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Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans
The first ever full biography of The Beatles' beloved friend, confidant, and roadie for the length of their duration as a band, Malcolm Evans.
?Long time roadie, personal assistant, and devoted friend, Malcolm Evans, or Mal, was an invaluable member of The Beatles' inner circle. The towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, although seemingly invisible, looms larger in the Beatles story than many are aware. He contributed sounds, lyrical ideas and background music, helped collate images for the Sgt Pepper cover, was the only member of the inner group invited to Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman's wedding, and was present for that famous final live appearance of The Beatles on Apple Corps' rooftop.
In Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary, you can spot Mal writing down the lyrics to John, Paul and George's new songs as they're composed on the spot. Leaving his job a telecommunications engineer for the General Post Office to become road manager for a fledgling band, Mal was the odd man out from the start. He was older, married with a family, had held a real 9-5 job, had no experience in the music business whatsoever, and towered above all of them. And yet, he was instantly devoted to this band he loved, eventually traveling all over the world and becoming their most intimate record keeper, secret keeper, schedule keeper.
Much changed for Mal once the band split. Virtually abandoned by his friends and former employers, Mal went to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter, leaving his wife and children behind. He began to work on a memoir focused on his time with The Beatles which he called Living the Beatles, but when Mal was killed by the LAPD during a drug feuled rage in 1976, that manuscript was lost, left unfinished.
Now, Beatles scholar and author Kenneth Womack tells Mal's story. With the blessing of Mal's wife and children, and with hundreds of brand-new interviews, photos and ephemera from Mal's archives that have never been seen before Brother Malcolm is what no other Beatles book can, telling a little-known story and celebrating an important but virtually unknown character in the Beatles lore.
?Long time roadie, personal assistant, and devoted friend, Malcolm Evans, or Mal, was an invaluable member of The Beatles' inner circle. The towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, although seemingly invisible, looms larger in the Beatles story than many are aware. He contributed sounds, lyrical ideas and background music, helped collate images for the Sgt Pepper cover, was the only member of the inner group invited to Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman's wedding, and was present for that famous final live appearance of The Beatles on Apple Corps' rooftop.
In Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary, you can spot Mal writing down the lyrics to John, Paul and George's new songs as they're composed on the spot. Leaving his job a telecommunications engineer for the General Post Office to become road manager for a fledgling band, Mal was the odd man out from the start. He was older, married with a family, had held a real 9-5 job, had no experience in the music business whatsoever, and towered above all of them. And yet, he was instantly devoted to this band he loved, eventually traveling all over the world and becoming their most intimate record keeper, secret keeper, schedule keeper.
Much changed for Mal once the band split. Virtually abandoned by his friends and former employers, Mal went to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter, leaving his wife and children behind. He began to work on a memoir focused on his time with The Beatles which he called Living the Beatles, but when Mal was killed by the LAPD during a drug feuled rage in 1976, that manuscript was lost, left unfinished.
Now, Beatles scholar and author Kenneth Womack tells Mal's story. With the blessing of Mal's wife and children, and with hundreds of brand-new interviews, photos and ephemera from Mal's archives that have never been seen before Brother Malcolm is what no other Beatles book can, telling a little-known story and celebrating an important but virtually unknown character in the Beatles lore.
588 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2023
301 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Womack
76 books170 followersKenneth Womack is a world-renowned authority on the Beatles and their enduring cultural influence. His latest book project involves a two-volume, full-length biography devoted to famed Beatles producer Sir George Martin.
Womack's Beatles-related books include Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles (2007), The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles (2009), and The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four (2014).
Womack is also the author of four novels, including John Doe No. 2 and the Dreamland Motel (2010), The Restaurant at the End of the World (2012), Playing the Angel (2013), and I Am Lemonade Lucy! (2019).
Womack's Beatles-related books include Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles (2007), The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles (2009), and The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four (2014).
Womack is also the author of four novels, including John Doe No. 2 and the Dreamland Motel (2010), The Restaurant at the End of the World (2012), Playing the Angel (2013), and I Am Lemonade Lucy! (2019).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
November 6, 2023
**Five Stars**
If you're a seasoned Beatle fan you have to know and easily recognize in Beatles photos their beloved roadie Mal Evans. This gentle giant with the black eyeglasses can be seen handling The Beatles equipment in the "Let it Be" movie, and even makes an appearance in the movie "Help!" as a swimmer. He was one of two faithful Liverpudlian roadies/personal assistants for The Beatles (the other being Neil Aspinall), but Evans was the more "accessible" and friendly one who wanted to be photographed with The Beatles and was something of a wannabe entertainer himself.
The book's forward is written by Gary Evans, Mal's eldest child. He whet the reader's appetite by describing his father's all encompassing love for The Beatles, the diaries, personal photos, Beatles memorabilia and manuscript for his Beatles memoir accumulated prior to his death in 1976. An incredible story follows where in 1988 several banker's boxes containing his father's Beatles treasures were festering in a NYC publisher's house basement where a temp was hired to sift through items to be purged. This worker quickly realized the magnitude of these historical materials (being a Beatles fan herself), but her supervisor seemed unmoved. That's when she took matters into her own hands and walked to Yoko Ono's Dakota apartment, handing an envelope marked "personal" to be delivered to Ono. Yoko indeed got the message and contacted Neil Aspinall in England (then managing director of Apple Corps) who immediately got lawyers involved and these materials sent to their rightful owner, Mal's wife Lily Evans.
It took decades for the Evans family to finally decide to use these materials to realize the book Mal planned, and veteran music author Kenneth Womack was chosen. I had read his excellent book Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles a few years ago, so trusted that this offering would be of the same high quality. I was not disappointed. The book begins with Mal's family heritage, youth, marriage to Lily, and jobs as a telecommunications engineer and part-time Cavern Club bouncer in Liverpool. Like a lot of great memoirs, the day to day diaries add such authenticity to the story, making it come alive for the reader. I learned scores of many new private moments and anecdotes Mal experienced with each Beatle, which is such a gift to an avid Beatles fan. The Beatles were everything to Mal and he was always there for them, even after The Beatles breakup. There are so many Beatles related books out there fifty years on from this iconic band, but this one is a true gem that will bring you closer to The Beatles through Mal's eyes via Womack's masterful authorship.
Thank you to the publisher Dey Street Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
If you're a seasoned Beatle fan you have to know and easily recognize in Beatles photos their beloved roadie Mal Evans. This gentle giant with the black eyeglasses can be seen handling The Beatles equipment in the "Let it Be" movie, and even makes an appearance in the movie "Help!" as a swimmer. He was one of two faithful Liverpudlian roadies/personal assistants for The Beatles (the other being Neil Aspinall), but Evans was the more "accessible" and friendly one who wanted to be photographed with The Beatles and was something of a wannabe entertainer himself.
