#Ray Jones

[screengoddess]

DOROTHY ARNOLD, PHOTO BY RAY JONES

[gatabella]

Marlene Dietrich by Ray Jones, c.1930s

[weirdlookindog]

Bela Lugosi in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

by Ray Jones.

[citizenscreen]

Ann Sheridan is being photographed by Ray Jones at Universal Studios in 1953.

[themidcenturyscene]

Ella Raines by Ray Jones 1947

[mrepstein]

The Sunday Mail (Glasgow) - December 20, 1964

WHEN A BEATLE KIDDED THE ‘NEMPEROR’

RAY JONES, former member of The Dakotas, continues ‘My Wild Life With The Pop Groups’

On his way up, somebody christened Brian Epstein the ‘Nemperor,’ after his music firm, NEMS Enterprises. It stuck.

And with his kingly success came kingly trappings - a chauffeured Rolls, a Maserati, a big Belgravia apartment, a listing as one of the ‘Ten Best Dressed Men,’ etc.

Nobody on the inside now calls Epstein’s business NEMS. It’s ‘The Organisation’ - a thing bigger than all of us.

Brian sits at the centre of it all - rich and powerful.

And though his success becomes greater he is still much the same young man whom we first knew in Liverpool, and labelled ‘Mister Elegance.’

Brian hates reprimanding people - and as far as his top earners, the Beatles, go I think he gave up trying long ago!

Organisation

Even when, last July 20, he had me in his office near the London Palladium and told me I had to go I could see he was actually embarrassed by the whole bit.

I almost felt sorry for him - though, as a young married man being sacked from a £120 a week job, I suppose I should have felt sorry for myself.

The Beatles were the only people in the organisation who dared call him ‘Eppie,’ probably because he didn’t like it.

He was Brian or Mr. Epstein to everybody else.

I KNOW THEY WERE FOND OF HIM, AND RESPECTED HIM, BUT THEY OFTEN PULLED HIS LEG.

John Lennon, whom I think of as the most original personality in the Beatles, would say to him: ‘You’re only our agent’ - in that deadpan way of his.

He could always depend on this riling Brian. ‘I am not your agent,’ he would say emphatically, ‘I am your personal representative’ - which he really was.

‘Oh, ah!’ John would say.

John is a real character - with no flies on him. I always had the feeling that he was a good friend to have, but not a man to cross.

He can be scathing to people, but when he takes the mickey its usually good-humoured.

And shrewd! This year, trying to get rid of his old car, John got Brian to contact their New York agent, to see if they’d get more money for the car there - as a car ridden by a Beatle!

JOHN’S ALWAYS COMING UP WITH THE GIMMICKS.

Conscious

Having a drink with him one day I noticed his cuff-link had the name ‘Ron’ on it in big letters.

‘Who’s Ron?’ I asked.

‘Cousin of Jim,’ said John smartly - and flashed the other cuff-link, which did indeed bear the name ‘Jim.’

It was John who came up with the original idea for the Beatles’ Jacket, which swept the country. He had seen something similar in Paris some time before, and liked the idea.

But Epstein and Paul McCartney are the really clothes-conscious members of the outfit.

I always found Paul a nice guy - and the girls’ favourite, of course!

AND OF THE FOUR, THE ONE MOST CONSCIOUS OF THE GROUP’S POPULARITY AND THE NEED TO PROTECT IT.

I was in their dressing-room one day when an argument flared up between John and Paul.

Contrast

They are the driving force of the group and it’s not unnatural - as I well know! for tensions to build up in a group, even the Beatles.

John was picking up steam when he suddenly stopped, and I noticed that Paul was jabbing a finger in my direction and looking at John significantly.

The row ended right there.

Even though I was a fellow NEMS artist, they were taking no chances - following to the letter a Brian Epstein instruction that his groups should never be seen arguing publicly.

I don’t think George Harrison and Ringo Starr ever get much involved in the temperamental clashes of John and Paul.

By show business standards George is a reserved sort of fellow - though in ordinary life I guess he’d be rated a wild-oh!

Somebody once accused George of being ‘anonymous,’ and he retorted: ‘So long as I’m giving my best and getting an equal share of the take I couldn’t care less.’

That’s his attitude, and there’s a lot to be said for it.

Ringo, by contrast, is too busy enjoying the life he lives to have time for rows!

Where his energy comes from, nobody knows - but he loves dancing and being out till all hours. I think he enjoys being a Beatle more than the other three put together!

I suppose when I first heard the Beatles I was about as wrong in my judgement of them as Brian Epstein was right.

Imitation

The Dakotas, at that time, had a polished sound along the same lines as the Shadows, whom we greatly admired.

We thought ourselves the most professional group around in the North country and scoffed when people told us: ‘Wait till you hear the Beatles…’

The Beatles were in Hamburg when we heard that, but the week they came home we had the chance of working with them in the Cavern in Liverpool.

