by Dan Colman, Open Culture: http://www.openculture.com/2010/04/marshall_mcluhan_the_world_is_a_global_village_.html
The emergence of “new media” and “social media” - it has all looked
fairly revolutionary, the beginning of something entirely new.
But, when
you step back and consider it, these innovations mark perhaps just an
acceleration of a trend that began long ago - one that Marshall McLuhan,
the famed communication theorist, first outlined in the 1960s.
The
vintage clip above gives you a feel for this, and McLuhan himself
appears at around the 2:45 minute mark.
As you watch this video, you
start to realize how prescient McLuhan was, and how social media is
almost the logical fulfillment of the trend he saw emerging.
We’ve added
this piece to our big collection of 275 Cultural Icons, which features great writers, artists and thinkers speaking in their own words.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
VIDEO: The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert: The Last Gig Filmed in January 1969
by Dan Colman, Open Culture: http://www.openculture.com/2011/09/the_beatles_rooftop_concert.html
On a cold day in January 1969, The Beatles, who hadn’t played live since 1966, took to the rooftop of the headquarters of Apple Records, located at 3 Savile Row, in central London.
And there they played an impromptu last gig, much to the delight of Londoners on nearby rooftops … and to the chagrin of the police.
At the time, The Beatles were recording their album, Let It Be, and the rooftop show let them run through various tracks from that last effort.
Songs played during the set include “Get Back,” where the Beatles were accompanied by Billy Preston on the keyboards, and “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909,” and “Danny Boy.”
And finally “Dig A Pony” and another version of “Get Back.” You can listen to the complete audio recording of the concert here - 62 minutes in total.
Famously, The Beatles’ live legacy ends with the police shutting down the show (it was a noise violation, you know?) and John Lennon uttering the immortal words, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.” That’s going out in style …
Footnote: It’s not clear which band played the first rooftop concert, but one thing is for sure. Jefferson Airplane played their own rooftop gig on December 7, 1968, and Jean-Luc Godard filmed it. Once again, the police pay a friendly visit. Watch it here.
On a cold day in January 1969, The Beatles, who hadn’t played live since 1966, took to the rooftop of the headquarters of Apple Records, located at 3 Savile Row, in central London.
And there they played an impromptu last gig, much to the delight of Londoners on nearby rooftops … and to the chagrin of the police.
At the time, The Beatles were recording their album, Let It Be, and the rooftop show let them run through various tracks from that last effort.
Songs played during the set include “Get Back,” where the Beatles were accompanied by Billy Preston on the keyboards, and “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909,” and “Danny Boy.”
And finally “Dig A Pony” and another version of “Get Back.” You can listen to the complete audio recording of the concert here - 62 minutes in total.
Famously, The Beatles’ live legacy ends with the police shutting down the show (it was a noise violation, you know?) and John Lennon uttering the immortal words, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.” That’s going out in style …
Footnote: It’s not clear which band played the first rooftop concert, but one thing is for sure. Jefferson Airplane played their own rooftop gig on December 7, 1968, and Jean-Luc Godard filmed it. Once again, the police pay a friendly visit. Watch it here.
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