The second tour of 2017 begins tomorrow:

​Saturday, 11 March 2017, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Granville Public Library, 217 E. Broadway, Granville, OH
The Beatles' Alter Ego, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Since its release in 1967, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has often been regarded as the single greatest rock album ever made, and one of the first rock concept albums. This 90-minute multimedia presentation observes and discusses the landmark album track by track, citing musical and historical precedents, and illustrating the development of the songs through excerpts from interviews with the band members and clips of discarded takes.

It'll be the first of 10 speaking engagements in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina over the next two weeks:

Monday, 13 March 2017, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
St Albans Library, 602 4th St, St Albans, WV
They're Gonna Put Me In The Movies: The Beatles on Film
In addition to achieving tremendous success with their records, The Beatles also achieved great success with their movies – and the band's history can be understood quite clearly through the progression of their films. This 60-minute multimedia program will discuss A Hard Day's Night (1964), Help! (1965), Magical Mystery Tour (1967), Yellow Submarine (1968), and Let it Be (1970) with the purpose of tracing the band's artistic evolution through observation and analysis of their films.
​
Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Kanawha County Main Library, 123 Capitol St, Charleston, WV
The Influence of Bob Dylan on The Beatles
With his folksy guitar playing and philosophical lyrics, no other contemporary influenced the songwriting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney more than Bob Dylan. This 60-minute multimedia presentation will trace the compositional maturation of the Beatles, showing how they developed from teenybopper pop stars into the foremost musical artists of their era by illustrating in detail Dylan's influence.

Wednesday, 15 March 2017, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Blacksburg Library, 200 Miller St, Blacksburg, VA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.
​
Thursday, 16 March 2017, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Mount Airy Public Library,  145 Rockford St, Mt Airy, NC
The Music of Star Wars: A Celebration of John Williams' Film Scores
Often called a “space opera”, one aspect of the Star Wars films that helped make them such a pop culture phenomenon was composer John Williams' iconic music. This 60-minute multimedia presentation showcases music from all seven movies.

​Saturday, 18 March 2017, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Elkin Public Library 111 N Front St, Elkin, NC
Origami for Beginners
Learn the basics of the Japanese art of paper folding through this one-time, two-hour interactive course using a new system of origami notation invented by the instructor. A variety of styles and qualities of paper will be provided, but feel free to bring your own materials as well. For a free preview, visit the instructor's origami blog at www.AaronKrerowicz.com. 

Saturday, 18 March 2017, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Elkin Public Library 111 N Front St, Elkin, NC
The Beatles' Alter Ego, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Since its release in 1967, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has often been regarded as the single greatest rock album ever made, and one of the first rock concept albums. This 90-minute multimedia presentation observes and discusses the landmark album track by track, citing musical and historical precedents, and illustrating the development of the songs through excerpts from interviews with the band members and clips of discarded takes.
​
Tuesday, 21 March 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
South Regional Library, 4505 S. Alston Ave, Durham, NC
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.
​
Wednesday, 22 March 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Henrico County Public Library - Fairfield, 1001 N Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.
​
Thursday, 23 March 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Henrico County Public Library - Glen Allen, 10501 Staples Mill Rd, Glen Allen, VA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.

That is the question.

I had a phone interview with reporter Landon Woodroof yesterday morning during which we discussed my book From The Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America and my presentation of the same title. Landon's article may be read by clicking here.

As a conclusion to my first lecture tour of 2017 (which started on January 17), I'll be delivering From The Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America both tonight  in Tennessee and tomorrow in Indiana:

​Wednesday, 8 February 2017, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
The Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Rd, Brentwood, TN
From the Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America
Many Beatles authors have cited John F. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 as a cause of the Beatles' sudden popularity in the United States in early 1964. Their logic: Kennedy's assassination made America sad, then the Beatles made America happy again. But this commonly accepted answer is overly simplistic. The real answer is that Kennedy's life and death inadvertently primed the nation for the Beatles' arrival and success. This 60-minute program will explain how and why.​​
​
Thursday, 9 February 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Harrison County Government Center, 245 Atwood st, Corydon, Indiana
From the Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America
Many Beatles authors have cited John F. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 as a cause of the Beatles' sudden popularity in the United States in early 1964. Their logic: Kennedy's assassination made America sad, then the Beatles made America happy again. But this commonly accepted answer is overly simplistic. The real answer is that Kennedy's life and death inadvertently primed the nation for the Beatles' arrival and success. This 60-minute program will explain how and why.​

