the Lennon/McCartney band model

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Lennon/McCartney bands are bands with 2 great singer/songwriters, one a groovy rock rebel, the other a kinda-daggy-but-still-cool pop sentimentalist. The fallout from the reaction that occurs when these two creative opposites collide is magnificent art of the highest order. Examples: The Clash: Lennon = Joe Strummer, McCartney = Mick Jones Husker Du: Lennon = Bob Mould, McCartney = Grant Hart Go-Betweens: Lennon = Bob Forster, McCartney = Grant McLennon The Beatles: Lennon = John Lennon, McCartney = Paul McCartney

What's with the name similarities? Coincidence or not? Can anyone think of any others? And what about Jagger/Richards bands, like the Smiths and Stone Roses?

― DJ Fat Keith, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Let's have that in html:

Examples:

The Clash: Lennon = Joe Strummer, McCartney = Mick Jones
Husker Du: Lennon = Bob Mould, McCartney = Grant Hart
Go-Betweens: Lennon = Bob Forster, McCartney = Grant McLennon
The Beatles: Lennon = John Lennon, McCartney = Paul McCartney

What's with the name similarities? Coincidence or not? Can anyone think of any others? And what about Jagger/Richards bands, like the Smiths and Stone Roses?

― DJ Fat Keith, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And there I was thinking that the Go Betweens were inexplicably overrated shite about as much use as the Australian football team when it transpires that they were in fact worthy of mention in the same sentence as these other types. Are these people creative opposites anyway? Surely Husker Du and The Clash (to use yr. examples) were amazingly coherent and consistent despite their songwriters stylistic differences. What about Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, Byrds (note historical theme here)?

― Snotty Moore, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

XTC:

Andy Partridge = Lennon & McCartney
Collin Moulding = Harrison

― dleone, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

They were coherent because the 2 styles blended together well and created creative friction. That is the whole point: Lennon/McCartney bands are much better than the sum of Lennon + McCartney. Witness the crap solo careers of all the Lennons & McCartneys to prove my point. ('Plastic Ono Band' was made while the Beatles were still together)

― DJ Fat Keith, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I assume that Lennon is the sentimentalist and McCartney is the rock rebel?

― Billy Dods, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Buzzcocks: There was supposed to be a huge struggle the whole time between pop-leaning pete Shelley and the noise-orientated Diggle.

― Daniel, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Outkast. Dre = Lennon, B-Boi = McCartney.

Velvets. Cale = Lennon, Reed = McCartney

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Following the theory New Order and Joy Division are the same band (which I do not believe btw)
- Ian Curtis = John Lennon in Joy Division - Barney Sumner = Paul McCartney in New Order

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(there's stuff abt this kind of thing on a long-ago thread started by kate the saint: can't currently recall title, but it included my Important Theory that the real dynamic was when the key figures had — or wanted — sex with one another heh)

― mark s, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

mark s: surely it is obvious that John fancied the arse off Paul.

― Venga, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes! That fits with Husker Du!! The only one in the band who wasn't having sex with the other was the non-songwriting bassist with the gay moustache. The Ringo, I suppose.

― DJ Fat Keith, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Snotty Moore- you are in fact correct when you say the Go-Betweens shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath. It (should be) a well known fact that both The Clash and The Beatles are unmitigated shit on a shitty stick, Husker Du are, uh, okay, and the Go-Betweens are pure untrammeled genius.

I can't answer this question because to me Lennon/McCartney = Shit/Shitter.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Good. We both give a fuck.

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

four years pass...

it sounds to meeee like you both give(get) a fuck in the a*s!? not about music or art...zot!

― heavenandhell, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:27 (twenty years ago)

Squeeze:

Difford = Lennon; Tillbrook = McCartney

The Cars:

Ocasek = Lennon; Orr = McCartney

Spacemen 3:

Boom = Lennon; Pierce = McCartney

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Yes! That fits with Husker Du!! The only one in the band who wasn't having sex with the other was the non-songwriting bassist with the gay moustache. The Ringo, I suppose.

Just because two men in the same band are gay doesn't necessarily mean that they're having sex with each other.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:48 (twenty years ago)

...nor does a gay moustache necessarily make one a Ringo...you could hardly say that of Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, for instance...

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:55 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

The Neptunes: Chad=Lennon, Pharrell=McCartney
Public Enemy: Chuck=Lennon, Flav=McCartney
Roxy Music: Eno=Lennon, Ferry=McCartney
Gnarls Barkley: Danger Mouse=Lennon, Cee-Lo=McCartney
Black-Eyed Peas: Fergie=Lennon, will.i.am=McCartney
Fugazi: Ian=Lennon, Guy=McCartney
MF Doom: MF=Lennon, Doom=McCartney
Damien Rice: Damien=Lennon, Damien's Guitar=McCartney
Coldplay: Bono=Lennon, Chris Martin=McCartney
Dave Matthews Band: Dave=Lennon, Matthews Band=McCartney
Kanye West: Kanye=Lennon, John Mayer=McCartney
The New Yorker: Sasha Frere-Jones=Lennon, Alex Ross=McCartney
The US: Bush=Lennon, Cheney=McCartney
The Bible: the Devil=Lennon, God=McCartney
Gender: Men=Lennon, Women=McCartney
Logocentrism: Presence=Lennon, Absence=McCartney

