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Clips of the Week

Leo Kottke ranks high among the very finest guitarists that America has ever produced. His wide-ranging and free-spirited musical curiosity, combined with his superb technical skills on the instrument, have ensured that he has remained a relentlessly creative artist for most of his musical career. He is also a highly skilled guitarist with a delicacy of touch and a mastery of tone which only the very best of his contemporaries could match. He’s adept at a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from the fingerstyle technique, influenced by the great acoustic blues guitarists – of which he is a master – to the more jazz, country and classically influenced guitar styles in which he has come to excel… (READ ON)

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This Week’s Book Choice

Stuart Maconie – “With A Little Help From Their Friends: The Beatles changed the world. But who changed theirs?” (Harper North, 2025)

Paul McCartney once said, “We’re a community, majority vote, up the workers and all that stuff.” Inspiring words – except they weren’t his at all, but Alun Owen’s, the scriptwriter of A Hard Day’s Night. Owen is one of the hundred figures celebrated in Stuart Maconie’s latest book, a reminder that The Beatles were never a closed shop. They thrived on outside ideas, unexpected influences, and the right people turning up at the right moment – and Maconie has gone in search of those people.

If you’re not a die-hard Beatles completist, you might ask whether the world really needs another book about them. But that’s not the question. The real question is: Do we need another book by Stuart Maconie? The answer is an unqualified yes. Maconie is a masterful storyteller who can make us see places, people, music, and culture from fresh, surprising angles – and this volume proves it once again.

Here are a hundred short, engaging portraits from the Beatles’ extended cast. Some are instantly recognisable — Jane Asher, Tariq Ali, Peter Blake. Others are gloriously obscure – the calypsonian Lord Woodbine, for instance – and many come from the band’s own intimate circles: family members, school friends, ex-bandmates, partners, and the indispensable “other Fab Four” who kept the whole enterprise rolling — George, Brian, Mal, and Neil. Nor was it a boys’ club, as the vital contributions of Mona, Astrid, Maureen, Freda and others make clear. “All great myths need a great monster,” writes Maconie, as he unveils the subject of his final chapter.

The result is a vivid portrait of a rich, diverse creative ecosystem. Maconie writes with his trademark wit, warmth, and unerring eye for human detail. It’s a labour of love, a joy to read, and a gentle reminder that even the biggest legends still need a little help from their friends.

Mike Press

Read all our previous book reviews here.