The Walrus Was Ringo: 101 Beatles Myths Debunked [Paperback]

Alan Clayson (Author), Spencer Leigh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan Clayson is the author of The Yardbirds, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. He contributes to Mojo, Record Collector, and The London Times. Spencer Leigh is the author of four books about the Beatles, including Drummed Out.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Chrome Dreams (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842402056
• ISBN-13: 978-1842402054
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Pop Culture > Beatles

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Trivial trivia, June 21, 2003

By 

David Carrejo "David" (El Paso, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Walrus Was Ringo: 101 Beatles Myths Debunked (Paperback)

Few would argue that the Beatles are the most well-documented and critiqued act in entertainment. Admist a vast sea of literature, there are bound to be books that don't necessarily give those who are casually interested in the Beatles or those who are avid fans the best and most interesting source of information. This book is one of those examples. To the casual fan, the book will mean nothing since it does not serve as an introduction to the group's history. More notably, to the more serious fan, the book presents nothing new -- these "myths" have been known and understood for years. For example, it's safe to say that a handful of them stemmed from Philip Norman's "Shout" and Nicholas Schaffner's "The Beatles Forever" - two far more superior books, but not without their flaws and questionable interpretations. If you are an avid fan or a more serious Beatle "scholar", you may want to skim through this book as I did and see the humor in it. Then, toss it in the pile of other trivial Beatle books to recycle. If you are a casual fan and want more of an introduction to the greatest rock act of all time (including all the "mythology"), you are better off investing your hard-earned money elsewhere.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Debunking the myth that the sun is cold, December 21, 2003

By 

Mick (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Walrus Was Ringo: 101 Beatles Myths Debunked (Paperback)

The dictionary defines myth as "a traditional or legendary story". Most of the "myths" in this book are nothing but trivia; hardly legendary. For example, was the recording of the Beatles at Hamburg's Star Club in 1962 unauthorized? Some may believe that to be true, but you could hardly call that a belief of mythical proportions. I got the impression that many of these 101 items are simply obscure facts with the truth inverted and then debunked as myth. More disturbing, however, is the authors' putting forth their own questionable theories as myth-breaking fact. Despite assertions by John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Martin and Julian Lennon that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was inspired by a drawing by young Julian and was not secret code for LSD, Clayson/Leigh cook up a conspiracy between Lennon and Jimi Hendrix to write code named songs. Hendrix did indeed write "The Stars That Played with Laughing Sam's Dice" with STP and LSD in mind and I don't doubt that Hendrix or his manager knew Lennon, but that's hardly a basis for a conspiracy theory. Similarly, their theorizing on John's "bigger than Jesus" comment is appalling.

There are many good books on the Beatles. Get one on those. If you've already got those, you don't need this one.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Beatle Rip Off Book, January 27, 2004

By 

Brad Kisling (Pocatello, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Walrus Was Ringo: 101 Beatles Myths Debunked (Paperback)

Most of the other reviews have said it well, this book is a total waste of time and I wouldn't have told my wife to get this for me for x-mas had I seen who the "authors" were (I was basing my want for the book based on the title which sounded like it could have been very cool) Most of the "myths" aren't, has some very bad, inacurate and distorted facts, poor writing, I could go on and on---I think the only reason I even finished it (mostly when taking a crap) is for the laughs I got on how stupid and ludicrous it was---If I could give this a negative star I would, in fact it pisses me off that I have to give this 1 star ---don't buy any Beatle book by these "authors" they all stink.