by Ryan

We've all seen the cheezy music on the endcaps at the local Walmart.  Supposedly those CDs will calm you and, (more than likely), bore you into bliss. I can't get behind listening to those discs, even for their theraputic properties.  However after a bit of research, I've discovered that you won't have to listen to Yanni to activate the healing properties of music. There has been a general awarness of music's healing power since the time of Plato and Aristotle.  Music is an integral part of people's lives all over the world and is a universal language that has inherent abilities to stimulate the mind, body and emotions.  

During both World Wars, doctors and nurses used the beneficial properties of music on patients suffering physical and emotional traumas.  This led to the modern incarnation of the music therapy field.  Music therapy, according to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), is a well-established health profession similar to occupational therapy and physical therapy that uses music to address physical, psycological, cognitive, behavioral and social functioning. 

"Music therapy is used to bring about changes within an individual and bring about personal growth," said Dr Dellasega, professor of music therapy and coordinater of the Music Degree Program at Slippery Rock University.  She said music therapists work in a variety of settings, including physical rehabilitation centers, psychiatric facilities, prisons, nursing homes, school systems for special-needs students, and general hospitals.  Music therapy has been effectively used by professionals to treat people with myriad health problems ranging from physical disabilities, mental health disorders, chronic pain, cancer, substance abuse problems, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, brain injuries, and learning disablitlies. 

The hope with integrated medicine is that the least invasive medical practices will be tried first. Since music therapy and other alternative therapies are non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical, they are very safe treatments for patients because no surgery is performed and no drugs are administered, which eliminates the possibility of negative side effects from drugs, Dellasega said.  Almost all Music therapists emphasize that music therapy is not just a passive listening technique, and works more effectively when using hands-on forms, such as making music, singing and composing.  The positive therapeutic attributes of music lie in the emotional and neurological aspects people have with music.  The associations we form with songs and music stay with us throughout life, and that plugs into the emotional responses we have.  The sounds, vibrations, and rhythms of music create a whole-brain and even a whole-body experience that is effective in treating neuralgic disorders as well as physical disorders.  Adding music helps stimulate the brain to be more active in sending electrical messages to the muscles and limbs in people with brain injuries and developmental disorders.  The physiological properties of music like sound, vibrations and rhythm activate the body, mind, and emotions.  Everybody has self-medicated with music at some time. 

by Streeter

Concerts are great: the music, the people, the kids at home, wondering where mommy and daddy are.  Yes, we all love a good concert but there are a few things that can really destroy the experience.  Here, in order of least-annoying to most-give-me-my-money-back, are 10 real quick ways to ruin a good concert.

10. Temperature

Much like I enjoy the idea of communism - that everybody has an equal amount and nobody is more important than the next man - but would hate seeing it come to fruition, so goes my thoughts for the idea of a sweaty pit of writhing bodies.  When I think about being at a crowded, hot, humid concert I like to imagine myself lost in the music, my fellow revelers and I giving ourselves over to the power of dance and moving as one being to the beat.  Of course, when I actually am at hot, humid, crowded shows I hate it.  It may look good in an ad for vodka or as a pictorial in Rolling Stone but the reality of being packed into a dancehall like cattle with a few thousand other sweaty, stinking music fans is a little too much for me to handle.  In those situations, no matter what the band or how much I like them, I have to make my way to the back of the venue, find a water and curse myself for being so fat and sweaty that I can't even enjoy the show.

9. Crappy Bathrooms

Now, literally speaking every bathroom is crappy (PUN INTENDED!) but I think certain concert toilets go above and beyond disgusting.  The fact that music brings out our primal nature to dance also apparently brings out some people's primal nature when it comes to relieving themselves.  Choosing a stall or port-o-potty at a concert is like playing Russian Roulette; at least one of the options is going to have a nice, fat turn laying on top of the seat or be flooded with pee from an overflowing pot.  I don't mean to be disgusting here, but it's hard to enjoy a show when you have to wade through a sewer just to take a leak.  And aside from the general filthiness of concert bathrooms, the simple lack of bathrooms is another frequent problem at most venues.  As a dude I am not accustomed to waiting on line to use a toilet, so the prospecty of missing a three or four full songs all while waiting to pee is enough to make me consider peeing my pants and pretending it's spilled beer.

