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Many Years From Now.


There’s something comforting about watching a programme or reading an article on a subject you know a lot about.

Personally, I’m referring to The Beatles in this instance. I’ve just got home from the office, to switch on the TV and catch up on ‘The Nation’s Favourite Beatles No. 1’: a documentary that aired last Christmas, as a shameless promotional tie-in to 'The Beatles 1+’ (the DVD accompaniment to their singles collection, ‘1’).

It’s a well-known fact among my friends - and to anyone who’s paid close enough attention to Glyn's and my radio show and / or stand-up - that I’m a bit of a Beatles nut. My brain is addled with Fab Four trivia. I became interested in them while at junior school, when I pulled out my mum’s Sgt Pepper LP to play 'When I’m Sixty-Four' to my elderly babysitter, because I assumed it might be her sort of thing, without realising that I was a couple of generations out. Listening to that album ignited a fascination in the band that hasn’t left me to this day, albeit steering more to Paul McCartney’s work as the years went on.

Though I listen to their records less these days, whenever I pull one out, I’m still struck by the freshness and excitement of the performances within. The creative journey they took in their less-than-seven-year recording career was extraordinary. This tweet says it all:


For me, The Beatles are a comfort; a constant in my life that’s provided inspiration and warmth; giving me something to luxuriate in, like a packet of chocolate biscuits and a cup of tea. So it is tonight, as I watch a mix of footage I’ve seen countless times with the odd shot I haven’t, accompanied by songs I can recognise in a millisecond, having listened to them so much. It’s nice to switch off to it, and forget about the things I need to do...so, I’m going to this now, rather than just write about it.

P.S. The way McCartney sings the word “home” in ‘Golden Slumbers’ sounds like home to me; I’m a sucker for detail, you see.

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