Synopses & Reviews
Without the determination, magnetism, vision, good manners, respectable clothes, and financial security of Brian Epstein, no one would ever have heard of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. In Liverpool, in December 1961, Brian Epstein met the Beatles in his small office and signed a management deal. The rest may be history, but its a history that Epstein created, along with a blueprint for all pop groups since.
Out of the public eye, Epstein was flamboyant and charismatic. He drank, gambled compulsively, and took drugs to excess. But people remember his wit, charm, and capacity to inspire affection and loyalty. Thats when he wasnt depressed, or even suicidal. Epstein was Jewish in a society filled with anti-Semitism. He was homosexual at a time when it was a crime to be gay, and from his teenage days to the end of his life he suffered arrests, beatings, and blackmail—all of which had to be kept secret.
This book tells the story of Epsteins complicated life through the reminiscences of his friends and family. Based on dozens of interviews—with Paul McCartney, George Martin, and Marianne Faithfull, among others—plus many of Epsteins personal diaries, this book uncovers the truth behind the enigmatic young man who unintentionally caused a cultural revolution, and in the process destroyed himself.
Review
“Offers both a fascinating look at the enigmatic Epstein and a valuable new angle from which to view the Beatles phenomenon.”—
Booklist“The moving and revelatory In My Life: The Brian Epstein Story by Debbie Geller, edited by Anthony Wall, puts Epstein front and center in the Beatles story. . . . In My Life gets at the pride and sadness of Epstein as outsider—the desire to belong and the knowledge that he couldnt be anything other than what he was. But finally it gets at something more important than his Jewishness or homosexuality . . . In My Life settles once and for all the question of who the fifth Beatle was.”—Salon.com
About the Author
Debbie Geller lives in New York City and is a freelance television producer and writer.
Anthony Wall has been the series producer of the Arena documentary series since 1985. He lives in London and is an award-winning director and producer of television and radio.