John, Paul and George fly from London to Paris in prepeartion for their upcoming season at the Olympia Theatre.

The Beatles and guests play another two performances of “The Beatles Christmas Show” at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney are named ‘Outstanding Composers of 1963′ by music critics of The Times newspaper.

After almost nine months of continuous touring, TV and radio appearances, as well as recording sessions, the Beatles took a much needed vacation. John flew to Paris with his wife Cynthia, where they were joined by Brian Epstein. George and his brother Peter flew to the USA to visit their sister Louise. Paul and Ringo headed off together for a break in Greece. They would be out of the country until October 2nd.

Josh mentioned that he had written an alternate-history short story in which John left the early struggling Beatles and journeyed to Texas where he discovered a different musical destiny.

Over lunch today I read Can’t Buy Me Faded Love.

I can highly recommended it. It’s an alternative look at John’s legacy cleverly told using extracts from fictional letters and biographies.

Luckily it’s available free online at the Lone Star Stories website and you can check it out HERE.

The story is also included in Josh’s anthology of rock-based alternate history stories also titled “Can’t Buy Me Faded Love” available direct from the publishers or through amazon.com

John Lennon is in London to tape an appearance on the very popular television program “Juke Box Jury” to be broadcast on June 29. John causes a bit of a stir when he states negative opinions of every one of the records being reviewed. The taping of the program runs long and only finishes 40 minutes before The Beatles are due to perform in Wales. John is driven to Battersea Heliport, where a helicopter flies John to Abergavenny, arriving just in time for The Beatles’ performance at city’s Town Hall Ballroom.

Paul McCartney’s 21st birthday is celebrated with a party at the house of Paul’s Auntie Gin. in Huyton, Liverpool.

John Lennon, who had become drunk, grew enraged when Bob Wooler hinted that John and Brian Epstein may have had a homosexual affair during their vacation to Spain. Lennon gave Wooler a severe beating. Wooler later sued Lennon over the highly-publicized incident, but he dropped the suit when John apologized and paid him damages of 200 pounds.

In 2007, Levitan collaborated with director Josh Raskin, illustrator James Braithwaite, and animator Alex Kurina to produce I Met the Walrus, a short animated film featuring a condensed version of the Lennon-Levitan interview set to sprawling stream-of-consciousness animation. The resulting film has won an AFI Award and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Here it is:

The press release gives the DVD details as follows:

“The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: John, Paul, Tom And Ringo”
Distributed by Vivendi Universal
Selection Number: SF 10129
Suggested List Price: $24.99
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Total Running Time: 2¾ hours

Disc One:
John Lennon Tribute Original Air Date 12/9/80
Additional Guests: Lennon Immigration Attorney Leon Wildes, Journalist Lisa Robinson & Music Producer Jack Douglas
Disc 1: Total Running Time: 65 minutes
It was December 9, 1980, and John Lennon had been shot and killed just one day earlier outside his New York apartment. Not since April 25, 1975, on The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder had Lennon sat with anyone for a television interview. Snyder re-aired his conversation with the former Beatle while new guests Lisa Robinson and Jack Douglas provided additional commentary in light of the previous day’s tragic event.

Disc Two:
Paul McCartney Interview Original Air Date 12/20/79
Features Wings Music Video “Spin It On”
Additional Guests: Fellow Wings members Linda McCartney, Denny Laine & Laurence Juber
Live via satellite from London, it’s Paul McCartney! By 1979 Wings was already a great band with a solid following, but that didn’t stop Tom Snyder from asking Paul about a Beatles reunion. This conversation took place via satellite from London just prior to Wings going onstage for a holiday concert.

Ringo Starr Interview Original Air Date 11/25/81
Features Ringo Starr’s Music Video “Wrack My Brain”
Additional Guest: Actress (and Ringo’s wife) Barbra Bach, Actress Angie Dickinson
Disc 2: Total Running Time: 95 minutes
Interviewed in Los Angeles, Ringo talks about his then-current album Stop And Smell The Roses-a title that reflects what Ringo was in effect doing at that time after years of “turmoil, ecstasy, frenzy and confusion,” as Tom notes. Ringo also speaks out about his dear friend John Lennon.

Lennon gave Betty Glasow, the Beatles’ hairdresser, the lock of hair in a copy of his book “A Spaniard in the Works.” In the dedication he wrote, “To Betty, Lots of Love and Hair, John Lennon.”

On Wednesday, fans will have the chance to bid on the hair and other autographed photos and Beatles memorabilia when they go up for auction in Worthing, in southern England. 

The book — with the hair still inside — could fetch as much as $6,200, said Nick Muston, director of Gorringes auction house.

According to the Festival’s press release this year’s list of Animated Shorts includes I MET THE WALRUS by Canadian Director Josh Raskin. In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. Using the original interview as the soundtrack, this narrative tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in a cascading flood of multi-pronged animation.