The Benefaktor is reminiscing about The Beatles. He has been listening to their new (and final) single “Now And Then”. He is besotted. He has seen my post about hearing it on release day. I certainly enjoyed the track, though not with the raptures The Benefaktor experienced.
Instead, I viewed it through the lens of my own fixations, writing: “GANTOB is relieved that somebody has released a song with John Lennon on lead vocals for the end of 2023. Job done. She is now free to take her blog in her own direction rather than striktly following the JAMs/ Illuminatus trilogy structure. Just don’t tell The KLFRS”. I am embarrassed to note that I all too frequently write about myself in the third person, Donald Trump style.
I have read the end of The JAMs’ book 2023: A trilogy a few times, and still don’t think I understand it. Some of my korrespondents are obsessed with the book. A few have “ownership” of a page. Instead, I have been feeling stuck, attempting to shoehorn my thoughts into the events of that book as this blog attempts to re-enact The JAMS’ imagined version of 2023.
I make a decision. I will write that The JAMs foresaw The Beatles/Lennon’s return all those years ago, perhaps with inside knowledge from their mate Mark “Spike” Stent, who was instrumental in The KLF and the new Beatles track. Unlike The JAMs’ book, The Beatles/Lennon will almost certainly not be in kontention for the Christmas Number One, but probably not to the chagrin of Paul McCartney this time. No need to repeat this chaos for my own book. And for the second time in this coffee chat with The Benefaktor and The Foundation Doktor I feel a clearing of the air.
The Benefaktor is still wittering away. I hear occasional phrases. “Crystal radio for Christmas”, “Radio Luxembourg under my bedsheets”, “My brother was front-of-house at Caird Hall, Dundee when they played there”. The Foundation Doktor is watching the Now And Then video on her phone. She has heard her grandfather’s stories before. Her eyes are glistening. The Benefaktor notices this and explains that there are now three generations of Beatlemaniacs in his family. He is clearly very proud. This is safe territory for us. It’s how we first bonded after all. Our narrow and deep love of one revolutionary band, then the ikonoclastic ideas of another.
GANTOB
8 November 2023
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