Inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty

It was interesting to learn from a neatorama article recently that there are theories about the real-life inspirations for Sherlock Holmes, as well as Holmes' nemesis Professor Moriarty. They both have interesting stories.

The inspiration for Sherlock Holmes was a professor that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had in medical school, Dr. Joseph Bell. He does sound like a very inspiring guy, an interesting blowhard at least who actually lived up to his image of himself:

http://www.siracd.com/work_bell.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bell

From one of the websites above, a lot of info about the author of Sherlock Holmes, who grew so tired of the character that he had him killed off. Interestingly, all that occurred prior to publication of the Hound Of The Baskervilles story, which is one of the most famous Holmes stories published.

http://www.siracd.com/Sherlock-Holmes.shtml

The theory of the inspiration for Professor Moriarty is that he was based on American criminal Adam Worth. Although an American, he fled to Europe and London where he founded an underground crime ring which seems to have left a huge impression on the British at the time.

http://www.siracd.com/sherlock/moriarty.shtml

Adam Worth's story is incredible; he had a very successful life of crime in the US before going to Europe, he had a three-way marriage with his best friend and a woman who later spurned both of them, he lived a high life in London financed by his crime ring, he was a "gentleman criminal" who commanded his employees to work without guns, or at least without killing others, after he became distraught over his friend being caught he set up a bad bank robbery that caused him to get caught and go to prison, and when he got out he visited his American pursuer in the Pinkertons to get his help returning the painting he had stolen, possibly in gratitude for not being extradited to the USA once he had been captured.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Worth

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/pinkerton/6.html

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971005&slug=2564164

Since I Left You Vinyl

If I could only do it, I have decided what record I want for the first record played on Dad's Hi Fi when I get it turned on. It should be a vinyl copy of Since I Left You. Sadly, unlike the vinyl copy of When I Left You that I got years ago, these are now going for hundreds of dollars. There's also a mini-controversy going over how the record version is missing some samples because it was released earlier than the CD version so they hadn't gotten everything cleared. Not that I care about that.

Here is a version on eBay going for $279:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avalanches-Since-I-Left-You-ORIGINAL-Modular-Records-MODVL004-1st-Press-NM-NM-/161430400938?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item2596006faa

That listing gives the publisher and listing number, which could be helpful in future searches:

ORIGINAL Modular Records MODVL004 1st Press NM/NM

Oh look, it's been relisted:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avalanches-Since-I-Left-You-ORIGINAL-Modular-Records-MODVL004-1st-Press-NM-NM-/161437496953?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item25966cb679

More information about the release history in the comments of this listing:

http://www.discogs.com/Avalanches-Since-I-Left-You/master/94960

The Beatles Lord Of The Rings Movie Stanely Kubrick

Just when I thought that I had heard everything about the Beatles, I find out about this from a neatorama post. Apparently the Beatles approached Stanley Kubrick to make a Lord of the the faithful some since it happened, but it's still really interesting. The story is told various different ways online. The concept for the movie sounded cheesy as could be; it's a little bit of a shame that it didn't get made because it would have been one of those "so bad you have to watch it" classics. Here are some links:

This definitive Wikipedia article on the subject of Stanley Kubrik seems to cover the bare facts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick's_unrealized_projects

The original CNN article that came out of a conversation with Peter Jackson during a premeire party for one of the new movies is no longer maintained by CNN, sadly. (Whoops here it is:)

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/28/rings.beatles/index.html

The content of the CNN appears to be largely reproduced at this link, which then veers crazily into an apparent fiction:

http://www.rooftopsessions.com/OneRing.html

Here is a very comprehensive list of unrealized Beatles movie projects:

http://www.earcandymag.com/rrcase-6.htm

Here is an article with a few more details, but also a retelling of the CNN story:

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/john_lennon_wanted_to_play_gollum_in_a_beatles_lord_of_the_rings_movie_but

The comments on this content-free article are in themselves interesting:

http://www.metafilter.com/15933/Beatles-wanted-to-do-Lord-of-the-Rings-film-in-1960s