Beatlemania Lives On

Book excerpt: Written by a fan, about the fans, and for the fans, this book is about Beatles fandom and excitement for the band as it continues, undiminished, in the 21st century. The author conducted nearly 100 interviews with superfans across the globe, gathering stories that explain their enthusiasm. Readers will meet fans who met and married at Beatlesweek in Liverpool; those who had the chance to go onstage with Paul McCartney, got his autograph on some unusual places on their bodies, and had the signature permanently tattooed; and first-generation fans who saw the Beatles live and remember every detail as if it was yesterday. Noteworthy interviewees include Wings guitarist Laurence Juber; Mark Featherstone-Witty, cofounder of Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts; Bill Heckle, director of the Cavern Club and Magical Mystery Tour Bus in Liverpool; and music publisher David Stark, who now stands by Paul's side at LIPA graduations but started as a good-natured teenage fan who had the guts to ring Ringo's doorbell and meet him at his house. (The book also takes a deep dive into Beatles-related TV shows, Broadway musicals, movies, businesses, Sirius XM DJs, tribute bands and more.)