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calimary

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133. I remember when Edwin Newman dissed John Lennon just after Lennon's murder.

Wed Feb 12, 2014, 04:45 PM

Feb 2014

I was working at NBC Radio at the time and heard the news feed of network features that included one particularly galling Edwin Newman commentary. He couldn't figure out what the big fuss was about John Lennon's assassination. Thought it was a nothing story, hardly worth the coverage it was getting - when it was quite literally an historic, world-class tragedy. The words "…granted, Lennon had SOME talent…"

"SOME talent"!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I was frozen in my tracks. Completely thunderstruck. All I could do was sit there at my desk and gape at the little monitor I had there. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I had long admired Edwin Newman as one of the great lions of broadcast journalism, along with John Chancellor, David Brinkley, Sander Vanocur, Walter Cronkite, and Mike Wallace & Morley Safer and company, and even Barbara Walters and Pauline Frederick and Cassie Mackin. At that moment, Edwin Newman dropped off my list, permanently.

And that was well AFTER the Beatles as a band had come and gone. Quite bewilderingly, they STILL weren't getting respect in some quarters.

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What the critics wrote about the Beatles in 1964 [View all] Zorro Feb 2014 OP

Was Buckley ever right about anything? Scuba Feb 2014 #1

legalization of marijuana eShirl Feb 2014 #3

Yeah, he chartered a boat to go outside the three mile limit to try it Warpy Feb 2014 #31

In part it was this kind of stuff that drove rock to new heights KurtNYC Feb 2014 #2

The conservatives have been complaining since Elvis... steve2470 Feb 2014 #4

I hated Nickelback before I knew conservatives loved them! Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #51

actually the more fundy conservatives probably don't like Nickelback... steve2470 Feb 2014 #52

Classic R&R, much of it I like. But Nickelback--no. And when my RW brother-in-law Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #53

yes I find their music very repetitive nt steve2470 Feb 2014 #54

Feh on him! WinkyDink Feb 2014 #5

I wonder if he ever changed his mind. napkinz Feb 2014 #23

TY! arthritisR_US Feb 2014 #28

Early Beatles music was crap. former9thward Feb 2014 #6

Define early. n-t Logical Feb 2014 #7

Before 1967. former9thward Feb 2014 #10

LOL, Not true. Lots of #1 songs. Successful. n-t Logical Feb 2014 #12

I agree deutsey Feb 2014 #15

Very true! n-t Logical Feb 2014 #18

I used to be in the "post 67" camp sweetloukillbot Feb 2014 #19

Nice summary deutsey Feb 2014 #20

Their artistic growth is nothing less than astounding sweetloukillbot Feb 2014 #22

And "Twist and Shout" was a kick-ass track, thucythucy Feb 2014 #27

Aside from Love Me Do, all the songs you mentioned were not written by the Beatles. Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #49

"Do You Want to Know a Secret" was a Lennon-McCartney tune, but yeah, thucythucy Feb 2014 #108

Yean, sorry, I missed Secret. I love the Beeb sessions. Soldier of Love Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #128

WHAAA!!!!????? Adrahil Feb 2014 #21

Different people like different things. former9thward Feb 2014 #62

BURN THE HERETIC!!!!!! ;) NT Adrahil Feb 2014 #67

I am pretty much just ash as it is. former9thward Feb 2014 #69

::::Perk:::: A HERETIC I AM Feb 2014 #132

I will disagree, Sir�"Love Me Do"� Tikki Feb 2014 #8

Well I was a Stones fan. former9thward Feb 2014 #11

The Stones best song.."Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby(Standing in the Shadows?) Tikki Feb 2014 #16

I was a "mocker." (Name that quote ref!) n/t TygrBright Feb 2014 #40

Spinal Tap.... Tikki Feb 2014 #41

Good guess, but not the one I was thinking of. TygrBright Feb 2014 #42

You are correct...it's from A Hard's Day Night Tikki Feb 2014 #43

Right film, wrong character. TygrBright Feb 2014 #44

Well you could in my school mimi85 Feb 2014 #33

NO! delrem Feb 2014 #24

YES...From 1962�says so on the video�I was 13. Tikki Feb 2014 #29

Their first single Love Me Do was crap, but their 2nd single was Please Please Me. edbermac Feb 2014 #35

The early Beatles music was fantastic. Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #50

I see it differently LordGlenconner Feb 2014 #76

"if i fell" is one of the greatest songs of all time. unblock Feb 2014 #59

The competition between the Stones and the Beatles made them both better bands. former9thward Feb 2014 #63

i think lennon and mccartney had enough competition between themselves unblock Feb 2014 #73

And you would be how old? WinkyDink Feb 2014 #74

What difference does that make? former9thward Feb 2014 #75

You missed a pronoun there. malthaussen Feb 2014 #86

No, I know it was. former9thward Feb 2014 #96

Indeed indeed, to each his own. malthaussen Feb 2014 #99

Most current garage bands could not play I Want to Hold Your Hand, nor Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #130

You are just being silly. former9thward Feb 2014 #134

It's OK if you can't discern and enjoy those characteristics. Many can. Dark n Stormy Knight Feb 2014 #135

Well, there's your opinion ... Trajan Feb 2014 #102

My flippant comment has generated more replies than anything else I have posted here. former9thward Feb 2014 #117

Leonard Bernstein loved them. Jefferson23 Feb 2014 #9

All You Need Is Love Jefferson23 Feb 2014 #13

My parents (who liked Montavani and Herb Alpert) were cool with them. progressoid Feb 2014 #14

Well, I was only 14 and loved BOTH the gorgeous Herb Alpert and the Beatles! WinkyDink Feb 2014 #25