The major flat submediant (bVI) is the tenth most common chord in The Beatles' catalog. It's used 262 times in 45 songs:

​[2] 'P. S. I Love You'
bVI: 6 approach: I x2, V x4
progress: bVII x6

[3] 'Please Please Me'
bVI: 1 approach: bIII x1
progress: V x1

[6] 'I Saw Her Standing There'
bVI: 4 approach: IV x4
progress: I x4

[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
bVI: 3 approach: ii x3
progress: I x3

[13e] 'Till There Was You'
bVI: 1 approach: I x1
progress: I x1

[14] 'It Won't Be Long'
bVI: 6 approach: I x6
progress: I x6

[20] 'Don't Bother Me'
bVI: 2 approach: iv x2
progress: i x2

[25] 'And I Love Her'
bVI: 5 approach: i x5
progress: Ø x5

[27] 'Tell Me Why'
bVI: 1 approach: vi x1
progress: V x1

[30] 'I Call Your Name'
bVI: 2 approach: II x2
progress: V x2

[33] 'I'll Be Back'
bVI: 7 approach: bVII x7
progress: V x7

[35] 'Things We Said Today'
bVI: 4 approach: bIII x4
progress: bII x4

[46e] 'Honey Don't'
bVI: 10 approach: I x10
progress: I x5, V x5

[62] 'Run For Your Life'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: V x4

[65] 'Day Tripper'
bVI: 3 approach: Ø x3
progress: V x3

[68] 'We Can Work it Out'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: V x4

[71] 'Michelle'
bVI: 8 approach: i x5, bIII x3
progress: V x8

[73] 'Think For Yourself'
bVI: 5 approach: I x5
progress: V x5

[85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
bVI: 18 approach: Ø x4, i x2, bIII x12
progress: Ø x6, i x4, bIII x8

[86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
bVI: 10 approach: Ø x1, i x9
progress: i x10

[96] 'A Day in the Life'
bVI: 2 approach: I x1, V x1
progress: bIII x2

[100] 'Only A Northern Song'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: II x4

[101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
bVI: 12 approach: Ø x1, i x11
progress: V x12

[103] 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
bVI: 3 approach: I x3
progress: I x3

[107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
bVI: 2 approach: Ø x1, IV x1
progress: bVII x2

[115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
bVI: 6 approach: i x6
progress: Ø x2, I x4

[116] 'I Am the Walrus'
bVI: 11 approach: I x3, IV x3, V x1, bVII x4
progress: II x4, V x4, bVII x3

[120] 'Hello Goodbye'
bVI: 5 approach: IV x5
progress: I x4, II x1

[122] 'Lady Madonna'
bVI: 8 approach: IV x8
progress: bVII x8

[128] 'Blackbird'
bVI: 4 approach: vi x4
progress: V x4

[141] 'Wild Honey Pie'
bVI: 3 approach: VI x3
progress: V x3

[144] 'Glass Onion'
A MINOR:
bVI: 17 approach: i x7, bIII x3, IV x6, bVII x1
progress: i x6, IV x7, bVII x4

[145] 'I Will'
bVI: 1 approach: V x1
progress: I x1

[149] 'Honey Pie'
bVI: 12 approach: I x12
progress: V x5, VI x7

[150] 'Savoy Truffle'
bVI: 5 approach: i x5
progress: Ø x5

[154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
bVI: 6 approach: bIII x6
progress: bVII x6

[167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
bVI: 14 approach: II x6, IV x4, bVII x4
progress: Ø x4, V x1, V+ x6, bVII x3

[169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
bVI: 9 approach: Ø x4, i x1, IV x4
progress: IV x4, V+ x5

[171] 'Oh! Darling'
bVI: 4 approach: IV x2, V x2
progress: I x2, V x2

[173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
bVI: 3 approach: bIII x3
progress: ii° x3

[176] 'Carry that Weight'
bVI: 2 approach: bIII x2
progress: ii° x2

[182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
bVI: 8 approach: I x4, V x2, VI x2
progress: V x6, VI x2

[183] 'Polythene Pam'
bVI: 4 approach: I x2, V x2
progress: bVII x4

[185] 'Because'
bVI: 10 approach: i x5, V x5
progress: i x5, bII x5

[186] 'I Me Mine'
bVI: 3 approach: i x3
progress: Ø x1, i x2


Those 262 bVI chords are approached as follows...

