John, Paul, Tom & Ringo

Packaging the last televised interview of John Lennon (five years prior to his untimely murder at age 40 in 1980), an interview with Paul McCartney and Wings (which occurred a year prior to Lennon's death) and one with Ringo Starr (which took place in 1981, one year after), Shout Factory presents John, Paul, Tom & Ringo--a two-disk DVD featuring the ex-Beatles being interviewed by Tom Snyder, host of The Tomorrow Show.

The Lennon interview, which originally aired on April 25, 1979 and was re-broadcast as a tribute the day after his death on December 9, 1980, features a young, charming, funny and eloquent John Lennon speaking about everything from his time with the most famous pop group of all time to his current immigration battle. It boggles the mind to think of how The Beatles ended almost forty years ago after being popular for less than a decade--and yet still have a lasting influence on music today. Compare that with the indestructible endurance of the Rolling Stones--still going strong...

At one point in the interview, Snyder (dressed in a horrendous "leisure suit" and puffing away like a chimney) asks Lennon regarding his immigration battles: "Why stay somewhere you're not wanted?" To which Lennon simply replies, "I'd like to live in the land of the free...This is where the music came from..." It's ironic to consider that had the U.S. Government been successful in deporting Lennon, he might be still alive today. It is revealed in the interview that Lennon was a fan of disco (quelle horreur!) and reggae. If he were still alive, I wonder what kind of music he'd be listening to or making today? Would he be collaborating with Timbaland? Rapping for peace with Kanye? So tragic..

The interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (the last surviving Beatles) aren't all that memorable--although we are given glimpses into Paul's grounded wisdom and Ringo's quippy wit. Snyder delicately poses the "reunion" issue to Paul--asking if he was, like many of us, ever wistful about that time and wish it could happen again? To which Paul thoughtfully replies, "But obviously it can't happen again --it's really like trying to get back your childhood summers or something..."

Well, while we can get back our childhood summers, we can still listen to the music. This is my favorite Beatles tune--what's yours?:

Two of Us

Two of us riding nowhere
spending someone's hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
on our way back home
We're on our way back home
We're on our way home
We're going home

Two of us sending postcards
writing letters on my wall
You and me burning matches
lifting latches
on our way back home
We're on our way back home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
longer that that road
that stretches out ahead

Two of us wearing raincoats
standing solo in the sun
You and me chasing paper
getting nowhere
on our way back home
We're on our way back home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
longer that that road
that stretches out ahead

Two of us wearing raincoats
standing solo in the sun
You and me chasing paper
getting nowhere
on our way back home
We're on our way back home
We're on our way home
We're going home
We're going home