In Episode 410 of Things We Said Today, Darren Devivo, Ken Michaels and Allan Kozinn discuss the Beatles’ song intros, each selecting the 10 (or so) that grab them most, and explaining why they work so well. But the news section includes some discussion as well – an overview of Ringo Starr’s new EP, “Crooked Boy” and some other Record Store Day rel…

In Episode 409 of Things We Said Today, Darren Devivo, Ken Michaels and Allan Kozinn have a chat with Dana Klosner about her book “Beatlemania Lives On – Superfans in the 21st Century,” a fun read about the current state of Beatle fandom, based on interviews with everyone from Peter Asher and Laurence Juber to fans who have turned their onstage aut…

A number of correspondents have asked why the Beatles “Red” and “Blue” album reissues were not covered on Things We Said Today, so in episode 408, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo catch up with those releases, as well as the more recent “Underdubbed” version of Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run.” (Allan also offers a preview of the new …

This was the Things We Said Today panel at the Fest for Beatles Fans at the TWA Hotel, February 10, 2024. Ken Michaels, Darren Devivo and Allan Kozinn were joined by Allan’s McCartney Legacy co-author, Adrian Sinclair, to discuss Paul’s penchant in the mid-70s (i.e., the period covered in The McCartney Legacy Vols. 1 & 2) for recording outside Lond…

During our hiatus we missed a few relatively eventful weeks of news, so in Episode 406, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo catch up with all that, and discuss some recent news events and releases. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or any other episode. We invite you to send your comments about this or any …

In Episode 405, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo welcome author Bruce Spizer and Beatlefan Executive Editor Al Sussman for a discussion of our time at the recent Fest for Beatles Fans at the TWA Hotel at Kennedy Airport [11:00 to 49:50] and our memories of the start of Beatlemania in the United States, 60 years ago this month [starting …

Episode 404 is our last Things We Said Today for 2023, and it’s a long one – and something different. Catching up with the news of the last few weeks, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo pay tribute to the late Denny Laine [04:00-33:00], followed by plenty more news [33:00-50:00], But for the main part of the show [at 50:00] we welcome the…

In episode 403 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo speak with the author Kenneth Womack about his excellent new book, “Living the Beatles Legend – The Untold Story of Mal Evans,” and to Mal’s son, Gary Evans. During the news segment, Ken noted the streaming version of the concert presented at the Troubadour to rais…

In episode 402 of Things We Said Today, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo (Ken Michaels is taking a week off) speak with the author in impresario Vivek Tiwary about the 10th anniversary expanded reissue of “The Fifth Beatle,” his graphic (in the graphic novel sense) biography of Brian Epstein. We last spoke with Vivek in episode 241 (back in the audio…

In episode 401 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo have another lengthy and enlightening discussion with the great director Peter Jackson about the “Now and Then” video – his debut as a music clip director – as well as an extraordinary demonstration of his MAL system and how it has been used to de-mix Beatles recor…

To celebrate our 400th episode, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo welcome back two past co-hosts, Steve Marinucci and Al Sussman, for a look back at some of the show’s history and a discussion of social media, podcasts and other ways of exploring the Beatles legacy, and its effect on the world of Beatles scholarship, fandom and the Beatl…

In episode 399 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo have a chat with the producer, engineer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bruce Sugar about his work with Ringo since “Ringo Rama,” and offer their reactions to Ringo’s new EP, “Rewind Forward.” During the news segment of the show we promised links for Denny La…

In episode 398 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo take a look at John Lennon’s “Mind Games” album on the 50th anniversary of its release, and remember John on what would have been his 83rd birthday. During the news segment of the show we promised links for Denny Laine’s Go Fund Me page and the All You Need Is Love…

In episode 397 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo talk to Steve Matteo about his new book, “Act Naturally – The Beatles on Film.” During the show we mention a few people or subjects we’ve also covered in other episodes, so if you missed those, here are the relevant links: Episode 337: Our interview with Dr. Bob Hi…

