He’s no Diaghilev!
The front page of the Daily Mirror on August 28th, 1967 had the story: “Epstein – the Beatle-making prince of pop – dies at 32.”
His death has always had a question mark over it, and Philip Norman describes the events in detail, examining inconsistencies, pursuing theories and noting the complacent inadequacies of the inquest. There is even a rather startling connection to the Kray Twins.
Brian was a one-off in pop management, insofar as he cared more about his artists than about money. He brought flair and imagination and vision to his ambitions for The Beatles, and steered them, as promised, to be bigger than Elvis. As John Lennon put it (in his song for Ringo, I’m The Greatest) “…the greatest show on Earth…”
The author, with characteristic aplomb, sifts the myths and legends, unravels all the murky dealings and twists and turns of the business side of the Beatles, as well as the triumphant leaps of imagination. And at the same time he deftly shows us Brian Epstein, a man whose whole life was constrained by the Scylla and Charybdis of homosexuality and antisemitism.
This interview was recorded in front of a live audience at the Owl Bookshop in Kentish Town, on extremely creaky chairs, where we were lucky enough to be joined by Pattie Boyd, who met George Harrison on the set of A Hard Day’s Night, and whose first date and subsequent wedding was stage-managed by Brian. She was kind enough to tell us the story herself.
Philip Norman – Simon & Schuster – £30:00
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