Full Version: The Beatles in Rishikesh
QUOTE(It's the blimp, Frank @ Fri 17th June 2011, 9:41am) 
The Beatles in Rishikesh (T-H-L-K-D) is absurd, and totally inappropriate for an encyclopedia. Like the seemingly endless LaRouche series, it is just another coatrack for the epic battle between Will Beback and the TM crowd.
I thought it was interesting, actually. We all know Norwegian Wood, but you can at least imagine Jenifer Juniper being played with that decending bit as a twang on a sitar (DA, da, dee-dee-dah...). Donovan wrote that song in India on this trip. And although the article mentions John's litany to Cynthia about his affairs, it doesn't mention the other act that put an effective end to their marriage, as John and the others yelled "Keep up, Cyn" before boarding an a train that shut the doors in her face, leaving her alone in an Indian train station.
Bummer.If you can get the TM wars out of your mind, you will see this is a not-too-slanted piece of pop history. Before the Beatles there was Emerson, Oppenheimer and a few others singing the praises of Indian philosophy, but it never really took off. We owe a zillion yoga classes and Depak Chopra
to the Beatles. Face it. For better or worse.
Because inquiring minds want to know:
QUOTE
While ashrams are traditionally spartan or primitive, the Maharishi's was designed to suit Western habits and described as "luxurious" but also as "seedy".[27][43]
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Meals were eaten in an open dining area, where the "lousy"[52] vegetarian meals,[53] chickpeas mixed with cumin seeds that were prepared by an English cook, were unwillingly shared with aggressive monkeys,[31] although McCartney remembered that cornflakes were served at breakfast.[53]
QUOTE(It's the blimp, Frank @ Fri 17th June 2011, 10:59am)
Because inquiring minds want to know:
QUOTE
While ashrams are traditionally spartan or primitive, the Maharishi's was designed to suit Western habits and described as "luxurious" but also as "seedy".[27][43]
QUOTE
Meals were eaten in an open dining area, where the "lousy"[52] vegetarian meals,[53] chickpeas mixed with cumin seeds that were prepared by an English cook, were unwillingly shared with aggressive monkeys,[31] although McCartney remembered that cornflakes were served at breakfast.[53]
What's more American than cornflakes?
The Fourth of July and Uncle Sam.
What's more American than baseball?
I am, I am, I am!
What's more American than tooth paste?
Rock and Roll, peanut butter, toast and jam.
What's more American than O.K.?
I am, I am, I am!
All together now, children!
You can see the cross pollination at work, of course.
And by the way, I highly recommend the "mockumentry" film King Corn (2007), about how US maize agriculture drives this country and half the world, for better or worse. And often worse. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/ It's scarier than any zombie film, mostly due to being true.
I think the issue is, if you try to get rid of it, the opposing argument would be that, yes, it is a part of the history of the beatles and that history article, but the information on this section of their history got too long and was spun out, per SPLIT.
That'll be the argument, at least.
That'll be the argument, at least.
QUOTE(Silver seren @ Fri 17th June 2011, 1:19pm)
I think the issue is, if you try to get rid of it, the opposing argument would be that, yes, it is a part of the history of the beatles and that history article, but the information on this section of their history got too long and was spun out, per SPLIT.
That'll be the argument, at least.
And since I believe in WP:SS, I think it's a perfectly good argument.
Look, I've read bios of Lennon and the Beatles far more detailed about this episode than this article. So it's STILL functioning as an encyclopedic distillation of history, even at this level. Moreover, the article also references some synthetic stuff (most of it isn't original to the article writer) from people who wrote published stuff about the cultural impact of the Beatles' trip to India. So all that goes neatly here, as an encyclopedic topic.
I'm sorry, Frank, but I have to argue that this one is simply a matter of taste. You might find it boring and/or overdetailed, but I don't. No, it's not WW II. But on the other hand, it's not a discription of your Aunt Tilly's vacation to Vermont.
And BTW, this thread should probably have been started as an annex topic.
As we are adding music vids:
If the outcome of the Beatles' TM experience was the "White Album," that's not saying much. Revolver and Sgt. Pepper were much better. I'd like to go meditate with whatever guru John Coltrane was seeing.
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