The Mal Evans Story - Chat With Author Ken Womack: Living The Beatles Legend

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The Mal Evans Story - Chat With Author Ken Womack: Living The Beatles Legend

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Күн бұрын

The Mal Evans story has finally been told by author Ken Womack in his excellent new book "Living the Beatles Legend", the story of Beatles friend and roadie Mal Evans, with the help of Mal Evans' son Gary Evans.
In this exclusive interview, David Bedford speaks to Ken Womack about how the book came about, working with Mal's son Gary Evans and his sister Julie, as they told the Mal Evans story.
Mal was one of the closest and most loyal friends of The Beatles, and had kept a diary. The legend of the Mal Evans Diaries has been known for years and we have waited for it to be published. Finally, Mal's story is out there and it will be one of the best stories of The Beatles by one of their closest friends.
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David Bedford is a Beatles historian and author of several books on The Beatles, including his worldwide most popular book, “Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles”. Find out more about David at liddypool.com/
Brightmoon Liverpool is part of Brightmoon Media, an award-winning media production and broadcast company based in Liverpool, UK. Our recent works include the John Lennon feature documentary 'Looking for Lennon', as well as a number of specialist educational films for some of the UK's top universities.
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Пікірлер: 74

@reneestewart9425 9 ай бұрын

I am so happy to hear that Paul had asked him to join the Wings Over America tour. I can see how he had to separate from Mal for a few years because Paul knew all hell was gonna break loose. And he wouldn’t have work for him. It makes you dream for a moment has he gone on that tour how a lot may have changed for the positive for him. I think it just breaks all of our hearts like John that they were lost to early. And what a loss to the whole world as we know.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

It is a sad, sad story at the end. But what a life he led. Glad we have his story.

@beatler11 Ай бұрын

I so enjoyed this book. Had heard rumors over many many years of his notes about his days with The Beatles. I was very happy when it came out and loved the stories of Mal and his real life, first hand experiences with JPG&R.

@BrightmoonLiverpool Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, it is a fantastic book.

@JaneKellie-uh3mo 5 ай бұрын

In our city grew this lad. How he ended was so sad. At the Cavern he became renowned Belting Out The Beatles Sound. * Imagine * to the world he was to sing And now his name is upon a wing. To Our City his tribrutes come, Welcome Home To Liverpool Son _____ _____________ John Lennon

@JaneKellie-uh3mo 5 ай бұрын

Hi Beatle's Legend. Thanks for your sharing this with us. As a scouser, i always thought that i knew more about The Beatle's. Listening to this interview opens up a deeper historical Beatle Legend Insights. I love the amazing workmanship of Julian Lennon together with Sean Lennon In America. Thankyou so much for this interview guys..( Or in a scouse version- Nice - One For this Interview Lad's ✌️👍🎸🎸👍🇯🇪🇬🇧. My Uttmost Respect & Love To Julian and Sean Lennon. Sean Lennon Was Left With Nothing From His Childhood Parents . This truth hurts my heart so much todate. Love & Respect To The Lennon Brothers Alway's

@JaneKellie-uh3mo 5 ай бұрын

Bruce Springteen had nothing to do with any of the legacy..neither does Taylor Swift. The Beatlemania Began In Liverpool England. ..Before It Ever Became Americanised !! .

@BrightmoonLiverpool 5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@mikemcf33 4 ай бұрын

I read the book, From inception through the end Mal was the band’s roadie, technician, road manager, chauffeur, sandwich maker, even organ player on one song. There are a ton of insightful stories and anecdotes. If you’re at all a fan of the band, pick it up. It’s great. 4.2/5 on Goodreads.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 4 ай бұрын

I agree, it is a wonderful book about a big man who had a big influence on the Beatles.

