One Sweet Dream: A Beatles Podcast

This is part one of the Cleave profile on John Lennon. In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the first half of the interview. Titled "How A Beatle Lives," these exceptional interviews provide a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966.  These contemporaneous portraits are meaningful because so much of our understanding of the Beatles has been informed by what the B...

This is part 2 of the Cleave profile on Paul McCartney. In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the second half of the interview.  Titled "How A Beatle Lives" these exceptional interviews provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966. This fascinating interview with Paul vindicates McCartney's portrayal in the book Many Years From Now. It captures Mc...

This is part one of the Cleave profile on Paul McCartney. In this episode, Diana and Dr. Duncan Driver explore the first half of the interview.  Titled "How A Beatle Lives" these exceptional interviews provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles in 1966. This fascinating interview with Paul vindicates McCartney's portrayal in the book Many Years From Now. It captures M...

The 1966/67 Series begins with a deep dive into the Maureen Cleave interviews—which were done for the Evening Standard in March 1966.  Titled "How Does A Beatle Live" these exceptional profiles provide us with a rare glimpse into the world of the Beatles at a time when they were riding high!  Episode one explores her piece on Ringo Starr. Diana is joined by OSD regular Dr. Duncan Driver fo...

Diana is joined by writer and author Ian Leslie to discuss the songs that made his Hidden Gems list. Ian writes about psychology, culture, technology, and business for the New Statesman, the Economist, the Guardian, and the Financial Times — and he has a newsletter called the Ruffian. He is also the author of the book Conflicted and is working on a book about Lennon and McCartney. Ian's newsle...

The One Sweet Dream Get Back Series continues with an interview with music journalist and author Rob Sheffield. Rob is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing about music, TV, and pop culture; he is also the author of multiple books, including Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World.  In this interview, recorded in December 2021, Diana and Rob cover many topics...

In part two of this Get Back Series episode with Martin Carr, Martin and Diana discuss the dynamics of the Lennon and McCartney relationship around this period.  Martin Carr https://www.facebook.com/GOLDLIFT/ @martin_carr Support the show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this two-part episode, Martin and Diana discuss the intricacies of the Get Back film with special emphasis on the dynamics between Lennon and McCartney at this time. This is part one. Martin Carr https://www.facebook.com/GOLDLIFT/ @martin_carr Support the show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In the next installment of the Hidden Gems and Unsung Masterpieces Series, Diana is joined by brilliant singer/songwriter/ film and TV composer Michael Penn to discuss the songs that make his list. Follow Michael Penn: @MPenn Support the show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Diana is joined by brilliant singer/songwriter/ film and TV composer Michael Penn to discuss the songs that make his Hidden Gems and Unsung Masterpieces list. ----------------------------------- Michael's List: Anytime At All Things We Said Today She Said She Said The Family Way (Soundtrack and Movie) Within You Without You Penny Lane The End Maxwell's Silver Hammer Jenny Wren I Know I Kno...

In this episode, Diana talks to Joe Hagan, author of the brilliant Jann Wenner biography Sticky Fingers, and host of Vanity Fair's podcast: Inside The Hive.  We discuss Joe's experience writing the biography, his insight into the relationship between Wenner, Ono, and Lennon, and the impact of Wenner's partisanship on the Beatles narrative. We also discuss Joe's newfound appreciatio...

In part 3 of our deep dive into Get Back, Jonathan Skovron and I discuss the following: The India scene, Klein, the rooftop performance, the Peter Sellers scene, the hypothetical Beatles collective—and we again return to George Harrison walking out, Yoko, and of course, the Lennon/McCartney partnership. The majority of this episode was recorded in December 2021. About Jonathan Skovron: Jonathansko...

In part two of this deep dive into Peter Jackson's Get Back film, Jonathan Skovron and I discuss the trajectory and momentum of the project, the impact of Billy Preston, the secret lunchroom scene, leadership, George Harrison's walkout, the musical conversation between Lennon/McCartney and the musicianship of the group as a whole.  In the next episode—part three, we cover the Peter Sellers...