​Ø: 14 instances (5.3%) in 6 songs

• x3 [65] 'Day Tripper'
• x4 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
• x1 [86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
• x1 [101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
• x1 [107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
• x4 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'

I: 47 instances (17.9%) in 10 songs

• x1 [13e] 'Till There Was You'
• x6 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
• x10 [46e] 'Honey Don't'
• x5 [73] 'Think For Yourself'
• x1 [96] 'A Day in the Life'
• x3 [103] 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
• x3 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
• x12 [149] 'Honey Pie'
• x4 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
• x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'

i: 71 instances (27.1%) in 14 songs

• x5 [25] 'And I Love Her'
• x4 [62] 'Run For Your Life'
• x4 [68] 'We Can Work it Out'
• x5 [71] 'Michelle'
• x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
• x9 [86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
• x4 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
• x11 [101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
• x6 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
• x7 [144] 'Glass Onion'
• x5 [150] 'Savoy Truffle'
• x1 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
• x5 [185] 'Because'
• x3 [186] 'I Me Mine'

II: 8 instances (3.1%) in 2 songs

• x2 [30] 'I Call Your Name'
• x6 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

ii: 3 instances (1.1%) in 1 song

• x3 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

bIII: 34 instances (13.0%) in 8 songs

• x1 [3] 'Please Please Me'
• x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
• x3 [71] 'Michelle'
• x12 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
• x3 [144] 'Glass Onion'
• x6 [154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
• x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
• x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

IV: 37 instances (14.1%) in 9 songs

• x4 [6] 'I Saw Her Standing There'
• x1 [107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
• x3 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
• x5 [120] 'Hello Goodbye'
• x8 [122] 'Lady Madonna'
• x6 [144] 'Glass Onion'
• x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
• x4 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
• x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'

iv: 3 instances (1.1%) in 2 songs

• x2 [20] 'Don't Bother Me'
• x1 [27] 'Tell Me Why'

V: 14 instances (5.3%) in 7 songs

• x1 [96] 'A Day in the Life'
• x1 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
• x1 [145] 'I Will'
• x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'
• x2 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
• x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'
• x5 [185] 'Because'

bVI: 6 instances (2.3%) in 1 song

• x6 [2] 'P. S. I Love You'

VI: 5 instances (1.9%) in 2 songs

• x3 [141] 'Wild Honey Pie'
• x2 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'

vi: 4 instances (1.5%) in 1 song

• x4 [128] 'Blackbird'

bVII: 16 instances (6.1%) in 4 songs

• x7 [33] 'I'll Be Back'
• x4 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
• x1 [144] 'Glass Onion'
• x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

While the major flat submediant is rather common, the minor flat submediant (bvi) is extremely rare, appearing ​3 times in just 1 song:

[154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
bvi: 3 approach: i x3
progress: Ø x3


Surprisingly, the augmented flat submediant (bVI+) is more common - making the flat submediant the only chord whose augmented uses are greater than its minor uses. bVI+ is heard 8 times in 3 songs:

[10] 'From Me To You'
bVI+: 1 approach: vi x1
progress: I x1

[15] 'All My Loving'
bVI+: 4 approach: vi x4
progress: I x4

[112] 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'
bVI+: 3 approach: IV x3
progress: vi x3

Meanwhile, tomorrow evening I'll be visiting Vidalia, LA for another round of "Band of the Sixties":

Thursday, 2 February 2017, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Vidalia Library, 408 Texas St, Vidalia, LA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.​

Since I do so much driving on my lecture tours, I listen to lots of music and audiobooks. I'm currently about half way through Richard Dawkins' autobiography An Appetite for Wonder. As he illustrates his educational background, Dawkins describes the ultimate goal of any lecture irrespective of topic:

I could hardly agree more! 

​​The ultimate goal of my Beatles lectures, then, is "not to impart information" (though that is a major component), but to "inspire and provoke thought" and "transmit a passion" for the subject.

Amen, Dawkins. Amen.

I'll attempt to transmit that passion for The Beatles tomorrow evening:

​Tuesday, 31 January 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Vernon Parish Library, 1401 Nolan Trce, Leesville, LA 
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.​

The Neapolitan chord (the major flat supertonic, or bII) is quite rare in Beatles music. It is heard in only 11 tracks:

[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
bII: 1 approach: bIII x1
progress: V x1

[14] 'It Won't Be Long'
bII: 1 approach: II x1
progress: I x1

[28] 'If I Fell'
bII: 2 approach: ii x2
progress: Ø x1, I x1

[35] 'Things We Said Today'
bII: 6 approach: II x2, bVI x4
progress: i x6

[55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x2
progress: I x2

[85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x2
progress: i x2

[132] 'Revolution'
bII: 1 approach: V x1
progress: I x1

[135] 'Sexy Sadie'
bII: 2 approach: II x2
progress: I x2

[171] 'Oh! Darling'
bII: 1 approach: I x1
progress: I x1

[181] 'Sun King'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x1, I x1
progress: Ø x1, ii x1

[185] 'Because'
bII: 5 approach: bVI x5
progress: bii° x5

These 11 songs employ a total of 25 Neapolitan chords, which are approached by...

