The Sixties – The Wired Jester

Once there was a way to get back home

This is just lovely; The Beatles Abbey Road medley, vocals only.

Inside the Biosphere

A photo from this time last year, taken inside Montreal’s amazing Biosphere. Designed by Buckminster Fuller and built in 1967 for the World’s Fair, it’s a geodesic dome, strong, light, and enclosing a huge amount of space. It’s a beautiful building – full of benign faith in the future.

Star Wars by way of the Jetsons

If Star Wars had been a cartoon from the 60s, Darth Vader might have looked like this. 30 characters from Star Wars, all with a very Jestons sensibility to them, drawn by Ben Balistreri.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine, a capella

When the music moves you, you can see it, and you can definitely see it here. Quiet for the first 20 seconds, absolutely burning by 0:50. Previous a capella 60s pop: The Beach Boys

Pet Sounds, a capella

It’s a beautiful sunny morning in London, so this seems like just the right thing to listen to: Pet Sounds, a capella. Despite the fact that it’s a YouTube link, sound quality is terrific. This is probably the first time I’ve really understood just how spine-tingling what music writers refer to as a singer’s ‘phrasing’ canContinue reading “Pet Sounds, a capella”

International Times

The Guardian has a blog post up today reflecting on the radical/hippy/underground 60s newspaper The International Times, as an archive devoted to IT has just launched (although said archive appears to be down at the moment). Anyway, the Guardian blog quotes some notes I took at a talk by the founders of IT, which youContinue reading “International Times”

The end of the 60s is now

Brian Eno, giving his prediction for 2009/the future in general, focusses not on a scientific, technological, political or economic breakthrough, but essentially, the end of optimism as being the default of the west. Unlike Bono’s blethering mass of words in the New York Times, it’s eloquently put, if briskly bleak: “Human development thus far hasContinue reading “The end of the 60s is now”

It Won’t Be Long: The Beatles and MP3

I’m a big Beatles fan, and had a post cooked up all about those reports that, thanks to Norweigan Broadcasting (NRK), you could download Beatles MP3s for free, legally. NRK’s site said: “Some weeks ago, NRK – Norwegian Braodcasting – signed a deal with music rights holder organisation TONO in Norway. The new deal givesContinue reading “It Won’t Be Long: The Beatles and MP3”

The Walrus Was Paul – But Who Was The Ghost?

Are you a technology fan and gamer with a love for the sixties? Join the club here at the Wired Jester, and get yourself this t-shirt from Huzzah, which rather wonderfully brings together PacMan and Abbey Road Roll. It can be yours here. [via Funky Duds]

Barry Miles and International Times: ‘The invisible insurrection of a million minds’

Last week I went to a panel discussion on magazines; although I took notes on all three speakers, I ended up with loads from the talk by Barry Miles, co-founder of 60s underground paper International Times (Wikipedia). He talked at length about I.T.’s genesis, launch party and development, which I found fascinating. Here are myContinue reading “Barry Miles and International Times: ‘The invisible insurrection of a million minds’”