Stare at the iconic cover to Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Who's that chap up in the corner by Bob Dylan? Why, my foolish fop of a friend, don't you know it's Simon Rodia, the Italian-born artist who built the extraordinary Watts Towers from pretty much whatever he could lay his hands on?
Well, now you too can put down friends, impress loved ones, and bore acquaintances like me, with your vast knowledge of the iconic Beatles album cover. It's all just a click away, thanks to a very smart piece of electronic wizardry and marketing from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
By no means are all of Pepper's legendary crew - put together by British pop artist Peter Blake from a list of those the fabs held dear - given the full biographical treatment. But I defy anyone not to get at the very least a few minutes entertainment from the click and go show, which also links to America's national biography website. I got far much longer than that out of it on my fascinating ramble.
Of course, the Pepper sleeve has long been of fascination to Beatle types (including Paul is dead theorists) - which is one of the reasons it's such a success.
According to legend, Jesus Christ and Hitler were on naughty John's list of candidates for the classic album cover, but were knocked off. Ghandi went too, at the insistence of EMI chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood, who wielded the airbrush fearing offending an enormous market. Bowery Boys actor Leo Gorcey wanted cash for the use of his image. He didn't get any, which is why Huntz Hall look a little lonesome.
In its own way the sleeve, for which Blake was paid a one-off fee with no royalties, is an early piece of interactive art. It's as if the Beatles are saying "look who we like, now go and find out about them."
I wonder what some tripping San Franciscan love child made of Liverpool footballer Albert Stubbins.
It's also made for this clever webpage, which, once clickers get a look at the exhaustive biographies available will no doubt do the Oxford Dictionary Of National Biography - parts of whose site is available for free - no harm at all.
Now, let me tell you all about Tommy Handley...
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