I’m always fascinated by the creative process. There are segments of GET BACK where you see Paul and John write and finish songs. Notably, “Get Back” where they’re trying out different lyrics and building the song as they go along. I’m sure students of lyric writing would be horrified, but hey, it sure worked for them.
They also did a lot of tweaking of their arrangements along the way. And in between we see a lot of them riffing. They’ll just start singing some Chuck Berry song or imitate Canned Heat. They’ll break into a chorus of one of their songs, goofing on it. I’m sure it keeps them loose and helps them stay energized.
In many ways, the riffing is integral to the process.
The same is true in comedy writing rooms. We’ll go off on a tangent, someone will do a bit or improv a character, or we start pitching truly offensive things that the characters would never actually say but we wish they could.
Yes, it stops the process of writing the script (and we don’t go home until it’s finished even if that means 6 AM), but it generates laughter, keeps the room fun, and helps relieve the pressure (of knowing we might not be done until 6 AM).
Those “breaks” are necessary. And often they lead to ideas that do go into the script or, in their case, into the song.
Whatever differences the Beatles had among themselves (and the documentary shows that there were plenty) all of that disappeared when they spontaneously launched into some old Drifters tune. They were all on the same wavelength. It was wonderful to see.
I’ve described a comedy writing room as seven cats all fighting for the same ball of yarn. To say that there are a variety of personalities and neuroses is an understatement. But everyone joining in on some truly appalling subject, making us all laugh like idiots at 2 AM, helps meld the minds.
The trick is to just play a few bars of a goofy song, or two or three minutes of a room bit — not 45 minutes. From what I saw on documentary, the Beatles were better at that than we were.
Another thought comparing the Beatles process to our writing process tomorrow.
20 comments :
Possible Friday question. I know that you consider Golden Globe awards to not be as prestigious as the Emmys or Oscars. The Washington Post just published a story about the situation that was interesting (https://wapo.st/3oNs1gXsting) and the conclusion I drew from the article was that Hollywood is so starved for awards/promotion/attention that the Globes will go on no matter what.
Considering the recent uproar and the fact that NBC has disowned them (for now), what are your current thoughts about the future of the Golden Globes?
This needs a much wider release in theaters instead of just being dumped straight to an exclusive streaming service like Disney+ . . . I mean this is The Beatles for cryin' out loud, one of the biggest, most influential groups in the history of rock and roll music, and essentially the frontrunners of the whole British Invasion that swept America in the 60s . . . this almost feels like a crime.
The Marx Brothers would take their shows on the road to sharpen scenes and bits of business before filming would commence. I would love to jump into the DeLorean and go back in time to watch one of their stage comedies.
The Marx Brothers only toured for their first three MGM pictures, according to Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage by Robert Bader; this is from an interview with the author: "They did a brief tour, just a few weeks, of scenes from A Night at the Opera. They did it again for A Day at the Races and Go West. They worked with about five scenes from each film. They just honed those lines. They had a writer with them. In the case of A Night at the Opera, it was Morrie Ryskind. They would try new lines and move things in and out. They were basically writing the script with the help of an audience."
"This needs a much wider release in theaters instead of just being dumped straight to an exclusive streaming service like Disney+..."
Do you realize how many more people have seen it this way than if had been put into the theaters? The audience is probably ten times as big...and seeing it for a much cheaper price as well.
You have beautifully described the creative process. Of course I loved Paul creating the Get Back tine.. My favorite moment was when Paul was riffing out the Get Back lyrics with around Arizona when he comes up with Tucson, and John immediately looks up with interest, ponders it for a moment, and asks if it’s really in Arizona, and once he’s satisfied, a line is born. I love what they could do when they worked together.
At the end of the day, musicians in a band need to play with each other on stage or in the studio. The same cannot necessarily be said about writing teams on shows, who I think are far more cutthroat and competitive.
Perhaps I am wrong. But I feel like writing rooms tend to be about pushing individual ideas and jockeying for credit, whereas bands tend to sort of...jam, and see what sticks.
This is not to say that both styles can't work, but I do think there's a different dynamic underlying the arguments and discussions.
Does anyone know what the push was all about - that is, later at the Apple "studio" in the basement?
It was fairly clear that Mac wanted to "do something" beyond a plain old LP (concert, TV special, film) and that Lindsay-Hogg was all for any or all of that.
(Mac "vetoed" a concert "overseas" - saying "Ringo won't go")
Did I miss a reference to any sort of concert or TV slot?
I suspect that Scarbrough, like me, doesn't wish to enrich Disney. I get away with riding my daughter's account this time.
Meanwhile, there are many youtubes of commentary about the film - and the Fabs more generally.
"Pop goes the sixties" looks to be good. There's also a long "live cast" by five music producers which is loaded with insight - if you "load" the first one - the algorithm may lead to the second.
In a few months DVD's will come out, of course. Does Netflix still mail out rentals?