This Deep Dive into the Get Back film was recorded on multiple occasions with musician Jonathan Skovron, resulting in the OSD Deep Dive Trilogy! Peter Jackson would be proud! In part 1, we explore Jackson's narrative choices, the Lennon and McCartney dynamics, George's predicament in the band, the working relationship between the men, and the impact of Yoko's presence. In Part 2, we co...

The Get Back Series kicks off with a recap of the events of '67 & '68—as discussed in the Breakup Series—a primer for the series, and is followed by a roundtable discussion about the Get Back film with Dr. Paul Thompson and Dan Rivkin.  Paul Thompson: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-McCartney-His-Creative-Practice/dp/3030790991 Dan Rivkin: https://theymaybeparted.com/ Additional References...

The OSD Get Back Series continues with an episode that was recorded before the Get Back Documentary Series was fully available to the public. Journalist, broadcaster, and author Pete Paphides screened and reviewed the documentary for the Evening Standard prior to its general release, and we discussed his impressions of the film. Pete's review of Get Back: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/mus...

The Get Back Series continues with a conversation with musician Aimee Mann. We discuss Aimee's impressions of the film and her observations of the band's dynamics — drawing on her experiences working in bands, collaborations, and as a solo artist.  Follow Aimee at @realaimeemann Aimee Mann music referenced:  Queens of the Summer Hotel: "Burn It Out" and "In Mexico" The Magn...

In this episode, Diana and comedian/Beatles aficionado Tim Heidecker explore some key Beatles themes.  Tim Heidecker is a comedian, writer, musician, podcaster, actor, and half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric. He co-hosts a parody film review web series called, On Cinema and is the host of the podcast, Office Hours Live With Tim Heidecker. https://www.timheidecker.com/ Support the show Advertising...

Diana and Chris Salewicz discuss Paul McCartney the man and the artist. They explore his defining traits and what people get wrong about him, and they also talk about Chris's epic 1986 interview with Paul — one of Paul's most candid interviews ever. Updated Audio! Support the show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A conversation with Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs, about creative partnerships.  Diana and Joshua discuss the Lennon/McCartney partnership, and how they exemplify and light up so many of the core tenets of creative pairings. Support the show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com...

In this episode, Diana explores Paul McCartney's artistry and creative process with Phillip McIntyre and Paul Thompson, authors of the upcoming book “Paul and His Creative Practice. The Beatles and Beyond.” Phillip, Paul, and Diana have a wide-ranging discussion that covers topics such as flow state, collaboration, Crocodile Dundee, and how Paul McCartney is just like James Bond.   A link to t...

Diana and Historian Erin Torkelson Weber discuss the Fab 4 Myth: How it was constructed, its accuracy, and how the Beatles tried to break free of it. They explore the importance of Cleave interviews and the Hunter Davies official biography as attempts to escape the constraints of their image. This conversation is based on the ideas contained in Erin Torkelson Weber's book: Beatles and the Hist...

This is part three of the RAM extravaganza. In this episode, Diana and Duncan continue their deep dive into McCartney's brilliant album RAM. They pick up their analysis where they left off — with the exquisite Dear Boy — and make their way through the rest of the album. In the first part of their deep dive, they reviewed the cultural context of the album’s origin and reception and puzzled over...

In this epic two-part journey from the wilds of Scotland to the sky-scrapers of Manhattan, Diana and Duncan fly above the maddening crowd of rock reviewers in celebration of Paul and Linda McCartney’s RAM. In Part A, they explore the cultural context of the album’s origin and reception and puzzle over why this ambitious, eccentric and distinctive masterpiece remains overlooked by many. They also a...

A wide-ranging discussion with British journalist Ray Connolly, who has the distinction of being friendly with both Lennon and McCartney in the 60s and 70s. Ray spent significant time with the Lennons from 1968 until 1980. He is a true insider, someone so deeply involved with the Beatles that he almost is a character in their story.  Diana and Ray discuss a number of topics including Lennon/Ono&#3...