The Beatles and Humour

Reviews / Votes

The Beatles changed the world in so many ways-one of them was changing how the world laughs. The Beatles and Humour is a fascinating study of the Fabs' madcap comic innovations, from A Midsummer Night's Dream to 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' * Rob Sheffield, Senior Writer, Rolling Stone and author of Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World (2017) * The Beatles and Humour makes a welcome addition to the critical study of the Beatles as a cultural phenomenon. Contributors to the volume provide wide-ranging analyses that not only explore how the Beatles contributed (and still contribute) to popular culture but also how they were influenced by the humour, language and attitudes of postwar Liverpool and Britain. * Holly Tessler, Senior Lecturer in Music Industries, Programme Leader for the MA The Beatles, Music Industry and Heritage, and co-editor of the Journal of Beatles Studies, University of Liverpool, UK * Kapurch, Mills, and Heyman's wide-ranging edited volume proves the Beatles were legendary not just for their music, but for their wit. Whether larking about took the form of wordplay, spoofs, sarcasm, insightful satire, or surreal, absurd nonsense, the Fab Four continually affirmed that comedy was a central weapon in their entertainment arsenal. The real beauty of this book, though, is that it demonstrates precisely how the band's humour was used, exactly what that reveals. After all, humour is never quite humour. Improvised comedy instead communicates things about creativity, play, gender, nationality, class, community, locality, and tradition. As a pioneering book on the subject, Kapurch, Mills, and Heyman's volume will become a model in future not just for how scholars talk about the Beatles having a laugh, but rather for how we can engage with the whole subject of popular music and comedy. * Mark Duffett, Associate Professor of Music, Media and Performance, University of Chester, UK * This is an overdue work, one of the many reasons the Beatles made such a strong and lasting impression was that they came across as four good natured and witty young men. This collection uncovers the many factors that made them that way. * Michael Jones, Reader in Music Industry, University of Liverpool, UK *