The iTunes deal aside, this is a tough year for Beatles fans. John Lennon would have turned 70. And today, Dec. 8, marks the 30th anniversary of John’s assassination.
Until that bleak night in 1980, the holidays were Fab times for fans. Countless Beatles albums found their way under Christmas trees. The band’s annual holiday message to fans–wacky skits with a Monty Python flavor before there was a Monty Python–still bring a smile. (You can find clips on YouTube.)
Glen Burtnik reminisced about these happy memories earlier this week at Morristown’s Community Theatre, where he taped a show for Jim Monaghan’s All Mixed Up Radio Live. The program airs on Sunday mornings on WDHA-FM.
Glen, a Jersey rocker formerly with STYX, caught his first break portraying Paul McCartney (opposite Marshall Crenshaw’s John Lennon) in a touring production of Beatlemania.
On Dec. 18, Glen’s 20th annual Xmas Xtravaganza charity concert in Red Bank promises a slew of great musical guests. He never announces them in advance, but past rosters have included Marshall Crenshaw, Patty Smyth, John McEnroe, Phoebe Snow, The Patti Smith Band, Fred Schneider (B-52’s), Jill Sobule, Idina Menzel, Jeffrey Gaines, Freedy Johnston, Dan Bern, John Waite, Curtis Stigers, STYX, Mary Lee Kortes, and Willie Nile.
It’s not a greatest hits show–unless you count holiday hits. You’re virtually guaranteed to hear a creative cover of John Lennon’s contribution to the Yule pop canon. Glen gives a preview here, with a little help from his friends, Tony Shanahan on bass and Mark Sacco on drums.