Even during computer trouble shooting sessions, it helps to get distracted to continue. During a disaster recovery overnight test, things were getting glum, long, late, and stressful, when someone did a monty phython line, cracked a few of us up. Then other lines flowed, then other lines from other movies, soon 5 minutes had gone by, and we were re-energized and re-focuses.
Manager who was a SOB didn't like it, but no one liked him anyway. It wasn't like we next had to do status reports talking like ducks. Ok, I started to do that, but got stepped on by boss. (even though I do a good duck)
So in conclusion your Honor, it has been shown that distractions can assist in many different processes other than music/tv/movies.
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I loved the way Catherine O'Hara said "The Bee-tulls?" in that high school game show sketch on SCTV, along with "Ah-Buh?" "Jirree Leuwiss?" and "LoveToLoveYou Bebbee?
Despite its length, The Beatles documentary simply does not have the time to mention that the foursome was amused by the Grammy-winning album of their songs by the Chipmunks (as opposed to being artistically repulsed or affronted with "how dare they?" attitudes that often dog the Tinny Three).
It WAS originally planned and contracted as a two hour theatrical feature. But during the pandemic lockdown, Peter Jackson and his editor decided to fanboy cut of the film, figuring they'd have to cut it down later. They presented it with a head's up, but the surviving Beatles and surviving spouses loved it, so the decision was to release it via streaming. If it had been released theatrically, it wouldn't have been this richer, longer version.
Regarding the riffing--I think it also reflected the vast musical catalog the Beatles had in their heads, built particularly during their days when they were honed as a band when they'd have to play 8-hour-a-day sets. I'm sure this required them to learn a LOT of songs.
But seriously, folks, one group that never gets mentioned at all that sang backup for The Beatles (except in a Monty Python sketch) in The Mike Sammes Singers, the premier pop vocal group of the sixties. They sang for everyone from Sinatra to Streisand. Their Beatles songs were "I Am the Walrus" and "Good Night."
These four 1968 Christmas songs were only released in stereo in the US once (several times in mono) and never ever since the early '80s. Recorded at Abbey Road in London with producer Tutti Camarata, who worked with them constantly.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYC23PKapVpiNeNno_rjZVCOybliEAoA
• Chaplin had several writers and gagmen over the years, but there was an abundance of experimentation comparable to what the Beatles did in Get Back, much of it preserved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMI8-b5Zbzg etc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_Chaplin
• Some of Yoko Ono’s “subversive” work is comparable to that of the less-criticized Andy Kaufman and Steve Martin.
By virtue of her work with the Beatles and/or Lennon, she won 2 Grammys, and might/must be among the best-selling Japanese recording artists.
Mitch12/11/2021 4:51 PM
“I spent a lot of time as a kid goofing around on that [Fox] lot. My uncle was a staff musician there for 25 years. I have a studio phone directory from the 1940s that reads like a Who's Who of Who Was.”
Short of having bought vacant outlying property, perhaps the best — or. at least the cheapest — long-term local investment a golden age filmland worker might have made would have been signed manuscripts or photos of co-workers. Your uncle’s Fox tenure possibly overlapped with those of, for example, Ira Gershwin, Ernst Lubitsch, Preston Sturges, and Kurt Weill
Fifty signed photos from each of the last three = ~ $150K
So, a Friday question for Mr Levine:
Which five autographs might you have obtained in your sports radio film TV careers that would today be the most valuable — or the most envied?
For those playing at home
Mr Levine met Beatle John Lennon
https://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/12/night-i-met-john-lennon.html
and lived a not too long walk from Buster Keaton
https://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/07/4th-of-july-and-buster-keaton.html
Ken, you wrote about writers coming up with offensive things the characters they were writing for would never say, but wish they could. On this 'outtakes' video for the show 'Better Off Ted' they seem to have done you one better and actually filmed the show's characters saying those things they would never say! PS, I loved this show. Portia de Rossi was a delight. (Warning, really vulgar language). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh7Nz4bIwss
I watched Duck Soup a few weeks ago and since then the song These Are the Laws of My Administration is on a permanent loop in my head (Ruby/Kalmar), it's so infectious.
Along with performers like Mae West, the Marx Brothers' work in vaudeville added to their charisma, timing, and vitality in movies.
A new documentary, The Real Charlie Chaplin, just started streaming on Showtime. It's really good, a lot of depth and new archival clips, plus excellent narration and interviews.
Wasn't there a lawsuit a while back by some female writers' assistant, I think on "Friends," claiming she was traumatized by the writers' obscene sexist comments when they were riffing lines, the way you said writers sometimes need to do to wake up and get the creative juices flowing? Did anyone ever hire her again?
Hey Ken, related to something you've said in this post... what was it like as a showrunner managing all the different writer personalities? Were there people that you didn't get along with or didn't get along with each other?
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