Octopus’ Garden, the Beatles fanzine. With the digital age, many Beatles fanzines have bitten the dust. NOT THIS ONE! Over 30 years in operation
This is a great Beatles fanzine based in Massachusetts run by Tom Aguiar, a member of this blog. The magazine/ fanzine is entitled “OCTOPUS’ GARDEN.”
What you see here is an older issue of the magazine followed by 4 special magazines to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Fabs. I love this magazine and you will too. Contact information is provided on the last graphic. Tom has been very active in helping to increase the number of subscribing members to this blog. Thanks, Tom for helping promote the blog and having such a great magazine/fanzine!!!
To subscribe to Octopus’ Garden: Send information and funds to Octopus’ Garden, P.O. Box 3683, Peabody, MA 01961-3683, USA. Octopus’ Garden’s e-mail address is Beatles94@excite.com or Facebook at Octopus’ Garden Fanzine.
Do you subscribe to a Fanzine? Which One? Have you come across Octopus’ Garden before? If not, you should subscribe! Let me know in the comments below.
Some of my favorite Beatle-related magazines from 1967 and 1968
1967 and 1968 were a couple of both magical and surreal years as is reflected in a few magazines from that era!
Society was facing the dichotomy of the summer of love mentality clashing with thoughts of revolution and civil disobedience.
Though the primary focus of this blog has been books up to this point, thought it would be a nice break to deal with a few interesting Beatles magazines from the 67-68 era:
1967 Beatwave Magazine Issue #2 Features a Paul McCartney Self Portrait on the Cover Radio Caroline Pirate Radio Station Feature with Tony Blackburn
The Beatles Radio Caroline Pirate Radio Station-notice the dedication to Free Radio listeners everywhere
Paul’s Self Portrait was painted for the magazine. This was also the year when Paul admitted to the press that he had taken LSD.
Paul’s Portrait on the cover
A fantastic cover photo by the late Henry Grossman. This photo shot only appeared on the cover in the Asian geographical regions of the world. It also appeared in Australia and New Zealand.
The Cover Photo Was only in the Asian Edition
‘TeenSet’ 1968 Feb. 1968 magazine w/ Lennon & Hendrix poster -notice the fascination with the multi-colored depictions of a Beatle on the cover. Noticing the date on the magazine, that is the month that the Beatles recorded “Across the Universe.”
Teenset Magazine
An excerpt from the magazine
The Story Behind Magical Mystery Tour
John and Magical Mystery Tour
Part of the double-sided poster with John Lennon on one side and Jimi Hendrix on the other.
Poster of John
As the protests of the war in Vietnam were increasing so was the youth culture’s resistance to the establishment and anti-war protests began to increase. This issue featured the colorful Richard Avedon portraits of the Beatles. There was also a black and white Beatles poster included as an insert to this issue of the magazine. As the political events of the political convention in November were unfolding, the Beatles released their song of “Revolution.”
As depicted in another post on this blog, even though Look Magazine used the Lennon Avedon photo as the cover, the only country that used all four of the Avedon color psychedelic photos of the Beatles as primary cover shots was Spain which featured an issue of Rolling Stone Magazine where each Beatle’s Avedon photo was the cover of the magazine. Of course the Spanish Rolling Stone portrayals in Rolling Stone was in the new century after much time had passed.
Look Magazine
1968 featured the colorful fantasy film titled “Yellow Submarine.”
There were two issues of this Yellow Submarine magazine. This one is the 48-page issue.
The Official Beatles Yellow Submarine Magazine
This is the 64 page issue of the magazine
The Official Beatles Yellow Submarine Magazine
The 60’s were to end a couple of years later and ironically, so did the Beatles!
How many original 60s magazines have you got? Do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
This third chapter in a successful new series of photographic publications “The Illustrated History”, retraces the myth of the Liverpool quartet in the international printed paper weekly. 1963 was a Golden year for the Fab Four!!!
Rare newspapers, promotional posters, charts, rare covers relating to record publications, charts, and other international press finds. Much of the material from the authors’ personal collections is unpublished or rarely seen before testifying a collecting interest which, after more than 50 years, has not shown signs of decreasing, indeed…Available in a limited edition of 50 hand-numbered copies: Enjoy the previews and contact ALEX to get a copy! To contact Alex Franchi for book inquiries, here is his email address: Soundlover30@hotmail.com
Here are a few sample pages for the book:
The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963The Beatles 1963I Want To Hold Your Hand
A BEATLES BOOK WITH A DIFFERENT COVER THAT HAS BEEN ELUSIVE TO ME
I love to be able to track down books concerning the Beatles that are very difficult to find. I am asking your help to assist me in finding a book that I am looking for in my collection. It is a Beatles book that was issued with 2 alternate covers. I have the more common cover, but I am looking for a copy of the cover that was withdrawn when the book was first issued.
The book was compiled by musician, Dean Johnson and he has very interesting tale to tell about George Harrison. Beatles biographer, Hunter Davies, had some unreleased George Harrison lyrics in his possession and apparently, he asked Dean to write the music to complete the song. Dean performed the song on the BBC and was planning to release it but apparently, the Harrison estate put a stop to the release. The song was titled “Silence Is Its Own Reply.” Here is a UK story about the song, played once on the Spencer Leigh radio program.
I have heard the song and I wish more people had been able to hear it in order to register or to gauge their opinions.
