Money, Fame, and Misery: Meet the Beatles

About this episode

The episode explores the paradox of The Beatles' fame and wealth juxtaposed with their personal struggles and misery.

Money, Fame, and Misery: Meet the Beatles (w/ Peter Doggett ) In the late ‘60s, The Beatles had it all: worldwide fame, critical admiration, and more money than they ever could have imagined. So why were these four young men so miserable? (And often short of cash!) My guest today is Peter Doggett—one of the great rock music writers of our time, and a man who has spent decades studying what happens when ambition, fame, and enormous piles of cash—and drugs—collide. Peter is the author of You Never Give Me Your Money , a brilliant and deeply human book about the Beatles, not only at their creative peak, but also at their breaking point, when the most successful band in history discovered that unimaginable wealth and universal adoration do not, in fact, lead to contentment and enlightenment…but do lead to lawsuits, divorce, and—sometimes—heroin addiction. Peter has written for Rolling Stone , Mojo , Q , and many others. His work has this rare quality: it makes you love the music more while feeling slightly better about your own messy life. His latest book is Surf's Up: Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys . Btw, if you like this episode, you’ll also love the new Amazon documentary about…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Ollinger

Guest: Peter Doggett

Topics covered

• The Beatles
• fame
• money
• misery
• rock music
• ambition
• addiction

Keywords

• The Beatles
• Peter Doggett
• money
• fame
• misery
• rock music
• addiction
• lawsuits
• divorce
• heroin

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rolling Stone, Mojo

Books & works: You Never Give Me Your Money, Surf's Up: Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, Man on the Run

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