#if you have ideas or art you would like me to send brian please submit them

[ptero-dactylic]

For the past week I have tweeted Brian David Gilbert a picture of him dressed as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad

[queenslasharchive]

Frequently Asked Questions

Since some people can’t open the link while on mobile:

1. Who are you?

We are Anna @ronniesshoes and Silke Maria @she-was-a-gay-stripper, and we are one university student and one gap year enthusiast who bonded over nasty Queen fanfics and started this blog! Or well, Anna started it and ran it for years, really, but Silke Maria recently joined to help out 

2. How do I become a member of queen_slash on LiveJournal?

If you already have an LJ account, simply go to queen-slash.livejournal.com/profile and click the “join” button in the upper left corner

3. Can you help me find this one fic I read a while ago, but can’t remember the title of?

Yes, we can! Or at least we’ll try our best. Please do provide it with as much information as you recall (pairing, setting, themes, main action, site you read it on, etc), because it’s kind of hard to find a fic that’s ‘on AO3 and it was Maylor’ ;) Depending on whether we find it or not, the request will be tagged as missing fic or lost and found

4. Can I ask for recommendations?

Yes, also! We take recommendations regularly, but please go to our rec list first to make sure that what you are looking for hasn’t been requested already. Things like ‘Maylor smut’ have been compiled numerous times already and can be found in the rec list, but if you’re looking for a fic dealing with John buying a pet tarantula but losing it and finding it back in Brian’s hair, drop us an ask! (Although that might be a bit too specific… I just completely pulled that one out of my ass, but if anyone feels inspired, the prompt is free to take!)

If you submit a request for recs which has been asked multiple times already, we will delete the ask

4. Can I submit my own work?

Yes, you can! You can just go to the submit page and send us your art/stories/etc. We will read it, tag it, and comment on it accordingly, so it can take a bit before it will be up on the blog. For what is and is not supported on our blog, please refer to no. 7.

5. Can I ask for writing requests?

We are currently a bit too backed up with answering asks and providing rec lists and keeping up with the tornado of Queen fics that have been uploaded since the release of Bohemian Rhapsody. You’re still welcome to suggest ideas and we’ll tag them as a prompt, because sometimes our amazing followers will take up a prompt and make something great out of it! ^^

6. Why is this link not working?

If it’s on LiveJournal and you don’t have an account yet, please refer back to step two. Some posts are marked as private and only members of Q/ have access to these. If it’s another site, it’s likely that the work has been taken down. 

7. Which themes do you not support on the blog?

We try to keep this blog a fun and safe environment for everyone to be in, and do not wish to offend anyone and/or make anyone uncomfortable. Therefore, we do not support the following themes:

The glorification of violence and discrimination; the promotion of (violent) ideas and ideologies

Heterosexuality (this is a place to escape heteronormativity, after all! =))

Non-consent (rape, paedophilia, bestiality, abduction, necrophilia, etc.)

Large age gaps

Certain unconventional kinks (furries, vore, ABO)

This might sound a bit stupid, but since we’re trying to keep this place a bit positive, we try to limit post-Queen works as well, but that’s mostly because we as owners/readers die every time we read fics in which Freddie has passed and the rest of the band is falling apart *cries* There are exceptions, but generally we do not support post-Queen dealing with Freddie’s illness and death explicitly

*By not supporting, we mean we will not reblog posts containing the aforementioned themes, we will not proofread them, and will not recommend them either.

8. I saw that you reblogged my work, but I’d rather you didn’t. What can I do?

We are sorry for the inconvenience. If you do not wish to have your work featured on our blog, please just drop us a DM at one of our main accounts or a non-anonymous ask (so you can confirm it’s actually you, and not someone else pulling a stunt on your work) and we will delete your work as son as possible.

9. Do you guys proofread?

We do proofread; we can read your creations to correct grammatical mistakes and/or spelling errors, and offer constructive feedback. We do this for pieces up and until 10.000 words. Please understand that proofreading is not our priority, so when we’ve got a lot of asks and recs to work our way through, it will take a longer time before we will be able to proofread.

