I don't know whether to feel sorry for them in being caught up in that big machine, or p*ssed off with them for going along with the ride and not having the guts to stand up for themselves.
Hi, Kevin!
Well, you can feel how you like to feel. For me, the Beatles recognized that they were
entertainers. They weren't necessarily doing self-realization in public; they had an act. The act was "natural, cheeky-chappy" and for years they did have fun with it, so I don't think it was a burden. I don't think the act got to them in the end so much as all the nonsense that went along with it-- those ridiculous girls screaming (I still can't figure out that cultural phase; it sounds like one of Dawkins' "mind viruses" to me), the shoddy arrangements for their transportation/safety/performance quality, all that jazz.
I wouldn't want to conflate eager, rising-star John with burned-out, p*ssed-off John. It had to be tremendously satisfying for them to get that kind of success. Reread the Playboy article if you haven't for a while:
http://www.geocities.com/~Beatleboy1/db1965.02pl.beatles.htmlThey
are outspoken, they
are having fun, and they're also a lot more worldly wise at this point then the babies from Liverpool.
Whether Brian really advised them not to speak out against the war is up for debate in my opinion; in fact, if you follow their 1966 tour, John and George routinely spoke out against the war during the whole "Jesus" tour. I'm sure irritation was behind it; why try to behave when half of America already hates you? You might as well say what you feel. They got applause, by the way:
http://www.geocities.com/~Beatleboy1/db1966.0822.beatles.htmlAs for the endless retread, every entertainer does this. An author friend has her stock of quips for each book tour because "you never know when you might need to be spontaneous". I think the Beatles were in fact spontaneous a good deal, compared to many others. That's why they were intriguing and quotable. But that's just my impression. Feel free to blast away with an alternative view!