Those of you who care about such things probably know already that death metal singer Michael Buble has been in town for a gig at the Echo Arena.
A 2010 Liverpool Culture Blog message from Ringo Starr
No more fan mail, please. I’m spending all of my time dealing with your bloody fan mail.
Mersey Ferry building wins an award – for being awful
I’m feeling a little vindicated in my view that the new Merseytravel ferry terminal and Beatles Story outlet is badly situated and unsympathetic to its surroundings.
Others have been more forceful in their views, and now the building has won the Carbuncle Cup, an architecture magazine’s award for the worst new building. Incidentally, One Park West – a building I think may be worse – was also nominated.
The ferry building is described as ‘a shining example of bad architecture and bad planning’ on the Building Design website. As I’ve said before, what constitutes bad architecture is open to debate and not something I’m qualified to judge.
But it should have been clear all along that the siting of the building as it has appeared was problematic at best: in front of the three graces and slap bang in the middle of a UNESCO World Fricking Heritage site.
Abandon all Hope – another fucking Tesco
You know, Tesco isn’t all bad. Well, OK it is – but a new Tesco store isn’t the end of the world.
However, a new Tesco store on Hope Street – slap bang in the middle of the ‘cultural quarter’, connecting two astonishing cathedrals, host to the iconic Philharmonic Hall, Everyman Theatre and Philharmonic pub and blessed with its own street festival – is a bloody awful prospect.
Announced at a time when the city council has somehow allowed a developer to destroy Josephine Butler House, the prospect of another sodding Tesco store blighting the otherwise-stunning thoroughfare is a depressing one.
Macca at LIPA
Dave Evans has sent over an image of Sir Paul McCartney at LIPA from last week.
Macca was speaking at a graduation ceremony for LIPA, er, graduates last week – with Will Yojng and Joe McGann also in attendance.
Presumably Paul got a better reception than Ringo the last time he was here.
Julian and Cynthia Lennon at press launch for White Feather: The Spirit of John Lennon
I’ve just returned from The Beatles Story’s White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon press launch at The Beatles Story Pier Head, where Julian Lennon gave the closest thing to an interview he’s provided in years.
Lennon and mother Cynthia were answering questions on the exhibition, created with mementoes and artefacts they’ve largely collected themselves over the years.
A such it’s an intriguing and invaluable insight into a man frequently described as ‘difficult’ and ‘infuriating’ – it’s hard not to come to the conclusion having read various accounts of John Lennon that these were not simply euphemism for ‘nasty piece of work’.
Of course, behind every nasty piece of work is often a rather vulnerable character, and the anecdotes and notes from the Lennons paint a portrait of John as man equally difficult and easy to love.
They go beyond what one might generally expect to see at an exhibition: beyond the Beatles memorabilia; beyond the obvious anecdotes; beyond myth and legend.
Ringo Starr: A life in adverts
I’ve been pondering Ringo Starr’s latest advert, in which he suggests that all of his fame and fortune are down to him changing his name from Richard Starkey to Ringo Starr – rather than the songwriting genius of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
Let's all have a sexual Christmastime
Those of you who know me personally may be aware that goodwill does not come easily to me, but in the spirit of the time of year here’s some seasonal goodwill, in the shape of Paul and his lovely late lady wife Linda McCartney with their weird 80′s psychedelia ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’
Charnock and Russell's Top 7 Liverpool Albums of All Time
I asked esteemed countrysmiths Charnock and Russell to compile a Top Ten Liverpool albums article for Liverpool Culture Blog, fully aware that I’d get a list of Beatles-and-Shack-based folky stuff.
Should Paul McCartney have played in Israel?
Paul headed to Tel Aviv to play for 40,000 people and about 5,000 spooks from Mossad and MI6 – despite protests from several Palestinian groups, while the Israeli press veered between raptures and pontificating on ho Jewish the Beatles actually were.