8. Bad Weather

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Hey, who cares what the weather is if the show is inside?"  Wrong.  While bad weather can ruin an outdoor show (or make it amazing. See: Woodstock '69 (not '99)), it can do even more damage to an indoor show.  Why?  The baggage.  If it's freezing or raining or snowing or any other kind of weather that makes you leave home with more than jeans and a t-shirt, you'll be lugging around some form of protective clothing the entire show.  Have you ever tried to dance while holding a North Face Puffy Jacket?  It's not as easy as rappers make it look.  Where do I put my umbrella?  Can I really wear this winter hat the whole show without getting heat stroke?  Is there really not a place here to put my snowshoes? Sure, you could check your baggage at some shows but then you'll be enjoying an hour-long retrieval process at the end of the show while people outside snag every last cab in the city.

7. Volume

This is going to make me sound old but I swear to God I was like this as a teenager, too.  We all love a thumping sound system when checking out band; that bass drum the kicks you in the gut, that guitar solo that cuts through the air like a sonic razor.  But there is a certain volume - perhaps the mythical "11" - at which music is no longer enjoyable.  Each crack of the snare is like a mini-migraine ripping through your eardrums and each off-key note bounces back and forth in your head like a tuning fork struck with a sledge hammer.  If you fancy yourself a true metal head who can handle any volume, i dare you to stand in front of the monitors at a show, leave the show and then tell me if it was worth it.  Concerts should be loud, but bleeding ears and two days of screaming everything you say isn't the kind of loud most of us are looking for.  Instead, how about a half hour of ringing ears and just some light spotting of blood?

6. Expensive Drinks

Ticket prices just keep rising as bands make less and less money from CDs and a lot of us will undertake a little travel to see a band we like.  So already you're probably a few bucks in the hole when you're headed to see a band.  The last thing you need is to part with an additional $10 every time you want a lukewarm, flat Bud Light.  Nothing about going to show is going to be ideal, granted, but venues should be able to clear enough profit from the door without having to jack up the price of garbage beer, too.  Come on, Mr. Owner Man, I NEED this beer.  It's the only way to get me to dance...

5. Seats (or No Seats)

I'll keep this short and sweet, but doesn't it always seems like the bands you want to be standing for play in venues with assigned seats and the bands you want to sit down for play standing room only shows?

4. Aggressive Security

Law and order must be maintained at shows for the safety of the crowd and the safety of the band.  That's a given.  But I find that venue security guards often get it in their head that society has crumbled and they have been elected leader of a mighty non-governmental military.  They push, threaten to evict you and order you to sit down.  Much like a high school security guard or a small town cop, they are high on power and with few actual crimes to deal with, forced to exert that power on the innocent.  I recall one show - a Billy Joel, Elton John double-header - where one security guard made three separate visits to my seat to "yell" at me for various things: standing up, putting my beer on the floor and standing near, not in, an aisle.  Having your groove interrupted every few minutes by an aggressive security guard is bad enough, but it's even worse when you paid Billy Joel/Elton John prices for the privileged.

3. A Bad PA System

I feel like I don't even need to write about this one.  Besides the general ambiance of a show, the music is what you came to hear and a show can be ruined quick when that music can't actually be heard.  This is mostly a problem with small clubs or bands that cannot yet afford expensive sound systems.  Microphones cut out mid-lyric, speakers hiss and pop and feedback is so prevalent it might as well be it's own song.  Plus, a bad PA often requires constant patches during the show so everyone is the crowd is treated to the wonderful sight of a sound tech's ass crack as he tries to figure out why the guitar is coming out of the bass amp and why the mic is only playing back in the monitors.