The book's forward is written by Gary Evans, Mal's eldest child. He whet the reader's appetite by describing his father's all encompassing love for The Beatles, the diaries, personal photos, Beatles memorabilia and manuscript for his Beatles memoir accumulated prior to his death in 1976. An incredible story follows where in 1988 several banker's boxes containing his father's Beatles treasures were festering in a NYC publisher's house basement where a temp was hired to sift through items to be purged. This worker quickly realized the magnitude of these historical materials (being a Beatles fan herself), but her supervisor seemed unmoved. That's when she took matters into her own hands and walked to Yoko Ono's Dakota apartment, handing an envelope marked "personal" to be delivered to Ono. Yoko indeed got the message and contacted Neil Aspinall in England (then managing director of Apple Corps) who immediately got lawyers involved and these materials sent to their rightful owner, Mal's wife Lily Evans.
It took decades for the Evans family to finally decide to use these materials to realize the book Mal planned, and veteran music author Kenneth Womack was chosen. I had read his excellent book Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles a few years ago, so trusted that this offering would be of the same high quality. I was not disappointed. The book begins with Mal's family heritage, youth, marriage to Lily, and jobs as a telecommunications engineer and part-time Cavern Club bouncer in Liverpool. Like a lot of great memoirs, the day to day diaries add such authenticity to the story, making it come alive for the reader. I learned scores of many new private moments and anecdotes Mal experienced with each Beatle, which is such a gift to an avid Beatles fan. The Beatles were everything to Mal and he was always there for them, even after The Beatles breakup. There are so many Beatles related books out there fifty years on from this iconic band, but this one is a true gem that will bring you closer to The Beatles through Mal's eyes via Womack's masterful authorship.
Thank you to the publisher Dey Street Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
January 8, 2024
I was really looking forward to reading this, but like other reviewers, as it progressed, I became increasingly uncomfortable with Mal Evans' actions. He was a married father in his late twenties/early thirties who basically abandoned his family because he wanted to live in the reflected fame of his employers, something which made him seem quite sad and desperate, especially when The Beatles' increasingly treated him like their slave.
More darkly, he also, quote, "auditioned" teenage girls - i.e. abused his power to get them to sleep with him - before passing them onto The Beatles. He had multiple affairs with much younger women and fathered a child that he wanted nothing to do with.
There is no real suggestion that any of the girls were underage by British standards (the age of consent here is 16), and I know things were "different" then, and I'm not into cancel culture, and I've got nothing against age gaps, but the manner in which Mal revelled in his status to get sex with teenagers is unpleasant at best. The Beatles themselves come out of it little better at times.
Like another reviewer, I felt little sympathy when his poor wife finally told him she wanted a divorce. He seemed like an overgrown child who wanted to have it all his own way, do exactly what he wanted and have his wife stand by him, regardless of how hurtful his behaviour was. When it finally all blew up in his face, he couldn't handle it.
If some unfortunate trauma in his past made him that way, we're not told; it just comes across as a man abusing his position to sleep with young girls.
It's a shame because, as a massive Beatlemaniac, I always had a soft spot for Mal; but however great a roadie he was, he also had a side that makes for very uncomfortable reading.
More darkly, he also, quote, "auditioned" teenage girls - i.e. abused his power to get them to sleep with him - before passing them onto The Beatles. He had multiple affairs with much younger women and fathered a child that he wanted nothing to do with.
There is no real suggestion that any of the girls were underage by British standards (the age of consent here is 16), and I know things were "different" then, and I'm not into cancel culture, and I've got nothing against age gaps, but the manner in which Mal revelled in his status to get sex with teenagers is unpleasant at best. The Beatles themselves come out of it little better at times.
Like another reviewer, I felt little sympathy when his poor wife finally told him she wanted a divorce. He seemed like an overgrown child who wanted to have it all his own way, do exactly what he wanted and have his wife stand by him, regardless of how hurtful his behaviour was. When it finally all blew up in his face, he couldn't handle it.
If some unfortunate trauma in his past made him that way, we're not told; it just comes across as a man abusing his position to sleep with young girls.
It's a shame because, as a massive Beatlemaniac, I always had a soft spot for Mal; but however great a roadie he was, he also had a side that makes for very uncomfortable reading.
September 2, 2023
This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published.
Before I begin my review, let me quickly say that The Beatles are my favorite band. When I was 13 years old, I purchased The Beatles complete collections of CDs. I eventually added a little bit of memorabilia and a lot of posters to my collections. I even collected books because they were about The Beatles. I only ended up reading a few of them. As time passed, and I got married and had a kid, I gave most of the posters a friend of mine and sold about 95% of the book to a used bookstore. What remains is a small stash of posters that are in my closet, two shelfs in a bookcase with memorabilia, and a large bin also in my closet with mostly newspaper clippings from December 9, 1980, and several magazines (Life from 1964 and Playboy from 1965 – I actually have two copies of each). One of the posters I have was a promo for the Beatles Anthology which I got from the local ABC station. I just happened to be working for a computer company and was doing some work there when I saw it in somebody’s office (it could’ve been the General Manager). We got to talking about it and when I finished the job, he gave me one! I also have another Beatles Anthology poster that was autographed by Klauss Voormann (as he designed and drew it) and it’s also a limited edition (mine is number 306 of 555); I call this one my baby.
So, yeah, I was familiar with the namesake of Mal Evans, and was intrigued to read a lot more about him.
The Foreword of the book was written by Gary Evans, Mal’s son. Gary mentions that in addition to this book, another book will be published later that includes his dad’s personal diaries, drawings, and unpublished photographs from both his family and The Beatles. I can’t wait for that.
Mal was a part-time bouncer at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. On a cold day in January of 1962, Mal and his wife had just arrived at the club to see The Beatles again. The Beatles road manager and driver, Neil Aspinall, was sick that day and he asked Mal if we could drive them to London. That started his journey with The Beatles, and it lasted through his death in 1976. How awesome is that?
In addition to being a driver, he also helped setup, takedown, and fix all the equipment The Beatles used. How awesome is that?
When crazy fans tried to get close to The Beatles, Mal was front and center and never allowed them to get hurt.
He was in most of the studio sessions for the albums and often provided food, drinks, drugs, or whatever else they needed. He even contributed to some of the songs.
When he wasn’t with the band, he was helping them as solo musicians. After they broke up, he worked for Apple Corps as a producer (and even wrote a few songs that got recorded).
