“Think what we would have missed if we had never heard the Beatles.”
Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her golden wedding
The Beatles’ career has been documented in thousands of books, articles and broadcasts, not to mention the internet. A lifetime would be too short to digest it all, but I am certain that no-one has seriously attempted to explain the sacking of Pete Best.
So much is known about the Beatles and yet so little is known about the background to Pete Best’s dismissal:
Only four people knew with certainty what went on – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Brian Epstein. Apart from a few cryptic comments, the normally garrulous Lennon died with his story. Ditto Brian Epstein and George Harrison. There is much that Paul McCartney can say about this issue but it seems unlikely that he will do at this late stage. Possibly he will confirm or deny this book’s conclusions but don’t hold your breath. Paul is still skilful at dodging reporters’ questions and, in court in May 1998, George said he used meditation to help forget the past.
The Beatle literature is also silent on this subject. The contemporary newspaper, Mersey Beat, was subjected to spin-doctoring by Brian Epstein. The prolific Beatle biographer, Geoffrey Guiliano, skirts the subject, while Alan Clayson gives one explanation in the biography of George Harrison and another in his biography of Ringo Starr. Interviewers have missed their opportunities. Although, to be fair, the issue may not be high in their list of questions. Jann Wenner for Rolling Stone (1971), David Sheff for Playboy (1980) and Andy Peebles for the BBC (1980) spent hours interviewing John Lennon, and all failed to raise the issue. I can’t criticise them as I’m as neglectful myself. I had 22 minutes of Paul McCartney’s time for BBC Radio Merseyside and never even mentioned their hapless drummer. Add to this that Paul is so damn nice; I suspect that even Jeremy Paxman would submit to his charm and not pursue his interrogation.
The publication of Paul McCartney and Barry Miles’ Many Years from Now in 1997 prompted this book. Paul is frank, very frank, about his sexual exploits and his drug-taking but, despite 600 pages, Pete Best only merits one line in the Index – to be accurate, only half a line as he is bracketed with his mother Mona, usually known as Mo. We learn that the Beatles went to Mo’s club the Casbah, that Pete joined the group, and that Pete left 2 years later. That’s it, and yet there are whole pages about their former bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe who, musically speaking, was a passenger. To be fair, the publisher may have cut the text, or Paul may be saving the Pete Best saga for a second volume or another project, but I doubt it.
So I decided to write this book. I have spoken to numerous musicians about Pete Best and I have looked at all the major reference books and been through all the interviews I have kept over the years. I was hoping that this wealth of material would suggest some explanations and I have followed up my leads with further interviews. I have enjoyed being Inspector Morse. I hope that you agree with my conclusions but, whatever, you now have the information and can interpret it for yourself.
Unless identified otherwise, all the quotes come from interviews I have conducted for BBC Radio Merseyside, or for the annual Merseybeatle Convention or for this book. My thanks to BBC Radio Merseyside for the use of my interview material, and also to David Horn at the Institute of Popular Music at the University of Liverpool for encouragement, and for putting me in contact with Garry Tamlyn, an authority on drumming techniques, and the Head of Contemporary Music at Queensland Conservatorium, Australia. My thanks also to Trevor Cajiao, Andrew Doble, Peter Doggett, Bob Groom, Neil Hiley, Ian Kennedy, Bernd Matheja, Bill Morrison, Mick O’Toole, Denis Reed, Daniel van der Slik, René van Haarlem and Granville Wolstenholme. I have also used an interview with Pete and Roag Best from the 17th International Dutch Beatles Convention, Amsterdam in 1996.
Because Pete Best and his brother Roag are involved in various projects they felt unable to help with this book, but I have drawn upon personal interviews over the years as well as Pete’s autobiographies. There can’t be many people who have written their life story twice. How many more does he plan?
Whatever Pete Best’s limitations, the Beatles treated him shittily. His pride took a tremendous knock and yet he has acted without bitterness or rancour over the years. If he harbours a grudge, he keeps it well hidden. Large portions of this book may be as new to Pete as they were to me – after all, when you’re kicked out of a band, you’re not party to the discussions which explain why you’re being sacked.