2. Annoying (Probably Drunk) Fans

It is your God-given right to get a little tipsy when you go to a show.  That is half the fun and what makes concerts special treats as opposed to run-of-the-mill activities.  But man, some people just can't handle it.  And when you find yourself seated near these people it takes every ounce of will power in your soul not to scream, yell, punch and kick them as they ruin song after song.  Some common practices of these fans are the "scream-along," where they scream every lyric to every song completely off key and directly into your ear; the "Pinball Dance," where their dancing style is reminiscent of a pinball bouncing around between bumpers (hint: you're the bumper); and the "fight you if you say anything," where they challenge you to a fight if you even politely ask them to puke in the other direction.  When you see a fist fight at a Dave Matthews show, it is this fan who is responsible.  When you see a mound of puke on your seat, it is this fan who hocked it up.  And when you find yourself sitting in county jail it is because this fan grabbed your girlfriend's ass and you just had to hit him.

And the number one most annoying thing when you go to see a band is...

1. A Bad Opener

One time I had to sit through an hour and a half of Vertical Horizon. It was so bad I don't even remember who the headliner was. I feel like that should be enough here, but let's probe a little deeper.  Whether it's a local band who won a radio contest or a name act with only one hit to their name, suffering through a bad opening act is like purgatory; you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, you just don't know how long that tunnel is.  Openers can play anywhere from twenty minutes to a few hours, so if you catch a bad one just pray the headliner is eager to take the stage.  Bad openers implore you to clap to the beat, to sing along to their songs you don't know and to please, please not use the bathroom during their set.  And, the true mark of a bad opener, they will always - always - instruct you to go buy their CD at the merch table.

by Streeter

Hey Indaba, happy Monday.  Welcome to our weekly shop talking session.  Now, I must admit I've been using this post selfishly from time to time to get recommendations for various instruments and equipment.  This time, however, I promise it will be my last.  I recently made a drunken and, perhaps foolish, choice to trade my acoustic guitar - a very crappy Indiana, whatever that company is - for a swivel TV stand.  It seemed like the right move at the time and don't get me wrong, I love my swiveling TV, but now I miss my acoustic guitar.  I want to get a new one but I'm also not a fantastic guitar player meaning A) I don't need a fantastic guitar and B) I don't deserve a fantastic guitar.  So, here is what I'm asking of you today: Could you guys suggest a decent acoustic guitar for somewhere between $200 and $500?  I like steel strings and fretboards that you can glide over.  So, what say you, Indaba?  Can you help a wanna-be musician out just one more time?

Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Hey Indaba.  Normally on Monday I post a Monday showdown but this week is special so I am skipping it.  Instead I want to tell you about my weekend.  Why?  Because I was hosting the comedy tent at All Points West, a big 3-day music festival in Jersey City.  I say "two cities" in our title because the festival may have technically taken place in Jersey City but the backdrop to the whole thing is the beautiful Manhattan skyline. 

I had never truly attended a music festival before.  I have been to big concerts but they would only last a day and most were put on by local radio stations.  This was different.  There were about 50 bands playing with Coldplay, Tool and Jay-Z headlining so this was rather large.  On the first day myself and the rest of the comedy crew were ferried over from Manhattan and marched across a field to the comedy tent.  And when I say comedy tent what I really mean is comedy airplane hanger.  This thing was enormous.  I am used to preforming on small stages for 300 people.  This was a massive stage with two huge video screens and the "room" could hold a few thousand.  Nervously, my co-worker and I prepared.

At 1:30 on Friday the curtain went up and we were on.  I had no idea what to expect.  I figured there would be one or two people in the crowd who knew me and would laugh out of obligation but I couldn't pick them out.  I mostly just wanted to do my time and bring up the first headliner (a young comedy singer/songwriter, Bo Burnham).  To my great surprise the crowd was receptive and laughing, if a little small.  We started with 75 people maybe and had close to 100 when we were done.  No heckles, no mud thrown at me, none of the things I had been expecting when I signed up for this gig a few months ago.  All in all, the first day went well.  But as soon as the comedy tent ended at 4:30 and the big bands started to take the stage God decided he had had enough of the muggy, humid weather hanging over the festival and it began to rain.  This would become more important as the festival went on. 

