Beatles Books

Debbie Gendler -'I Saw Them Standing There'

My guest today is Debbie Gendler who is here to discuss her book 'I Saw The Standing There - Adventures of an Original Beatle Fan During Beatlemania and Beyond'.

Debbie fell for The Beatles in late 1963 and soon found herself in the audience for their first US TV appearance on Ed Sullivan. This led to a lifetime of devotion and many crazy adventures and Beatle encounters - she shares all these stories with me, including a less than satisfactory meeting with the lads themselves.

Mark Lewisohn on Beatles books

It's terrific to welcome Mark Lewisohn back to the pod, this time to discuss the stories behind some of the major works of Beatle literature.

From Hunter Davies to Derek Taylor, from Michael Braun to Richard Dilello - Mark offers his own fascinating insight into the books that so many of us have on our Beatle shelves. 

Mary McGlory & Sylvia Saunders - 'The Liverbirds'

I'm joined for this episode by Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders to talk about their book 'The Liverbirds - Our Life in Britain's First Rock n Roll Band'.

Despite some disparaging words from a certain John Lennon, Mary and Sylvia, along with Val and Pam form The Liverbirds, and become a thrilling live act, garnering huge success particularly in Germany - they share their story, including their many Beatle related encounters, with me for this episode.

Mark Lewisohn on Mark Lewisohn

For this very special episode I'm joined by Mark Lewisohn to discuss his life, his books and the unique Beatle experiences that led him to become the writer he is today.

Aaron Badgley -'Dark Horse Records: The Story of George Harrison's Post-Beatles Record Label'

My guest for this episode is Aaron Badgley, who joins me to discuss his book on Dark Horse Records, the label started by George Harrison in 1974.

Aaron tells us the story of the varied collection of artists on the label, and how as a commercial venture, it wasn't quite what George had hoped it would be.

Laurie Kaye - ’Confessions of a Rock n Roll Name Dropper’

My very special guest for this episode is Laurie Kaye, who was part of the

the team that conducted John Lennon's last ever interview on December 8th 1980.

Laurie talks about what she calls the best and worst day of her life - and how its outcome went on to affect her over 40 years later.

Ken Womack - ’Living The Beatles Legend -The Mal Evans Story’

I'm honored to welcome Ken Womack back to the pod to talk about one of the most anticipated Beatle books of 2023, his fascinating biography of the Beatles roadie, Mal Evans.

Ken reveals for the first time the true story of one of The Beatles closest friends - in equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.

Jonathan Knott - ’Follow The Sun - The Beatles in Greece’

I'm joined for this bonus mini episode by Jonathan Knott who is here to discuss his research on The Beatles attempts in 1967 to buy a Greek island.

What inspired them to make such a lavish purchase? Why did the sale fall through?

Jonathan answers these questions and more - his Substack can be found at https://followthesun.substack.com/

 

 

Deirdre Kelly - ’Fashioning The Beatles’

My guest today is Deirdre Kelly who joins me to discuss her book 'Fashioning The Beatles' - a fascinating and detailed look at what The Beatles wore through the 60's - what inspired them and how they influenced the looks and themes of the decade. 

Ken Mcnab - ’Shake It Up Baby’

I am delighted to welcome Ken Mcnab back to the pod - this time to discuss 'Shake It Up Baby' - his thrilling and detailed story of The Beatles in 1963.

How did they go from the cold nights of a small Scottish tour in January to the cusp of world domination in Decemeber?