If you would like for us to proofread your work, please send it in a (Word-)document or similar file to our email address queenslasharchive@gmail.com. We will then proofread it and send it back to you. Please note that having us proofread your work doesn’t mean we’ll automatically upload it to the archive, because it’s your work of course and we won’t publish it without your approval, especially if you haven’t seen/reacted to the suggestions we made. If you would like your proofread work on our blog, please submit the (renewed) version and we’ll add it!

Please note that we do not proofread fics containing the themes mentioned in FAQ no. 7.

10. Why has my ask not been answered yet?

This can have a number of reasons, but most likely it’s because what you’re asking for takes a lot of time for us to compile. Especially requests for recommendations we have not done before take a long time, because we’ll search all of Tumblr, AO3, and LiveJournal. If your ask included one or more of the themes we do not handle at the archive, it also will not be answered. If you fear Tumblr’s eaten your ask, please send us a DM/ask so we can look; sometimes it’s just that we’ve been very busy or overlooked it, and sometimes Tumblr genuinely ate it, in which case we’ll ask you to resubmit it.

[svushipswap]

The 2017 SVU ShipSwap FAQ

Schedule for the 2017 SVU Ship Swap:

Now thru October 6: Organization, planning & promotion of the exchange

October 6: Ship Nominations Open

October 20: Ship Nominations Close

October 21: Sign Ups Open

November 4: Sign Ups Close

November 6: Assignments sent (if not sooner)

December 18: Assignments due

December 25: Collection Opens (if any/all pinch hits are completed)

December 31:  Authors/artists revealed

What is the SVU Ship Swap?

The SVU Ship Swap is a fanworks exchange dedicated to relationships in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit tv series. Every participant in the exchange is to make a gift for another participant, and matches will be made based on each individual’s requests and offers.

Gifts are to be either an entirely new fan fiction story of 500 words or greater in length, or a complete piece of original fan art (digital or hand-drawn) featuring at least one requested ’ship.

Ships for this exchange can be of both the friend and family dynamic (“&” ships) or romantic/sexual  dynamic (“/” ships). Canon, fanon, crossover and OC ships will all be welcome (read below for further details.)

While this Tumblr blog will be used for organizational purposes, answering questions and administrative announcements, the exchange itself will be hosted and run at Archive of Our Own (AO3). We will be using AO3’s automated system for nominating eligible pairings, matching requests and offers, the posting of final works, and also revealing all stories and art at the same time.

How will the exchange work?

The SVU Ship Swap will begin with a ’ship nomination period of two weeks. Approved ’ships will then be eligible for requesting and offering during the sign-up period. Requests and offers will be matched using AO3’s gift exchange software and assignments then sent out.

You will have at least six weeks to create and post your work to the AO3 collection for the exchange, where it will not be revealed to other participants until the reveal date. A week after works are made publicly viewable, the creators of all works will be revealed (unless you choose before then to orphan your work for any reason and remain an anonymous gifter.)

What is an eligible ship for this exchange?

Ships which will be eligible for the exchange include:

Ships featuring canonical SVU characters who have appeared in any episode. Regular, recurring and guest characters all qualify. The ships themselves do not have to be canon, so pairings such as Olivia Benson/Brian Cassidy and Olivia Benson/Amanda Rollins would both be equally eligible.

Ships featuring a canonical SVU character in a relationship with an original character (OC). (However, requests can not be made for specific OCs previously written, either by the requestor or the offering author.) You can specify in your request if you want an Original Male Character (OMC), Original Female Character (OFC), or are fine with either or prefer a non-binary Original Character (OC).

Crossover ships featuring at least one character from the SVU universe. Participants will be limited in how many crossover ships they request/offer vs. non-crossover ships, to ensure fewer matching problems, but this year there will be no restrictions on which characters can be requested in a crossover ship. (So, requests like “John Munch & Lennie Briscoe (Law & Order)” and “John Munch/Jack Harkness (Torchwood)” would be equally allowed.)

Are threesome ships eligible?

Yes, you will be able to nominate, request and offer threesomes for this exchange (example: Mike Dodds/Sonny Carisi/Rafael Barba).

Are Real Person Fic (RPF) ships eligible?

