Adam writes… I’m adding another title to your Rock’n’Roll Reading List. The Longest Cocktail Party – An Insider’s Diary of the Beatles, Their Million-Dollar Apple Empire And Its Wild Rise & Fall… by Richard DiLello
Apple, The Beatles’ ill-starred business venture, was famed for excess, mismanagement, petty theft on a not-so-petty scale, alcohol and drug abuse and upsetting the neighbours. Oh, and they made records, too. Pretty good ones at that.
In the broader history of Savile Row, The Beatles’ record label occupies just a heartbeat of time. But its story remains one of the most vivid ever played out on that fabled London street. Paul McCartney described Apple’s theoretical aim as “Western Communism.” Richard DiLello described the actuality of it as “abandoned cordiality and excessive generosity”.
DiLello worked in the press office at Apple alongside the legendary press officer Derek Taylor. His official role was as Client Liaison Officer, but his unofficial title was that of House Hippie.
His narrative, as captured in the wildest Beatles -nsider account of them all, reads almost like a movie script . It’s told in snippets of gossipy conversation, dialogue between the major players of Beatleworld, and DiLello’s own up-close observations of the madness that was the fag end of the 1960’s.
Throughout the book we feel as if he is “one of us”, our man on the inside. This is no “My Life As The Fifth Beatle” self-hagiography. His sense of being an outsider – both as a newcomer to The Beatles’ inner circle and as an American in England – creates a feeling of bewilderment out of which the comic observations flow in a torrent.
Despite the disintegration of the company – and thus the band – all around him, as the lawsuits fly and the 60s come to a bleak close, the writer’s sharp sense of the absurd remains intact throughout.
Left to rely solely on his own storytelling talent, DeLillo would have written a witty and insightful book about any subject. And the book’s strength is all in the writing. Lesser scribes have had the same cast of characters to work with and have somehow contrived to turn The Greatest Show On Earth into a dreary soap opera.
DeLillo, however, relishes in his walk-on players – headed, of course, by The Beatles themselves, but supported ably by Hell’s Angels (on their way to Czechoslovakia where they planned to “sort out” the political situation back in 1968), a family of hippies keen to spirit John and Yoko away to a Pacific island, Ken Kesey and the local bobbies. He is always at the very least curious about the people in his story – he has no scores to settle, no record to set straight – and it is this humanity that underpins the whole tale.
There are lots of Beatle books out there. Many of them cover The Fabs’ entire career and thus present them as a Liverpool band conquering the world. This one catches up with them toward the denouement of their tale, act three, where they are no longer the fresh-faced lads from up north. At the point where DiLello’s narrative kicks in, they are already bigger than any band had ever been – or, indeed, would be again. Liverpool seems from a distant era: this is very much a London book.
It seems odd in the 21st century that such a vividly told insider’s tale about The Beatles would have struggled to find a publisher. But back in 1973 when it was published by Playboy Press, it had been rejected out of hand by every major publisher in the business. Not unlike The Beatles themselves had been rejected by every major record company back in 1962.
There had been talk, since at least 2010, of turning it into a movie. Liam Gallagher and director Michael Winterbottom are among the many names that have been associated with the project… but nothing ever seems to happen. A pity because, in the right hands, this could be a banger of a film. Imagine Withnail & I: The Musical and you’re halfway there. For the moment it remains one of the greatest of all Beatle books. And it’s a great London book, too.
London Music Tours
First time visitor to this site? Hello! My name’s Adam and I am an award-winning, qualified tour guide.
I specialise in music-themed guided tours here in London. I’ve been a tour guide for 20+ years and I offer a regular schedule of walking tours throughout the year. For the full, up-to-date calendar click HERE.
Private tours are always available, too. Use the form at the bottom of this post to get in touch to book a private tour.
I’m qualified as a Westminster Guide (with distinction), a former visiting lecturer in tour guiding at the University of Westminster and an ex-national newspaper arts journalist . In my spare time I play guitar and sing and buy too many records. Drop me a line anytime using the form below.
To join one of my non-music-themed walking tours, visit the London Walks website HERE.