Day two turned out to be bright and sunny, a perfect day to enjoy some bands outside.  However, Fridays rain had turned the festival grounds into a huge mud puddle.  Discarded pants and sandals littered the walk to the grounds and god help you if you stepped in tire treads (a girl we were with went in up to her knee).  My part of day two went very well and ended with Tim and Eric (of Adult Swim) packing the comedy tent to capacity for one of the weirdest acts I've ever seen.  Since it was a nice day I decided to check out some more of the festival.  I caught a few bands and tried in vain to find this secret "Artist's Village" where we had heard they had free food and alcohol.  For the life of me I could not find it and ended up eating a disgusting philly cheese steak for dinner that sat like a cannon ball in my stomach.  I think the festival was handled very well and nothing immediately jumps out as terrible except the food.  Perhaps it was just the places I was eating at but good lord, get a few decent venders in there next year. 

By Sunday, the last day, things had gotten fairly disgusting and the weather had turned terrible.  The gates weren't opened until many hours after they were supposed to and thousands of people were kept standing in the rain, waiting to get in.  When they finally did open the gates we were so behind schedule that we did a real quick comedy show - watching huge comedians do ten minute sets is almost depressing - and then were cut loose.  And that's when we found it.  The Artist's Village.  It was real and it lived behind the main stage and, furthermore, it was amazing.  Free drinks from Grey Goose (they even named one after me: The Streeter - a vodka tonic with a splash of cranberry), free food from actual chefs (I ate three servings of crab linguine) and air conditioned tents where they had, no joke, live 3-D TVs.  It was a trip.  All the bands had their trailers back there and Coldplay, Sunday's headliner, had an entire village to themselves.  It was a trip and I'm sure I will never find myself in a place like that again, where anything I want is free and people treat me as if I am better than normal people.  Amazing.

Anyway, that was my time at All Points West.  I didn't get to see as many bands as i would have wanted (mostly because I was working for 4 hours each day) but I had a great time.  The crowd was actually very receptive to comedy which was a surprise and hopefully we'll be back next year. And who knows, maybe you'll come by next year and, if you do, I promise to sneak you into the Artist's Village where you can have all the crab linguine you want. 

Unless you're a mega-loser you have an iPhone by now.  I kid, of course, but many, many people do so I thought I'd round up a few of my favorite iPhone music apps and share them here. 

BeBot - This isanely fun little app features a cartoon robot who will "sing" robot noises depending on where you drag your finger.  You can adjust everything so there are endless combinations of sound to discover.  It's even useful for musicians, according to Morgan Z. of Apes and Androids, who introduced me to BeBot as an alternative to fiddling with keyboards and synths for quick robot-y sounds. 

Beatmaker - Tap on stuff?  Annoy your friends and family?  Why don't you buy Beatmaker, an insanely intense (you guessed it!) beat-making iPhone app.  It's on the pricey side (almost $20 for the app) but if you feel the need for a mobile drum machine, it seems to be unbeatable (pun intended). 

Midomi - This one impresses me to the upteenth degree.  It's essentially a shortcut to the iTunes store, but that's not really the fun part.  The fun part is a feature built into the program.  If you ever get a song stuck in your head, open up Midomi, hum the tune and chances are, Midomi will tell you what it is.  Or, if you're listening to a song and want to buy it, hold your iPhone up to the speakers and it will identify it.  Amazing. 

Chordmaster - For any guitar guys out there, this one is invaluable.  It's very simply a massive database of guitar chords - all of them - and gives you the option to hear the chord, see the chord, hear each note of the chord and strum the chord, all on your phone. 

More Cowbell - Stupid?  Yes.  Fun?  Hopefully.  the More Cowbell app borrows its name from the famous SNL skit featuring Will Ferrel as an overly excited cowbell player.  Now you can pay a dollar and compete with "cowbellers" across the Internet thanks to More Cowbell.  This is in here for fun, and that's exactly what it's meant to be.  If you're a serious music guy, don't buy this (there is only one cowbell option, for instance), but if you want a vaguely music-related app that can annoy friends then sir, I think I've found what you're looking for.