No. While the organizer of this exchange has no problem with RPF in general, this exchange is exclusively for the characters of SVU, not the actors involved in its production. So Elliot/Oiliva is fine; Chris/Mariska will not be approved.

If a request is for a “/ ” ship, does it have to feature romance and/or explicit sex?

A romantic/sexual relationship is the implied default for “/” ships in this exchange.  If you match on a “/” request that you offered, the requested relationship should be the focus of the work in some fashion and in a romantic/sexual context. It does not have to feature explicit sexual content, however.

Likewise, if you match on an “&” ship, there should be NO romantic or sexual relationship implied in your story.

So, the request for “John Munch/Odafin Tutuola” would be for those characters in a sexual/romantic relationship. “John Munch & Odafin Tutuola” would be a request for friendship/partnership-only works.

Can other SVU ships appear in what I write or the art I create?

Yes, you can include or reference other ships as long as the requested ship is the central focus of the story. Also be mindful of requesters’ “Dear Author” letters or optional details, to see if there are any ships they explicitly do not like/are NOTPs for them and would prefer not to see mentioned at all in the background of their gift.

What are the nomination limits, and why must ships be nominated before they will be eligible?

Everyone will be allowed to nominate eight (8) ships for the exchange (although only TWO (2) of those requests can include a crossover character.) You will need an AO3 account in order to nominate ships, but participating in the nomination process does not commit you to participating in the exchange.

Once a ship has been nominated and approved once, it does not need to be nominated by anyone else. The list of accepted nominations will be publicly viewable so you can check that list before submitting your own nominations.

Nominations are required in order to:

Make sure all pairings are listed in a consistent format for matching purposes—full character names in a certain order instead of ship “smushnames”, for instance. (Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson, not “Barson”).

Make sure all requests meet the eligibility requirements of the exchange.

Limit requests and offers to ships within a defined tag set.

How many ships must I be willing to request during sign-ups?

You must request a minimum of three (3) and up to a maximum of ten (10) ships in order to ensure we’ll be able to make matches. That means if there is well and truly only one ship in SVU that you are interested in, this may not be the exchange for you. We cannot guarantee that you will only receive works for that one ship of your heart.

One out of every three requests you make can be for crossover ships. So if you make 9 requests, 3 of them can be crossover ships. If you make 6 requests, 2 of them can be crossover ships.

You can count both the “&” and “/” versions of a ship as two separate requests. Example: “Amanda Rollins & Olivia Benson” and “Amanda Rollins/Olivia Benson” could count as two of your three requests, if you would be happy receiving either friendship or romantic fic about them.

With each ship you request, you will be able to indicate if you are interested in receiving fic, art, or either. You will also be able to include optional details such as specific prompts you might have in mind, story or art ideas, and general likes/dislikes, or you can link to an external “Dear Author” letter (just be sure it is publicly viewable!) 

Please keep in mind that optional details are optional, and the person assigned to create a work for you is only required to

fulfill your basic ship request

honor any specific “Do Not Wants” you list

How many ships must I be willing to offer during sign-ups?

You must be willing to offer a minimum of four (4) and up to a maximum of ten (10) different ships. Part of the fun of participating in an exchange like this is to challenge or push yourself to create outside of your usual comfort zone. If there is only one ship you are at all comfortable writing or creating art for, this may not be the exchange for you. However you might wish to submit treats for requestors (see below for more information).

With each ship you offer you will be able to indicate if you are able to create fic, art, or either for it and that will be included in the matching process.

What are the matching requirements?

You will be matched on at least one ship, and the medium requested/offered for it. You have the option to create for any of your match’s requests, whether or not you originally offered it.

You only have to create a work for ONE of your assignee’s requests. If your assignee requested five (5) different ships, you do NOT have to write five different stories. However, you can do so if you really feel inspired! Extra treats are always welcome.

What if no one requests the ships I’ve offered in my sign-up?

Then I will contact you directly to ask if there are any other ships you are willing to offer. If not then regrettably I will have to remove your sign-up from the exchange and you will not be able to receive a gift.

Can I edit my gift after the submission deadline?

