Our continuing journey into the world of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane finds Antony beginning a scene-by-scene analysis, starting with the film’s Gothic horror opening,possibly the best-known final word of a character in any film, and then the sudden and jarring segue into the newsreel obituary of the world-famous Charles Foster Kane. We try to make …

We conclude our conversation with Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and long-lasting life changes. Once again, Antony and Peter discuss a range of topics, this time including anger/fear, hypnosis, NLP…

Send us a text Tim welcomes documentary filmmaker Alan G Parker for a deep dive into John Lennon’s ethereal 1974 solo classic #9 Dream. They discuss the song’s dream-like production, Lennon’s lifelong fascination with the number nine, and the curious whispers that still intrigue fans. Alan also shares stories from his forthcoming feature documentar…

We’re happy to welcome back David ‘Ghosty’ Wills to discuss John & Yoko: A Love Story, a 1985 biopic starring Mark McGann and Kim Miyori that was very dear to our hearts, at least until we rewatched it! We discuss some of the better scenes and also the unintentional comedy and ‘TV movie tropes’ of others. We cover about two thirds of the film here,…

We continue our multi-part series on Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, finishing our prelude to the main film by looking at the shooting, storytelling, special effects, editing and sound/music. We also detail its commercial performance and the pushback from William Randolph Hearst. In Part 3, Antony will begin going scene by scene through the film We ho…

After entering dark territory with the previous episode, we return to lighter material with the first of a two-part conversation with Antony’s friend Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, which is a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and lon…

Send us a text Tim chats with film director and writer Grant McPhee about the Beatles song Yellow Submarine. They talk about the song’s fun sound, its strange mix of ideas, and the way it has grown into a song for all ages. Find out more about Grant McPhee and his work Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grantmcphee.bsky.social X (Twitter): https://x…

Following on from Film Gold’s Orson Welles special last time round, Antony this time tackles head-on, with another multi-parter, the grandaddy of American films, Citizen Kane. The first two parts look at the background and the making of the film before we go scene-by-scene through the film in later parts. This time round, Antony intros this deep di…

Send us a text Tim chats with author Phil Lecomber about the Beatles’ unique song “She’s Leaving Home”. They share memories of the band, discuss the song’s dramatic musical style, and explore its rich story. Phil also talks about his new book, Midnight Streets, set in the 1920s in London Soho, and how real voices and working-class tales shape his w…

Send us a text Tim Tucker chats with writer and author Ian Leslie, author of John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs, about the Beatles’ song “Two of Us” and the deep bond between Lennon & McCartney. They talk about the song’s shift from a hard rocker to a gentle, heartfelt tune, and explore how the music they made spoke for them when words fell short. …

This is a rare true crime episode, trying (in vain) to understand the horrific crimes of Axel Rudakubana in Southport last summer. There is also some discussion of the Lucy Letby case and brief mention of John Lennon’s reviled killer Mark David Chapman, in terms of the psychology of crime and society's relationship to it. We hope you enjoy the show…

Another podcast journey comes to an end as we conclude our look at John Lennon (and The Beatles’) religious, spiritual and philosophical journey by use of Steve Turner’s excellent book ‘The Gospel According To The Beatles’ After a brief recap of the previous episodes, Part 4 picks up from the formation of Apple in 1967, our four favourite rock gods…

Send us a text Tim is joined by podcaster, musician, and life coach Antony Rotunno to explore John Lennon's dreamy Revolver track 'I'm Only Sleeping,' from its conception on the back of a phone bill to George Harrison's meticulous work on the backward guitar parts. They discuss the song's unique sound textures and how it reflects Lennon's state of …

Completing our foray into advertising, mostly using Antony’s talk on Julian Charles’s excellent podcast ‘The Mind Renewed’ back in 2015, we dive deeper into Edward Bernays’s work and then segue into the darker underbelly of the craft, including the engineering of a military coup and the truly egregious and unethical snaring of innocent hearts and m…

Continuing our lengthy exploration of John Lennon’s religious, spiritual and philosophical journey by use of Steve Turner’s excellent book ‘The Gospel According To The Beatles’, Part 3 covers some fascinating chapters spanning the years 1964 to 1968 in the book’s rough chronology. John starts to consider the limitations of fame, is influenced by Bo…

Send us a text Tim welcomes author, archivist, and filmmaker Jon Savage to discuss Lennon's folk-tinged You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. They explore the song’s context in 1965, its raw and vulnerable feel, and the hints of Dylan’s influence. Jon also shares his early memories of the Beatles and gives a clear picture of the music scene in the mid…

Following on from the propaganda multi-parter at the end of last year, this time we dive into a topic with quite a lot of overlap, namely advertising. The bulk of the content comes from a talk that Antony did on Julian Charles’s excellent podcast ‘The Mind Renewed’ back in 2015. Despite the time that has passed since the talk, most of the general t…

Send us a text Tim welcomes multi-award-winning documentary director and filmmaker Chris Purcell to talk about the band's 1965 single, Ticket to Ride. They chat about Chris’s Liverpool roots, his early memories of the Beatles, and how he once ended up playing drums on stage with Tony Sheridan. They explore the heavy sound of Ticket to Ride, the use…

