I’m reading the new John Lennon biography by Beatles historian, Philip Norman, a fascinating and deeply revealing insight into the strife and times of one of music’s truly significant icons. Wrapped up amongst the first person anecdotes, you get a real sense of this complex and somewhat traumatic genius who could have just as easily ended up languishing in a prison cell, such was the venom that often seeped from his angry young self. Of course, history has a habit of correcting itself, and Lennon went onto become part myth, part melodrama, full serving singer-songwriter for the ages. From all the many hours of archival Beatles footage, I love this clip in particular, which shows Lennon in fine health and, presumably, good spirits, while the other Beatles crack insidery jokes with raised eyebrows and funny jigs.

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Thanks to our friends at Madman, we have eight copies of the Kurt Cobain documentary, About A Son, to give away to randomly selected Lost At E Minor subscribers. To be in with a chance of winning, simply be a Lost At E Minor subscriber and leave a message under this post saying ‘Kurt, oh Kurt’, or words to that effect. We’ll announce the winners on Friday morning New York time.

Taken from 25 hours of previously unheard interviews with Kurt Cobain, ABOUT A SON recounts the Nirvana frontman’s life as he himself remembered it. The film reveals an intimate portrait of a well-known yet conversely not very well-understood man, whose life ended tragically too early. Cobain’s views on music, art and fame are intimately confided in this stirring documentary, to an awesome soundtrack that plays like Kurt’s favourites mixtape. Artists featured include Arlo Guthrie, the Melvins, Bad Brains, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Half Japanese, Scratch Acid, The Vaselines, Mark Lanegan, Butthole Surfers, Mudhoney, Iggy Pop, Leadbelly, REM and David Bowie.