Yes, you can edit it even after you have uploaded it to the AO3 collection. But, you must still have a complete gift posted by the submission deadline that meets the minimum word count (or is a finished work of art). I will go through the collection to make sure placeholders are not simply uploaded without sufficient content.

What if I can’t finish my gift by the deadline?

If you cannot finish then you will be in default. If you know before the deadline you will not be able to complete the assignment then please let the admin (that’s me) know immediately so I can send out your assignment to a pinch hitter.  If your gift is not uploaded by the deadline then your assignment will be sent out for a pinch hit as well. The goal is to make sure everyone has some kind of gift that meets minimum requirements by the time the collection goes live.

If you default on your assignment and the person you were assigned to has also defaulted, then your assignment will not go out for a pinch hit.

What is a pinch hit, anyway?

Pinch hits are assignments where either the author/artist has defaulted, or were not matchable to begin with. Pinch hits will be posted to this blog such that anyone who wishes can offer to take on that assignment (either in addition to their initial one, or without having previously signed up for the exchange.) Pinch hitters will not receive a gift for their contribution (beyond whichever gift they may have initially been matched on.)

I defaulted last year. Am I still able to sign-up this year?

Yes. Because we made no specific rules last time regarding bans/make-up assignments for those who defaulted, everyone gets amnesty this year :)

I’m not sure I want to commit to participating, but I’d like to try to offer some extra gifts to participants. Will “treats” be allowed?

Yes! All requests made will be publicly viewable at A03 as soon as sign-ups open. You will be able to browse through them, and if you choose, submit “treats” of whatever kind you wish, be it more fics (of no word count minimum), art, graphics, vids, etc. Consider this a fest to celebrate all possible shippy goodness on SVU!

I don’t have an AO3 account!

The admin has several invite codes she would be happy to give out to any interested participants who might need one. You can also put in a direct request for an invite code at http://archiveofourown.org/invite_requests and you should receive one within several days’ time.

Anything else I should know?

One thing the admin would like to make clear from the start: NO SHIP HATE WILL BE ALLOWED. This exchange is to celebrate popular ships, rare ships, controversial ships, new ships, old ships and all ships in between on SVU. Please do not sign up just to write fic bashing another person’s ship or somehow troll the exchange and its participants. If you do you will be permanently banned from any current or future participation in the SVU Ship Swap.

I’m confused/still have a question not covered here.

Then please use the Ask box to contact the admin, and I will reply either privately or publicly depending on your preference/if I feel the question is a good one to share/address with other possible participants.

[mrepstein]

Chapter on Brian Epstein from ‘The Beatles: The Fabulous Story of John, Paul, George and Ringo’ by Robert Burt & Jeremy Pascall [1975] 

The Beatle-Maker

On thinking back to the Beatles’ beginnings, or come to that the beginnings of British pop music, a name that inevitably springs to mind is that of Brian Epstein. It was he who was without any doubt the finest manipulator of groups either before, during, or since the rise of the Beatles. His untimely death occurred in August 1967, and in many ways from that point on the Beatles started a slow down-hill slide.

Brian was born on September 19th, 1934, in Rodney Street, Liverpool - an exclusive area well known for its concentration of doctors. The grandson of a Polish immigrant, Brian was the first of two children born to Queenie and Harry Epstein. At the age of four he attended kindergarten, which seems to have been one of the very few, if not only, schools that he ever came to terms with. When the war broke out Liverpool became a prime bombing target because of the docks, and along with hundreds of other children, Brian was evacuated to Southport, a West Coast resort now better known for convalescing. He was sent to Southport College where he carried on, after a fashion, his schooling.

In 1943 the bombing seemed to have stopped, and the Epstein family returned to Childwall, a suburb of Liverpool. Obviously the move meant Brian would have to leave Southport College, and after an interview with the headmaster of Liverpool College he was admitted as a scholar. His stay was not a very long or rewarding one for after a short period he was expelled. Brian once said: “One feature of life which I experienced there and at other schools and even sometimes now, was anti-semitism. Even now it lurks around the corner in some guise or other, and though it doesn’t matter to me any more, it did when I was younger.”