Obviously, he was fully committed to his job and making sure John, Paul, George, and Ringo were good. It did take him away from his wife and two kids quite frequently, which was hard on him and his family.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a few more days than normal for me to complete it. But it was well worth it.
Before I begin my review, let me quickly say that The Beatles are my favorite band. When I was 13 years old, I purchased The Beatles complete collections of CDs. I eventually added a little bit of memorabilia and a lot of posters to my collections. I even collected books because they were about The Beatles. I only ended up reading a few of them. As time passed, and I got married and had a kid, I gave most of the posters a friend of mine and sold about 95% of the book to a used bookstore. What remains is a small stash of posters that are in my closet, two shelfs in a bookcase with memorabilia, and a large bin also in my closet with mostly newspaper clippings from December 9, 1980, and several magazines (Life from 1964 and Playboy from 1965 – I actually have two copies of each). One of the posters I have was a promo for the Beatles Anthology which I got from the local ABC station. I just happened to be working for a computer company and was doing some work there when I saw it in somebody’s office (it could’ve been the General Manager). We got to talking about it and when I finished the job, he gave me one! I also have another Beatles Anthology poster that was autographed by Klauss Voormann (as he designed and drew it) and it’s also a limited edition (mine is number 306 of 555); I call this one my baby.
So, yeah, I was familiar with the namesake of Mal Evans, and was intrigued to read a lot more about him.
The Foreword of the book was written by Gary Evans, Mal’s son. Gary mentions that in addition to this book, another book will be published later that includes his dad’s personal diaries, drawings, and unpublished photographs from both his family and The Beatles. I can’t wait for that.
Mal was a part-time bouncer at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. On a cold day in January of 1962, Mal and his wife had just arrived at the club to see The Beatles again. The Beatles road manager and driver, Neil Aspinall, was sick that day and he asked Mal if we could drive them to London. That started his journey with The Beatles, and it lasted through his death in 1976. How awesome is that?
In addition to being a driver, he also helped setup, takedown, and fix all the equipment The Beatles used. How awesome is that?
When crazy fans tried to get close to The Beatles, Mal was front and center and never allowed them to get hurt.
He was in most of the studio sessions for the albums and often provided food, drinks, drugs, or whatever else they needed. He even contributed to some of the songs.
When he wasn’t with the band, he was helping them as solo musicians. After they broke up, he worked for Apple Corps as a producer (and even wrote a few songs that got recorded).
Obviously, he was fully committed to his job and making sure John, Paul, George, and Ringo were good. It did take him away from his wife and two kids quite frequently, which was hard on him and his family.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a few more days than normal for me to complete it. But it was well worth it.
November 30, 2023
An extensive biography of Malcolm Evans: roadie, assistant, etc to The Beatles. Based on Evans's personal diaries alongside all the memorabilia he had collected over the years, this work is definitely warts & all. It was a fascinating read to see what went on behind the scenes at the recording sessions & the real life friendships of the Beatles & how it all fell apart.
Infidelities, drug use, & partying all took their toll on Evans when his work life clashed with his private life. I didn't particularly like him as a person after reading this, he seemed to be supremely selfish when it came to his family. His wife & two children spent months of each year without him & he didn't even have the decency to hide evidence of his on-the-road dalliances from his wife. Plus some of these girls were extremely young & maybe he was no different to many other men in the rock & roll lifestyle of the time but it was grim reading. When things started to implode, I had problems feeling any sympathy for him to be honest.
Overall, it's an informative read which covers the whole gamut of the Beatles' career as a group. It doesn't shy away from showing the seamier side of the lifestyle, & the issues that can stem from that. It's well written & keeps the reader's attention.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK/Mudlark, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Infidelities, drug use, & partying all took their toll on Evans when his work life clashed with his private life. I didn't particularly like him as a person after reading this, he seemed to be supremely selfish when it came to his family. His wife & two children spent months of each year without him & he didn't even have the decency to hide evidence of his on-the-road dalliances from his wife. Plus some of these girls were extremely young & maybe he was no different to many other men in the rock & roll lifestyle of the time but it was grim reading. When things started to implode, I had problems feeling any sympathy for him to be honest.
Overall, it's an informative read which covers the whole gamut of the Beatles' career as a group. It doesn't shy away from showing the seamier side of the lifestyle, & the issues that can stem from that. It's well written & keeps the reader's attention.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK/Mudlark, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 20, 2023
I’m actually torn on how to review this book..maybe I’ve just read too many Beatles books over the years but I would just rate this as okay. Mal Evans was with the Beatles from almost the beginning, acting as a bodyguard, driver, procurer and roadie. He went with them everywhere and considered himself both friend and fan. He also had a wife and two children, who he left home for months at a time. I felt this book almost tried too hard to gloss over the seedier aspects of Mal’s life with the Beatles, where drugs and women (sometimes SHOCKINGLY young) were a regular occurrence. These episodes were almost always cushioned with assurances that everyone loved Mal and he was just a big teddy bear. I absolutely know that this lifestyle is par for the course while on a rock tour, but I think it was written with more bias than I prefer. It was interesting to read about a person who was a side presence in all the other Beatles biography. He definitely led and interesting existence and it was fascinating to discover how the ways in which he did (and didn’t) move on after the Beatles broke up. There are many books to read about the Beatles and this is an interesting addition, but I had higher hopes. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
July 19, 2024
When asked about working with and for the Beatles, Mal would say “It is better than food and drink”. Evans lived in two circles. He was married to his wife Lily and had two children with her, but seemingly of greater importance he was also married to his job as roadie, waiter, bodyguard and gopher to the Beatles starting in April 1963 through essentially May 1975. The former circle always taking a backseat to the latter.
Womack delivers a long overdue bio on Evans which was meant to be an autobiography as early as the mid-1970’s barring what transpired during that time.
But for me, it was interesting to read yet another Beatles book from a different angle and one from their inner circle.
Womack delivers a long overdue bio on Evans which was meant to be an autobiography as early as the mid-1970’s barring what transpired during that time.
But for me, it was interesting to read yet another Beatles book from a different angle and one from their inner circle.
March 2, 2024
I was expecting more from Mal’s diaries, archives, and his original unpublished memoir upon which this book is titled. What we have here is a pretty straight bio based on substantial research of which the aforementioned sources represent a fraction amongst many. It’s an essential perspective and addition to Beatles scholarship but not really what I think most people will be looking for — Mal, in his own words — which, hopefully, is what we will get with volume two.
January 23, 2024
The Beatles story yet again, this time from the fascinating perspective of insider Mal Evans. Ultimately a tragic story, but many new stories and photos along the way.