@wormsnake1 9 ай бұрын

I can’t wait to read this. Mail is a kind of mysterious enigma, who saw it all from the cavern days to end of the Beatles splitting up. Such a shame how his life ended but he will never be forgotten. This is a BRILLIANT channel. ❤️🙏.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Thank you, and you will love the book! A great eyewitness to the Beatles.

@amb2745 9 ай бұрын

I think you could say the same about The Beatles inner circle as well. Besides Mal, Neil Aspinall, Tony Barrow, Derek Taylor, etc. are these people whose names you may have heard of, but not much about their background or their time with The Beatles. There could be a whole other book on these "beatle people".

@marine4lyfe85 8 ай бұрын

@@amb2745Peter Asher as well.

@CutiePie-hh3gg 9 ай бұрын

Tq for honouring Mal

@BrightmoonLiverpool 8 ай бұрын

It's my pleasure

@TheLoghouseTeacher 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for this interview! Book is preordered and patiently waiting to receive it.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

A pleasure, you will love it.

@howcotube 9 ай бұрын

I have pre-ordered a copy and truly can't wait to read this !! I too have been waiting a long time for this one !!! Great interview guys !!!

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the interview you will love the book!

@walterrizotto8668 9 ай бұрын

So have I. Love Mal, the Gentle Giant. May I recommend "Good Ol' Freda", the Blu-Ray about Beatles' secretary Freda Kelly?

@howcotube 9 ай бұрын

@@walterrizotto8668 Yes I have that one too ! I have an autographed photo of Freda with Paul that I like very much as well !!

@walterrizotto8668 9 ай бұрын

@@howcotube Lucky you! And I've just found out about the "The Lost Weekend: A Love Story" BR.

@howcotube 9 ай бұрын

@@walterrizotto8668 yes a very good movie and I learned so much from it ! Got to meet May Pang and a got a signed autograph poster from her!

@SakariLehtonengopromo 8 ай бұрын

Just reading the book, did I hear another book (part 2) ? Oh yeah, tya !

@BrightmoonLiverpool 8 ай бұрын

Yes part 2 will include excerpts from Mal's diaries etc. Should be superb.

@keithm.7335 9 ай бұрын

Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn't end, but everything ends. That is life.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Sad, but true

@ralphwest8156 9 ай бұрын

Great stuff, great and interesting video David, looking forward to reading the book. ...imagine today having only two roadies ' - that's a 'stack' each so the bassist and drummer have to carry their own '

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Now they have a 38 tonner each!! More roadies than the crowd sometimes 😂

@beeetleboy518 9 ай бұрын

This is an amazing interview David wonderful stories such a great listen ! This book is my perfect Christmas present 👍👍🎸😎🎸BB 👍88

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

It is worth the wait. Ken has done a fantastic job with it, as expected. 👍🎅🎄

@michaelbartnek5090 9 ай бұрын

I have pre-ordered this book can't wait to start reading I'm sure this will make for some great reading

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

It is an excellent book, you will really enjoy it.

@PeKe999 8 ай бұрын

I bought the book and ut's a good readjust like Womacks other Beatles books.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 8 ай бұрын

He's a great writer! 👍

@JaneKellie-uh3mo 5 ай бұрын

I live not to far from Strawberry Field..Aka Strawberry Field Childrens Home. Wherever im walking in the Allerton Area..I Always Stop For A Minute - Giving My Respects To George Harrison.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 5 ай бұрын

And to John, especially?

@beatler11 Ай бұрын

I stayed for 5 days in Georges childhhood home last year, 25 Upton Green in Speke Liverpool. One of the clear highlights of my life.

@vadimopalev3433 9 ай бұрын

👏 !...Спасибо за Праздник! Огромная радость Ваш Супер пост! Тысячу раз спасибо!..✨🥰🥰🥰

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

A pleasure

@ponzo1967 9 ай бұрын

I'm sure whatever was in those diary's was sifted through by Yoko before anything got out. Mal had his book ready but the lawsuites were waiting too. I know John softly warned Mal about releasing anything to the public that powerful people like himself wouldn't want made public. Sad story about a guy who gave everything to help propel the greatest act in show business.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

All four Beatles gave Mal permission to do what he wanted, but Mal died before anything could be done, sadly. It is a great insight into one of those closest to the Fab Four. A tragic story in the end.