Harry Epstein was wondering whether his son and heir was ever going to find a school which he enjoyed, and the thought of having a totally un-educated son was worrying both him and his wife. Between them they decided, as a result of Brian’s anti-semitic claims, to send him to a Jewish prep school, ‘Beaconsfield’, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Brian stayed at this prep school for the longest period of time that he stayed at any school, and when he was approaching the age of 13 he sat the examinations that would determine whether he would go forward to public school. Needless to say, the outcome was... failure.

To say at this time Harry and Queenie were immensely worried about their son’s future would be a gross understatement. However, they found a private school for their son in Dorset. At this school, if nothing else, he was allowed to express his flair for art, and remembers it as being the only thing that he was remotely good at. Back in Liverpool at this time, Harry Epstein was trying hard to find a good school for Brian before it was too late. His hard work bore fruit, for in the autumn of 1948, just as Brian had turned 14, he was notified that his son was to attend Wrekin College, in Shropshire.

At Wrekin, Brian discovered that he had another talent besides art. He took part in school plays and found that his performances were being praised by the teachers. It must have been the only thing young Epstein was praised for, and before he had the opportunity to sit any examinations he decided he wanted to leave school and become a dress designer. Brian might have wanted to become a dress designer but his parents had other ideas, and on September 10th, 1950, aged very nearly 16, he started his first job as a sales assistant at the family’s local furniture store.

He started work at £5 a week, which really wasn’t a bad wage at that time, and slowly but surely built up some kind of interest in his work. His parents were pleased as this was the first time in his life that he had shown concern for anything. Mr. and Mrs. Epstein were satisfied and happy with their eldest son. Things were on the up and up for Brian.

On December 9th, 1952, as though he hadn’t gone through enough discipline of one sort or another, a buff envelope arrived through the door notifying him that he was to attend a National Service medical. (In those days National Service was compulsory). He passed his medical as an A.1., the only A.1. achievement he had ever received. And so he began his two years’ service as a clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps.

Secure Businessman

Within 10 months of joining the army his nerves became seriously upset. He reported to the barrack doctor, and after a thorough examination he was passed on to a psychiatrist. After four psychiatric opinions they came to the conclusion that Private Epstein was just not fit for military service - and discharged him.

He arrived back in Liverpool prepared to work very hard at the furniture trade. This he did, and seemed to settle into some kind of routine way of life. His parents were happy. For no apparent reason at this time Brian’s old love for acting returned, and he regularly attended the Liverpool Playhouse. He began to meet the actors socially, and started toying with the idea of acting as a profession. With the encouragement of the professionals Brian got himself an audition at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and after reading two pieces, excerpts from ‘Confidential Clerk’ and ‘Macbeth’, he was accepted to begin studies as from the next term. So at 22, although a secure and aspiring businessman, he submitted himself once again to the rigours of community life, and became a student at R.A.D.A. It didn’t take Brian too long to realise that studying just wasn’t his forte, and he went back, once again, to the furniture business - where it now seemed that he was going to spend the rest of his working life.

The Epstein’s store was at this time expanding, and they opened another branch in the city centre. Included in this branch was a record department which Brian took charge of. Anne Shelton opened the store, and from that first day it began to flourish. Although most of the records Brian sold were pop, his real interest lay in classical and his favourite composer was Sibelius.

In 1959 the Epstein’s opened yet another store, this time in the heart of Liverpool’s shopping centre and opened by Anthony Newley. By autumn 1962 Brian’s store, for he was in complete charge of the city centre branch, was running to absolute perfection.

The Beatles 

At about 3 o’clock on Saturday October 28th, 1961, a young customer came into the store, dressed in the usual costume of the time - black leather jacket and denim jeans - he said: “There’s a record I want. It’s ‘My Bonnie’, and it was made in Germany. Have you got it?” Brian knew his stock inside out and gave a negative nod: but the old policy of keeping the customer satisfied was now to pay handsome dividends. “Who is it by?” asked Brian. “You won’t have heard of them” said the young customer, “it’s a group called the Beatles...” He learned that they had just returned from Hamburg, Germany, and were currently playing a residency at the local Cavern club.

