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An original letter sent by Brian Epstein’s personal assistant Alistair Taylor. The letter is dated 5th June 1986 and appears to have been sent to a man who was enquiring about Brian Epstein’s former home of Kingsley Hill in Warbleton, Sussex.

#this is cute #alistair taylor

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Brian Epstein’s Address & Telephone Book

A small leather bound pocket address and telephone book that was owned and used by Brian Epstein. The book dates to 1967 and it consists of 57 pages of addresses and telephone number some of which are typed, some of which are in Epstein’s hand and some which have been added by hand on his behalf. // (click HERE to view more pages from the book)

The book contains a total of 404 entries - a selection of them are listed below:

Keep reading

#important

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The only photograph of Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney together (1967)

#holy shit #jimi hendrix #paul mccartney

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Liverpool Echo and Evening Express Pop Special souvenir newspaper, Saturday 11 July, 1964, ‘Liverpool, Here we come!’ [x] In July 1964 The Beatles came back to Liverpool after touring America. Beatlemania had taken grip and the city welcomed them back for the premier of A Hard Days Night at the Town Hall. This 8-page souvenir newspaper documented their triumphant home coming. One of the articles focuses on Brian Epstein, ‘The Flat that Epstein Bought’. Brian reveals his love for antiques and modern furniture in his new flat. “Mr Epstein inhabits the top floor and the roof, where he has potted plants and wrought iron furniture, and swinging hammocks and a splendid view. The Beatles approve of most of the furniture; they were a bit scornful about the antiques”. Brian adds, “Paul is very fond of the rocking chair, but most of what they all approve of was the way I had their photographs framed”.

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majoring in medicine

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brian <3

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Brian just chokes Martin for no reason

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So I saw this photo:

And it just struck me how Ringo, being likely the only straight band member, was comfortable doing these kinds of things with Brian when the rest of the band probably wasn't.

That led me down the rabbit hole of finding other photos of Ringo and Brian. So, enjoy.

It literally looks like Ringo is marrying Brian.

Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Brian in a tshirt?

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The Beatles with George Martin & Brian Epstein at the Adelphi Cinema in Slough, England | 18 May 1963 © Dezo Hoffmann

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boys are out tonight, huh?

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Break time, Apple studios, 1969

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John Lennon demonstrates his excellent awareness of the camera in A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

#lmaoooo leave him alone he can’t see 😭 #we get a shot of his head real nice and close

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My queue was in the middle of 1968 India trip posts during the anniversary of Brian Epstein’s death and the statue unveiling, so it got me thinking about the connection of these two events.

It’s easy to forget the link between the two because they’re technically 6 months apart. But it feels underappreciated how much Brian’s specter looms large over the entire India trip. And not just because they delay the grief process several months in the name of Paul’s favorite coping mechanism. But because Brian dies the week they first meet the Maharishi:

Tuesday, August 22: The band’s first recording session since June; they record takes 1-8 of Your Mother Should Know

Wednesday, August 23: Recording take 9 of Your Mother Should Know and Brian stops by

Thursday, August 24: The Beatles first meet the Maharishi at a lecture in London. At the end of the day, they hold a press conference, get a 90-min private meeting with the Maharishi, and plan to go to Bangor, Wales for a 10-day training in Transcendental Meditation ™ the next day.

Friday, August 25: They travel to Wales, the first time in years they’re traveling without Brian or Mal or Neil, and it’s chaotic; after they arrive, they get a message from Brian saying he will join them on Monday.

Saturday, August 26: Following a day of training, they renounce drugs in a press conference (well, LSD at least). Brian spur of the moment drives back to London from Kingsley Hill after the guests he invited for the weekend don’t make it.

Sunday, August 27: Brian dies from an overdose of sleeping pills the previous night; he’s found around noon, the Beatles are inducted into TM before the news about Brian reaches them. They had a private meeting with Maharishi about their grief (he talks about reincarnation and the need for positive thoughts about Brian to help this process). Then Paul goes back to London while John and George are forced to make a statement for reporters staked outside.

Monday, August 28: Paul presents the idea for the MMT film and convinces them to keep working rather than go to India now.

That’s one week.

Whether you want to look at it as fate, consequence, or coincidence, TM and Brian’s death are linked forever because of this timing. The simple act of losing Brian factors into the disparate grief reactions and subsequent burnout symptoms seen visibly in each band member after India and across the next year. But this timing would haunt anyone. And not just because those around Brian report him feeling jealous about their diverted attention toward the guru this week. Just dumb what ifs that grief can haunt your brain with: what if they hadn’t heard about the lecture, what if they hadn’t gone on the Bangor trip or had invited Brian to join them on the train, what if they hadn’t appeared on camera announcing they were giving up drugs because of the Maharishi’s influence, etc etc etc.

This link between TM and Brian’s death is especially worth considering for John, who I believe is the only one who ever directly expresses guilt over his death. This isn’t unique as he expressed guilt for all deaths around him in an opaque way believing he’s a curse on people he loves. But it also is understandable because he had some warning. Pete Shotton talks about a worrying tape message John receives from Brian a few days before. Brian’s father died only 6 weeks prior, and Brian’s secretary finds a suicide note dated just before that. There seems to be some uniformity among those closest to him at this time that while he may have been actively considering suicide earlier in the summer, he wouldn’t have after his father passed out of concern for his mother. Still, even with the idea it was all just a terrible accident, those dumb what ifs would creep up in a case like this.

When you add in that Bangor is a spur of the moment trip, that it’s the first one they’ve taken in years without Brian’s planning and guidance, and that telling Brian or inviting him to join them seems like an afterthought? Well, it’s not hard to see how that close link and the guilt that it inspires would have factored into John’s desperation for finding that answer in India. And his anger when it doesn’t deliver. It looks like a desperation to make a consequential choice matter. Searching for the answer to life guided by a holy man makes TM and the Bangor trip meaningful. It makes it important. But to a guilt-filled brain, the idea the man is a fraud means Brian died for nothing. It’s a 60 foot drop into the earth, nothing but a deep dark hole of emptiness.

Now add that John shares with Brian more than just a tendency for depression.

#important

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sharing the sofa like normal people

insp:

#this made me realise how squished john is #and how much of the sofa paul is hogging #😭

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paul not approving of george’s mystery sandwich

#hehehe they’re so cute

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Just two mates 💛💛

#i want to show these pictures to someone who has never heard of john and paul #or even the beatles #and ask them their thoughts and opinions

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