@ponzo1967 9 ай бұрын

@@BrightmoonLiverpool I read a book with John Lennon's letters and post cards he'd sent people over the years and I remember one to Mal about being careful of what he put in his book. The guy knew their deepest secrets and I'm sure they were all a little nervous he was putting out a book. Anything to do with John has gone through Yoko for years and she has her connections. I wouldn't doubt she set McCartney up to be busted in Japan. Fred Seaman, johns P.A at that time ,said they were laughing about Paul's arrest and saying something like that will teach him etc...

@lamper2 9 ай бұрын

28:44 Keith, as a boy, loved Roy Rogers

@ponzo1967 9 ай бұрын

I.found my next book, just waiting on Mark Lewishon's follow up after this.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Hope you're patient! Enjoy this book.

@ponzo1967 9 ай бұрын

@@BrightmoonLiverpool sounds really interesting and yeah I hope Mark gets that thing out soon it's been too long.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

@@ponzo1967 10 years and counting!!

@Kieop 6 ай бұрын

Paul likes to frame events as stories and he loves wordplay, so I wouldn't infer from his story that he's actually claiming that Mal didn't know what salt and pepper were, any more than we should believe that Paul could only blow air before Little Richard taught him how to "ooh". In Richard's story, he is claiming Paul and giving him his blessing -- that he makes him sound hopeless is meant to show that he had invested time in teaching him (which never happened), and thus that Paul was worth the investment. Richard was quick to chastise those he felt had stolen from him and this story is meant to show that Paul -- who stole a lot -- is not in that category. He is claiming him as his own. In Paul's Sgt Pepper story, he is acknowledging Mal's contribution and one can totally see them looking at the salt and pepper shakers and having a laugh, perhaps inspiring the name. It is similar to his Jimi Hendrix story, the point of which, is that he was impressed and flattered that Hendrix performed Sgt Pepper so soon after its release. But the story as he tells it, involves Jimi needing to retune his guitar mid-song and not being able to do it. It makes Jimi look bad and incompetent (he was more than capable to tuning his own guitar, even mid-song) , but it's just meant to be a bit of funning to highlight Jimi's mastery of the whammy bar.

@yei-jopbities6100 9 ай бұрын

(I speak spanish) Please ask to Ken Womak if he'll make his book version in spanish

@BrightmoonLiverpool 8 ай бұрын

Ken says that will hopefully happen soon.

@spaceengineer1452 9 ай бұрын

Fascinating but far too many ads.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Sorry, that is KZfaq, not us.

@spaceengineer1452 9 ай бұрын

OH, ok. Will def be buying the book, after hearing this. Nicely done interview. Learned heaps. Thanks..from Sydney. 👌@@BrightmoonLiverpool

@1rwjwith 9 ай бұрын

Regarding credits for songwriting…There should be an understanding that there is a creditable or valid point between crediting one songwriter and the modern and now current vogue of crediting a ridiculous amount of collaborators like 11 people writing a POP SONG…TOTALLY LUDICROUS. In my opinion it comes down to WHO WROTE THE MELODY…the TUNE , and the Lyrics..too me over say 4 people being credited writing a simple song is dumb. I think MAL EVANS possibly should have gotten one or two but it’s still hard to say…just changing one word or adding an idea probably does not constitute songwriting ..a lot of folks might think everyone should get credit when it’s adding to an arrangement not the composition so that is my opinion. I know he had the credit for YOU AND ME BABE with GH on the RINGO album. Thanks.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Yes, suggesting a word or so here or there isn't writing. It is a contribution.

