Robert G. Anstey's Blog
9:13 pm Aug 18th 2010 UTC
To me, what makes a good musician isn’t necessarily how well he plays his instrument but how well he hears the music.
5:13 pm Jul 24th 2010 UTC
Customer Service At The Cinema
Can I help you?”
“A medium root beer and a large popcorn please.”
“Okay. A medium Coke and a large popcorn.”
“No, root beer.”
“Oh, sorry. Root beer. Here’s your small popcorn. So it was a medium Sprite, right?”
“No, root beer and a large popcorn.”
“Oh, sorry. My hearing isn’t very good. Here’s your medium iced tea.”
“I said root beer.”
“Oh yes, root beer. How silly of me.”
“And a large popcorn.”
“Right. Well, I got the diet Coke right anyway, didn’t I.”
“No, it was root beer.”
“That’s what I said; root beer.”
“You said diet Coke.”
“Well, I gave you Sprite. Wasn’t that what you wanted?”
“No, I wanted root beer.”
“Okay, root beer it is - and a medium popcorn.”
“I asked for a large popcorn.”
“No, you asked for a large Coke.”
“No I didn’t. I asked for a medium root beer and a large popcorn.”
“Right. Well, I gave you the large Sprite and the small popcorn just as you asked.”
“A medium root beer and a large popcorn.” (Getting louder.)
“I think we’re out of Fresca. How about a chocolate bar?”
“Forget it!” (Walks away.)
4:52 pm Jul 09th 2010 UTC
Beatles Reunion
In their heyday The Beatles were asked many stupid questions. But one of the stupidest came after they had broken up. “When are you guys getting back together?”
Why would they get back together? They were dying on the vine when they broke up. Any real Beatle fan with any knowledge or insight on The Beatles back in the late 60’s could see that they were merely hanging on by a thread from about 1968. They managed to hang on for the next two years but it was a period of real grief for them. They had ceased being a unit anymore and were merely in the studio to record their own material. The White Album in 1968 showed this plainly and although there are some good tracks on the album, most of it is made up of individual efforts from the four Beatles and there are many inferior tracks that could have been left off. The Let It Be sessions in early 1969 had to be aborted because the acrimony was so thick in the air that it often had to be covered up by lame jokes and jams with no inspiration. The Abbey Road album in late 1969 was done merely to try and assemble some kind of sanity in the studio and to try and come up with something decent to offer to the public; a last gasp as it were.
It was obvious to the individual Beatles from as far back as the White Album in 1968 (and maybe even earlier) that they were going their separate ways and that the Beatle magic had worn off. For anyone to have wondered why they broke up in 1970 is just stupidity. Or maybe they just weren’t watching. To want them to get back together again was idiocy. For years Beatles fans asked that question, wanting them to get back together again. But can’t they see that if the band had gotten back together again, how could it have been good? How could it have been the way it was? They would never have been able to come together as a unit and produce great music again. It would just be more individual efforts and who wants that? You can get that on their individual albums through the years. It would just be the same thing. But you can’t stop these people. Even today when Ringo and Paul get together for something, the fans are all ga ga as if it was a Beatle reunion.
Believe me, the Beatles breakup in 1970 was the right thing to do. It could even have happened earlier. They were done and there was no use flogging a dead horse. Thankfully, they were wise enough to see that.
8:23 pm Jun 22nd 2010 UTC
The Fifth Beatle
There has been a lot of talk over the years about there being a fifth Beatle and who it would be. It’s a silly thought of course because there are (were) only four Beatles. But people have always thought that, outside of the four Beatles themselves, who else was closest to them and had the most to do with their success? That person could be called the fifth Beatle.
A lot of names have mentioned and tossed around and on the Beatles Anthology Ringo said that Murray The K was the fifth Beatle. Murray the K was a New York disc jockey who met the Beatles and hung around with them when they first visited America and did the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. He got them some airplay on the radio and drew a lot of attention to them at the time but they were already the talk of the town so his contribution wasn’t that great. Some have said that Stuart Sutcliffe or maybe Pete Best or Neil Aspinall or Brian Epstein could be considered the fifth Beatle. But it seems to me that the only one who could legitimately be called the fifth Beatle (if such a thing could even exist) would have to be George Martin.
George Martin not only produced the Beatles’ records but actually contributed to their music and to the creation of it. He actually played on some of their songs and helped to organize them in the studio and made suggestions and arrangements that helped to form their recorded songs the way we all got to know and love them. George Martin had as much to do with the Beatles’ music as they did and was a key element in their creative output. The Beatles would often suggest things to Martin and he would make them happen in the studio. Much of the Beatles’ greatest moments in the studio as far as the magic of creation goes was due mostly to Martin. They would bring him the songs and the ideas and usually leave it to him to bring it to fruition.
That’s not to say that the Beatles themselves weren’t great musicians because they were but George Martin played an instrumental role in their recordings. The Beatles were all about music and leading the world in new cultural changes and musical ideas in the 60’s and they walked hand-in-hand with George Martin who gave them what no one else could - musical direction and cohesion in the studio. They owe as much to him as they do to anyone for their great success. If there ever could be a fifth Beatle, it would definitely be George Martin.
8:00 pm Jun 21st 2010 UTC
Prostrate Cancer
We’ve all heard that too much laying around and a sedentary lifestyle can kill you. This of course is true. One kind of cancer that is caused by too much laying around is called prostrate cancer. It comes from lying in a prostrate position too long each day. Unfortunately, it is becoming more common in our society.
About Robert G Anstey