Brian Epstein
When Brian Epstein passed away in 1967, homosexuality was still declared illegal under the colloquially known “Oscar Wilde Laws”. At just 32 years old, he left his life lonely having never had a proper boyfriend and after dedicating his life to introducing The Beatles and their message of love to a global audience.
The 60’s were renowned as a time of free love and boundless passion. But that wasn’t true if you were on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. That ‘summer of love’ that the mainstream, heterosexual world was thriving within, was often spent within a closet if you were LGBTQIA+ - not out in the free world.
In 1957, Epstein was the victim of police entrapment at a time when two men holding hands in public was cause for arrest. And at 23 years old, he described that the charge was based on him “persistently importuning various men for immoral purposes.”
While serving in the Royal Army Services Corps, he was arrested at a gay nightclub for wearing an army uniform and was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. After subsequently enrolling at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts he was furthermore arrested outside of a public restroom for ‘disorderly conduct.’
The son of Eastern European parents of Jewish origin, Epstein was the heir of a family business which sold furniture and musical supplies in Liverpool, but he was eager to escape the bonds of the business and to forge his own future.
After noticing The Beatles on posters around Liverpool and in issues of Merseybeat, Epstein decided to check out the four lads who would go on to storm the world with their music. At the Cavern Club in 1961, Epstein saw a show that would change everything, later noting that he was impressed by “their music, their beat, and their sense of humour onstage” and that The Beatles would be “the biggest in the world.” He was not wrong.
Ultimately, Epstein was a strong influence in pushing The Beatles to become the band that they did. Not only did he book them shows that pushed them as artists and introduced them to new audiences, he also helped to mould their iconic early image and to polish them up for international fame.
After becoming colossal hit-makers adored the world over, Epstein began to struggle with his management of a band who had started to outgrow him and his lifestyle became increasingly unhealthy and dangerous. In August 1967, he was found dead at his home in London from an “incautious self-overdosage,” and three years later, The Beatles broke up.
Epstein wasn’t given the freedom to find the sort of love and fulfilment in his personal life that every person deserves to have. However, his legacy as an influential part of Liverpool and music history will continue to live on.
