Episode 116: John Lennon's Jukebox with Matt Williamson

The podcast finally makes its (not-quite) comeback with a welcome returning guest, Dave Thurmaier of 'I've Got A Beatles Podcast'. Dave & Antony's main topic is the appearance of John Lennon and George Harrison for 2 shows in September/October 1967 on the Frost Programme, hosted by genial host David Frost, to discuss their then-current 'new thing', namely Transcendental Meditation.

And so we bring to an end Glass Onion's 7th year… John Lennon's 1975 is mostly remembered for being the year that he became a father for the second time and dropped out of the music biz for 5 years, apparently to become the most famous househusband in the world (the jury's still out on that one). Before he did that though, he front-loaded the year with the usual frenetic activity you'd expect from a year in the life of our hero. There were albums and singles of his own, musical collaborations with others, his final ever live appearance, interviews for TV, radio and print, lots of written letters to friends and family, some Beatle contact, a public appearance here and there, lawsuits and his ongoing fight with America's powers that (probably shouldn't) be. Oh, and he also found time for a sudden change in his lovelife, his past lover quickly consigned to (Lennon) history. Best wishes for the season Enjoy!

For our final offerings of the year, we present a 2-part look at 1975, the year of Antony's birth. As is traditional, we first cover the year itself in terms of world events, births & deaths, films and (non-Lennon) music, before turning to the John Lennon events of the year.

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!

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