The Beatles Vintage Videos

The Beatles made a number of great promo clips in their career that, for some reason, have never been properly collected or marketed in any way. Many of them aired once on British and American television - and were never seen again for years until stations like MTV and VH-1 appeared. (And even then, they only appear sporadically.)

MTV currently has a nice collection they're calling Beatles Vintage Videos. Right now, it's missing a few great ones ("Strawberry Fields Forever", "Hello Goodbye" in the Sgt. Pepper uniforms, and "Paperback Writer" come to mind) - but it does contain the David Frost version of "Revolution" (my absolute favorite) - and the rarely seen "Day in the Life" clip.

VH-1 Classic is currently airing a one-hour special containing most of these clips - with absolutely unnecessary (and lengthy) introductions of each by Mark Goodman (yes, the MTV guy from the '80s - still interrupting great moments by giving them his unsolicited seal of approval), and frequent pop-ups reminding us that Beatles Rock Band is coming on 9-9-9.

The web version is much better.

Tivo, Devo, and an American Conspiracy

Now it can be told - the top secret conspiracy behind Tivo and Devo - and why the U.S. Government desperately doesn't want you to know about it.

Actually, this is a very silly series of videos that plays suspiciously like a Tivo infomercial starring the band Devo.

Jerry Lewis Telethon

As I've said before - the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon used to be an important milestone - as much a part of Labor Day and the end of Summer as the three-day weekend and barbecue.

At some point, it all became a bad syndicated joke - and something no self-respecting celebrity would ever be caught dead appearing on. Where once we had Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr - we now have Tom Bergeron, Jann Carl and Nancy O'Dell.

This year, for the first time in forty years, the show won't have it's announcer - Ed McMahon. I would expect some kind of teary-eyed remembrance of Ed during this year's festivities.

Due to Ed's advanced age and deteriorating health - his performance on the last few telethons was not so great. Not that 80-something host Jerry Lewis was much better. Let's take a look at some memorable moments from Jerry and Ed's last few years on the show.

(The above link should play eleven videos in a row. Just hang in there with as many as you can stand.)

Beatles - "Misery" (Remix)

I've never been a big fan of "dance mixes" and to be honest, I'm not really a fan of today's link - but I'll explain as we go along.

A YouTube user named "mistermustardremixes" has posted a series of very interesting Beatles remixes. My favorite is his (or is it her?) remix of "Misery" - one of the Beatles' oldest. It's downright brilliant up until around the 2:10 mark, at which point it becomes un-listenable.

Still, the good parts are worth your time.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

Yes, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus is a real movie - released straight-to-video earlier this year, and aired on the SyFy Channel (that's what it's called now) channel last evening.

With an all-star cast featuring Debbie Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas, and a dynamite trailer - I'm sorry I missed it. But not that sorry, you know?

As you can probably tell from the picture above, Mega Shark has a penchant for jumping out of the water and biting things that are made out of steel. For example, just look at what Mega Shark is biting in this scene...

More Captain Scarlet

The other day, we listened to the excellent closing theme from Captain Scarlet - a British show that aired in the U.S. on the weekday "cartoon" circuit during the early '70s.

Despite being performed by "puppets" (actually Gerry Anderson's lifelike marionettes) - the shows were remarkably well done. Take a look at this clip, it's impressive (albeit wobbly) sets, and ability to build tension. (Don't worry about Captain Scarlett - he was indestructible after all.)

And here's another great memory from Captain Scarlet - the creepy opening.

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan - 1966

Today's clip of the Beatles' 1966 appearance on Ed Sullivan is fascinating for a number of reasons.

The Beatles weren't there in person, so they sent along "music video" clips for two of their best songs - "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" (the A and B side of an incredibly classic single.) Note that Ringo acts as spokesman for the group during the band's intro.

Photos taken at this performance were used for the back cover of the Revolver album.

If you look very carefully at the beginning of the "Paperback Writer" clip when Paul is looking at a photo - he is looking at the infamous "butcher" photo later used on the Capitol Yesterday and Today album.

Paul has a chipped tooth (from a moped accident in 1965). This is one of the things that would be used as a clue in the "Paul is Dead" nonsense a few years later. (Supposedly, Paul was killed in a car accident - so I guess this was supposed to be "New Paul" in the midst of reconstructive surgeries or something.)

The clips were directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg - who later directed the band's full-length feature Let It Be.