Living the Beatles Legend: The new biography revealing the untold story of Mal Evans, the perfect 2023 Christmas gift for fans of the Beatles and music history
£21.79£25.00 (-13%)
The first full-length biography of Mal Evans, the Beatles’ beloved roadie, assistant, confidant and friend
A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, Malcolm ‘Mal’ Evans was an invaluable member of the Beatles’ inner circle. Serving as their long-time roadie, personal assistant and protector, he was a sometime lyricist, occasional performer and regular fixer at the height of the group’s fame and beyond.
But Mal’s dedication to his beloved ‘boys’ and his own desire for stardom took its toll, leading to the dissolution of his marriage and his untimely death in January 1976.
Until now, Mal’s extraordinary life has remained shrouded in mystery. Drawing on hundreds of exclusive interviews and with full access to Mal’s unpublished archives – including his personal diaries, manuscripts and memorabilia – renowned Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack paints the first complete portrait of this complicated figure at the heart of the Beatles’ story.
Living the Beatles Legend is a fascinating but ultimately tragic tale about life at the edges of superstardom.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Mudlark (14 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 592 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0008551219 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0008551216 |
| Dimensions | 15.9 x 5 x 24 cm |
by Lee Marshall
Like so many Beatles obsessives, I’ve waited decades for this book from possibly the only member of the ‘inner circle’ to finally see the light of day, after false starts, rumour and even antipodean hoaxes of the Mal Evans archive.
Kenneth Womack is one of a few Beatles writers with credibility and a track record of other fabs based books, so expectations are naturally high.
The book is well written, flows nicely and makes for a picture of a simple, decent and possibly slightly immature man who became dazzled by dreams of his own fame and a growing desire to live for himself the lives of his employers. Mal often appears in archive photos and footage and now I understand why – he was desperate for a little piece of the action.
You should never meet your heroes and I came away from the book feeling like I knew Mal a little more, but liked him considerably less than I hoped I would – in particular the poor treatment of his wife and kids who he unceremoniously abandoned on and off for years until the inevitable happened. His none too regular letters home were self pitying, especially when they were so often written whilst playing away, which jarred.
Likewise the Beatles come off as needy and entitled, which they naturally became and treated Mal as a lackey throughout their time as a functioning band (and beyond), without too much reciprocation for his service and that made me sad – it would have been so easy to have set him up for life with just one co-writing credit, or a small share in copyright – but it never happened.
That this book exists at all is a miracle and I’m so glad that it does; but the challenge for any Beatles chronicler is the impossible benchmark established by Mark Lewisohn. That said, it’s good to see the two writers are clearly friends, judging by the name-check in the acknowledgements chapter and that in itself gives this book even more credence.
Mal sadly never lived to see the love and reverence that he continues to be held in around the world; perhaps a little less so once people read this book.
For me, this is a 4.5 star book – it’s enjoyable and is worth the long wait; even if it ultimately leaves you with a sour aftertaste, but that’s more attributable to ths subject matter than it is the writer.
Now we need the definitive work on Brian Epstein and the second installment in Mark Lewisohn’s much anticipated trilogy…
by Joe Singleton
This is probably one of the best music biographies that I have read. I was never a massive Beatles fan, and had never heard of Mal Evans. I was born in late 1963 so most of the Beatles action had happened before I was even born.
Kenneth Womack has done a brilliant job with this biography. Not only does he tell of the hedonistic sex, drugs and rock and roll lifetime but he also looks at the darker side of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The effects upon family and friends and it shows the true relationship of a roadie committed to the band he served.
I guess in the 70’s you didn’t need qualifications to prove your worth, if you were determined you could try anything. Mal had a short life but he experienced so much, and it took decades for his story to finally be told.
A definite recommendation for any music fans.
by Tambok
Living the Beatles Legend is the story of the Fab Four’s legendary roadie Mal Evans. From their days at the Cavern Club until the final break-up Evans was a loyal friend as well as an employee and enjoyed a degree of personal fame as a result. As well as their road manager Evans was also a fixer and if required a minder, known as a gentle giant who would rather defuse a situation rather than resort to getting physical.
As well as the story of a complex and interesting character this book is pure gold for Beatles fans, Mal Evans kept diaries of his entire time with the Beatles and left a veritable horde of information and memories ,written and photographic. This is a man who not only worked for the Beatles but socialised ,went on holidays with them and even appeared on some of their records. This treasure trove was very nearly lost to the world,only saved by coincidence and the determination of a handful of people until ending up with Evans’ family.
This is probably the most authentic record of Beatlemania ,warts and all, that there has been,or ever will be. Mal Evans wasn’t told the stories,he was there and his account is contemporary, he drove the vans,he was in the recording studios,saw the arguments, went to the parties.
This is the story of both a simple and a complex man,while living a hedonistic life he clung on to the family and loving wife that he continually neglected and let down while being at the beck and call of the Beatles. When finally he was told he couldn’t have his cake and eat his life spiralled downwards with tragic results, an
This is a long book packed with detail,the tale of how it came about is as fascinating as any of the anecdotes within its covers. Evans’ whole archive very nearly ended up being thrown away as rubbish when a building was being cleared.
A fascinating and informative book.
by Beatlesaint
Once again Ken Womack comes up trumps with this first of two books on Mal Evans. Only just started reading but its a page turner and fills in a very big gap in the Beatle story heavily based on Mal’s manuscipt and diaries.