Right, Brian — Manage Us
How Brian Epstein became Beatles manager
“I heard about them through a lad who was asking for a record by them in one of my stores, or my family’s stores in October 1961,” Brian Epstein, 1964
Much of the The Beatles origin story is a blur of confused memories. Was the ’lad asking for a record’ really Brian’s first introduction to The Beatles? If so did this happen as late as October, 1961?
It seems unlikely, given that Brian had written his first Mersey Beat column the preceding August. A month earlier Page Two had featured a long profile by one J. Lennon: Once upon a time there were three little boys called John, George and Paul.
What is certain is that Epstein first saw The Beatles at a lunchtime session at the Cavern on November 9, 1961, the coldest day in over a decade. Along with his assistant, Alistair Taylor, Brian walked down into the ‘damp, smoky atmosphere’ of the cellar in a sooty building on Matthew Street.
Epstein, in his Italian suit, ‘stood out a mile’ and was quickly recognised by the ‘scruffy’ leather clad yet charismatic young men on the ‘dimly lit stage’. He briefly spoke to them after the set, telling them their music was ‘tremendous, and attended more gigs in the weeks that followed .
Then in his late 20s, the young businessman was a glamorous, exotic figure. RADA trained he had abandoned acting to take over as manager of Nems, the family business. This included a record shop, where The Beatles were regular customers. They new very well who Brian Epstein was but this was probably not reciprocated.
Up until that point Epstein’s interest in pop music was purely commercial. Pop records sold well and he tried to keep abreast of emerging trends but his personal musical taste inclined to the classical repertoire.
That was until The Beatles came into his life. Epstein would later describe that experience as ‘falling in love’ and his excitement was not primarily driven by potential financial gain.
Gay at a time when it was still illegal, Brian Epstein combined business acumen and integrity with an unworldly romanticism. Like Oscar Wilde he actively the courted danger of social ruin. Sexual adventures with ‘rough trade had resulted in physical beatings. On one occasion he was caught in a police sting and came very close to being publicly outed.
A meeting and a bath
Cautious in his business dealings, Brian’s further research into his potential clients raised red flags. There was universal agreement about the excitement The Beatles had created amongst local fans and in Hamburg. The doubts related to their reliability and professionalism.
Their previous manager, Alan Williams, confirmed they were free agents but advised Epstein “not to touch them with a fucking barge pole”. Williams was sore about them refusing to pay him an agreed concert percentage for the earnings from a concert in Hamburg.
Now a little wary, Epstein invited The Beatles for a formal meeting at his office. This was arranged for afternoon of 3rd December 1961 at 4.30.
John, George and Pete took the bus to the meeting. They arrived on time — but after forty five minutes there was still no sign of Paul.
A call was made to the McCartney family home. This revealed that Paul had just got up and was having a bath. Epstein exploded, “How can he be so late for such and important meeting?”
To which Harrison famously replied, “He may be late but he’s very clean”.
A frosty silence melted into laughter and new dynamic was established. The Beatles were the cheeky schoolboys, ragging their earnest but admired master. And Brian could never remain mad at them for long.
When McCartney finally turned up, Epstein made his pitch. First he addressed the nuts and bolts of what he could offer. He asked them how much they were being paid for engagements and was genuinely surprised by their answer. ‘I can get you much more than that,’ he said confidently. “We’ll start by getting you properly paid.”
As he talked of expanding revenue streams, he mentioned songwriting as an avenue to explore. They eagerly pointed out that Lennon and McCartney were already a thing — several of the songs they played at the Cavern were original. And there was already a substantial back catalogue.
Buoyed by the prospect of more cash, the young men then listened in astonishment to Brian’s plan make The Beatles ‘bigger than Elvis’.
Brian warned that there would need to be changes: in their clothes, their stagecraft and the way they interacted with audiences. Later there would be much huffing and puffing about this, particularly in Lennon Remembers. His beef was that they had been forced to change from a supposedly authentic biker gang image to a sleek, suited showbiz one.
At the meeting, however, that same John Lennon was swept away by Epstein’s ambition. Only Paul struck a note of skepticism, expressed in haggling about theoretical royalty percentages. This irritated his bandmates who had laser focus on two words: more money.
And at some point, either in the office or the pub after, John turned to the job applicant and said, “Right then Brian — manage us.”
Paul’s doubts?
On one level, Paul’s lateness was symptomatic of the sloppiness Epstein was determined to eradicate. Showing up on time was a prerequisite of show business success.
Ironically, Paul was perhaps the most determinedly ambtious member of the band. His poor punctuality and mildly truculent behaviour in the meeting also sent a subliminal message — that he was not yet convinced that Brian was the right manager for them.
This is how John would remembered it, “Three of us chose Epstein. Paul used to sulk…he’s more conservative.’
Paul’s caution would often prove wiser than Lennon’s impetuosity. In this case, however, it’s hard to dispute the latter’s assessment. “I made a lot mistakes, character wise, but now and then I made a good one and Brian was one.”
