Anyone can be The Beatles
31 January 2009 Del.icio.us Technorati StumbleUpon

I came across an interesting video with the author of a book entitled "Outliers". He explores where genius comes from and in doing so he researched The Beatles. Apparently they did not have any innate musical talent, but instead became known as the best band in the world because of their long hours practicing their craft during their early years in Hamburg. Considering they played 8 hours a night for many months, it is no wonder they got good! Click here to watch the video with Malcolm Gladwell explaining. While this may be a revelation to some, even The Beatles claimed they didn't believe in talent.

On a side note February 2nd will have been 50 years since the day a plane crashed with musicians Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. While it certainly wasn't America's first foray into celebrity fascination, it had quite a cultural impact at the time, perhaps marking the end of the innocence of the '50s. A popular song called "American Pie" was written about it.