Got any suggestions of your own?  Leave them in the comments. 

NOTE: I AM NOT ENDORSING DRUG USE HERE.

OK, glad we got that out of the way.  It being 4/20 and 4/20 being the traditional day for college kids to go get stoned on their quads, I thought I'd post something drug-related today.  Drugs and modern music have a pretty tight relationship.  not only have numerous songs been penned about them (Snoop Dogg has probably recorded at least an album's worth alone) but they often serve as a conduit for many musicians.  Drugs that kill you have had a horrible effect on the music world and a quick stroll through the 60's can confirm that.  In a fairly short time, drugs took away Jim Morrison (probably), Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix among others (collectively, they're known as the Forever 27 Club).  However, 4/20 isn't a day that traditionally celebrates the kind of drugs that kill people, it celebrates marijuana which, as far as I can tell, hasn't killed anyone.

So instead of a Monday Showdown this week, I want to ask a straight forward question to the Indaba community: Has marijuana been good or bad for music over the years?  On the plus side, The Beatles only got really good after they started smoking it.  On the minus side, they also let Ringo record Yellow Submarine.  In all seriousness, it's a question that deserves some debate so weigh in below. 

I was a massive Smashing Pumpkins fan as a kid.  Indaba co-founder, Dan, can back up that claim.  However, in the last ten years or so the band has splintered and, just recently, was reduced to only singer/songwriter, Billy Corgan.  I haven't actively listened to the Pumpkins in many, many years but I try to keep up with band developments.  Anyway, I was doing my daily read-about-music-online ritual when I came across Billy Corgan's manifesto of sorts for the Pumpkins.  I find it fascinating and not just because he fronted one of my favorite bands, but because so rarely are we the fans allowed to see the inner machinations of someone who, let's face it, is clawing his way back to the top.  Watching Corgan's progress is kind of a case study for being a famous musician and I think if your goal is to be in a big band, you'd be wise to follow his progress.  He's been to the top and the bottom and, maybe, back again.  Anyway, here is a little bit of the "manifesto," and you can read the rest by clicking the link at the bottom. 

I'm going to step right into the heat of the matter now and address the infamous 'why?' question. The why being 'why' I have chosen to continue on under the Smashing Pumpkins banner considering I am the only remaining original member? The simple answer is that when I decided to write and record again under the name The Smashing Pumpkins in 2005, I committed myself 100 pct. 100pct of my mind-body-soul to come back and make the band really be great again, and I feel in tune to SP in a way I haven't felt in tune probably since 1995 or 1996. As they say in No Limit Poker, I'm 'all in'. I'm not going to back out of the challenge in front of me now. I'm absolutely exhilarated by what I see and feel the future to be for SP. There is a difference in how I think and approach a body of work for the Pumpkins then say I would as a solo artist or under any other name. Being the near lone songwriter for the Pumpkins has always made me want to put all the diverse harmonic fragments in my mind together, and it has been an incredible musical journey so far to keep trying to match up to the size of that idea. I truly am not focused on where I've been now as much as where I am going, and I haven't felt that way for a very long time.

Read The Rest

You know when you break up with someone and you want to make them hurt?  So you think about little passive aggressive things to do to them because you're not a bad guy or girl, you just want them to feel a little pain.  So you make little comments about your ex or maybe you write something about him or her on Facebook?  Well, the good news is you're not a bad person for doing it and the better news is that famous musicians aren't above petty little mudslinging as well.  RollingStone.com has compiled a list of the top ten passive aggressive slights famous musicians have carried out over the years.  You see, the stars really are just like us!