Curiosity overtook Brian, and he decided to visit this cellar club and find out what it was about this group that made the locals react as they did.

He wasn’t too impressed with what he heard, although he found their personalities magnetic and for this reason he stayed until they completed their set. When they left the stage he was taken to the band room to meet them, but merely for the purpose of asking them about their record. George was the first to speak to him. He shook Brian by the hand and said: “What brings Mr. Epstein here?” They obviously knew of him from the record store. Brian went ahead and explained the situation about the several requests he had had for their record. George called over John, Paul and Pete Best - and said “this man would like to hear our disc”. They played it to him, and on hearing it Brian asked the four young lads to visit his office a few days later. Their first meeting was set for December 3rd, 1961.

Brian, even if he was thinking about it, had as much idea of artist/management as he had about flying to the Moon, but something inside was burning to get these four scruffy kids under his ruling. The four of them arrived at his office as arranged, although Paul was a little late. They passingly discussed the future and contracts and then moved on to other topics of conversation. They drank a lot of coffee and arranged another meeting for the following Wednesday. In between time Brian paid a visit to the family solicitor, Rex Makin, to discuss what an artist/management contract consisted of. On asking him this question and then explaining the reasons for asking it, Makin added dryly, “Oh, yes, another Epstein idea. How long before you lose interest in this one?”

Signed, Sealed And Settled

The second meeting took place as arranged, and with all members sitting in his rather plush office Brian said: “You need a manager, would you like me to do it?” There was a pregnant silence, and then John looked up and said “Yes.” The others all agreed, and John again said: “Right then Brian. Manage us, now. Where’s the contract? I’ll sign it.” Brian had very little idea what a contract looked like, let alone could he produce one. But within a week Makin had drawn one up, and the following Wednesday it was ready for all to sign. John, Paul, George and Pete Best all put their signatures to the contract, and all were counter-signed by witness Alastair Taylor, Brian’s assistant. The only signature that was always conspicuous by it’s absence was that of Brian Epstein.

First Audition

Brian felt that the first task of a manager was to secure for his artists a recording contract. He managed to lure Mike Smith of Decca to the Cavern to see and hear the Beatles at work, and what Mr. Smith heard knocked him out. He went back to Decca and arranged for the four lads to attend an audition at the famous Decca Record Company. The boys plus Brian arrived in London on New Year’s Eve, 1961, and the following morning, with Brian at their sides, went to the recording studio for their first audition.

They played several numbers which were duly recorded, and having completed their task returned to Liverpool to await the voices from the hierarchy of Decca. In March 1962, three long months later, Brian was summoned to the Decca offices to meet Dick Rowe and Beecher Stevens, two important executives. On arrival he was shown into their suite of offices and asked to sit down. Dick Rowe was spokesman: “Not to mince words Mr. Epstein, we don’t like your boys’ sound. Groups of guitarists are on the way out.” Brian tried to hide his immense disappointment and replied: “You must be out of your minds. These boys are going to explode. I am completely confident that one day they will be bigger than Elvis Presley.” Dick Rowe was rather taken aback and, thinking it was Brian that was going out of his mind, said: “The boys won’t go, Mr Epstein. We know these things. You have a good business in Liverpool. Stick to that!”

Thus ended the Decca saga. Brian, however, was determined that someone somewhere was going to like his Beatles. Pye, Philips, Columbia and countless others all rejected Brian’s tapes. ��There’s nothing there’ they all said in their voices of authority.

As a final resort Brian was going to have an all-or-nothing raid on London. If nothing happened this time he would call it a day. He hadn’t any idea where he was going to take the tapes, but he was determined to secure a contract. Through a string of coincidences Epstein met up with a gentleman named Syd Coleman, who was a music publisher looking for songs. Brian played him the boys’ tapes and Coleman liked what he heard. He would, however, like a gentleman called George Martin to hear them, and would Brian take them along to a company called Parlophone (part of the EMI group) and play them to him? This Brian did, and Martin hearing the tapes and having nothing to lose invited them along for an audition.

