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2.51pm
31 March 2008
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I thought it was about time I started a thread on my book, which has been a loooong time coming. I wrote half of it over a four-year period, then the other half in about four months. It’s amazing the difference having some time makes.
Anyway, it’s called Riding So High: The Beatles and Drugs, and you can probably guess what it’s about. Right now I’m aiming to have it on sale on 9 October 2017, which seemed like a good date for a launch. I’m still waiting for the artwork and final edits, and to sort out a launch plan, but things are gradually coming together.
Here’s the Amazon link (for the paperback), which may or may not work depending on where you’re based: http://geni.us/ridingsohigh
It’ll be out in paperback and ebook, prices tba. It’s about 110,000 words long – about 340 pages without the footnotes (about 370 altogether). There are chapters on the following:
- Stimulants/speed, plus drinking and smoking in the early days
- Cannabis
- LSD
- The decline of Brian Epstein
- Cocaine
- Heroin
- Drugs busts in the 1960s
- John post-Beatles
- Paul post-Beatles
- George post-Beatles
- Ringo post-Beatles
I might post some extracts and extra info here in time. I’ll certainly post the artwork as soon as I have it, though that might not be for another month or so. Stay tuned.
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Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
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3.15pm
31 March 2008
Offline Here’s the blurb (which may change between now and publication):
“Who gave the drugs to the Beatles? I didn’t invent those things. I bought it from someone who got it from somebody. We never invented the stuff.”
Riding So High charts the Beatles’ extraordinary odyssey from teenage drinking and pill-popping, to cannabis, LSD, the psychedelic Summer of Love and the darkness beyond.
Drugs were central to the Beatles’ story from the beginning. The pills, powders and acid helped form bonds, provided escape from the chaos of Beatlemania, and inspired colossal leaps in songwriting and recording. But they also led to break-ups, breakdowns, drug busts and prison.
The only full-length study of the Beatles and drugs, Riding So High tells of getting stoned, kaleidoscope eyes, excess, loss and redemption, with a far-out cast including speeding Beatniks, a rogue dentist, a script-happy aristocratic doctor, corrupt police officers and Hollywood Vampires. The deeper you go, the higher you fly.
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Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
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4.45pm
Members
18 March 2013
Offline No one has pointed out the publisher yet- ‘Pepper & Pearl’, d’awww that’s so cute.
I’ll put it dead centre on my Beatles’ shelf, Joe!
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4.48pm
31 March 2008
Offline AppleScruffJunior said
No one has pointed out the publisher yet- ‘Pepper & Pearl’, d’awww that’s so cute.
Well spotted! For those who are wondering, those are my kids’ middle names.
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4.52pm
10 March 2017
Offline Is Pepper and Pearl your own company, if it is that’s great.
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5.02pm
31 March 2008
Offline It’s not really a company, it’s my publishing imprint. But yeah.
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7.02pm
2 January 2017
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Interesting idea for a book, @Joe. From what I’ve seen, there has been little (if not any) Beatles books that focus completely on their usage of drugs. Will this book be in Waterstones by any chance? 
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2017:
10.07pm
11 November 2010
Offline Congratulations on it being slated for release, Joe!
I expect the “What are you reading” thread to blow up around October 10.
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I'm also ewe2 on weekends.
Most likely to post things that make you go hmm... 2015, 2016, 2017. 
2.14am
31 March 2008
Offline SgtPeppersBulldog said
Interesting idea for a book, @Joe. From what I’ve seen, there has been little (if not any) Beatles books that focus completely on their usage of drugs. Will this book be in Waterstones by any chance?
It’s possible, but not very likely. I’m self-publishing it via Amazon’s CreateSpace print-on-demand service, so they handle all orders on my behalf. If Waterstones/B&N etc get a customer request they can look up the ISBN and place an order with me directly (I’ll have to get it shipped to them), but I’d imagine the numbers will be low.
A lot of booksellers don’t touch self-publishers for various reasons, and if they realise it’s done via Amazon they’re even more likely to say no. It’s far easier for people to just order it directly from Amazon (and I think I’d get paid more because there’s no middle man).
And yeah, it is surprising to me that nobody’s covered this subject fully before. The drugs feature on this site has always been crazily popular, so it sort of did my market research for me. There’s definite interest out there. Whenever I post drugs-related Beatles history on Twitter or Facebook it always does well too. While I was writing the book I often wondered if someone would announce a similar title before I did, but thankfully it never happened.
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Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
1.15pm
20 July 2014
Online I’m looking forward to your book, Joe. It’s definitely going in my list of to-get books.
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Joe, RobGeurtsen1.07am
14 June 2016
Offline It’s on my Amazon wishlist, and will probably get purchased when I return from Montana. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
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11.54am
17 January 2016
Offline Will definitely be reading, Joe!
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5.26pm
Moderators
27 November 2016
Offline Definitely going to buy this book, as it’s such an interesting topic!
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5.28pm
10 March 2017
Offline I wonder if Joe will write another book.
If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.
5.49pm
Moderators
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20 August 2013
Offline Dark Overlord said
I wonder if Joe will write another book.
He answered that question in the first post on https://www.beatlesbible.com/f…../page-477/
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5.56pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline But that could well be like a woman saying after giving birth, “Never again!”
I think it will depend on the success of this book, and if he gets another idea for an unexplored aspect of their career.
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7.21am
8 January 2015
Offline It’s on the wishlist @Joe, a most interesting topic.
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but I may have to get more specific in the future.
9.18pm
11 April 2016
Offline Super excited for your book, @Joe! I have no doubt that it’ll be awesome. 
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