Agent Palmer

It’s easy for the uninitiated to look at Tim Minchin’s Time Machine as an odd assortment of greatest hits. But it really is an emotional and artistically brave revisiting of older material.

Minchin’s announcement on his website about the album states, “All 11 songs were written in my 20s, now reimagined and finally properly studio-recorded for the first time. Some have been played on stages all over the world, and some have barely ever been heard; some are pretty silly and some are very chill; but all are tunes that I think have stood the test of time… ish.”

I’ve prided myself on separating the artist and their art. On a whole, it generally makes things easier to enjoy. 

The art is the art, and any baggage that may come with the artist can be left at the door.

There is an exception that changes the perception of the artist and can change the art, which is based on digging deeper into the artist.

Beatles ‘64 is a solid documentary. Like many documentaries before it, it frames itself with more stories than just its subject matter.

However, what occurred to me during my viewing was just how rare the footage was, which led to thoughts about how common footage is today.

If you’re seeking a feel-good, behind-the-scenes documentary about some Canadian rockers who found continued success despite everything initially stacked against them, set aside some time to watch Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd.

Simple Plan didn’t just succeed in a difficult music industry. They gave people a place to belong, started a foundation, and in truth, did more in the time since I last listened to them on their sophomore album than most bands do in a career.

When you want to know more about The Beatles and James Bond, two of Britain’s largest popular culture exports, and what both meant to Britain and the rest of the world, you need to reach for John Higgs’ Love and Let Die: James Bond, The Beatles, and the British Psyche.

This book starts on Friday, 5 October 1962, when The Beatles’ first record, ‘Love Me Do,’ and the first James Bond film were both released. As Higgs states, “The Beatles were about to become the most successful and important band in history. Not to be outdone, James Bond would go on to become the single most successful movie character ever.”