The Living Rockumentary

I got this email from Jason of the Bourgeois Heroes regarding that strange Beatles review:

"Dear Henning Harrison,

I'd like to comment on a recent Rockumentary post where a reviewer claimed "1,000 Times" is a Beatles' copy. Let's backtrack shall we?

The first time I saw School For the Dead, each member of the band was wearing a matching black suit with Beatle boots on. After hearing the first few chords of "1,000 Times", I could have sworn that you guys were firing up "Paperback Writer". Instantly I got it: School For the Dead is a Beatles cover band!

Moments later in a thick Liverpudlian accent, you moved on to the microphone and stated, "Thank you kindly. We're glad to back at the Cavern." After a few more songs, however, I was somewhat confused. You see, the lyrics weren't exactly as the Beatles wrote them. I then started to question the whole Beatles' cover band theory (see above).

At the height of my bewilderment, you announced that there would be a short recess. Whilst the crowd waited for more 60's music, Brian suggested that we all work on Activity Pages. Well, at first I wasn't too psyched about it because it felt like homework, but soon enough I was having fun...drawing pictures, playing tic-tac-toe with a friend, etc. After a few minutes, I began to see some sort of startling pattern within the Activity Page I was working on. There were several clues that suggested that Max as we know him died in a car crash and you all replaced him with a guy named Billy Shears.

I broke into a sweat and pondered whether or not I should notify the authorities. My hand was shaking so much and my tight grip on my pencil caused it to stap in half. I stood up as if I was making a dash...and then before I could decide on my next critical move, I was completely distracted. School For the Dead appeared before my eyes in authentic Sgt. Pepper uniforms (mustaches and all) to begin the second half of the show.

Despite the obvious Beatles rip-off, I still enjoyed the show. Rather generously, Tony offered the crowd Chain cds and I immediately snatched one up.

At home I listened to the disc over and over finding Beatle hooks and stolen riffs. Allow me to break down the Chain cd or as I like to call it "Magical Mystery Tour":
1. "Uncomfortable" = "Help!"
2. "Everybody Loves Martha" = "Martha My Dear"
3. "Omnivore"= "I am the Walrus"
4. "One Lady Dancing"= "Elanor Rigby"/"Revolution 9"

And Scene. Maybe I went on too long with that! I don't think "1,000 Times" sounds anything like the Beatles. But it's also almost unfair to compare any group to the Beatles because they sort of invented the way a pop/rock/indie/whatever song is structured. This is exactly what we were talking about the other day concerning reviewers and odd comparisons. I also don't think that this person really listened to the Beatles or maybe the reviewer's parents listened to the Beatles in the car when he or she was a kid and feels as though that merrits a grasp on the "sound".

jason mccartney"