Send us a text Tim welcomes podcaster and musician Max Comeau for a heartfelt exploration of Real Love. They examine the song's evolution, from John Lennon's initial demos, to the version completed by Paul, George and Ringo in 1996. They unpack its lyrical simplicity and musical intricacies, from those beautiful descending chords to its layered ins…

We kick off 2025 with the continuation of our lengthy exploration of John Lennon’s religious, spiritual and philosophical journey. Part 2 starts with more of John and the Beatles’ general beliefs about the world before starting a chronology of the Beatle years from the particular perspective of Steve Turner’s book ‘The Gospel According To The Beatl…

Send us a text Tim is joined by Beatles podcaster and broadcaster Steven Cockcroft to explore George Harrison's B-side gem Old Brown Shoe. They examine the song's intricate composition, its clever wordplay, and the distinctive musical elements that make it stand out among Harrison's contributions to the Beatles' catalogue. Nothing is Real podcast: …

We end Glass Onion’s 6th year with the start of another multi-part series, the first 4-parter in the history of the podcast. Using (mostly) the John Lennon parts from Steve Turner’s excellent 2006 book ‘The Gospel According To The Beatles’, we trace our hero’s religious, spiritual and philosophical journey through its many twists and turns in his i…

And so we bring an end to another fine journey through a fascinating topic and indeed another year of this podcast. Part 3 of this series looks at ‘positive propaganda’ in the field of public health, multiple examples of negative propaganda by way of the demonising (sometimes literally) of political rivals and rival nations, and finally a look at h…

Send us a text Tim is joined by music journalist and author Eoghan Lyng as they delve into George Harrison's gorgeous Long, Long, Long. They discuss the song's creation, its spiritual themes, and the musical and lyrical elements that make it unique in the Beatles' lore. George Harrison in the 1970s, by Eoghan Lyng: https://www.sonicbondpublishing.c…

We conclude our look at John Lennon as an actor, starting from 1965’s ‘Help!’ and with particular emphasis on what was arguably his only ‘serious’ role, albeit in an anti-war satire ‘How I Won The War’. He also voices a famously sprawling Beatles TV film about a bus, and there’s a film cameo and brief comedy sketch in amongst it all as well. Antony…

Send us a text YouTuber and multi-instrumentalist Nancy Howie shares her love for You Never Give Me Your Money from the Abbey Road album. She talks about its multiple layers of meaning and effortless shifts between powerful emotions, and notes how it calls back to earlier Beatles music. Nancy's YouTube channel Fathom: https://youtube.com/@fathommus…

We continue our exploration of the fascinating and contentious topic of propaganda, using as our basis David Welch’s 2013 book ‘Propaganda: Power & Persuasion. In Part 2, we look at the propaganda of nationhood and leadership before taking a deep dive into the chapter of the book on war propaganda. Is propaganda good or bad? Or does it just depend …

The show keeps rolling with a look at John Lennon as an actor, both in films and TV sketches and also in his persona as Beatle John with the press and on stage. Antony is joined in this endeavour by professional actor Ross Marshall, and the conversation also looks at the craft of acting itself in terms of styles and John Lennon’s (un)suitability fo…

Send us a text Vikki Reilly, author of The Beatles 101, takes a journey into the Beatles' cover of A Taste of Honey, showcasing the band's brilliance at interpreting other people's songs while also discussing its many other interpretations and cultural significance. The Beatles 101 by Vikki Reilly: https://www.polarispublishing.com/book/the-beatles…

To round off the year, we present another multi-part series, this time on a fascinating topic that I have come to see as something of an art form. The main material being used is David Welch’s very accessible and even-handed book ‘Propaganda: Power & Persuasion, which accompanied an exhibition on the topic at the British Library in 2013. Is propaga…

Send us a text Tim is joined by Stu Arrowsmith, from the Elvis Costello podcast Dangerous Amusements. They explore The Fool on the Hill, its lyrical mysteries, musical twists, and its potential inspirations. They also analyse Paul McCartney's lyrical and musical prowess, and Stu shares his experience of seeing his hero live and turning down the opp…

Send us a text Xan Brooks, acclaimed author and journalist, joins the podcast to discuss the coiled power of Come Together. He reflects on the track's unique sound, its ambiguous lyrics, and how it foreshadows John Lennon's political activism in the early 1970s. We also talk about Xan's latest novel The Catchers, which explores the early days of po…

For our latest bonus episode, we offer a diversion and a trip back to the past as your humble host is interviewed about his and other people’s music by a friend in Madrid in 2016. Topics touched upon include songwriting, creativity, performance, recording and (no surprise) The Beatles and John Lennon. Preceding the interview are Antony's thoughts a…

Send us a text Chris Shaw has delighted and inspired Beatles fans with his jaunty strolls through Pepperland for the past seven years. Here he discusses The Word, from the Rubber Soul album, highlighting the song's musical intricacies, its biblical lyrical allusions, and its significance as a mid-period Beatles masterpiece. He also touches upon his…