@4-dman464 9 ай бұрын

You won't like this, my friend, but I wish some other author had got this gig, Lewisohn maybe or else someone with Scouse roots that could lock into Mal's pre-Beatle life authentically. Having read *very detailed reviews* citing evidence & examples about how the 2-volume George Martin books were botched by bad writing, bad research & bad editing, I'm wary of Ken Womack. I'm not a patient man with bad writing or research that cannot cross the Atlantic to get authenticity. And it's not evident anywhere that the author has learned from those mistakes over the Martin project. So this time around I'm wary. I'll risk it for research purposes if I see a reduced price. If the book is done right, if the perspective STAYS with Mal & does not stray to Beatles without Mal, if it avoids a 'little did Mal know that...' just to info-dump about the Beatles everything we already know (please God avoid that rat-trap), then this is an overdue & well worthwhile project. The relationship with Neil Aspinall would be interesting to learn about.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

To be fair, one of Lewisohn’s failings was that despite travelling to Liverpool regularly, he didn't get the spirit of Liverpool at all. I also think he spent too much time giving us his opinion. Womacks George Martin books, I thought, were really good and I'm wary of reviews. As The author has worked closely with Mal's son and daughter, working from Mal's diaries and original manuscript, he has done a superb job. I highly recommend the book, being from Liverpool. In fact, Mal lived 2 minutes from my house in Mossley Hill. I learned a lot from the book.

@4-dman464 9 ай бұрын

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Well, David, maybe we can return to this topic once I've read it. I've already been disappointed by the new Bob Dylan book, which had new access to his archive, so I hope I'm not bloodywell stung twice in one month. You could do a Mal Evans video tour navigated purely by Liverpool locations that have a specific Mal connection.

@lamper2 9 ай бұрын

I'd rather read Mal's ACTUAL diary. And if he's describe Linda as a musical partner, I'd be wary of buying his book!

@4-dman464 9 ай бұрын

@@lamper2 Well, if I understand the interview correctly, that's the plan for Volume 2 edited by Ken Womack, sometime next year? a big book project if it's going to include Diary, photos, facsimiles of letters, I'm guessing. It will take some layout to pull together, especially because Mal's abbreviated Diary form might not be very cursive. I'm thinking something like the exquisite layout of the new Bob Dylan book (the only good thing about it aside from Luc Sante's all-too-brief great writing). Expensive, but done right will be a touchstone to the life & times of Mal Evans.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

@lamper2 You will be reading extracts from his diary, and from his manuscript of his story told by Mal.

@50scap3 6 ай бұрын

This book makes Mal look pretty bad as a family man, super douchey actually. His obsession with being in the middle of everything was pretty sickening he was super kind to a ton of people that were NOT his family. Poor Gary should have been raised with Julian Lennon they had a lot in common.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 6 ай бұрын

It is an honest account through his diaries and with his children's recollections too. He wasn't a great husband or father a lot of the time, sadly.

@davidg2122 9 ай бұрын

30 min in and no taste of what's in this. Must be a boring book you cannot share even 1 story.

@BrightmoonLiverpool 9 ай бұрын

Should stay with it as we discuss stories, but have to set the scene.

@davidg2122 9 ай бұрын

@@BrightmoonLiverpool 30 minutes?

@javiergilvidal1558 3 ай бұрын

Is THAT Paul Mc Cartney on the cover? Looking NOT AT ALL like Paul, and holding his ciggie in his right hand?

@BrightmoonLiverpool 3 ай бұрын

Yes, that's him. They were good friends.

@javiergilvidal1558 3 ай бұрын

@@BrightmoonLiverpool Your answer is very strange. In normal conditions, it would be obvious that the guy standing next to Mal was Paul; and their friendship is well-known, and documented to saturation point. But the whole Beatle saga is FAR from normal. What I meant (and said) is that THAT guy doeasn´t look AT ALL like Paul, and his holding the ciggy with his supposedly "bad" hand is fishy at least