Capacity of that famous cellar was around five hundred, but we quickly found there must have been twice that number when the Beatles were appearing.

THEY MADE THAT STAGE IMMORTAL, IN FACT, IT WAS SOON TO BE CHOPPED UP AND SOLD AT FIVE-BOB-A-CHUNK AS SOUVENIRS!

I don’t know what I expected from them - just another imitation of Cliff Richard and the Shadows, I suppose, because they were all the rage at the time.

When I heard them, I thought there were out of this world - maybe too much out of this world.

No group, not even the Shadows made the same initial impression on me.

I remember thinking: ‘Here’s something completely new and fresh, it’ll be great if they can get it off the ground.’

But I didn’t think their sound was really commercial! I thought they were more of a musicians’ group FOR musicians.

Mind you, they had a rougher, original style then - like all the original Liverpool groups.

They played as they wanted, and sang a much wider range of material - including numbers which Manfred Mann and Freddie and the Dreamers later made big hits.

Resistance

Soon after, the Beatles played Manchester’s ‘Oasis’ beat club, and my judgment seemed to be right.

THEY WERE LAUGHED AT. ACCORDING TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO RAN THE PLACE, THE EVENING WAS A NEAR-DISASTER.

People forget that the Beatles had to overcome a lot of sales-resistance before they were a success.

Their first big national disc hit, ‘Love Me Do,’ only really made it because of the fantastic support given by their Liverpool fans.

In a few months, they were to come back to that same ‘Oasis,’ and take the place by storm.

[fuckyeahlegionm]

From the Legion M website... The retail edition of Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls Comic Book #1 will be hitting comic shops across the country on November 6th, 2024. From now until September 26th, retailers can pre-order these special editions (featuring a unique cover different from our Kickstarter and Comic-Con versions), but we need your help to get Defiant into as many stores as possible!

Typically, independent comics often don’t make it onto shelves unless there's demand, and that’s where the power of the Legion comes in. By reaching out to your local comic shops and requesting Defiant Comic Book #1, you can help ensure they stock it. More books in stores mean more people discover the incredible story of Robert Smalls, which brings us one step closer to seeing it on the big screen.

We’d be so grateful if you could share the order codes below with your favorite comic retailers and encourage them to place a pre-order. Even better, if you don’t mind spending a few extra dollars, you can place an order for one (or more if you are aiming to get the “virgin” variant cover) yourself. Your support makes all the difference, and we couldn’t do this without you!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Catalog: In the "Diamond Previews" catalog (which comic shops can order from), Defiant Comic Book #1 will be listed under "Stranger Comics" which can be found in the independent publisher section on page 386.

What's Available For Pre-Order:

Defiant #1 Caanan White Main Cover - Diamond Order Code SEP242067

Defiant #1 1:10 Virgin Retailer Incentive Cover - Diamond Order Code SEP242068

Variant "Virgin" Cover: A virgin cover means that the full cover image is depicted without titles or logos. For Defiant Comic Book #1, there is a 1 in 10 ratio variant (often depicted as 1:10) that is a virgin of the main cover. This means that for every 10 regular copies a retailer orders, they can order 1 copy of the virgin cover, which helps to preserve the limited nature of the variant. With that in mind, while you may request the virgin variant from your retailer, they will likely charge more or require that you order more copies to be able to get it.

For folks that can't make it to stores: Can’t make it to your local shop in-person? You can pre-order through Diamond's Pullbox Service.

[tiger-in-the-flightdeck]

Kon’s Prize-Winning Cock

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Bonus:

[greededling]

Rooster Teeth is shutting down, how you feeling?

mavin is dead. long live mavin

[pokeberry5]

tim feels like the type to wear gym shorts under a skirt and not care about it matching the rest of his outfit

(i’ve been wanting to draw yj98 for a while)

[gatabella]

Marlene Dietrich by Eugene Robert Richee, 1931

"What Monroe is to sex, Dietrich is to glamour. With that woman, just one light - and a photographer has a priceless piece of sculpture. The high forehead, the arch between the eyes, those soft lips slightly parted...what a sight."

- photographer Ray Jones

[babytoothbrain]

September Loneliness

Ray Bradbury// September Morn, Paul Émile Chabas// "Persephone", Alice Jones// Painting with the Padre, Daniel Garber// Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami// Sunny September, Helen McNicoll// "Autumn Psalm", Julia de Burgos

[michaun]

FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) Hey, Dad? You wanna have a catch? I'd like that.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Sally Mansfield as Vena Ray - Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1954)

[undergroundrockpress]

Hippies in California, Lates sixties. Photo by Tony Ray-Jones.

[jokewishes]

I think the world needs more positivity, so what are your funniest comic moments?

you have no idea what you have let upon the world, I have way too many comic panels saved,, brace yourself