Just as Orson Welles finally bowed out in 1985, we must do the same. This time round Antony and Ghosty pick up Orson’s film career from his acting gig in the sublime ‘The Third Man’, a couple of returns to Shakespeare territory and a trio of absolute masterworks of his own making, namely ‘Touch of Evil’, ‘The Trial’ and ‘F For Fake’ (plus a couple …

We complete our 2-part look at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival concert of September 1969 and the ‘white-suited apostle’ John Lennon’s involvement in it with the highly flexible Plastic Ono Band. Following ‘Revival ‘69’, Antony and Dave Thurmaier turn their attention to a 1971 film that should be in every Lennon fan’s video collection, namely D.A.…

Send us a text Tim Tucker is joined by writer and author Jeff Young, who recounts his early memories of the Beatles, growing up in Liverpool during the height of Beatlemania. He reflects on the nostalgic and optimistic qualities of the song Penny Lane, relating it to his own experiences, which he shares in his memoir Ghost Town, and his new book Wi…

We’ve got a special episode for you this time as Antony is joined by 1990s football legend and truth-seeker Matt Le Tissier. The conversation hits on a few topics such as the recent Euro 2024 tournament and some of the problems with the mentality of English football. Antony and Matt then discuss media narratives and the wider agenda regarding sport…

We continue our Orson Welles journey, accompanied by uberfan David ‘Ghosty’ Wills, with discussion of the big daddy of all films, 1941’s Citizen Kane. Was this both a blessing and a curse for Orson’s career? We also discussWelles’s forays into wartime politics and the films ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’,, ‘The Stranger’, ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ and …

And so the next century of Glass Onion begins. We’ve got another fine 2-parter for you, with Antony joined by Dave Thurmaier, the co-host of the ‘I’ve Got A Beatles Podcast’ and former guest of the show way back in 2019 and 2020. The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival concert of September 1969 yielded a live album for John & Yoko plus D.A. Pennebaker’s …

Send us a text Tim is joined by renowned Beatles author and historian Bruce Spizer. Bruce shares his insights into Paul’s classic ballad 'And I Love Her,' exploring its composition, arrangement, evolution and significance. He also talks about his upcoming book 'The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night and More,' highlighting historical perspectives on the a…

To mark Life And Life Only’s half-century, I drove back to my original home town on the day I celebrated another journey round the sun, to share a few personal reminiscences and also muse on nostalgia, memories, socio-economic status and a few other things… There’s a nice bit of relaxing music to finish today’s episode and an announcement of a rath…

Send us a text Returning guest, John Lennon biographer Jude Sutherland Kessler provides an in-depth analysis of Tell Me Why. She talks about the song’s emotional and biographical context, and how it relates to John's relationship with his mother, Julia. Website: https://www.johnlennonseries.com X (Twitter): https://x.com/JudeKessler Facebook: https…

Following on from our Marlon Brando and Michael Caine deep dives in the last few years, this time Orson Welles gets the Film Gold treatment. David ‘Ghosty’ Wills joins Antony for a 3-parter looking at the great man’s life, work and legacy. First up we discuss Orson’s early life and the start of histheatre and radio careers, both of which Ghosty fee…

Send us a text Adam S. Leslie, author of this year’s folk horror sensation Lost in the Garden, delves into the experimental art piece Revolution 9. He discusses why Lennon’s unique take on music concrete works so well, and how it fits within the White album’s dark and varied themes. Adam S. Leslie Adam on X (Twitter): https://x.com/AdamLeslie1974 A…

And so we bring to an end another podcast series as we conclude our whistle-stop journey through some of the highlights of John Cleese and Robin Skynner’s very readable, entertaining and insightful book ‘Life & How To Survive It’, which is presented as an ongoing dialogue between the doctor and the intelligent layman. The topics and sub-topics this…

Over 4 years on from our original episode about ‘Revolution 9’ (episode 25, in the show notes), we return to the topic with an audio version (including multiple sound clips) of a discussion that originally went out on video on Matt Williamson’s excellent you tube channel ‘Pop Goes The 60s’ back in March. We discuss our origin stories with the track…

Send us a text Tim Tucker is joined by returning guests Jacob Balcom & Matt Howell of the Bronze-Age Monsters podcast, to discuss a song that signalled a new direction for the band ahead of the Rubber Soul album. They share personal memories and musical insights covering the song's recording history, thematic elements, and its significance within t…

We continue our sprawling but hopefully enlightening trawl through John Cleese and Robin Skynner’s very readable, entertaining and insightful book ‘Life & How To Survive It’, which is presented as an ongoing dialogue between the doctor and the intelligent layman. One of the many strengths of the book is how it takes concepts and ideas and shows how…

Send us a text Jerry Hammack has written extensively on the Beatles’ recording processes and techniques, providing expert guidance on how today’s musicians can recreate those classic sounds. In this episode, he shares his insights into the Beatles' psychedelic masterpiece, 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. Jerry Hammack The Beatles Recording Techniq…