January 11, 2024
The long-awaited biography of Mal Evans is worth the wait. Kenneth Womack had access to the entire treasure trove of Mal's diaries, collections, interviews, etc and it shows. Even hardcore Beatles fans will find new information about the boys behind the scenes and on the road. Mal was first and foremost a fan, but he was given the opportunity to be a roadie and companion and he went with it until the end of the group. Unfortunately, it was also the end of his marriage and his mental health. My only quibble is how often the words "big, lovable teddy bear" were used to describe him. Best new Beatles book in ages. 4.5 stars
January 24, 2024
Bill Hicks used to joke that "The Beatles were so high, they ley Ringo sing some of their songs" which is obviously unfair but certainly an amusing aside about creativity and drugs. Having read this book, and somewhat punctured my low-level love of the vibes of Mal Evans, gopher extraordinaire in The Beatles family - I'm tempted to add that 70s pop was so high, it let Mal Evans produce some records.
It's great that this book has seen the light of day, and kudos to the author for such a thorough job, but there is certainly a deflating sense after scratching the surface of the story, which I won't betray here.
It's clear that he absolutely loved The Beatles, and the escape lifestyle their association granted him, but perhaps the cut through moments in the book (for me) were the truth bombs delivered by Paul ("I don't need you anymore, Mal"); John (joking about the idea of Mal's diaries being published given the nature of his role with the band) and George (who apparently humiliated Mal in a post-Beatles recording session by pointing out the actual extent of his involvement in the arrangement of a particular track/album). It was left to Ringo to simply press Mal to "tell the truth", but it's probably too late for all that, now.
It's great that this book has seen the light of day, and kudos to the author for such a thorough job, but there is certainly a deflating sense after scratching the surface of the story, which I won't betray here.
It's clear that he absolutely loved The Beatles, and the escape lifestyle their association granted him, but perhaps the cut through moments in the book (for me) were the truth bombs delivered by Paul ("I don't need you anymore, Mal"); John (joking about the idea of Mal's diaries being published given the nature of his role with the band) and George (who apparently humiliated Mal in a post-Beatles recording session by pointing out the actual extent of his involvement in the arrangement of a particular track/album). It was left to Ringo to simply press Mal to "tell the truth", but it's probably too late for all that, now.
April 24, 2025
Chances are, if you've looked at many photos of the Beatles, especially during their touring years, you've seen recurring images of a shaggy-haired guy in horn-rimmed glasses, whose height towers above that of the Fab Four, standing around the margins. This fellow was "Big Mal" Evans, an assistant and general fixer for whom the word "roadie" does not do justice.
Mal's story was just as wild, fascinating, and tragic as those of his more famous friends. I knew some of the basics but was stunned by how much I did not know. LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND is an enlightening biography for all fans of the Fab Four and the British Invasion music scene.
Mal's story was just as wild, fascinating, and tragic as those of his more famous friends. I knew some of the basics but was stunned by how much I did not know. LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND is an enlightening biography for all fans of the Fab Four and the British Invasion music scene.
July 14, 2025
First, I should admit that I hate reading about anyone's early life in biographies/memoirs. Even people I really admire. What was Joni Mitchell like as a grade schooler? Eh, ...don't care. Was Jane Austen a fashion conscious pre-teen? Nah. Did Leonard Cohen sass his teachers? (Okay, that one might be fun.)
Until I started this book I only knew Mal Evans as the "White Cliffs of Dover" guy in "Help!" so the long tedious beginning of the book, complete with a lengthy passage about an ingrown toenail made me return the book to the library, mostly unread.
I got back to it, though, and I'm glad I did.
5-stars for all the stuff from the Cavern to when the Beatles broke up. An amazing account of life with "the boys."
2-stars for all the record company machinations afterwards (Apple-minutiae, the Ivies/Badfinger, Keith Moon/Silverspoon, Mal's lyricist aspirations, etc). For the completist, only.
1-star for the Mal's early life, especially the toenail.
All in all, it was an truly amazing book, with some REALLY slow parts and more than a few ethically skeevy bits that I really wish I didn't know.
God speed, Mal.
Until I started this book I only knew Mal Evans as the "White Cliffs of Dover" guy in "Help!" so the long tedious beginning of the book, complete with a lengthy passage about an ingrown toenail made me return the book to the library, mostly unread.
I got back to it, though, and I'm glad I did.
5-stars for all the stuff from the Cavern to when the Beatles broke up. An amazing account of life with "the boys."
2-stars for all the record company machinations afterwards (Apple-minutiae, the Ivies/Badfinger, Keith Moon/Silverspoon, Mal's lyricist aspirations, etc). For the completist, only.
1-star for the Mal's early life, especially the toenail.
All in all, it was an truly amazing book, with some REALLY slow parts and more than a few ethically skeevy bits that I really wish I didn't know.
God speed, Mal.
April 11, 2024
I'm giving the book four stars because it does deliver the information in Kenneth Womack's standard, workmanlike manner (with all his signature words and phrases like "calculus" and "bravura" and "for the ages" tossed in).
We're given an almost day-to-day chronicle of Mal Evans life from meeting the Beatles until his death in early 1976.
Unfortunately, along the way, there's a point where I decided it had been a mistake for me to read this book. I'd always smiled when I saw Mal in the movies and photos, but now that's always going to be coloured by the knowledge that he was not the person everyone made him out to be.
Yes, he was an excellent roadie, with an almost preternatural ability to anticipate the Beatles' needs and wants. Yes, he was mostly a gentle giant of a man who made friends easily and everyone seemed to adore.
But there's a far darker side, and it all seems to do with addictions. Addiction to drugs, to alcohol, to young women, to sex, to fame, to recognition, and to the Beatles. All at the expense of a family that didn't deserve his absence.
Honestly, the more I learned, the more I grew to hate Mal Evans.
So, four stars for the book itself. But Mal? Yeah, he gets none.
We're given an almost day-to-day chronicle of Mal Evans life from meeting the Beatles until his death in early 1976.
Unfortunately, along the way, there's a point where I decided it had been a mistake for me to read this book. I'd always smiled when I saw Mal in the movies and photos, but now that's always going to be coloured by the knowledge that he was not the person everyone made him out to be.
Yes, he was an excellent roadie, with an almost preternatural ability to anticipate the Beatles' needs and wants. Yes, he was mostly a gentle giant of a man who made friends easily and everyone seemed to adore.
But there's a far darker side, and it all seems to do with addictions. Addiction to drugs, to alcohol, to young women, to sex, to fame, to recognition, and to the Beatles. All at the expense of a family that didn't deserve his absence.
Honestly, the more I learned, the more I grew to hate Mal Evans.
So, four stars for the book itself. But Mal? Yeah, he gets none.
