The Beatles are central to my life – an adult passion
FAB FOUR HISTORIAN MARK LEWISOHN TELLS MARION McMULLEN WHY HE WANTS AUDIENCES TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FINAL BEATLES ALBUM
Can you remember the first time you heard the Beatles?
IT was 1960 when I was five and it engaged me as it did so many other people. It was not age specific.
Ten years later if you were a Bay City Roller fan then you were likely to be a teenage girl, but the Beatles music was so brilliant and harmonically it attracted the ears of people of any age – me at five and people of 75 – because it was good music.
Did you ever get to see them perform live?
THEY played their last date in Britain when I was seven so I never got to see them live, but I’ve lots of 1960s television memories and the first album I ever bought was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Have you ever met any of the Beatles?
I NEVER met John Lennon or Ringo, but I met George a few times – sometimes it was a pleasure and sometimes not – and I’ve met Paul a lot and that is always a pleasure. I ended up working with Paul for 15 years going to sessions, parties and shoots. I’ve had quite lot of exposure to him for a long time.
You’ve brought out the acclaimed first book in your comprehensive three volume biography of the band. When is volume two expected?
I’VE been working on volume two since 2013... and a long time before then. (Laughs) I’ve stopped saying when it will be published. It just disappoints people when it doesn’t actually happen. I just say now it will be ready when it’s ready.
The first volume was 780,000 words and I’m sure the second will match that if not exceed it. It’s a massive, massive job and it has monopolised my life for 35 years.
You’re about to head out on a nationwide tour to mark the 50th anniversary of the final Beatles album Abbey Road. What can audiences expect in the two hour show?
IT’S taken a couple of months to put together and I’ve been still working on the next volume of my trilogy at the same time. Wherever I go my laptop goes.
I have in the past done the occasional lecture and I’ve enjoyed that very much, but you do all that work and it’s used just once. I hope the tour is illuminating and entertains and educates. People might know the album, but not the stories behind it.
Historically it is an important piece of work. I get slightly irritated when people say the show is for Beatles fans, yes, it is, but it is also aimed at a more general audience as well who just love good music and the stories surrounding it.
Abbey Road came out 50 years ago and the Beatles were special then and are special now. The album is a great tribute to them.
You have the world’s best archive of Beatles materials. Does it take up all your space?
MY working space in my office is bulging at the seams. I tend not to get rid of anything.
The idea of a paperless office is a bit of a joke. If I printed out everything I had on my laptop then it would probably be double.
I have tons and tons of stuff. Nothing in the collection is valuable in terms of collectables. It’s a library. I have never been big on collecting. I don’t even have a set of Beatles autographs. I’m not interested. If I did come across autographs I’d be more interested on what was on the back of paper they were written on.
I do keep an eye on auction items though and what comes up on eBay and I sometimes grab an image.
You’ve been researching the Beatles for close on 40 years. Do you still come across things that surprise you?
EVERY day without exception. The depth of the trail of materials, of papers, records and photographs means things still come up that I have not seen before.
Because of what I do, I get sent a lot and see a lot of things. It’s just a constant in my life. A lot has been lost like the earliest appearances on Granada and the BBC and their Juke Box Jury special, but we are very lucky to have what we do.
What do the Beatles mean to you personally?
I CAME to write about the Beatles full-time in 2003 and it has been a labour of love. I’ve managed to take a childhood pleasure and turn it into an adult passion. The Beatles are absolutely central to my life... and they are totally worth it.
What is one of your favourite stories about the band?
THERE is a beautiful story of the first Beatles fan. They became tens of thousands and millions of fans, but there had to be a first and that was Pat Moran, a schoolgirl from Wallasey. She saw them at the Grosvenor in Wallasey before Ringo Starr joined the band and Paul was the drummer.
She thought they were great; especially Paul. She had a soft spot for Paul. She would take a food hamper to them every Sunday with two pound notes in an envelope to help them out of the kindness of her heart. They were never boyfriend and girlfriend, but Paul called her ‘our number one fan’ literally meaning she was the very first.
■ Hornsey Road – The Surprise And Delights Of Abbey Road – The Beatles’ Final Album – 50 Years On begins a 21-date tour on September 18.
■ Go to hornseyroad.net for tour and ticket details.