Authors > The Zapple Diaries: ‘absolutely incredible … blazingly evocative’

The Zapple Diaries has already got some big fans!

Pete Paphides, highly respected music journalist and broadcaster, calls it ‘absolutely incredible’ and ‘blazingly evocative’.

Author Barry Miles  caught up with Pete on his Soho Radio show for a fascinating and passionate discussion of the Zapple label and its place in the history of the Beatles and the Beats.

Some extracts from their discussion, including some high praise from Pete Paphides:

‘This fantastic book, The Zapple Diaries by Barry Miles, is an absolute joy, and it was serendipitous that it fell into my lap. He really was at the epicentre of the Beatles’ countercultural activity. There’s lots of amazing incidental detail . . . There are a great many wonderful anecdotes. For instance, I had no idea that Paul was so instrumental in offering practical hands-on help in setting up the Indica Gallery, and I particularly loved the idea of him being involved with the physical decorating of the space . . . It is a truly, truly evocative account of those times.’

The Zapple label of George Harrison's Electronic Sound LP (US issue)

The Zapple label of George Harrison’s Electronic Sound LP (US issue)

 

MOJO magazine gave The Zapple Diaries a four-star review, praising Barry Miles’ insider knowledge and honest depiction of the Beatles and the Zapple artists such as Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg and Charles Mingus:

‘Though a Fabs insider, Miles does not shrink from portraying Apple-era Paul as a spiteful bully, John and George as no less arrogant and hugely entitled to boot; yet they could also be warm, generous and thoughtful idealists … vignettes starring Ur-hipster Charleses Bukowski and Mingus are particularly choice.’

Charles Bukowski, one of Zapple's spoken word artists

Charles Bukowski, one of Zapple’s spoken word artists

 

Up in Beatles heartland, Matt Bourne reviewed The Zapple Diaries on Spencer Leigh’s BBC Radio Merseyside show On the Beat and had lots of great things to say about it too:

‘I enjoyed the book . . . What’s really interesting is that Zapple – named by John Lennon and developed by Barry Miles and Paul McCartney – concentrated on American spoken-word recordings of beat poets and writers such as Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Brautigan and Bukowski rather than music, although John and Yoko and George Harrison had albums on the label . . . It was Paul who seemed especially keen to include the major American writers . . . It all happened in an amazing burst.’

Listen to the entire show here – it’s a Peter Owen takeover of sorts, with Tom Smith’s One For My Baby: A Sinatra Cocktail Companion also featuring in an impressive review!

You can now buy The Zapple Diariedirect from Peter Owen and it’s a perfect Christmas gift for any music expert, Beatles fan or Beat poetry lover among your family and friends.

 

 

 

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