December 21, 2023
3/5
A bit of a slog at over 500 pages but an interesting and extremely well-researched deep dive into big Mal. Overall it’s a long, sad read where you see the roadie make an endless list of bad decisions at the expense of his and his family’s long-term happiness.
There are a lot of fun times in it, but for quite obvious reasons (if you know the bare bones of Mal’s story), the lasting feeling I have putting the book down is melancholy. The whole journey feels like a group of people gradually becoming disconnected from reality – too free to function.
For big Beatles fans only. And just to say, you’ll almost certainly think less of each Beatle than you did before reading. But there you go. Hope you’re good Mal wherever you are!
A bit of a slog at over 500 pages but an interesting and extremely well-researched deep dive into big Mal. Overall it’s a long, sad read where you see the roadie make an endless list of bad decisions at the expense of his and his family’s long-term happiness.
There are a lot of fun times in it, but for quite obvious reasons (if you know the bare bones of Mal’s story), the lasting feeling I have putting the book down is melancholy. The whole journey feels like a group of people gradually becoming disconnected from reality – too free to function.
For big Beatles fans only. And just to say, you’ll almost certainly think less of each Beatle than you did before reading. But there you go. Hope you’re good Mal wherever you are!
March 5, 2024
Super entertaining read for my current Beatles fixation. Almost felt like a piece of historical fiction where you follow the protagonist through a story and watch them rub elbows with historic figures and weave their way into the plot.
Sometimes reading Beatles material gets overly repetitive as you hear the same old stories again and again, but it was always exciting to see what would happen when Mal arrived at a familiar point in the narrative. A very neat and refreshing perspective on the story of The Beatles and Apple Corps.
Sometimes reading Beatles material gets overly repetitive as you hear the same old stories again and again, but it was always exciting to see what would happen when Mal arrived at a familiar point in the narrative. A very neat and refreshing perspective on the story of The Beatles and Apple Corps.
November 28, 2023
Even if you don’t recognize the name, you will have seen pictures with him in. According to Kenneth Womack, Evans was quite deliberate, sticking close to his charges, knowing there would be a very good chance he’d end up in the finally published picture. Hard to miss at 6ft 3, he’s ever present throughout the 8 hours of “Get Back”, the man with the guitar picks, tea and toast. Getting arrested at the end of the rooftop concert was a perfect encapsulation of his role – the friendly giant who always stood between the Fab Four and those that wanted to get to them.
Author Womack has written numerous books on the Beatles and was chosen by Evans son Gary and daughter Julie to tell their fathers story. Womack was given Evans diaries, the autobiographical manuscript Evans never managed to get published in his lifetime, and a treasure trove of memorabilia that he had squirreled away having worked with The Beatles from their days at the Cavern to beyond the split and the collapse of Apple into their solo careers.
Hired at George’s suggestion because of his imposing presence, Evans was unusual as a bodyguard and roadie because of his preference for cracking grins rather than heads. In a business that thrives on backstabbing and double dealing Evans seemed genuinely unusual given how much love and respect there was for him, and believed a lot of his success was down to him being a Beatle fan first and foremost.
It’s a detailed book – we get the registration number of the vans and cars Mal used, dates of dental appointments, but these sit amongst the recollections of someone who wasn’t just in the room for every recording session and at every gig once Epstein took control of the band, but on hand for Ringo and George’s solo work, the concert for Bangladesh and even Lennon’s lost weekend, matching Moon and Nilsson drink for drink while Lennon tried to keep up, the tee total May Pang at his side. Womack does a great job of weaving together the story from Cavern gigs to solo albums alongside Evans personal story. There’s no padding – Womack takes it as given that someone seeking out a book like this won’t need rehashes of the Mersey music scene, 60’s politics, the Fab Four’s family histories and it’s all the better for it. Despite the detail Evans story is told at pace.
Although the book was written at behest of Evans surviving family, it doesn’t pull it’s punches. There’s no doubt that Evans loved being part of the Beatles inner circle. He loved the access it gave him to some of the most famous people in the world and basked in the limelight, even if it only reached him when reflecting off a Beatle. Despite constant fears that he’d be dismissed all 4 Beatles came to rely on him because he excelled at being able to fulfil any Beatle whim – whether it was for socks, dope, girls or guitar strings – any time of the night or day. He always put them first, before himself and before his family. He took full advantage of the access it gave him to women and girls and freely available drugs. But there’s a melancholy air to the whole tale, as Evans initial strategy of compartmentalising his life – adoring father, loving husband in one box, hedonistic aspiring songwriter and producer in another – eventually failed him. By the time he’d finally found and produced successful records for Splinter and Bandfinger it was too little, too late, and not with the four guys he cared about them most.
Each Beatle comes across as capable of kindness and appreciation but often self absorbed and at times flat out dismissive and unkind. Frequently buoyed up by their willingness to include him in everything, he was also very aware it meant he’d be on hand for need no matter how trivial. Gifted a car by Epstein, Evans was delighted but it’s also evident that it’s primary use was enabling him to fetch and carry for his employers. As band members purchase huge homes in the Home Counties (which Evans helps them move into and equip) he has to get a £500 loan from Epstein as he’s otherwise broke, can’t find the £2,000 he needs to move nearby and spent nearly his whole time in their employ on less than £40 a week. Promised a writing credit for helping McCartney with “Hear, There and Everywhere”, “Sgt Pepper” and “Fixing a Hole”, McCartney goes back on his word, saying they needed to stick with “Lennon & McCartney”, but he’d still get royalties. Which he didn’t, and when he dies aged just 40, his mental health in tatters, it’s George that covers Evan’s funeral expenses.
Despite the millions of words already written about them, Evans story is a significant addition to the Beatles canon. A second volume is in the works which will feature reproductions of diary entries, unpublished photos and memorabilia. That there was any story to be told at all is also a remarkable footnote, when an Estonian immigrant called Leena Kutti – artist by night, temp by day – rescued four bankers boxes full of Evans diaries, photos and the manuscript of his unpublished autobiography titled “Living The Beatles Legend – 200 Miles To Go” from a publishers basement storage room she had been hired to clear. Kutti made an inventory of the boxes, and then took a copy in person to the Dakota building for Yoko’s attention, as well as sending Evans’ widow Lily a copy having tracked down her name and address via phone books at the New York public library. She never heard back from Yoko, but a Christmas card from Lily Evans thanked Kutti for her efforts, and Beatles fans the world over will be thanking her today.
