Why I promised to cover up the last secret the tormented 'fifth Beatle' took to his grave, reveals biographer PHILIP NORMAN By Philip Norman Published: 21:54 EDT, 26 October 2024 | Updated: 21:58 EDT, 26 October 2024 e-mail View comments There never was nor could be another pop manager like Brian Epstein, the young record salesman from Liverpool who discovered The Beatles and with them changed the course of popular music and culture for ever. When Brian took them on in 1962, no one could understand his faith in what seemed the weirdest of pop groups with their fringed foreheads, eccentric repertoire (from Chuck Berry to Fats Waller) and left-handed bass player whose instrument resembled a violin mated with a giraffe. His declaration that one day they'd be 'bigger than Elvis Presley', then the ultimate pop superstar, was met with pitying smiles.
But he was way off beam: after only two years in his hands, they'd be bigger than any earthly instrument could measure. Pop artists' managers until then had been a nondescript bunch, known to the public – if indeed they were – for ruthlessly exploiting and defrauding their naive young proteges. Brian Epstein (centre) with Beatles Ringo, George, Paul and John in 1963 Brian was of an utterly different stamp, with his immaculate tailoring, ' BBC accent' and old-fashioned insistence on honouring agreements and giving value for money.
Now his monumentally successful but hauntingly sad life has inspired a biopic titled Midas Man – afte.