For the holidays Band of Thebes gave several copies of the graphic bio The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story
[Kindle], whose opening panels show Brian cruising a hot blond sailor in a Liverpool alley in the early 60s. The book is gay throughout and it is served unsweetened: the hot blond sailor attacks him and his lingering internalized homophobia gives rise to an addiction to pills prescribed to cure his gay impulses. Boomers will know better than I about the accuracy of the Beatles' story. Though the initial dialog suffers some expository clumsiness, the four-color drawings always pop. Like many biopics, the story ends at a key moment and Brian's final years are told in a few text blocks.
In his own words, Brian's memoir is A Cellarful of Noise. Long before me, my husband flew to Liverpool, talked to Brian's mum Queenie, and optioned the rights to his book, which he had for one fateful year.
Thanks for the tip. I am a bit obsessed with Epstein. Did you see the Jon Savage-penned doc that the BBC (I think) produced? It was excellent.
Posted by: Andrew C. | January 02, 2014 at 06:58 AM