Author Womack has written numerous books on the Beatles and was chosen by Evans son Gary and daughter Julie to tell their fathers story. Womack was given Evans diaries, the autobiographical manuscript Evans never managed to get published in his lifetime, and a treasure trove of memorabilia that he had squirreled away having worked with The Beatles from their days at the Cavern to beyond the split and the collapse of Apple into their solo careers.
Hired at George’s suggestion because of his imposing presence, Evans was unusual as a bodyguard and roadie because of his preference for cracking grins rather than heads. In a business that thrives on backstabbing and double dealing Evans seemed genuinely unusual given how much love and respect there was for him, and believed a lot of his success was down to him being a Beatle fan first and foremost.
It’s a detailed book – we get the registration number of the vans and cars Mal used, dates of dental appointments, but these sit amongst the recollections of someone who wasn’t just in the room for every recording session and at every gig once Epstein took control of the band, but on hand for Ringo and George’s solo work, the concert for Bangladesh and even Lennon’s lost weekend, matching Moon and Nilsson drink for drink while Lennon tried to keep up, the tee total May Pang at his side. Womack does a great job of weaving together the story from Cavern gigs to solo albums alongside Evans personal story. There’s no padding – Womack takes it as given that someone seeking out a book like this won’t need rehashes of the Mersey music scene, 60’s politics, the Fab Four’s family histories and it’s all the better for it. Despite the detail Evans story is told at pace.
Although the book was written at behest of Evans surviving family, it doesn’t pull it’s punches. There’s no doubt that Evans loved being part of the Beatles inner circle. He loved the access it gave him to some of the most famous people in the world and basked in the limelight, even if it only reached him when reflecting off a Beatle. Despite constant fears that he’d be dismissed all 4 Beatles came to rely on him because he excelled at being able to fulfil any Beatle whim – whether it was for socks, dope, girls or guitar strings – any time of the night or day. He always put them first, before himself and before his family. He took full advantage of the access it gave him to women and girls and freely available drugs. But there’s a melancholy air to the whole tale, as Evans initial strategy of compartmentalising his life – adoring father, loving husband in one box, hedonistic aspiring songwriter and producer in another – eventually failed him. By the time he’d finally found and produced successful records for Splinter and Bandfinger it was too little, too late, and not with the four guys he cared about them most.
Each Beatle comes across as capable of kindness and appreciation but often self absorbed and at times flat out dismissive and unkind. Frequently buoyed up by their willingness to include him in everything, he was also very aware it meant he’d be on hand for need no matter how trivial. Gifted a car by Epstein, Evans was delighted but it’s also evident that it’s primary use was enabling him to fetch and carry for his employers. As band members purchase huge homes in the Home Counties (which Evans helps them move into and equip) he has to get a £500 loan from Epstein as he’s otherwise broke, can’t find the £2,000 he needs to move nearby and spent nearly his whole time in their employ on less than £40 a week. Promised a writing credit for helping McCartney with “Hear, There and Everywhere”, “Sgt Pepper” and “Fixing a Hole”, McCartney goes back on his word, saying they needed to stick with “Lennon & McCartney”, but he’d still get royalties. Which he didn’t, and when he dies aged just 40, his mental health in tatters, it’s George that covers Evan’s funeral expenses.
Despite the millions of words already written about them, Evans story is a significant addition to the Beatles canon. A second volume is in the works which will feature reproductions of diary entries, unpublished photos and memorabilia. That there was any story to be told at all is also a remarkable footnote, when an Estonian immigrant called Leena Kutti – artist by night, temp by day – rescued four bankers boxes full of Evans diaries, photos and the manuscript of his unpublished autobiography titled “Living The Beatles Legend – 200 Miles To Go” from a publishers basement storage room she had been hired to clear. Kutti made an inventory of the boxes, and then took a copy in person to the Dakota building for Yoko’s attention, as well as sending Evans’ widow Lily a copy having tracked down her name and address via phone books at the New York public library. She never heard back from Yoko, but a Christmas card from Lily Evans thanked Kutti for her efforts, and Beatles fans the world over will be thanking her today.
December 21, 2025
When John Lennon heard that Mal Evans might publish his diaries he is said to have quipped “Should be great: ‘Monday: Loaded gear into the van’”
It’s hard to say if The Beatles were the best or worst thing to happen to Mal Evans. On the plus side, as their roadie and sidekick he got to see the world and have a front row seat at the greatest show on Earth and he seems to have loved every minute of it. Unfortunately while he lived with the gods he was not *of* the gods and straddling those two realms undid him. After the Beatles collapsed he desperately tried to establish himself as his own man in the music biz but just couldn’t catch a break (eg: he discovered Badfinger, was frozen out). Fame is one hell of a drug.
One odd thing about this book is what audience it’s aimed at. Hardcore fans will have heard many of the stories from the Beatles years already, and Evans’s observations don’t really add much. The second half addressing his post Beatles era in coke fueled LA is more interesting—and sad.
It’s hard to say if The Beatles were the best or worst thing to happen to Mal Evans. On the plus side, as their roadie and sidekick he got to see the world and have a front row seat at the greatest show on Earth and he seems to have loved every minute of it. Unfortunately while he lived with the gods he was not *of* the gods and straddling those two realms undid him. After the Beatles collapsed he desperately tried to establish himself as his own man in the music biz but just couldn’t catch a break (eg: he discovered Badfinger, was frozen out). Fame is one hell of a drug.
One odd thing about this book is what audience it’s aimed at. Hardcore fans will have heard many of the stories from the Beatles years already, and Evans’s observations don’t really add much. The second half addressing his post Beatles era in coke fueled LA is more interesting—and sad.
December 6, 2024
Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
This is not quite the treasure trove of lost information that pre-release publicity would have had us believe. In fact, the first 2/3 of this biography is simply yet another rehashing of the well-trod path of Beatles history, only this time with a few (mostly pointless) annotations from Mal’s diary. Most of it goes something like this:
(Page after page of an often repeated and well-known Beatles anecdote)
Quote from Mal’s diary: “Today was a really strange day.”
Once the breakup happens, however, then everything becomes more interesting and there is much to be learned. I didn’t know, for example how involved Mal was in the early activities of Badfinger, or that he had strong ambitions to be a songwriter and/or producer, or that he was responsible for firing Miguel Ferrer from a long-forgotten rock band.
And the tragic ending to Mal’s life is not played down, and is truly hard to read about. In the end, he was a man who was his own worst enemy, who seemed to make the worst possible decision nearly every time he was presented with a choice, and who probably deserved better than he got.
This is not quite the treasure trove of lost information that pre-release publicity would have had us believe. In fact, the first 2/3 of this biography is simply yet another rehashing of the well-trod path of Beatles history, only this time with a few (mostly pointless) annotations from Mal’s diary. Most of it goes something like this:
(Page after page of an often repeated and well-known Beatles anecdote)
Quote from Mal’s diary: “Today was a really strange day.”
