Information for Harold Lepidus’ online fall classes: Solo Beatles, Dylan & the Dead

Information for Harold Lepidus’ online fall classes: Solo Beatles, and Dylan & the Dead

This autumn, I will be teaching two classes online, one about Bob Dylan’s controversial 1987 collaboration with the Grateful Dead, the other exploring how opinions concerning the solo careers of the four Beatles have changed over the years. 

In collaboration with the Community Education programs in Acton-Boxborough and Arlington, Massachusetts, I will be teaching classes over Zoom, and registration is now open. All are welcome.

Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing program used by many schools and organizations. A meeting link will be sent out on the day of the class which will allow you to attend. If you would like to find more information about Zoom, there are many tutorials available to watch on the Zoom Website.

Class descriptions:

(Sony)

The Grateful Dead’s Influence on Bob Dylan:

This class will examine how people’s prejudices and perceptions—even of such rebels as Dylan and the Dead—influence their opinions, and how to overcome those limitations. Very little is as divisive to Bob Dylan’s fans as his 1987 tour with the Grateful Dead. Two decades into his career, and at an artistic crossroads, Dylan collaborated with the Dead’s Jerry Garcia, who helped him reconnect with his own songs by rekindling his love of performing as a sympathetic and supportive kindred spirit. The Dead’s lack of convention likely appealed to Dylan’s iconoclastic leanings, and at one point, he even asked to become a band member. In 1988, Dylan began his so-called “Never Ending Tour,” now in its fourth decade (but temporarily on hold) which followed the Dead’s paradigm, changing setlists and touring regardless of having anything new to promote. Regular interpretations of Dead songs infiltrated Dylan’s setlists, while the Dead almost became a Dylan cover band. In short, with the Dead, Dylan was reborn. After Garcia’s death, Dylan’s collaborations with Grateful Dead members continued. Join other music fans and come wrap your head around Dylan’s dalliance with the Dead.

"Man of Peace," Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, MA, July 4, 1987

• Status: Registration Available

• Session: Fall 2020 

• Category: One of a Kind 

• Date: Tuesday, October 13  

• Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM+  (ET)

• Instructor: Lepidus, Harold 

• Location: Virtual Classroom  

The Beatles’ Solo Years Re-Examined:

TV commercial for Ringo's "Goodnight Vienna" album, 1974, featuring John Lennon.

The Beatles are one of the most documented and analyzed artists of all time, yet how they are perceived evolves as more evidence surfaces. In the 50 years since the band broke up, their company Apple Corps (the “original” Apple) continues to release chart-topping products, while the surviving band members record and tour, and what they say and do continues to generate headlines. So many of the myths surrounding the Beatles, and how they related to each other, are from contemporaneous stories based on assumptions and unconfirmed reports, sometimes generated by members of the band themselves, that have been accepted unchallenged for decades. Take a fresh look at the Beatles’ history, from the final years of the band to their early solo work, and beyond, and get a unique understanding of this legendary band. Through readings and audio-visual evidence, author and music scholar Harold Lepidus will guide both experts and novices through John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s career paths, while analyzing how the music press and other media influenced how the Beatles were perceived.

"Beatles Decade" 1974 TV Commercial promoting Capitol Records 10th Anniversary

• Status: Registration Available

• Session: Fall 2020 

• Category: One of a Kind 

• Date: Tuesday, November 17  

• Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30+ PM (ET)  

• Instructor: Lepidus, Harold 

• Location: Virtual Classroom 

  
  

SIGN UP:

Acton-Boxborough Community Education:

• The Grateful Dead’s Influence on Bob Dylan

• The Beatles' Solo Years Re-Examined

 

Arlington Community Education:

• The Grateful Dead's Influence on Bob Dylan 

  
  

• The Beatles’ Solo Years Re-Examined 

Media:

Arlington Community Education registration opens Aug. 19 (Milford Daily News)

Below is my recreation of the presentation I gave at the Bob Dylan Symposium in Tulsa last year. 

Hope to see you in class. Stay safe, and vote! 

Harold Lepidus is the author of Friends and Other Strangers: Bob Dylan Examined (Oakmoor Publishing/Bennion Kearney), a collection of articles connecting Dylan with over 120 musicians, filmmakers, actors, artists, politicians, critics, and fans. In 2019, he spoke at the World of Bob Dylan Symposium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, home of the official Bob Dylan Archives.  He wrote a music column for Blasting News and a blog for No Depression, and recently launched his own podcast, THE BOSTON HAROLD. Lepidus has taught classes on Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and the Beatles as part of the Acton-Boxborough Community Education Program.