I had to reach up to take the photo, since I couldn’t reach well enough to take it off the wall for a scan! This is my diploma, with honors, from the Defense Information School‘s Public Affairs Officer Course 4-90.
Category: Blast from the Past
Weekend Reads: “Man on the Run”
Hi, everyone. I went into the wayback machine for this review from 2014. Beatles fans are sure to enjoy this book.
Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s by Tom Doyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I must state, right at the beginning, that I am an unabashed Beatles and Wings fan. This is the music with which I grew up, and there was a time in my life when I devoured every word that was written about either band, and Paul McCartney in particular. I thought I knew everything there was to know.
Except that I didn’t … and this book proves it.
McCartney speaks quite frankly to Scottish journalist Tom Doyle in this book, as do many of his former bandmates and friends. He opens up about his nervous breakdown and constant battles with depression, largely crediting the late Linda McCartney for helping him get through those dark and difficult times. There is a lot of discussion about his music, of course, and how the (largely press-manufactured) battles between McCartney and John Lennon affected his work … but there is also a lot to learn about his decision to get out of the proverbial rat race and live on a farm in Scotland, and how the isolation had a healing effect on him as well.
McCartney is both jocular and more than a little foul-mouthed (as one might expect from a fellow who grew up in a rough town like Liverpool), and is likewise pretty frank about how he sees some of the mistakes he made over the years.
Some of the things that surprised me the most were learning about how lean the post-Beatles years really were, with so much of the band’s money tied of in litigation. McCartney lived in a house with dirt floors, for example. Wings sideman Denny Laine, the former lead singer for the Moody Blues, was homeless and sleeping on a mattress in his manager’s office when McCartney asked him to come to Scotland to work on a project. No one was rolling in the proverbial dough, and yet the creative impulse was still flowing strong.
This is the kind of book that I recommend not only for Beatles fans, but for those who tend to think of the recording industry as being way more glamorous than it really is. I feel like I gained a great deal of insight into McCartney via this book … as well as an understanding that it is really only the tip of the iceberg.
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Author Brag Moment
Hi, everyone. I’m pleased to report that I received full marks for my Roman architecture project. I sweated this one a lot, as drawing has never been my strong suit. However, as I was thinking about the work I’d done, I realized I hadn’t shared a couple of the certifications I’ve received during research for previous works. So, here you go!
How Scooby Doo Revived Gothic Storytelling for Generations of Kids | CrimeReads
According to Burke, the natural world was so stupendous that it evoked awe and astonishment. Essentially, upon witnessing the sublime, the human mind just stopped. Waterfalls or the edge of a precipice were common examples of the natural sublime. They awakened our reverence for nature but not without horror. Ironic, how something so beautiful can also be utterly frightening. With this in mind, when Scooby Doo’s creators usurped the settings reserved for gothic horror, they must have also been cognizant of their effects—which they used. A great deal.
via How Scooby Doo Revived Gothic Storytelling for Generations of Kids | CrimeReads
Exclusive Interview with the Phantom of the Opera and his Paramour.
Here’s a little “Blast from the Past,” in honor of the 10th anniversary of “In The Eye of The Beholder.”
Greetings, My Literate Darlings!
Much has happened these past few weeks. Ah, 1890s Paris in the fall… tres magnifique! I must admit I tarried a bit longer than I should… So many things to do, so many sensational stories to set in motion…catching up with Kwazimodo over chocolate and croissants up on the gables of Notre Dame, scintillating literary conversation with Monsieur Verne over tea…but I digress.
The purpose of my using the Through Time Traveler’s Coat and Story Key was to seek out that elusive creature…the Opera Ghost of the Palais Garnier… Rakish good looks, tight pants, ooooo and the mask only covering half of that gorgeous face…but alas, it was not meant to be. I had assumed that, after the whole Angel of Music Debacle, the Phantom of the Opera might be free for coffee, but no, what I found was even more intriguing. The lovely, strong…
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