HARRY K STAMMER Reviews
You Won’t See Me: When the Beatles Ghosted Imelda by David Guerrero
(Penguin Random House SEA, 2025)
I was 11 when I heard the Beatles album Please Please Me and I was completely taken over by the sound. I started piano lessons at 6 and was constantly listening to the radio. This was something different and with the Ed Sullivan shows and radio/media deluge a sea change in pop music had occurred.
By 1966, the Beatles had already recorded Rubber Soul and Revolver, yet they weren’t performing those songs on tour. Arena rock was just beginning, and the venues lacked sound systems capable of immersing the audience—or even allowing the band to hear themselves clearly. It’s easy to see why this was frustrating: not only were they unable to present their most recent work live, but studio recording technology had leapt ahead of what live performance technology could reproduce. Compounding the strain, their manager, Brian Epstein was in serious decline and close to dying from alcohol and drug addiction. Given these issues it’s no wonder the Beatles decided to forgo touring.
The only other book about the Beatles I have read is You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup by Peter Doggett (Harper Paperbacks, 2011). So, reading David Guerrero’s book was an eyeopener for me in several ways. Touring in the mid 60’s must have been rough, much rougher than it was by the 70’s though it’s never been a fun experience for musicians; it’s a slog.
The Beatles had been invited to a luncheon with Imelda Marcos and family but the communications and possibly Brian Epstein’s attitude kept the Beatles from attending the luncheon. David Guerrero also describes the problems with communication and business in a different culture. He describes a culture clash.
He then creates a historical account of the Philippines weaved through the story of the Beatles coming to Manila to play two concerts. That story is one that I didn’t know. My history classes in high school glossed over the colonial influences and changes in many countries including the Philippines. For me, this is more of a history book about the Philippines. It’s a fun and enlightening read.
*****
harry k stammer is a poet/artist and composer who lives in Santa Barbara, California. He is the co-editor of the annual anthology Utriculi from sandy-press.com. His soundscape with spoken word can be found on Spotify and Amazon Music, and at https://harrykstammer.bandcamp.com
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