Magic Circles: The Beatles in Dream and History

Like McKinney, I'm a second-generation Beatles fan. I never expected anyone to write an insightful, honest, thought-provoking, and well-crafted book from that perspective about what the Beatles meant in the 60s and what they mean today, but McKinney has done it. This isn't a biography or a traditional history of the band, but a searching look at the Beatles' music and its meaning. After reading it, I'll never listen to "Happiness is a Warm Gun" the same way again -- in fact, I'll never listen to any of the songs McKinney discusses in the same way. His analyses of "A Hard Day's Night," "Help," the "butcher" cover, "Revolver," the White Album, the "Paul is dead" myth, and Charles Manson's Beatles obsession are greatly illuminating and admirably succinct. McKinney can think deeply and write beautifully, and the honesty that pervades the book earned my unqualified respect. Much as he loves the Beatles, McKinney fully considers the darker sides of their actions and songs, as well as the shadow side of being a Beatles fan, in the 60s and now. The final chapter, in which McKinney talks about his own experiences as a late-born fan and grapples with the pleasures, dangers, and responsibilities of that state, is one of the very best short autobiographical pieces I have ever read. This book will make you think hard and feel strongly. It's an effort worthy of the Beatles at their best, and I'm grateful to Devin McKinney for writing it.

I was born in 1973, discovered "Beatles" in 1982--there is a vast, yawning ache in me everyday that Devin feels too. It's what drove him to write this book. The Beatles and Stones (et al) in their time stood as avatars--their time was one of purpose, all framed within a purpose-giving context. Devin takes great pains to show that the Beatles were of their context--their context created them--the "push and pull" of their fans creating them as they created their fans-- as these reservoir pups cut their teeth on the very culture they were shaping. And now back to the vast yawning ache. That dynamic has passed forever. Our country is now a circus show, a joke, and we are so sedate on technology we are o-blitherous to it. (Irony: Beatles were the most concentrated example of media influence on a mass culture of the past century) -- But at least what came to us through that technology used to MEAN something, now it's used to sell a new credit card plan. Just consider this example--we are so obviously being raped by our leaders today, so much MORESO than in the 60's, and what do you see happening about it? Are there rallies in the streets, mass movements, standard bearing screamers at the helm like the Beatles? HERE is the essence of why Devin had to write this book--the ache we feel is that we weren't there, -- I mean, we can't HELP but look back at that temerity and believe it was a far more enlightened time than NOW. There could NEVER be any phenomenon REMOTELY akin to the Beatles again, based on the complete lack of CONTEXT that would be needed to feed both need and deed. So to us it really DOES feel like a dream-- like we woke up at the very end in fact, and JUST MISSED the real, shall we say, meat of the thing. And hoo boy, what foul dust floats in the wake of that dream.

I've read dozens and dozens of books on the Beatles, and this one is certainly the best. While the second half of the book loses its way--the author does warn the reader of a new direction--and certainly the book suffers from some "cultural criticism run amok", The Beatles have never received such an intellectual love letter. Shawn H. accuses the author of writing the book only to make a name for himself, when in his own review he casually mentions that he'll be teaching a course on the Beatles, committing the very crime of which he accuses the author. Magic Circles is the most thoughtful and intelligent analysis of the Beatles and interpretation of their story I've yet to read. Hopefully this book is the first of many other similar analyses. This book correctly recognizes that the Beatles exist outside the scope of normal history and other legends; they are biblical in stature.

I take great exception with the previous review stating this book is "garbage". I also fail to notice where this book is anything short of a loving Valentine to the Beatles. If one reads the book thorougly, all four band members are rendered brightly. McKinney's insights are not only personal - they are unlike anything I've read on the Beatles. His grasp of history - especially useful for those who did not experience the 60's first hand - is wondrous and I learned countles new facts about the band. And I have been a fan for three decades. This book challenges and inspires the reader to look deeper than ever before at the wonder that is the Beatles. From individual songs to albums to myths, this book explores every facet of the Beatles. All in all, a must-read for anyone who loves the Beatles or the time in history they inhabited, represented and changed.

An astonishingly insightful, personal, and comprehensive interpretation of the Beatles mythos. McKinney successfully analyzes the special bond between the Beatles and their audience, in all of its kaleidoscopic complexity, from Quarry Men days to Apple rooftop and beyond. His organizing metaphors--including circles, holes, meat (!), and others--are strikingly original and on-target. The sections on the Paul-is-dead rumor and the dawn of the bootleg industry were especially fascinating to me. (It turns out that one bootleg song I'd always enjoyed may not even be by the Beatles at all!) Given its stance as a work of musical/historical/cultural criticism, the book is ideal for fans already somewhat familiar with the basic Beatles chronology. So glad the Village Voice Literary Supplement ran a review of this book, alerting me of its existence.