Exclusive: New York Times' Allan Kozinn comments on reaction to Beatles reissue article

December 29, 9:21 PMBeatles ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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As we indicated in our earlier column, discussion of Beatle reissues is a hot-button topic. We asked New York Times reporter Allan Kozinn, who we've known through various internet groups for several years, and whose article last weekend seems to have everyone talking, about the reaction to it. Here's what he told us: 

I hadn't really thought about whether the article would reverberate so much on the internet; in fact, except for a couple of discussion sites, I haven't actually checked into how much reverberation you're actually talking about. But generally my Beatles pieces do get a lot of play, so if I had thought about it, I'd have figured this one would too. There are a lot of people who care about these things. I didn't think I was speaking only for myself.

We also asked Kozinn if there was anything that fans could do to help the situation along. Not surprisingly, given past history, he didn't think so.

I doubt that anything anyone outside Apple or EMI does will help get things moving. As I said in the article, it's not as if they don't want the reissues out, or as if they aren't assuming that a lot of people are waiting for them. I've mentioned them in probably half a dozen articles in the last few years -- including one that was ostensibly about the "Love" show, but really argued that Apple should be devoting more energy to getting the remastered CD catalogue out and less to peripheral projects like a site-specific acrobatics show in Las Vegas. What it will come down to is Apple and EMI settling their differences, and no doubt they eventually will. For the rest of us there's little to do but wait. Well, that and occasionally writing an article ridiculing them, justifiably, for giving us a $395 fountain pen instead of some actual music.