In episode 396 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo discuss Ringo’s new track, “Rewind Forward,” Dolly Parton’s new cover of “Let It Be” with Paul and Ringo, and the freshly liberated recording of the Beatles at Stowe, April 4, 1963 – and that’s just the news section. The rest of the show is Wrack Our Brains, an ide…

In episode 395 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo choose their favorite and least favorite tracks from each of the Beatles British albums. It was harder than we expected, particularly selecting “least favorite” tracks, since let’s face it, the Beatles were the zenith of Western Civ and there are no actual bad trac…

In episode 394 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo reconvene for another chat with Mark Rivera, the saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist who has been the music director of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Bands since the 1990s, as well as being a member of Billy Joel’s band since 1982, having worked with many other artists…

In episode 393 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo have a chat with Mark Rivera, the saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist who has been the music director of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Bands since the 1990s, as well as being a member of Billy Joel’s band since 1982, and having worked with many other artists. We had su…

In episode 392 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo celebrate Paul McCartney’s 81st birthday (on June 18) by choosing one favorite song of his from each decade he has been working – from the 1960s to the present. In the news segment, Ken noted the passing of Chas Newby, who played bass for the Beatles very briefly a…

In episode 391 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo discuss George Harrison’s “Living in the Material World” album – Ken’s favorite album of all time – on its 50th anniversary (along with a quick overview of what George got from the “Bhagavad Gita,” and what he was telling us about it through the album). As always, …

In episode 390 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo revisit “The Beatles 1962-1966” (the “Red” Album) and “1967-1970” (the “Blue” Album) on their 50th anniversary, each adding (and in some cases deleting) tracks to make updated 2023 versions. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or any …

In episode 389 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo speak with Denny Seiwell, who played drums on the RAM album and became the first drummer for Wings (1971-3). The subject is mostly Red Rose Speedway, released 50 years ago this month, but Denny discusses other aspects of his time with Wings as well. As always, we w…

In episode 388 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo celebrate the 60th anniversary of the release of the Beatles first UK LP, “Please Please Me” by looking at various aspects of the album and its individual tracks. (Plus a rare cameo by Yoda, one of Allan’s cats.) As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episo…

In episode 387 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo speak with the composer and author Albert Glinsky about his new book, “Switched On – Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution,” and the use of the Moog by the Beatles, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and other pop musicians (and films and TV shows). At one point, Ke…

In episode 386 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo celebrate what would have been George Harrison’s 80th birthday by each choosing five deep cuts – tracks that we feel should be better-known and better-appreciated than they are – as well as our top five Harrison albums (not counting “All Things Must Pass,” which we…

In episode 385 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo celebrate Yoko Ono’s 90th birthday with a discussion about her life and work with Dan Richter, the actor, author and longtime assistant to John and Yoko, and Madeline Bocaro, the author of the important new Yoko biography, “In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Y…

In episode 384 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo each discuss some of their favorite covers of Beatles tracks by other artists – some of them rare, out-of-the-way tracks that you may not know, but should, because they’re inventive and fun. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or any …

In episode 383 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo have a chat with Gary Burr, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who, besides having written hits for Juice Newton, Lady Antebellum, Garth Brooks and many others, collaborated with Ringo Starr on about three dozen songs over the past 20 years, and played guitar a…

In episode 382 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo discuss their favorites among the songs the Beatles wrote (or simply gave) to other artists, both during the group’s active years and in the 53 years since they broke up. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or any other episode. We in…

In episode 381 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren Devivo review Mary McCartney’s documentary about the Abbey Road Studios, “If These Walls Could Sing,” and then each discuss their favorite Beatles releases and events from 2022, and look ahead to 2023. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or …

In episode 380 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels and Darren Devivo interview Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair about their new book, “The McCartney Legacy, Vol. 1, 1969-1973,” the first in a projected four-volume series that offers an in-depth look at Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles life and art. The book is due on December 13, and on December 14,…

In episode 379 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo commemorate the 21st anniversary of the passing of George Harrison by each assembling a two CD compilation of what they consider his best or most essential work. At the end of the show, we mention a charity raffle to benefit Martin House Children's Hospice in Bosto…

In episode 378 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo look at the new Giles Martin-Sam Okell remix, as well as the surround mix, of “Revolver." (The outtakes were covered in the last edition.) Also lots of news, including some thoughts about Paul’s new singles box. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episod…

In episode 377 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo look at the outtakes and demos included in the new “Revolver Special Edition," and at the set generally. The new Giles Martin-Sam Okell remix will be covered in the next installment. In the news section, we mentioned that the first issue of the “Journal for Beatles…

In Episode 376 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo interview Jay Bergen, the lawyer who represented John Lennon in the lawsuits with Morris Levy over the “Roots” album. Mr. Bergen is the author of “Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer,” an excellent, richly detailed look at the lawsuits and trials, with plenty of mater…

Episode 375 of Things We Said Today is a double-header: In the first part, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo discuss Ringo Starr’s new EP, “EP3.” In the second, they each choose their three favorites among the Beatles British singles – with an option for a fourth single from the American catalogue. NOTE: This is an audio version of the p…

In Episode 374 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo each choose three years that were particularly important for the former Beatles and/or their work. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the show or any other episode. We invite you to subscribe to us! We also hope you will send your comments ab…

In Episode 372 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo discuss the similarities and differences, both personal and musical, between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Were they really polar opposites, as some biographers have drawn them, or did they have more in common than it can seem on the surface? NOTE: This is an aud…

In Episode 372 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo revisit The Beatles’ “Revolver” album on (okay, a few days after) the 56th anniversary of its release. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is also a video version on our YouTube page. As always, we welcome your thoughts about this episode of the sh…

In Episode 371 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo have a talk with Madeline Bocaro about her new book, “in your mind – the infinite universe of yoko ono,” a book that is both a biography and an annotated catalogue of Yoko Ono’s work in art, music and film. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is al…

In Episode 370 of Things We Said Today, an 82nd birthday tribute to Ringo Starr, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo discuss each choose five of his lesser-known tracks that deserve a fresh hearing. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is also a video version on our YouTube page. As always, we welcome your thoughts about th…

In Episode 369 of Things We Said Today, an 80th birthday tribute to Paul McCartney, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo discuss the MetLife Stadium and Glastonbury concerts, and each choose five of his lesser-known tracks that deserve a fresh hearing. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is also a video version on our YouTu…

In Episode 368 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo each assembled a compilation of solo recordings made before 1975 as a theoretical followup to the “Red” and “Blue” Beatles compilations. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is also a video version on our YouTube page. As always, we welcome your tho…

Knowing how our listeners like to stay up-to-date with the latest Beatles news, Ken Michaels and Darren DeVivo attended (virtually) Ringo Starr’s press conference in Toronto on May 26th, and offer a recap touching on Ringo’s new tour, his next EP, what else he got up to during the lockdown years, and his memories of drummer Alan White, whose passin…

In Episode 366 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo take up a listener’s suggestion for an unusual game: for each UK album, we each suggest one track that would have fit comfortably on the previous album, and one that would have fit comfortably on the next album. It’s not as easy as you might think – or at least, th…

In Episode 365 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo take a look at Paul McCartney’s 1982 “Tug of War” album – its strengths and weaknesses, its place in the McCartney discography, and how it has stood up over time – on the 40th anniversary of its release. NOTE: This is an audio version of the podcast. There is also …

In Episode 364 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo take a look at Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band, Wings, discussing whether Wings was legitimately a band or just Paul’s backing group, and whether it deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – as well as ranking Wings’ seven studio albums, and choosing …

In Episode 363 of Things We Said Today, Ken Michaels, Allan Kozinn and Darren DeVivo have a brief tour of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s new exhibition, “The Beatles Get Back to Let It Be’ with Nwaka Onwusa, the museum’s VP/chief curator, and talk to Greg Harris, President/CEO, about how the exhibition came together. The exhibition, which looks at …