Erik Nelson’s doc revisits a unique experiment in countercultural messaging, when the famed couple stepped in for a week in 1972 as co-hosts of the hugely popular ‘Mike Douglas Show.’
networks and a single daytime talk show was able to generate viewer numbers as high as 40 million a week — more than a fifth of the population back then. Now imagine, if you will, a broadcast climate in which a beloved fixture of afternoon TV, watched in red states and blue, would risk alienating a significant chunk of his audience by welcoming as co-hosts a celebrity couple known for their revolutionary zeal.
At first glance, Douglas would appear to be of a generation and a mindset incompatible with Lennon and Ono. That impression is furthered by the lounge-act version of the Beatles’ “Michelle” that the former Big Band singer performs as an intro. But Douglas’ openness, as much as Lennon and Ono’s relaxed spontaneity, is a reason the experiment works.
Then there are the less familiar faces, like biofeedback researcher Gary Schwarz, who hooks them all up to electrodes to measure their internal responses to music; avant-garde musician David Rosenboom; macrobiotic chef Hilary Redleaf, who leads a cooking demonstration making hijiki pockets; and folk singer/activists Nobuko Miyamoto and Chris Iijima, known as Yellow Pearl, whose lovely song about second-generation migrants “We Are the Children,” carries a message still relevant more than 50...
Nader, who was 37 at the time and is now 90, brings context to explain why these episodes were so transgressive. In his 1972 appearance, he recommends a how-to manual for politically and socially motivated students to organize, pushing a more responsible grasp of citizenship. In the contemporary interview, he wryly echoes Lennon and Ono’s sentiments encouraging young people to get out and vote by reminding us that skepticism is more useful than cynicism in politics.
While the focus leans harder into social change than music, Lennon does reflect on the Beatles years, his upbringing and early influences . He’s reported to have said the basement studio in Philadelphia wherewas taped reminded him of storied early Beatles venue The Cavern, in Liverpool.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ron Hale, Actor on ‘Ryan’s Hope’ and ‘General Hospital,’ Dies at 78The two-time Daytime Emmy winner spent nearly 30 years on the ABC daytime dramas.
Read more »
May His Memory Be a RevolutionThe revolution that Hersh's father speaks of is a revolution against moral blindness.
Read more »
'Echoes of Wisdom' review: Zelda leads a worthwhile remix, not a revolutionNintendo's latest game is the first to truly star Zelda in the series that has borne her name since 1986. It boasts innovative mechanics but is still a little too linked to the past.
Read more »
'Echoes of Wisdom' review: Zelda leads a worthwhile remix, not a revolutionNintendo's latest game is the first to truly star Zelda in the series that has borne her name since 1986. It boasts innovative mechanics but is still a little too linked to the past.
Read more »
Zelda review: 'Echoes of Wisdom' is a worthwhile remix, not a revolutionNintendo's latest game is the first to truly star Zelda in the series that has borne her name since 1986. It boasts innovative mechanics but is still a little too linked to the past.
Read more »
Rotten Tomatoes is changing audience review capabilities to tackle review bombingRotten Tomatoes has issues with trolls who want to review movies whose political or social commentary don’t agree with — Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel are just a couple. Verified reviews and scores may change that.
Read more »