Once the breakup happens, however, then everything becomes more interesting and there is much to be learned. I didn’t know, for example how involved Mal was in the early activities of Badfinger, or that he had strong ambitions to be a songwriter and/or producer, or that he was responsible for firing Miguel Ferrer from a long-forgotten rock band.
And the tragic ending to Mal’s life is not played down, and is truly hard to read about. In the end, he was a man who was his own worst enemy, who seemed to make the worst possible decision nearly every time he was presented with a choice, and who probably deserved better than he got.
December 28, 2023
I was interested in reading the story of Mal Evans (1935-76), roadie extraordinaire and road manager for the The Beatles after watching the Get Back documentary in 2022. Mal figures largely in that film, and when I looked him up online, I learned of his tragic end. Before this end, though, he was planning to write a memoir about his years with the Beatles, starting with his meeting them at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and ending with his leaving the band's employ in the 1970s, covering a mere 12 years of his life. He had a large portion of the manuscript already written by the time of his death in 1976, and he had a treasure trove of original photographs, letters, and memorabilia to go with the publication. It seems that "Living the Beatles Legend: 200 Miles to Go," (1975, unpublished) was planned as a large format coffee-table style book with original images and Mal's anecdotes about his life with the Beatles, and he had obtained at that time written permission from all four Beatles to publish it (with only Ringo asking to read it before it went to press). But then the unthinkable happens, and the original book was never published. The four boxes of materials that were to comprise its contents languished in a publisher's storeroom for more than 12 years. This archive was discovered in 1988 by a temp, and, thanks to the temp and Yoko Ono, the boxes were returned to Mal's family in England to process as they saw fit.
This book, "Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans," is not really Mal's book. Here, author Kenneth Womack uses Mal's manuscript and some photographs (sadly few, and reproduced in less-than-stellar black and white reproductions with no color inserts), as well as other books and interviews, to tell Mal's story. Considering the materials Mal's archive seems to have had, I think a more splashy photographic book could still be produced using Mal's photography and quotes from his original manuscript. Womack's Beatles minutia can get a bit stale at times, and true Beatles fans will know much of this story already. More interesting is Mal's work promoting other bands after working with the Beatles, such as Badfinger and Silverspoon.
What's new here is Mal's life with the Beatles, told from his point of view, and heavily sourced from his personal diaries and original book manuscript. Immediately one gets the sense that his story won't end particularly well, firstly because he's already a married man with a child when he quits his government-paid job to work with the Beatles in the early 60s, for only a few pounds more than what he was being paid by the GPO, and with absolutely no financial guarantees if the band were to split, which everyone in the world reading this book knows will happen. Being on the road with a rock band was no place for a man with a young wife (his ever-suffering Lily) stuck at home with a baby (and later a second) for weeks, and later months, on end. And Mal was able to taste from the table of fame, and in the Beatles' circle that meant access to the women and the wine that came with the songs. Mal's life with the Beatles was a great adventure, and he was there for almost the entire ride, starting with their Cavern Club days in the early 1960s through the true end of the band in 1974, once all of the papers were signed. But everything great comes with a price: Mal lost touch with his responsibilities as a husband and father, and he knew it, and he was tortured by it.
That Mal orchestrated his own demise does not come as a shock, because the event is well known. But the question is why does he do it? Is it the realization that the Beatles years were absolutely over? Was it his decent into drug use and money problems? Or was it the knowledge that his wife was planning to send him divorce papers, finally severing him from his "real" life, and deflating his SoCal fantasy, where he lived on high (literally) with his American girlfriend?
While I knocked off a star because I think I might have just preferred Mal's actually planned book with Womack acting in the background as a ghost writer, I think this is was a good text and that Mal Evans's story was well-served by the author. The Beatles are also well-served here. Nothing unsavory is included, and in fact I felt like some items must have been left out to keep their reputations as clean as possible. I think it's a must-read for Beatles fans, even if more than half of the book is a retelling of the Beatles' touring history, which is already widely known and published. Mal gave his whole adult life for the Beatles, and if they were a well-oiled hit-making machine, it was thanks to Mal's service (as well as the work of their second roadie, Neil Aspinall) that they were able to do all of the great art making that they ended up doing. This book is not Mal's book, but it is a great tribute to a man who absolutely loved the Beatles and was really was the beating heart of the band.
This book, "Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans," is not really Mal's book. Here, author Kenneth Womack uses Mal's manuscript and some photographs (sadly few, and reproduced in less-than-stellar black and white reproductions with no color inserts), as well as other books and interviews, to tell Mal's story. Considering the materials Mal's archive seems to have had, I think a more splashy photographic book could still be produced using Mal's photography and quotes from his original manuscript. Womack's Beatles minutia can get a bit stale at times, and true Beatles fans will know much of this story already. More interesting is Mal's work promoting other bands after working with the Beatles, such as Badfinger and Silverspoon.
What's new here is Mal's life with the Beatles, told from his point of view, and heavily sourced from his personal diaries and original book manuscript. Immediately one gets the sense that his story won't end particularly well, firstly because he's already a married man with a child when he quits his government-paid job to work with the Beatles in the early 60s, for only a few pounds more than what he was being paid by the GPO, and with absolutely no financial guarantees if the band were to split, which everyone in the world reading this book knows will happen. Being on the road with a rock band was no place for a man with a young wife (his ever-suffering Lily) stuck at home with a baby (and later a second) for weeks, and later months, on end. And Mal was able to taste from the table of fame, and in the Beatles' circle that meant access to the women and the wine that came with the songs. Mal's life with the Beatles was a great adventure, and he was there for almost the entire ride, starting with their Cavern Club days in the early 1960s through the true end of the band in 1974, once all of the papers were signed. But everything great comes with a price: Mal lost touch with his responsibilities as a husband and father, and he knew it, and he was tortured by it.
That Mal orchestrated his own demise does not come as a shock, because the event is well known. But the question is why does he do it? Is it the realization that the Beatles years were absolutely over? Was it his decent into drug use and money problems? Or was it the knowledge that his wife was planning to send him divorce papers, finally severing him from his "real" life, and deflating his SoCal fantasy, where he lived on high (literally) with his American girlfriend?
