earlier this year I was cleaning up to find some files in the recesses of my closet when I came across two cassette tapes marked ‘John Lennon, December 5th, 1980.’ It had been 30 years since I listened to them, and when I put them on this totally alive, uplifting voice started speaking on this magical strip of magnetic tape.Rolling Stone writer Jonathan Cott • On rediscovering the audio tapes made from the interview he did with John Lennon – the last print interview he did before his death, one which was never fully transcribed as a result. Considering today is the 30th anniversary of the iconic Beatle’s murder, it only makes sense that Rolling Stone would pull it out today. Still though, it’s a pretty cool document of rock history. source (via • follow)
We’d like to thank The Wall Street Journal for making this so anticlimactic. source
It’s been a very long time coming. The Beatles and Apple have been on each other’s bad side for so long that the rock legends’ appearance on the Apple Store is almost anticlimactic, and likely to be incredibly boring. But the WSJ’s reporting that it’s finally going to happen. We’d like to remind you all how this happened and the stakes that were involved.
99% of the world is taking a stand against wars like Iraq and Afghanistan. John would have done that but he’d have loved the new communication media. He would have been writing statements and sending them out to the world as a blogger and a tweeter.Yoko Ono • Suggesting that John Lennon, who would’ve been 70 today, would have used Twitter to protest the Iraq war. Dude did that silly bed-in thing to protest the Vietnam War, so why not? “When we did our bed-ins for peace against Vietnam the world just laughed at us,” she said. Ono, by the way, is getting up there – right now, she’s 77, though her interviewer says she doesn’t look a day over 50. Here’s the REAL question: Would Lennon put up with the crap over their albums not getting on iTunes? Seems like he wouldn’t. source (via)
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