― max (maxreax), Friday, 19 May 2006 19:53 (twenty years ago)

wire:

newman=mccartney
lewis=lennon
gilbert=harrison

or not.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 19 May 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Rage Against the Machine:

Zach De La Rocha: Lennon
Tom Morello: McCartney
Guy who climbed up the dealy at the MTV music awards: Ringo

― punis (punis), Friday, 19 May 2006 20:39 (twenty years ago)

mk ii human league:

jo callis=mccartney
phil oakey=lennon
ian burden=harrison
~~adrian wright=bez~~

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 19 May 2006 21:44 (twenty years ago)

not sure about gilbert = harrison, but gotobed = starr is somewhat otm

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Friday, 19 May 2006 21:50 (twenty years ago)

"Black-Eyed Peas: Fergie=Lennon, will.i.am=McCartney"

Uhhhh .... how exactally does Fergie = anything but shit ?

Without her they used to be a good band

― Erock LAron, Friday, 19 May 2006 23:52 (twenty years ago)

Damon Albarn=Paul McCartney (until 1997, after which he became John Lennon)
Graham Coxon=John Lennon
Alex James=Ringo Starr

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 20 May 2006 01:24 (twenty years ago)

yr all insane

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Saturday, 20 May 2006 04:03 (twenty years ago)

Chic (Rodgers = Lennon, Edwards = McCartney)

― whenuweremine (whenuweremine), Saturday, 20 May 2006 04:45 (twenty years ago)

OMD (and they were proper scousers too, la):

mccluskey=lennon and mccartney
humphreys=harrison

"yes paul, you can have a song on the album. o go on, we'll even release it as a sing ... WTF, IT'S A HIT? fuck. need to go and write 'dazzle ships'."

that said, humphreys's "never turn away" from the otherwise execrable "junk culture" is a lost classic.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 20 May 2006 08:12 (twenty years ago)

Mortal Kombat III: Liu Kang=Lennon, Goro=McCartney
Ulysses: Bloom=Lennon, Dedalus=McCartney
Miami Vice: Crockett=Lennon, Tubbs=McCartney

― max (maxreax), Saturday, 20 May 2006 19:09 (twenty years ago)

eight years pass...

Avey Tare = McCartney
Panda Bear = Lennon

― Pentenema Karten, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 05:54 (eleven years ago)

^ I'd have reversed those. Bear's definitely the more melodic & pop-oriented of the two.

― hardcore dilettante, Saturday, 27 December 2014 16:55 (eleven years ago)

(there's stuff abt this kind of thing on a long-ago thread [...]
― mark s, Monday, November 26, 2001 12:00 PM (13 years ago)

― Gland Of Horses (sic), Saturday, 27 December 2014 23:27 (eleven years ago)

A$ap Ferg = Lennon
A$ap Rocky = McCartney

― ancient texts, things that can't be pre-dated (President Keyes), Saturday, 27 December 2014 23:42 (eleven years ago)

Wings:
McCartney = Lennon
McCartney = McCartney

― sheesh, Sunday, 28 December 2014 08:49 (eleven years ago)

Plastic Ono band :
Yoko=Lennon
Lennon=McCartney

― AlXTC from Paris, Sunday, 28 December 2014 13:55 (eleven years ago)

Plastic Ono band :
Yoko=Lennon
Lennon=McCartney
― AlXTC from Paris, Sunday, December 28, 2014 1:55 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hahahahahaha... this is actually fucking true!

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Sunday, 28 December 2014 16:19 (eleven years ago)

Two Virgins/Life With the Lions

Ono - Lennon
Lennon - Lennon

― Master of Treacle, Sunday, 28 December 2014 17:06 (eleven years ago)

Avey Tare = McCartney
Panda Bear = Lennon

― Pentenema Karten, Wednesday, December 24, 2014 12:54 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^ I'd have reversed those. Bear's definitely the more melodic & pop-oriented of the two.

― hardcore dilettante, Saturday, December 27, 2014 11:55 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's how I had it at first, but if you look at their lyrics & personas & dynamics within the band, Panda Bear is the Lennon and Avey Tare is the McCartney. The most obvious comparison is their lyrics: Panda Bear writes naked autobiography, almost always about himself. His melodies are more simple/plink-plonk like Lennon's. Avey Tare invents characters and his arrangements are more intricate/complicated. Tare is also the driving force behind the band, he's McCartney keeping the gang together during Let It Be but succeeding (I suspect the AC would've broken up if Sung Tongs wasn't successful - Panda Bear moved to Portugal for a girl, and the other members sat it out, waiting to see what would happen).

― Pentenema Karten, Monday, 29 December 2014 00:17 (eleven years ago)

Autechre:

Booth - Lennon
Brown - McCartney

― octobeard, Monday, 29 December 2014 22:18 (eleven years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.