A few weeks after the boys had completed their second audition Martin wrote to Epstein and offered him a recording contract. That elusive sheet of parchment was at last reality. The only bad side to the audition was the fact that George Martin didn’t consider Pete Best’s drumming suitable for the band. The other three were also appealing to Brian to ask Ringo Starr, the drummer to join the group. Brian was reluctant, but George Martin’s hint made him realise something must be done, and so one afternoon he broke the bad news to Pete Best. He didn’t want to do it, but he realised it would be best for the Beatles.

On their first actual recording session the boys put down two songs of their own: ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘P.S. I Love You’. On October 4th, 1962 the record was unleashed upon the world, and within a matter of weeks ‘Love Me Do’ had reached the no. 17 position in the British charts. George Martin, who quite honestly was amazed at the progress of this record, realised the need to bring out another single quickly, and almost immediately did another session with the boys. About this time he introduced Brian to an old friend of his, Dick James.

Brian went along to meet Dick James, who at that time occupied a one-roomed office in the Charing Cross Road. Dick asked him to sit down, and takes up the story from there:

“He had with him a rough acetate of a session he had just completed with George Martin. I put it on my record player and I heard this song ‘Please Please Me’, and I just hit the ceiling. He asked what I thought, and I said ‘I think it’s a no. 1.’, I picked up the telephone and called a friend of mine, Philip Jones, who at that time was a light entertainment producer at ABC TV, and he was just starting a new show called Thank Your Lucky Stars. The breaks started to come virtually from that moment.”

The Midas Touch

Brian was suitably impressed, and agreed to let Dick have the publishing to both sides of the forthcoming disc. As it turned out Dick was right and the record did make no. 1.

The song that George Martin wanted to follow ‘Love Me Do’ with was in fact given to him by Dick James. A song written by an up-and-coming writer called Mitch Murray, it was entitled ‘How Do You Do It?’, but the Beatles couldn’t get into the song so they dropped it. Brian had realised the potential of this song though, and asked the only-too-pleased Dick James if he could have it for another Liverpudlian group that he had just signed. Dick agreed, and Gerry and the Pacemakers certainly did do justice to the song and took it right up the charts to the no. 1 spot. 

And so the hits went on and on and on. Everything Brian touched turned to gold. He signed Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and they too wallowed in hits. Cilla Black, the Fourmost, the Big Three, the Merseybeats and many others followed. He formed an empire and called it NEMS (North East Music Stores), which he named after his record shop in Liverpool. Brian went on to shape the Beatles in such a way that they were shortly to have no. 1 records with everything that they released. Last but not least, they were to ultimately conquer the world.

Unfortunately, with the success coming at the phenomenal rate Brian was getting it, the pressures began to grow. He started working a 25-hour day, eight days a week. He was careful not to lavish too much attention on any one act, and tried (unsuccessfully) to share his devotions. He was devoted to his artists, and saw more of them than he did of his family. One can’t help feeling though, and if Brian were alive today he would probably clarify this, that the Beatles were his first love - not because they were the most successful, but because they had an affinity that Brian had never experienced before. He gave these four suburban lads the world, and gave us all the Beatles, Nobody could ask a bigger favour of anyone than that.

Sad Death

A few years later, when the Beatles were in Bangor studying meditation under the Maharishi Yogi, Brian was found dead in bed in his Mayfair house. The coroner pronounced the death as accidental, due to the cumulative effect of bromide in a drug known as Carbitol. Brian had been taking this for some time because of the ever increasing pressures, which in turn led to insomnia. The world had lost a man whose foresight was greater than any music personality before or since. The Beatles had lost more than they could have possibly imagined. Brian Epstein was a fifth Beatle. He was as much a part of them as they were of him. Words can’t adequately describe the loss of a man of his stature, but perhaps the last words should come from his long time secretary Joanne Newfield:

“A lot of people seem to forget and they say ‘oh he didn’t do that much’, but if you look at the record since his death it makes you wonder. A lot of people say that the Beatles made Brian Epstein; I don’t think Brian Epstein made the Beatles, but I think he did a great deal more than he is given credit for. A lot of managers could have found a group like them and completely messed them up. It wasn’t just their talent alone, it was their talent plus a very creative person behind them. Maybe business-wise he wasn’t the greatest, but creatively he was a genius.”