THE BEATLES' SECRETS

" Paul McCartney had an affair!"
"Brian Epstein was gay and in love with John Lennon!"
"The Beatles may have fathered many illegitimate children!"
"John Lennon had a lover Mae Wang...given to him by Yoko Ono!"
"John and Paul kept George at the sidelines!"

I watched a feature last week on TV entitled the Beatles' Secrets and honestly I was glued on to the set until the end of the show. The documentary-revelation showed people close to the Fab Four (their manager,close friend,publicist etc.) talking about things the Beatles did that any die-hard moptop fan would not want to hear about.

Among the interesting "facts" I learned:

- Brian Epstein really did create the Beatles, their image, their fame and fortune and he did his best to protect anything that would tarnish their wholesome image. When pregnant girls would claim one of the Four was the father of their child he'd simply pay them off. According to the narrative, Brian,who owned one of the biggest record producing outfits in the UK then, was always looking for new talent to promote.He and a friend visited the Tavern where the Beatles(the Journeymen) were performing and saw their potential. He signed them up and convinced them to change from a rowdy looking,leather-jacket-clad group to the clean -cut, mophaired, suit wearing quartet they have become known for. As a finishing touch to the transformation,he required the Beatles to bow after each song...another trademark. Epstein,who was gay and in love with John Lennon, was rumored to even have had a weekend alone with the sexually intrepid Chief Beatle. He died of drug overdose at the age of 32.

- Before they finally became The Beatles, Pete Best,the original drummer of the Silver Beatles had to be let go. As John Lennon remarked: "Pete Best was a good drummer...Ringo Starr was a good Beatle."

- Cynthia Lennon,John's first wife, was, for a good long while, the Beatles' secret. Since it would not have been good for their image to the fans to have one of them married, Cynthia had to bear not being with her husband in public. According to this feature, Cynthia was unhappy with the marriage anyway because John wasn't a good husband after all. When it became common knowledge that John was married, Cynthia was finally able to join them on tour.

- For the Beatles to be really considered a success, they had to conquer the USA. And so Brian had the Fab Four go on a road tour of different states. But even before this happened the group's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "Please, Please Me" had already hit number 1 in the record charts. So when the boys did arrive they were shocked to find out how much Beatlemania had already affected US fans. When they performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show their manager claimed that all America watched.

- The constant touring finally took its toll on the Beatles such that they thought it had nothing to do with their growth as musicians. As their former manager related,it reached a point where the screaming fans and inane fan behavior sort of amused the boys they'd often make snide comments about it among themselves while they were onstage. Epstein still felt that they were supposed to do concerts so eventually the Beatles decided to go on their own. Thus, Apple Records was born.

- When they left behind the concert tours and concentrated on music the Beatles were able to produce many of their best and most memorable music ever. (found in Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver,Abbey Road, Let It Be) It was during this time that the Lennon-McCartney tandem really shone, but at the expense of George Harrison, who inspite of being a good musician himself, was not given any help by John and Paul.

- The decline of the Beatles began when they decided to go on their own and manage themselves. Since they didn't know anything about managing and making a profit they outfitted their headquarters with such extravagance, and their lavish lifestyles soon drained their finances.

- Personal troubles also beset the Liverpool four during this time. John, who had divorced Cynthia Lennon, one day walked in with his new mate,Yoko Ono. Paul and the others didn't like her and made her feel it so. Paul who was dating actress Jane Asher, broke up with her and had an affair with a publicist(I forgot her name but she's now old and so ugly you'd wonder why Paul took her on.) Eventually, Paul married Linda Eastman.

What did I feel while the Beatles' deep dark secrets were being revealed? Generally, I didn't feel let down or get a shock. (Maybe, after seeing how ugly Paul's paramour was now.)if I had known all these when I was still a kid, I would have been disappointed. But now, I understand that the Beatles were after all, human. Although they were literally worshipped as "gods of rock and roll" during their time,they were subject to human frailty.

For me, what matters is that these Fabulous Four from Liverpool once upon a time (and even till now) brightened my life with their music.