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[Togger]

Based on the lack of activity on this forum, do you think the Beatles are irrelevant nowadays? kind of sad considering they were gods to the babyboomers.

[Hello Goodbye]

Togger, your question consists of two parts which I'll answer separately.

In regard to lack of activity here, you should have been around a few years ago when this forum was much more active.  Look through all the subforums and you'll see how much was contributed by members of this forum.  DM's Beatles Forums is a repository of Beatles related information.  Unfortunately, the younger members found other social media outlets to be involved with to express their Beatles interests.  I've seen similar decrease of activity in other Beatles forums when I check those sites every now and then.  I am only a member of this forum, however.

The Beatles are certainly relevant these days.  They've had a great impact on music which is apparent fifty years after the band broke up although few today might fully understand just how influential they've been.  Some college-age members, just a few years ago, shared with us what they learned about The Beatles and their music in their college music courses.

This might serve to show how important The Beatles are to the younger crowd...

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwbaNlIvr3k" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwbaNlIvr3k</a>

Maybe those kids will find this forum and choose to be members one day.

[Moogmodule]

In 2019 Beatles had over 1.7 billion streams, 30 percent of which came from 18 to 24 year olds.

Their song catalogue is valued at around $1 billion.

The Abbey Road rerelease in 2019 went to No 1 in the UK and No3 in US

Disney is releasing a six hour movie/series directed by Peter Jackson just on the Get Back sessions.

A Cirque de Soleil production using Beatle music, Love, has been playing since 2006.

All this 50 years after they broke up.

[Hello Goodbye]

Those are very encouraging figures, Moog. 

I'm sure you remember when the younger crowd outnumbered us here on the Forum.  They contributed so much every day.  They were also very creative such as the thread where they used lines from Beatles songs to construct a story.  There were indeed several creative threads such as that one.

With more modern resources available today, I can see how forum activity could diminish.  But what will never diminish is what The Beatles contributed to music and to how we, who grew up with their music, came to value life.

[Moogmodule]

Yes HG. I think these blog style forums have all diminished over the past few years. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook dominate discourse now. It’s quite a commitment to participate in long form discussion. I used to be a member of several boards (across a variety of subjects) but I couldn’t keep up with it all. So I’ve pared back to just this forum. Interestingly I notice a lot of guests on this forum. So there’s no shortage of people reading, just not participating.

The Beatles are well represented in the more trendy social media as well. There’s endless Beatle themed Twitter and Instagram accounts. And many many podcasts, most of which are fronted by younger hosts (ie post baby boomer).

[tkitna]

I've been a member on this forum since 2004.  My issue is that its hard to think of Beatle related topics that I havent already touched upon at some point. 

[blmeanie]

Moog - you are correct, the forum style has been replaced by instagram, facebook and others.  I belong to a few forums still on various topics, same story, posts are down, participation continues through die-hards.

One thing about forums vs. social sites, I prefer a good read supplemented by a video or pictures, not the other way around.  Mainstream sites, whether it be ESPN.com or even your local tv station site, they long ago all morphed to assume you want to watch video first, rarely are stories written out and if they are, they are poorly written and missing good editing.

When I saw this post, wondered if it was about Paul being dead...had a thought this weekend while I listened to Band on the Run album.  Lets pretend Paul did die, in what 1966?  How impossible would it be for the new paul to not want recognition for his amazing talents, both in copying/mimicking original Paul but all the original music since.  If you believe (I don't) Paul died, then this maestro needs to be separately acclaimed!

Sorry for the tangent...

[tkitna]

Speaking of Paul, anybody catch Dave Grohl talking about him the other night?  Dave said Paul was in town and rung him up and asked if he could stop over.  Dave said sure and started to panic a little and proceeded to put all of his Beatle stuff away.  Paul and Nancy showed up and Dave said they had a lovely visit.  Dave has a piano sitting there and Paul couldnt help himself.  He sat down and started playing.  Meanwhile Daves daughter went to the kitchen and grabbed a cup and sat it on the piano.  Everbody was on the floor laughing.  Dont forget to tip the piano player.

Here it is.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVaytR4IuKs" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVaytR4IuKs</a>

[Normandie]

I have to quickly pop in and second Moogmodule's and blmeanie's comments. There are dozens—probably hundreds—of Beatles Instagram accounts, and it's refreshing to see how many young people still adore them and their music. Not really being of the social media generation, though—or, rather, being a latecomer to it—I don't care for the split-second nature of those types of interactions.

I, too, have scaled back from participating in many forums to just a handful. And I've been keeping an eye on other Beatles forums, and the demographics and levels of activity are commensurate with this one's.

Todd, that's a great story about Dave Grohl; loved it.

[Moogmodule]

Yes Normandie the newer social media aren’t really my thing. (Except podcasts). Twitter in particular is a swamp. You’ll always get the “Beatles sucked” or “the Beatles couldn’t play” crowd who derail any thread. That and it’s hard to properly comment in 280 characters.  On here I can crap on to my heart’s content. 

Yep great Dave Grohl story Tkitna. 

[Moogmodule]

I've been a member on this forum since 2004.  My issue is that its hard to think of Beatle related topics that I havent already touched upon at some point.

That can be difficult. I’ve intended to go back and add my reviews to the microscopes, most of which were started before I joined. Finding the time is the problem. I did have a long revolver one drafted but then lost the draft.    Probably turned me off it for a while.

[tkitna]

That can be difficult. I’ve intended to go back and add my reviews to the microscopes, most of which were started before I joined. Finding the time is the problem. I did have a long revolver one drafted but then lost the draft.    Probably turned me off it for a while.

I like doing the microscope reviews, but they are long and tedious.  With so little participation, i'm having a hard time continuing with the solo albums.

[nimrod]

Dead ?

I go on one other forum, Steve Hoffman's music forum

There are tons of Beatles threads, so many jn fact that non Beatles fans complain 

[Normandie]

There are tons of Beatles threads, so many jn fact that non Beatles fans complain 

I was scolded once on a Who forum for chattering too much about the Beatles.    This was 'way back in 1992 or 1993, the very early days of online forums.

This one guy named Jason in Canada drew a brilliant comparison between the Beatles and Hemingway, it was so great.

[Moogmodule]

That’s a benefit of this forum. Different boards if you want to chat about pretty much anything. Including even The Who!

[Moogmodule]

This one guy named Jason in Canada drew a brilliant comparison between the Beatles and Hemingway, it was so great.

That sounds an interesting take. Can you remember the gist of his argument?

[Normandie]

That sounds an interesting take. Can you remember the gist of his argument?

Yes; let me see if I can convey properly what he said. He noted that both the Beatles and Hemingway were noted for their beautifully simplistic take on their craft and observed that, as the band's and Hemingway's tenure progressed both took on more of a complicated, and not-altogeher-happy, trajectory. Both also ended in rather acrimonious circumstances. (Well, the Beatles ended on an acrimonious note, and Hemingway of course died by his own hand.)

I hope that makes sense. 

[Moogmodule]

Just saw today that a group made up of members of well known Australian bands (well known here at least) are touring a show based around the Let it Be album.  This is after a sell-out season of them doing Abbey Road in 2019.

[Normandie]

^^^^

That sounds appealing. I Googled it and found this nice quote from one of the group members: "We're not trying to be a tribute band. We just love playing these songs." Nice! 


(I drove my daughters to see Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer in Minneapolis–St. Paul a few years ago. It was such a nightmare trip! We still laugh about it. But that's a story for a different thread.)

[Moogmodule]

I had to google that 5 Seconds band. I have never heard of them but they’ve sold over 10 million records worldwide.