STUART BEATLE
By Bill Harry
24 march 2013
Saw that Beatles documentary on Sky Arts this afternoon and wasn't impressed. There were shots of Stuart during their performances, with his guitar clearly in view as he faced the audience. Then Allan Williams came out with that false story that he played with his back to the audience and that picture from the Wyvern Club audition was shown when Stu was tuning up with his back to the photographer. I saw Stuart perform from the days when we booked them at the art college and never once did I see him play with his back to the audience. When Allan mentioned they played at the Jacaranda, a photo of them at the Casbah was shown - making people believe it was the Jac. Lots of Beatles myths trotted out again by people who should have known better and the main thrust of the documentary seemed to be their appearance at the Olympia, Paris.
Bill Marshall, who co-wrote Allan's book, was a Daily Mirror reporter. When I handled Kim Wilde I arranged lunch. I brought the book with me for him to sign and he told me he made much of it up. For instance, Allan had showed him the contract he had from Bruno Koschmeider as an agent to book the Beatles on their first trip to Hamburg. The contract got damaged in the fire at his Soho Street Club. Bill Marshall begins the book by saying that contract is Allan's management contract with the Beatles. The book then goes into various made-up fantasies, such as Stuart got beaten up at Litherland Town Hall. When they began playing at Litherland, Stuart had remained in Germany. The only incident with Stu being attacked took place at Lathom Hall...and the rest of the book should be analysed to compare with the true facts and people can see it's due to Bill Marshall's journalistic imagination.
Because the book was mostly written by Bill Marshall, not Allan, and that is the type of thing Bill conjured up. Then people begin to believe it, even Allan himself. I read the original manuscript of Allan's first unpublished biography and it has nothing like that in it.
skyarts.sky.com
ResponderEliminarBECOMING THE BEATLES
Friends and former colleagues of the Fab Four cast new light on the compelling early days of the band
Old friends and former colleagues of The Beatles recount the compelling early days of the Fab Four, casting new light on the band's formation in working class Liverpool, through to their initial performances in clubs in Hamburg and their first appearances on film.
Their first PR Tony Barrow and Sam Leach, one of the first promoters to book the band, are among those discussing the extraordinary rise to fame, along with Gerry Marsden of rival band Gerry and the Pacemakers, their first tour manager Allan Williams and celebrity fans including Len Goodman and Tony Booth.