Musician Dean Johnson had also released a book about fan encounters with the Beatles and though it is a small book it is very entertaining. Asking for your help or assistance in being able to find a copy of the book with the picture on the cover just below. The book was issued with two alternate covers. The book with the black and white cover photos is more difficult to find than the one I have in my possession.
However, I do know the cover exists as I know a couple of individuals who have a copy of the rare first cover of the book.
This is a picture of the cover that I am looking for in my collection. I hope you know someone who has a copy and is willing to let me purchase it. Published in 2013 by Countyvise Ltd
The Beatles and Me by Dean Johnson
This is the cover that I already have and this is the more common release with the color photographs:
The Beatles and Me
Can you help me? Let me know in the comments below please.
News from Helen Marketti who has conducted numerous Beatles-related interviews over the years. This new book features interviews with such personalities as Pete Best, Denny Laine, Peter Asher, Pattie Boyd, Jenny Boyd, May Pang, Julian Lennon, Nancy Lee Andrews, Angie McCartney, Chris O’Dell, and Brian Ray!
Her book, The Long and Winding Phone, will be officially available starting Feb. 9, 2024
Blue Jade Press, 2024
ISBN number: 978-1-961043-01-5
It is registered through the Library of Congress.
Cost will be $20. There will be a shipping and handling charge depending where it will be sent within the US will be $5.00 extra for S and H…via media mail
This Geoffrey Stokes authored Beatles book belonged to American poet David Louis Posner. When he passed away, the book went into an estate sale where it was purchased by the person that I eventually bought it from. The special thing about this Beatles title is that the front and back cover was designed by none other than artist, Andy Warhol. The special element of the book for me is that Warhol signed the book. There are many connections to John and Yoko that Warhol had. Yoko was friends with Warhol and John interacted with Andy quite a lot when he first moved to NY. When John died, Yoko maintained a friendship with him and Andy even bought Sean Lennon, one of his first computers as a birthday present. Several rare interviews with John Lennon also appeared in Andy’s Interview magazine
Here is a biography of the poet that once owned the book
David Louis Posner-source-From the guide to the David Louis Posner papers, 1923–1957, (University of Delaware Library – Special Collections
American poet David Louis Posner was born August 6, 1921 in New York to Nell and Louis S. Posner. Although his father was born in Britain, he worked as a lawyer on Wall Street and later became Commissioner of Education for New York City. In 1945, Posner received his B.A. from Kenyon College where he majored in French and in 1947 he received his M.A. in English Literature from Harvard. After studying at the Sorbonne, he worked for two years with Radio Diffusion Française interviewing famous personalities.
During this time, he travelled extensively in Europe and pursued an interest in archeology. He accompanied an expedition searching for a Phoenician city in Libya and another working at the Palace of Minos in Crete. In 1953, Posner returned to formal academic pursuits and studied modern languages at Wadham College, Oxford. Posner’s poem, “The Deserted Altar,” won the Newdigate Prize for English Verse in 1956. From 1957-1969, Posner was an English instructor and Assistant Curator of Poetry at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He became an assistant professor of English at the University of California and remained there until 1973.
He published seven books of poetry, including The Deserted Altar (1957), A Rake’s Progress: A poem in five sections (1967), Visit to the East (1971) and Geographies (1979). Posner was also a life-long collector of first editions of literature until his death in 1985.
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2004. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2004. Additional information acquired from materials in collection.
From the guide to the David Louis Posner papers, 1923–1957, (University of Delaware Library – Special Collections)
The Beatles with cover by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol’s Autograph
The Beatles with cover by Andy Warhol
Recently, I was able to acquire Warhol’s June 1972 interview with John and Yoko in Warhol’s Interview Magazine.
Andy Warhol’s Interview with John Lennon
Also was able to acquire a rare John Lennon interview from 1974 from Warhol’s Interview Magazine, with Bette Midler on the cover, where John interviews himself in typical Lennon whimsical fashion!
A brief excerpt to give you the flavor of the self-interview
INTERVIEW/ INTERVIEW WITH BY/ ON JOHN LENNON AND/ OR DR. WINSTON O’BOOGIE By John Lennon, Interview, Nov 1974
Q. Well, er, John it’s been a long time no speak….
…
A. Has it been that long?
Q. Probably, anyway, what have you been doing since we last talked?
A. Oh, the usual…….
Q. I see, well, weren’t you supposed to be making an oldies album with Phil (for is it he) Spector?
A. Yes, we started in ’73, but it never ended, even Alex beeinhisbonnet Bennett noticed that.
Q. Then suddenly, as it were, you were working with that great radio star, Harry (Buckminster) Nilsson.
A. Quite right! I produced his album, “Pussycats” out now, at a reasonable discount, then went on to make my own reasonably wonderful album, “Walls And Bridges” out now, which includes the fast rising single, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” featuring my close friend and fiancee, Elton John, on piano and vocal harmony.
Q. Do you feel that you new album, “Walls And Bridges” is a step forward in your never ending search for artistic fulfillment, the struggle of the lonely……..
A. I went to party in L.A., just to look at Liz Taylor, was I thrilled to meet her, and on top of everything, who, but who, do you think was all over her armpit? None other than the great, great show, David The Bowie! Wow! Was I thrilled to see that they were both smaller than me!
Q. The track I liked best was that miserable one about “Nobody loves you when…….”
Magazine with Andy Warhol’s Interview with John Lennon
Rolling Stone did a piece about Sean’s tribute song for Andy Warhol