And meanwhile what at least one serious critic was saying about them in 1963: Spider Jerusalem Feb 2014 #17

It was the chord progressions that got me. RoverSuswade Feb 2014 #36

I have no idea what this person's talking about but I do know that LiberalElite Feb 2014 #46

I knew it was 'something'! (eom) CanSocDem Feb 2014 #71

That's some review. malthaussen Feb 2014 #88

John said an Aeolian cadence sounded like the name of an exotic bird nt NoGOPZone Feb 2014 #94

William F. Buckley. delrem Feb 2014 #26

I use to loathe that pompous asshole. n/t RKP5637 Feb 2014 #32

You mean you stopped loathing him? n/t malthaussen Feb 2014 #87

Oh, oops, nope, loathing still is on! Ohhh, he looked, acted and talked with such a RKP5637 Feb 2014 #97

Yep, I recall well too the hatred from the establishment against the Beatles. Those were RKP5637 Feb 2014 #30

Kind of funny.... Adrahil Feb 2014 #61

LOL! Yep, people change, then look back and "Hey, I always loved them!" LOL!!! RKP5637 Feb 2014 #70

Chet Huntley didn't run the footage of them arriving at JFK Airport Manifestor_of_Light Feb 2014 #34

Hey Zorro... For You... WillyT Feb 2014 #37

Another musical event from 50 years ago: Ron Green Feb 2014 #38

+1000 Tom Ripley Feb 2014 #72

Eh, I enjoy them both. malthaussen Feb 2014 #89

They're certainly more accessible Ron Green Feb 2014 #104

Well, for one thing... malthaussen Feb 2014 #106

Yeah, I realize the "outgrow" phrase sounds Ron Green Feb 2014 #109

I'm watching the video right now that was pointed to elsewhere... malthaussen Feb 2014 #115

I like Miles wilt the stilt Feb 2014 #105

When John made that remark about the Beatles and Jesus... Archae Feb 2014 #39

Maybe that's why I never heard anything about the Beatles for a while Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #45

Here is Art Buchwald's "cure" for Beatlemania: Art_from_Ark Feb 2014 #47

"with their bizarre shrubbery".. lol Condesending bullshit.. Cha Feb 2014 #48

Well... the Beatles just weren't that good. Scootaloo Feb 2014 #55

really??? napkinz Feb 2014 #58

Almost everything you've posted here is wrong--e.g. "first brand name band", "broke little new Romulox Feb 2014 #66

+ a Brazilian.... opiate69 Feb 2014 #112

Your post is not ENTIRELY without merit NoGOPZone Feb 2014 #80

You need to cultivate the pronoun, too. malthaussen Feb 2014 #91

My own moment with generational disconnect vicman Feb 2014 #56

I give up vicman Feb 2014 #57

I never think about the Beatles, until someone brings the topic up. reformist2 Feb 2014 #60

This makes me think of gollygee Feb 2014 #64

I remember seeing the Beatles in their first appearance on MineralMan Feb 2014 #65

And 50 years later Beatles/shag haircuts are so common I don't even notice any more. tridim Feb 2014 #79

Bleh joeglow3 Feb 2014 #68

I understand you don't get it wilt the stilt Feb 2014 #107

And everything the beetles did was because of someone else joeglow3 Feb 2014 #114

and I like Miles also wilt the stilt Feb 2014 #118

And I like Beethoven, what's your point? malthaussen Feb 2014 #120

I like the Beetles and Beathoven! napkinz Feb 2014 #121

They have much in common. malthaussen Feb 2014 #122

I was just kidding on the spelling of both names napkinz Feb 2014 #124

Yep, I watched that yesterday. malthaussen Feb 2014 #125

Beetles didn't exist in a vacuum joeglow3 Feb 2014 #123

Of course they were influenced by music before them. malthaussen Feb 2014 #126

If that's not a big ol' DERP I don't know what is. tridim Feb 2014 #77

Leonard Bernstein on The Beatles, The Kinks, and rock music napkinz Feb 2014 #78

Even James Bond piled on. MindPilot Feb 2014 #81

another reason to love The Beatles ... napkinz Feb 2014 #82

They also, when asked, refused to play South Africa thucythucy Feb 2014 #127

they also were one of the first groups to speak out against the Vietnam War napkinz Feb 2014 #131

I will never think of "Octopus' Garden" the same way again JHB Feb 2014 #83

Good catch! malthaussen Feb 2014 #92

You know who else hated the Beatles? Bongo Prophet Feb 2014 #84

then and now ... the right always DISTORTS to stir up hate napkinz Feb 2014 #95

Was talking to my mother (age 89) about that yesterday. malthaussen Feb 2014 #85

50 years from now, Justin Bieber will be recognized as a genius Enrique Feb 2014 #90

If true, I'll be glad that I'm dead. n/t malthaussen Feb 2014 #93

you can still roll over in your grave Enrique Feb 2014 #98

Nope, cremate me and toss me in a dumpster. malthaussen Feb 2014 #119

Even the Flintstones were critics JHB Feb 2014 #100

The Mosquitos ruled! napkinz Feb 2014 #103

saw the beatles live in 64. NOBODY cared what the critics said....NO BODY spanone Feb 2014 #101

Willaim F. Buckley, who took a shit once a week, whether needed or not hatrack Feb 2014 #110

I love the Beatles. Some of their songs are horrible, imo. chrisa Feb 2014 #111

Music is indeed subjective. malthaussen Feb 2014 #116

For the working class hero taken by a lone nut with a gun Omaha Steve Feb 2014 #113

I was doing really great watching the CBS Special�the 50 years. Tikki Feb 2014 #129

I remember when Edwin Newman dissed John Lennon just after Lennon's murder. calimary Feb 2014 #133