While I knocked off a star because I think I might have just preferred Mal's actually planned book with Womack acting in the background as a ghost writer, I think this is was a good text and that Mal Evans's story was well-served by the author. The Beatles are also well-served here. Nothing unsavory is included, and in fact I felt like some items must have been left out to keep their reputations as clean as possible. I think it's a must-read for Beatles fans, even if more than half of the book is a retelling of the Beatles' touring history, which is already widely known and published. Mal gave his whole adult life for the Beatles, and if they were a well-oiled hit-making machine, it was thanks to Mal's service (as well as the work of their second roadie, Neil Aspinall) that they were able to do all of the great art making that they ended up doing. This book is not Mal's book, but it is a great tribute to a man who absolutely loved the Beatles and was really was the beating heart of the band.
February 5, 2024
Quite apart from recounting the story of how a humble GPO engineer became roadie for the Beatles, as well as appearing both on their records as well as in their films, this book gives a great insight into the stresses of dividing your time between your family and the band to which you're devoted.
The story of the Beatles is, of course, well known but what sets this apart is the detailed focus on the post- break up careers of the Fab Four and their various friends and hangers on, including Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon and Eric Clapton.
The gradual realisation that Paul was right about Alan Klein is covered in detail as is John Lennon's 'long weekend'.
However, it is the coverage of Mal Evans himself and his long suffering wife and children which are the most revealing aspects of the book along with the complex background to access being made available to Evans' substantial archive of memorabilia and of course, his diaries which form the basis of the book.
On the negative side, this isn't the best written book, containing as it does some jarring turns of phrase and alterations of the original diary entries. For example, Mal refers to a group of Bournemouth 'Hooray Henries' who jeer at the Scouse accents of the Beatles and their entourage 'because of our Public school accents'. Clearly written for an American audience, public school means the complete opposite in the UK.
Nevertheless, a fascinating and, ultimately, tragic story which is well worth reading.
The story of the Beatles is, of course, well known but what sets this apart is the detailed focus on the post- break up careers of the Fab Four and their various friends and hangers on, including Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon and Eric Clapton.
The gradual realisation that Paul was right about Alan Klein is covered in detail as is John Lennon's 'long weekend'.
However, it is the coverage of Mal Evans himself and his long suffering wife and children which are the most revealing aspects of the book along with the complex background to access being made available to Evans' substantial archive of memorabilia and of course, his diaries which form the basis of the book.
On the negative side, this isn't the best written book, containing as it does some jarring turns of phrase and alterations of the original diary entries. For example, Mal refers to a group of Bournemouth 'Hooray Henries' who jeer at the Scouse accents of the Beatles and their entourage 'because of our Public school accents'. Clearly written for an American audience, public school means the complete opposite in the UK.
Nevertheless, a fascinating and, ultimately, tragic story which is well worth reading.
May 29, 2024
New information
The good, the bad, the ugly…and ultimately, the beautiful. Mal Evans had a hard life, some of it from his own doing, some of it from undiagnosed mental illness. I’m glad I read it.
The good, the bad, the ugly…and ultimately, the beautiful. Mal Evans had a hard life, some of it from his own doing, some of it from undiagnosed mental illness. I’m glad I read it.
June 27, 2025
If I had a drink for every atrocity Mal committed just to be called a "lovable teddy bear" afterwards, I wouldn't be as drunk as John on his Lost Weekend, but I'd be close. (Very well researched, though.)
September 19, 2025
I've read many books on the Beatles, but this came at their story from a different angle. Mal Evans was one of their inner circle from shortly after their first hit, Love me do. He lived through the touring years, the recording sessions, the bands relationships/marriages, the move to Surrey/London, the groupies, the drugs, the breakup, and ultimately the drift to their early solo careers. It's tantamount to how friendly each of the Beatles were with Mal, in that when the Beatles dissolved, they all continued to work and travel with him on their early solo projects. The paradox is that they were all millionaires, and Mal was on £39 a week.
The book illustrates that Mal was devoted to the Beatles, regularly putting them ahead of his wife and children until they finally separated. It's ultimately a sad story where Mal lost his way, but the strength of the book is in the snippets of information about the Beatles and their lives that haven't been revealed in other books. An enjoyable read
The book illustrates that Mal was devoted to the Beatles, regularly putting them ahead of his wife and children until they finally separated. It's ultimately a sad story where Mal lost his way, but the strength of the book is in the snippets of information about the Beatles and their lives that haven't been revealed in other books. An enjoyable read
November 28, 2023
Anyone who was more than the most casual of Beatles fans came to recognize Mal Evans, the group's Road Manager, equipment hauler, and personal assistant in the hundreds and thousands photographs taken of them during their career. From his days as a bouncer at the fabled Cavern Club Evans was a fan and a friend to the group and a trusted confidant. Kenneth Womack tells the story of Mal's life in
all its complexity from his birth to his untimely death in a police shooting at his L.A. girlfriend's dwelling after the breakup of his marriage when all the carefully compartmentalized boxes of his life and career began colliding with each other. Using his collection of memorabilia, Mal's own manuscript of his memoir, and his photographs and documents as a starting point, Womack has fleshed out the bones of the story with additional research and interviews to present this comprehensive volume. A significant milestone in the history of The Beatles legend. - BH.
all its complexity from his birth to his untimely death in a police shooting at his L.A. girlfriend's dwelling after the breakup of his marriage when all the carefully compartmentalized boxes of his life and career began colliding with each other. Using his collection of memorabilia, Mal's own manuscript of his memoir, and his photographs and documents as a starting point, Womack has fleshed out the bones of the story with additional research and interviews to present this comprehensive volume. A significant milestone in the history of The Beatles legend. - BH.
December 25, 2023
I’ve been a fan if the Beatles for ages and this was an exciting and fascinating read.
Plenty of facts, info and the picture of special historical moment
Highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher, all opinions are mine
Plenty of facts, info and the picture of special historical moment
Highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher, all opinions are mine
September 25, 2024
I picked this up smugly thinking I already know pretty much as much about the Beatles as there is to know (wrong) and more or less everything there was to know about Mal Evans from his Wikipedia page (wrong again). Womack does an excellent job, using the words of Evans himself, as well as those of others within his orbit, in providing an eye-opening glance into the life of an oversized teddy bear who happens to be a bit of a shit to his family while globetrotting with the Beatles and sundry other artists, and dipping his wick here and there with little thought to the ramifications. Oh, and alcohol and drugs. Plenty of those.
Very good read.
Very good read.
December 24, 2024
Fascinating and interesting story giving insight into life with the Beatles. Trouble is no matter how many times they tell me what a lovely person Mal was, I personally found him to be not as pleasant as what they tried to sell him to me as being.
December 29, 2023
Well written, very interesting, half sordid.
January 6, 2024
How could I not love this book when it has Beatle history that otherwise might not be known? Mal Evans was a gentle man who could not make himself content and his is a sad, sad story.
July 30, 2025
Great read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews