NOTES FROM THE BOOK TOUR: ‘Within You Without You’ events, media appearances
NOTES FROM THE BOOK TOUR: ‘Within You Without You’ events, media appearances
A behind-the-scenes look at readings, book-signings, and media mentions of my new George Harrison book
Thank you for taking an interest in my new book about George Harrison, Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison, and the occasional behind-the-scenes view I am offering in these columns. For those who could not care less, please don’t unsubscribe from Everything Is Broken. The book is the culmination of five years of work, it was just only published a few weeks ago, and for the next few weeks I may be somewhat singleminded about it in this space. In the meantime, I am amassing a backlog of other topics to write about, and before you know it the book will be old news, and I will move on to other subjects.
JUST A FEW QUICK WORDS from the world of book promotion in the wake of the publication of my new book, Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison (Oxford University Press):
IF YOU LIVE IN THE GREATER BERKSHIRE REGION, please come by and say hello tomorrow (Sunday, October 27) at The Bookstore in Lenox, Mass., at 4pm. I will read a short excerpt – something from the book (there’s a hint about the topic of the reading embedded in that phrase) – banter a bit with shop-owner Matthew Tannenbaum and entertain some questions and comments from the assembled masses. Oh … and there will be books for sale, of course, and I will have a pen with me in case you would like me to deface the beautiful object with my illegible signature.
There are more readings and book-signings in the greater region in the coming weeks, and more are constantly being added. I try to keep the list of events updated here – and please note, if any of you are going to be in East London on Tuesday, December 3, I will be doing a reading at the Wanstead Tap – a real English pub – arranged by the Newham Bookshop.
DID YOU KNOW that I have created playlists to go along with reading the book? If you click here on the book’s website, you will see a dropdown menu of chapters. Click on a chapter heading to go to a playlist featuring all the songs that are discussed in any significant manner in each chapter. Most are songs by George Harrison and the Beatles, but there are also some lesser-known or rare songs by other artists that I refer to in the book that you can listen to here.
TWO NEW INTERVIEWS with me about the book were published this past week, one in The Forward (where I am a contributing editor) and the other in the Berkshire Eagle – the newspaper where I got my start as a rock critic. Usually I am the one asking the questions in my role as a journalist, but I cannot say that I’m not enjoying the shoe being on the other foot this time around.
How George Harrison, the Beatles’ Unsung Hero, Wrote His Own ‘Hallelujah’
(The Forward) by PJ Grisar - George Harrison, whose tenure with the Beatles was often colored with a kind of reluctance, is, for Seth Rogovoy, the ultimate underdog, with contributions that are undersung both in terms of the band’s discography and for popular music as a whole. Though Harrison is often called the quiet or the spiritual Beatle, Rogovoy’s survey goes beyond that label, positioning Harrison as the most narratively inventive of the quartet, and, perhaps, the one responsible for much of what we consider the group’s sound. (And, in this age of streaming he never lived to see, it’s two George songs, “Here Comes the Sun,” followed by “Something,” that are the most streamed songs in the Beatles catalog.)
In New Biography, Seth Rogovoy Makes a Case for the ‘Quiet Beatle’
(Berkshire Eagle) by Clarence Fanto - In his recently published third book, “Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison,” music journalist, author and Bob Dylan specialist Seth Rogovoy acknowledges that he had “resisted the allure of the Beatles” for decades. But in recent years, he came to appreciate the group, and especially Harrison, known as the “Quiet Beatle” and the “Reluctant Beatle” who hated touring, abhorred fame and celebrity but was lead guitarist, a formidable vocalist and an essential songwriter. Rogovoy’s book depicts Harrison as an introspective and revelatory musician whose songs delved into mystical realms and brought Hindu spirituality from the Indian subcontinent to a mass audience.
AND IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM, I’ve been on two podcasts:
I had the great pleasure of sitting down with ace journalist Bill Shein for a leisurely conversation about Within You Without You on his terrific podcast, the Berkshire Argus. It was the kind of interviews writers dream of, with thoughtful questions and talking points from an interlocutor who obviously put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the podcast. He even read the book! Listen here…
My friend Allison Rapp, whom I first met in the spring of 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we were both attending the grand opening weekend of the Bob Dylan Center, invited me onto her Joni Mitchell-themed Big Yellow Podcast to discuss George Harrison’s various links to Joni Mitchell, particularly her 1974 Miles of Aisles band featuring Tom Scott & the L.A. Express. We also explored various other affinities between the two pioneering “confessional singer-songwriters,” both of whom have been adventurous musical explorers beyond the basic folk-rock genre. Listen here…
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE, I will be doing more podcasts and radio appearances. There are more reviews of the book expected to be published over the next few weeks. And I’ve even been booked to appear at one of the longest-running Beatles fan conventions, which will take place late March 2025 in New Jersey. More news on that later.
IF YOU CANNOT make it to any of the book-signings but would still like to purchase an autographed copy of Within You Without You, please let me know by replying to this e-mail, and I will let you know how we can arrange for delivery of a signed copy.
In solidarity,
“Well, I don’t want to go on the roof.” -- George Harrison
Hey, did you like this edition of Everything Is Broken? If so, please consider clicking on the “LIKE” button at the very end of this message. It matters to the gods of Substack.
Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (8)
Susan Bang
Erik Bruun
Nadine Habousha Cohen
Fred Collins
Fluffforager
Benno Friedman
Amy and Howard Friedner
Jackie and Larry Horn
Richard Koplin
Paul Paradiso
Steve and Helice Picheny
David Rubman
Spencertown Academy Arts Center
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally