BEATLE MANIA

You know, the Beatles aren't one of my favorite bands. They aren't even my favorite '60s band. They're not even my favorite '60s British band (hello, Kinks). But for some reason I've been DYING to watch The Beatles Anthology for the past five years.

The documentary was first aired on ABC in 1995 and I was crazy about it. I didn't like the Beatles then, didn't know much about their music, and I also didn't really know what a documentary was. Something about it must have tapped into my natural enjoyment for their music and documentaries, both of which I'd discover later. Just at the time, I went into Beatle mania and didn't know why.

Now I do like the Beatles and am a big fan of documentaries, so I keep going back to The Beatles Anthology and wanting to watch it. I read about the band on Wikipedia often, the behind the scenes stuff about the making of their final albums. All that. Plus the DVD version of the Anthology has like, five extra hours on it, I think. I have to see it! And I have the time now!

On a side note, I remember having an argument with my cousin in 1995 about which contemporary artist would eventually receive an Anthology style documentary. I said it would be Hootie and the Blowfish. He said it would be Coolio. If trashy cable reality shows count as docs, then we were both right.