​Ø: 5 instances (20.0%) in 3 songs

• x2 [55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
• x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
• x1 [181] 'Sun King'

I: 2 instances (8.0%) in 2 songs

• x1 [171] 'Oh! Darling'
• x1 [181] 'Sun King'

II: 5 instances (20.0%) in 3 songs

• x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
• x2 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
• x2 [135] 'Sexy Sadie'

ii: 2 instances (8.0%) in 1 song

• x2 [28] 'If I Fell'

bIII: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 song

• x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

V: 1 instances (4.0%) in 1 song

• x1 [132] 'Revolution'

bVI: 9 instances (36.0%) in 2 songs

• x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
• x5 [185] 'Because'

... and progress to:

​Ø: 2 instances (8.0%) in 2 songs

• x1 [28] 'If I Fell'
• x1 [181] 'Sun King'

I: 8 instances (32.0%) in 6 songs

• x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
• x1 [28] 'If I Fell'
• x2 [55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
• x1 [132] 'Revolution'
• x2 [135] 'Sexy Sadie'
• x1 [171] 'Oh! Darling'

i: 8 instances (32.0%) in 2 songs

• x6 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
• x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'

bii°: 5 instances (20.0%) in 1 song

• x5 [185] 'Because'

ii: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 songs

• x1 [181] 'Sun King'

V: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 song

• x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

This data is represented visually in the following pie graphs.

Technically, Neapolitans can only be major. And The Beatles never used a minor Neapolitan (bii), so there's nothing to document or analyze there.

But they did use a diminished Neapolitan (bii°) five times in 'Because':
[185] 'Because'
bii°: 5 approach: bII x5
progress: Ø x1, i x3, IV x1

It is the most harmonically unstable concluding chord of any Beatles recording, which sets up the massive 'Abbey Road Medley' that immediately follows.

I won't be discussing Neapolitan chords at all tomorrow evening...

​Monday, 30 January 2017, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Beauregard Parish Library, 205 S Washington St, DeRidder, LA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.​

Fridays are the most difficult day of the week to book, and so yesterday being a rare off day I took a Swamp Tour.

The first thing I noticed was the vegetation  - a great many trees and plants growing out of the water, which our guide identified as one of the defining features of a swamp.

While the flora was on full display, the fauna was somewhat scarce. We spotted several interesting birds, including a great blue heron, red shouldered hawk, and osprey (all pictured below), and a kingfisher and several turkey vultures (not pictured below).

Most impressive, though was the alligator. The guide said the dominant male in the area was about 15 feet long and over 400 pounds, but we saw a baby that was about 2 feet long and maybe 10 pounds. According to Donald Trump, however, it was "the largest gator ever witnessed".

Another fascinating scene were all the fishing shacks along the banks, accessible only by boat. My favorite is the one that looks like it was stepped on by a giant!

This is one of my tangential blogs - about events not directly related to The Beatles but events experienced during my Beatles lecture tours. (Please no ignorant comments on Facebook this time - it is a Beatles blog, you just need to keep reading to find the Beatles part!) And tomorrow I'll be delivering my signature presentation once again. At 30.22 degrees north latitude, it will be the most southernly stop on the current trip.

​Sunday, 29 January 2017, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Lafayette Public Library - South Regional Branch, 6101 Johnston St, Lafayette, LA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.​

I first heard of Greg Alexander (a.k.a. Professor Moptop) when, following a delivery of "The Influence of American Rock 'n' Roll on The Beatles" at the Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills, IL, a man in the audience mentioned him. He entered my radar again a few days ago when I found a link to this video on Facebook:

A sucker for all things Beatles, I immediately subscribed to his YouTube channel and again searched "Professor Moptop" on Google. This time I found his website, www.professormoptop.com, and discovered his kickstarter campaign "Professor Moptop has written a textbook Beatle book!!!!".

