As I mentioned Wednesday, I was planning to see the John Lennon movie - Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood - as soon as I could. So I did; I saw it today, and it was terrific. The acting, the settings (it was shot in Liverpool), the directing, I thought they were all convincing. As for the music, I think they did well there too. Because Aaron Johnson was himself learning to play the guitar and sing to do the role, we get to witness some of the process as it may have actually sounded at the time. McCartney came from a more musical background than Lennon - his father was a professional musician - and was therefore more advanced in skills at the time. But the film shows, correctly, that Lennon was the group's spiritual leader; he had a heart full of soul (as I'm sure the Yardbirds would agree). Of course, he would catch up musically as well, and go on to become one of the greatest musicians of the century. The movie helps to clarify how this happened, and to dispel some of the mythologizing around the Beatles. In this age of instant gratification and televised talent shows, it's important to be reminded that the Beatles' brilliance came from their work ethic. As the song says: a working class hero is something to be, and it has nothing to do with the part of town in which one's born.