Trent Reznor’s April Fool’s prank yesterday was essentially just another swipe at Chris Cornell, whose new album Scream is clearly not a NIN favorite. The hoax was amusing, but a pretty indirect way of getting his message across (why not just call up Cornell and read him your album review, Trent?). It also made us think back to some of rock’s other moments of passive-aggressive behavior. Here’s a top 10:

Billy Corgan’s “Drummer Wanted” Ad: No personal statement about the departure of longtime collaborator Jimmy Chamberlin — just a note distributed by Smashing Pumpkins’ publicist announcing an open call for drummers.

Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” Video: Rather than reveal how Britney broke his heart the traditional way, JT cast a Spears lookalike in the clip for his cheating song. “You don’t have to say what you did …” — now you don’t!

Trent Reznor’s First Scream Slam: The Nine Inch Nails leader let Chris Cornell — and the rest of the Internet-using world — know how much he despises the Timbaland-produced album by Twittering, “You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell’s record? Jesus.”

Read the rest at RollingStone.com

That got me thinking: what's the meanest thing you've ever done to a bandmate?  I was never a total d-bag to the guys I was in bands with (Indaba co-founder, Dan, can back me up there), but I wasn't a saint either.  I'll tell you a tale if you tell me one?  Deal?  Deal.

For about two years I was the drummer for a terrible, terrible band.  I liked three of the guys in the band and they were good musicians, but it was fronted by a very annoying, holier-than-thou hippie kid who only wrote songs in minor keys.  I've always been a fan of pop music and general feel-good tunes, so right away the songs we were doing weren't up my alley.  But whatever, I was playing gigs and having fun, as any 16 year-old should be doing.  Now, the singer wasn't the only problem with the band; the singer's dad was always hovering.  It was like he fancied himself the band's manager/creative director, and I couldn't stand it.  At least the singer could write songs, the dad was worthless, musically-speaking, and hyper critical.

We played a bunch of shows to modest crowds and, over time, I started to push my agenda on the band.  When we were making a horrible CD full of depressing songs, I argued with the singer and challenged him to write a song in a major key.  He could not, so I did.  We recorded this little ditty and put it on the CD, much to the dad's chagrin.  From there, I would always play/sing that song at our shows and the crowd would always like it because A) I was animated and didn't just stand there with hair in my eyes and B) the song wasn't about darkness, poetry, love lost, etc.  It was happy. 

Things came to a head one night when I got up to do the song with a buddy of mine.  It was Halloween I recall, so I was wearing something ridiculous.  The crowd was happy because, again, it was Halloween and people like to have fun on Halloween.  We did the song and people liked it but I didn't want to let the crowd go back to being bummed so we decided to improvise another fun song on stage.  We started playing some chords, the rest of the guys started playing along, and my buddy and I started spitting out fun, filthy lyrics.  Well, this was just about enough for band Dad, who pulled the plug on the PA in the middle of our little jam session.  He was afraid we'd hurt the band's "image," if I remember correctly.  Wouldn't want to tarnish the "image" of a horrible band, after all. 

Anyway, that was basically it for me and this band.  There was an argument between band dad and I (in front of his son, embarrassingly) and my buddy joined the fray as well.  The other dudes in the band were not pleased with this "image" insurance band dad was selling, and they stopped playing together shortly after that.  So, the meanest thing I've ever done to a bandmate would have to be trashing on his music and making fun of his appearance/attitude in front of his dad.  Or it could be writing the story down to share with all of you. 

Now you go!  Leave your bad bandmate stories in the comments or post them on your own blog. 

The Beatles were not known for their intricate drumming compositions, but that doesn't mean they didn't occasionally do something interesting.  Ringo gets a bad rap as being the least talented member of The Beatles and while that may true, he occasionally had a fun idea.  I also think he was a solid drummer, another thing a lot of people tend to doubt.  The best example I can think of is the bell work on "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey."  Here it is in case you've never heard it before. 

Someone let Ringo run wild on that bell.  However, while letting a drummer go crazy often kills a song, the bell really works for this one.  Perhaps it was George Martin's skillful producing that we can thank but I'm inclined to give it to Ringo since he's not getting much credit for anything else. 