I also sent him an email through his website and proposed an interview to help promote his work and kickstarter fund. That interview can be found below:


The Beatles are perhaps the most famous and popular rock band ever. Why?
A very simple answer to an extremely complex question that there is an unmistakable amount of joy and positivity surrounding the band, from the very beginning, through the break up and beyond, not just in their music but in their films, interviews, photography, and all things surrounding them.
 
And why have you chosen to study The Beatles so extensively, as opposed to other artists?
As soon as I discovered music I always wanted to know more about whoever the artist was and where the music came from, studying record labels and liner notes.

I discovered the Monkees after seeing their reruns on tv at a really early age and would listen to the oldies records that my parents had around.

Always knowing about the Beatles I knew I enjoyed them, only getting interested, and then quickly fascinated by them around the age of 17, snapping up all of their cds quickly and learning “the basics” by reading up on their history, I suppose I never stopped.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were one of the greatest songwriting tandems ever. What made them so special? To what extent do you explore that relationship in the book?
Another simple answer to a complex question is that they were a wonderful combination, and they each brought out the best in one another. As young and above average thinking men the two songwriters both lost their mothers, which bonded the two of them beyond just a couple of kids who liked the same music. As they each developed as songwriters they pushed one another to come up with better ideas in what wasn’t a competition but a focus on the greater reward. The book covers many of the specifics as to how the two would write in the early days, and then after the fame struck and more pressure was upon them.

You use the terms "Professor MopTop" and "Beatle University" to describe yourself and your work. What exactly do those terms mean to you, and what made you chose them?
Beginning in 1997 I would produce an all-day Beatle show on WXRT called “Rampant Beatle-Mania Sunday” hosted by Terri Hemmert. She and I began talking about a way to present a segment that I could do and the concept of teaching “college level facts about the Beatles “ was presented and the name “Moptop” came up (I’ve been a long haired man most of my life) and the Professor and it just stuck.

After doing a few shorter segments for a few years, expanding them when Breakfast With The Beatles became a weekly show I have covered such topics as “great days in Beatle history” “songs they gave away” “BBC tracks” “original versions of songs they covered” and a wide range of very focused lessons on the band, always trying to find a new way to present a subject matter that has been thoroughly examined.  Several years back I began doing song by song by song, album by album by album, week by week and am currently almost finished with the white album.

You're planning to publish a book about the early, formative years of The Beatles (1957-1964). Why did you decide to focus on this period?
There is a lack of books that are written for fans of the Beatles that are beginners, which can also shed some light on the subject for aficionados, that can also be used a reference book for anyone who may re-listen and revisit Beatle, and Beatle related music.

Ultimately I wanna get through an thorough examination of every song the Beatles recorded, and starting at the very beginning, when John and Paul met, what I call the dawn of time seemed to be a logical beginning. I also feel that too many books attempt to cram too much information into too few pages, and the end of ’64 was a perfect jumping off point.

Since your book focuses on the band's early years, does that mean you're fondest of their early albums? Which would be your favorite and why?
As a listening fan, '65 and '66 are my favorite years, but from a historical standpoint, the early years are fascinating, and I eventually wanna get to discuss and analyze every song of all, and beginning from the beginning was an obvious choice for me. I also think the early years are a bit under discussed and haven't been properly reported on.

There are a great many Beatles books already available. Why do you feel another book is needed? How will your book differ from other authors’ books?
Many of the Beatle books written about them are simply lists of facts about the band, without any real analysis or reasoning for these lists. I have researched far and wide to not only discuss the music that the Beatles created and performed, but what else was going on around them, and how it helped in shaping their sound.

American Rock and roll, skiffle, the British invasion, songs that mention the Beatles, the bands early influences as well as George Martin productions prior to the Beatles are all examined thoroughly in the book.

There are also quite a few “alternative facts” or speculations that are reported as truth. I think it’s important to specify what is a theory, was is a possibility, and what is a documented fact.

Have you written any other books? About The Beatles, or on other topics?
I have never written a full book but had written several lengthy essays about some of my favorite bands and music related subjects, most notably The Blues Brothers, The Muppets, The Wizard of Oz, Shel Silversteen and Joe Meek. One day I would like to publish each of these in some fashion.

Many authors cite John F. Kennedy's assassination as a contributing factor to The Beatles' meteoric rise in popularity a few months later. And just as many seem to dismiss any such connection as mere coincidence. Where do you fall in the JFK/Beatles debate?
While it wasn’t the only factor in the large series of events that led to the international “mania” of Beatle stardom, it certainly was an important one. I tend to feel that Americans would have come around and taken an interest in the craze of British bands eventually, the fact that the country needed something positive to rally behind may have hurried the process along.

After years of collecting facts and sharing them I have compiled my thoughts and wrote them all down. I discussed books and publishing with several authors and decided that self-publishing is the way to go, although a rather spendy process. I have set up a kickstarer campaign titled “Professor Moptop has written a textbook” that lasts until February 13th, hopefully I will hit my goal in time.

To promote the crowd sourcing fundraiser I have been doing some radio interviews and have created a “Beatle University” youtube channel where I have been posting the most recent lessons that I have done, the Professor Moptop soundcloud also has many of them.

Professormoptop.com is up and running and has direct links to the Professor Moptop has written a textbook Kickstarter campaign, where you can see some of the rewards that can be earned for donating, including signed copies of the book, posters, a Professor Moptop 45 1/3 record and some Beatle University stickers!

The Kickstarter campaign is for $4,489. How will that money be spent?
Technically the amount of the goal is $4,489.09 because I wanted it to end with a 909, but they round off the loose change. The path to getting a holdable, readable book involves setting up a company and then hiring the best people for editing, formatting, compiling the bibliography and indexing the book, paying the artists and then getting the rewards into the hands of the donors. With this I should be at about even when the book is finished, which will hopefully allow me to “take my show on the road” more often and give presentations at assorted libraries, taverns or other locations.

As Prof Moptop resides in the Chicago area, I have hopes to co-present with him this coming August, when I make my next Chicago tour. Since his emphasis is on the early years, it might work well to have him open with the band's formation and early recordings, then I could discuss their later work.

But that's several months down the road. More immediate, tomorrow afternoon I return to my signature presentation:

​Saturday, 28 January 2017, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Denham Springs: Walker Branch, 8101 US Highway 190, Denham Springs, LA
The Beatles: Band of the Sixties
Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.

​As a follow-up to my blog from the other day on how The Beatles used flat mediant chords, this one examines how The Beatles use mediant chords.

The most common mediant chord is the minor mediant (iii), which, being heard 282 times in 46 songs, is the 9th most common chord The Beatles used. If you really want the nitty gritty blow-by-blow account, here's a PDF documenting every single one of those 282 iiis:​

For those who would rather skip the details and cut to the good stuff, here's how those minor mediants are approached (the chords immediately preceding) and how they progress (what chord comes immediately next), represented via pie graphs:

The next most commonly used mediant is the major mediant (III), heard 62 times in 18 tracks, making it the 15th most frequently used chord in The Beatles' catalog.

​Here's documentation for every single one of those 62 IIIs:

In the meantime, I continue even further south and a little west to enter Louisiana for the first time in my life, making The Pelican State the 30th of the 50 United States to host one of my programs. I will be participating in a friendly debate with the excellent and authoritative Beatles author Bruce Spizer regarding whether or not John Kennedy's assassination had any influence of The Beatles' meteoric rise to fame in the US a few months later.

Thursday, 26 January 2017, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Tangipahoa Parish Library, 314 E. Thomas St, Hammond, LA
From the Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America
Many Beatles authors have cited John F. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 as a cause of the Beatles' sudden popularity in the United States in early 1964. Their logic: Kennedy's assassination made America sad, then the Beatles made America happy again. But this commonly accepted answer is overly simplistic. The real answer is that Kennedy's life and death inadvertently primed the nation for the Beatles' arrival and success. This 60-minute program will explain how and why.​

"She Loves You" famously incorporates an added sixth chord at the end of the introductory and concluding choruses (0:10 and 2:15). But the song also contains another, far less well-known added sixth: The penultimate "Yeah Yeah Yeah" (2:10) is an e minor chord with a C# thrown in making it an e minor with an added sixth. That added tone it not heard in any of the previous 14 e minor chords used in the song. 

Why would the band save that extra note for the end? Why not use it earlier, too?Because it creates descending chromatic voice leading (shown in red in the example below) that strengths its harmonic conclusivity.

I continue south to Hattiesburg tomorrow:

Wednesday, 25 January 2017, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
T-Bones Records & Cafe, 2101 Hardy St, Hattiesburg, MS
Reinventing Rock 'n' Roll: The Beatles' Rubber Soul and Revolver
The sophisticated songwriting and innovative recording techniques on the Beatles' sixth studio album Rubber Soul (1965) and seventh studio  album Revolver (1966) exemplify the originality and experimentation for which the band is so famous. This 90-minute multimedia presentation discusses and analyzes highlights from both albums.