Another interesting drum track I found was from St. Pepper on the tune "Good Morning."  I can't confirm it since I wasn't in the studio when they recorded it, but it sounds like Ringo may be employing some double bass action.  Though not the first to use it (Louie Belson invented the double bass back in the 40's), Ringo does a passable job.  Have a listen. 

Finally, the most telling evidence of Ringo's hidden talent for being a good drummer is found in "When I'm Sixty-Four," where he does a perfect brush-on-snare swing pattern, complete with little fills.  It really adds the right tone to the song which very hard for a lot of drummers to do. 

Ringo's value as a drummer seems to come not from his solo ability (listen to "The End" and you'll hear what I mean) but in his ability to play the right part for the song.  Does that make him the best drummer in the world?  No, certainly not.  But it does make him the best drummer for the best band in the world. 

Recently I've been reading voraciously about The Beatles and watching the Beatles Anthology religiously.  I don't know what fascinates me so much about them but it has something to do with the level of fame they achieved at such a young age.  I've read a number of books, the best two being the new biography of John Lennon, called "John Lennon," and an insider story of the band called "The Love You Make."  In my readings I uncovered a number of interesting, funny, surprising facts about the band that came to be known as the best and most famous in the world.

1. Paul McCartney apparently had an illegitimate child.  In their younger years The Beatles played and toured around England to throngs of adoring fans.  Like any group of 20-something boys they made quick work of their female fans and none more so than Paul.  After they became famous a woman came forward claiming to have mothered a child with McCartney.  The issue was settled with a cash payment to keep the woman quiet.  Paternity tests later proved McCartney to not be the father but there is still speculation that he may have fathered a number of other children over the years.

2. The Beatles loved speed.  When the boys were playing in Hamburg in strip clubs, they would have to play all night long.  Hours and hours of stage time can wear people down, even if they're barely out of their teens.  Playing six nights a week with the schedule proved too much for The Beatles but luckily the bathroom attendant had just the solution: speed.  Since the pills were prescribed by doctors (though not to them) they never saw a problem with taking them.  All through their touring years - which ended in 1966 - The Beatles were cranked up on speed.

3. They left the Maharishi's ashram after they discovered him to be a secret pervert.  The Maharishi, the Indian guru who held sway over The Beatles for a time, invited the foursome out to his secluded retreat in India to do some serious meditation.  Some hung around longer than others - Ringo, for instance, took off after two weeks thanks to a sensitive stomach - but John and George stayed on for a few months.  However, what eventually led them to leave the influence of the guru was when they discovered he would invite his attractive female students to his home in the evenings and try to seduce them.

4. Brian Epstein was in trouble with the law a number of times.  Brian Epstein, the man who pretty much oversaw The Beatles' rise to prominence, was a secret homosexual (though not really that secret).  In Liverpool, a blue collar city, in the 1960's being a homosexual (and a Jew to boot) was not something socially acceptable.  Since the gay revolution was many years off and since, no matter the law, people need sex, Epstein was in the habit of soliciting men in public restrooms.  He had done so once in London and been arrested.  His family's lawyer settled things quietly.  Later, he solicited a man in Liverpool and was viciously beat up and robbed.  Later, upon realizing who he was, the man who had robbed him attempted to blackmail Epstein.  Again, Epstein went to the family lawyer who arranged a sting with the police and arrested the man.  Epstein testified at the man's trial as Mr. X.

5. John Lennon had one woman he could never sleep with: his mother.  John Lennon had a turbulent childhood.  His mother was not reliable and his father had been forced out of his life so he was essentially raised by a strict aunt named Mimi.  However, as he grew older his mother became much a like a friend to him.  She taught him how to play banjo and guitar and always encouraged his musical aspirations.  One night in his teens he was lying in bed with his mom and rested a hand on her breast.  That was as far as it went, but years later he would tell a number of people that he wished he had tried to sleep with her.  She was killed by a car shortly after.  Everyone knows John had a bit of an emotional swing to him, but that sheds a bit more lights on just what a conflicted, tortured genius he was.