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The Beatles, the Bible, and Bodega Bay: My Long and Winding Road

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A couple of weeks ago, I happened across an interesting advertisement in my community newspaper, the West Seattle Herald. The ad was for a presentation being given at a local Calvary Chapel church about the Beatles. What caught my eye, was the name of the speaker, a guy named Ken Mansfield.

Having been a pretty hardcore Beatles fan for most of my life, I knew that name from somewhere. I just wasn't sure exactly where the recall came from. With my curiosity appropriately piqued, and with the church in question a convenient two-block walk from my house, I decided to check it out.

Now, if your experience has been anything like mine, you already know that at least part of me expected the worst. When Christian churches or organizations do any sort of special presentation having to do with rock music, it is most often intended to expose it as the evil scourge it surely is, what with all the backward masking and those satanic heavy metal bands out there.

If you've ever come across one of those late-night broadcasts from something like The 700 Club, where some guy who worked as a roadie for say, Marilyn Manson, is dishing up salacious tales of group orgies and blood drinking, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The message is usually something along the lines of you need to burn all of your rock CDs and get with Jesus.

Which is why Mansfield's presentation ended up being such a pleasant surprise. Mansfield's church lecture turned out to be a truly wonderful remembrance of his time in the inner sanctum of the greatest band of all time, complete with music and lots of rare slides.

Mansfield did not dish up a single sordid tale of drugs or groupies (though he did verify this sort of thing went on... I mean, let's be honest here). Nor did he have a single bad thing to say about "The Lads" as he referred to them often in the most endearing of terms. In fact he described them as "the sweetest, most polite group of guys you'd ever want to meet." Perfect Gentlemen, was how he put it. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really in church.

So the expected "burn your rock CDs" part of the program never did come. The "Get With Jesus" part, of course did. But here again I was rather surprised and somewhat taken aback by the gentle and non-judgmental way this was presented.

Mansfield wrapped up his remembrances of the Beatles with his personal testimony of his eventual fall from the music business (again revealing none of the sorry details in the same show of class that characterized his earlier memories of the Beatles). He went on to tell a simple story of finding personal peace with Jesus and settling down in the quiet California fishing town of Bodega Bay with his wife.

There was no hell and brimstone preaching to be found anywhere in the entire presentation. Yet, I was absolutely riveted by it. The part where he talked about one day not being able to find a job in the business he devoted so much of his life to hit me especially hard. As someone who worked in that business myself for over twenty years (though at nowhere near Mansfield's level), his was a testimony I had no problem relating to myself.

I decided to buy a copy from Amazon the very next day and devoured it in a single six-hour sitting. In much the same laid-back style of the presentation I saw in church, The Beatles, The Bible, And Bodega Bay alternates chapters between Mansfield's Beatles memories of the past, with his present-day prayers and meditations with God, most taking place from the idyllic Bodega Bay home he so clearly loves.

Alongside the Beatles pages, run chronological event summaries in the form of bullet points highlighting the Beatles' career milestones. Meanwhile, selected biblical passages run alongside the pages recounting his bayside devotional conversations with God. Despite what one might see as a contradiction here, the two themes weave together remarkably well, and never for one second does the Christian part of his story come across as preachy or judgmental.

In the Beatles portion of the narrative, Mansfield traces his journey from his humble Idaho beginnings to the ivory tower of Capitol Records in Hollywood, to being asked by the Fab Four themselves to run their Apple Records operation in the United States. Along the way, Mansfield recounts numerous personal recollections from those heady days in the form of some very interesting and telling anecdotes.

This is all wonderfully illustrated with priceless, never before seen pictures and memorabilia from his personal collection. He even tells the story of nearly selling one such piece -- a handwritten and signed note from John Lennon -- to a used record dealer when he was later down on his luck. As soon as he realized what he almost did, he snatched back the picture as well as the 25 cents the dealer was about to pay him for it.

Mansfield describes the thrill of being at the Beatles historic final London rooftop concert for the Let It Be film, with all of the excitement and awe of being a kid in what had to be the world's greatest candy store. He also details the negotiation tactics of a ruthless Allen Klein as he was in the process of taking over Apple. In what came down to a tennis match for Mansfield's job, Mansfield won, enabling him to wisely walk away from Klein's offer. He talks about how Capitol Records handled the "Paul Is Dead" rumors which swirled about after the release of Abbey Road. They eventually got a handwriting expert to verify that everything Paul had signed for Capitol came from the same man.

There are also the numerous personal stories of his private moments with the most famous four men on earth. Such as the time Mansfield had to be literally saved by Paul McCartney at a meeting where he was first shown the nude photographs of John and Yoko for the Two Virgins without prior warning. Or when he witnessed an impromptu living room jam session at George's house with the likes of Eric Clapton, Donovan, and the Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady taking turns trying to one-up each other.

Of course there are also tragedies as Mansfield recounts the deaths of close friends such as Beatles confidant Mal Evans, who was found shot under mysterious curcumstances while Mansfield was across town accepting a Grammy Award. The two had spoken earlier the same day and Mansfield recalls sensing there was something terribly wrong. When Mansfield got the news of John Lennon's death, he was in the process of going through his archive of Lennon photos at his home in what proved to be a moment of bittersweet, poetic irony.

Amazingly, Mansfield recounts these stories (and many more) not only fondly, but without even a hint of the scandal which colors so many of the other Beatles biographies and tell-all books which have come out over the years.

His credentials of having actually been there at a very high level are without question, having run Apple in the U.S. for the Beatles. The numerous photographs and personal recollections which color this book only further cement Mansfield's credibility. Yet it's clear that despite being the ultimate insider, Mansfield was also the Beatles' friend first and foremost. And that he remains so without a single ax to grind here.

It is little wonder that this book is the only Beatles retrospective outside of the official Anthology that McCartney, Harrison, Starr, and the Lennon estate represented by John's widow, Yoko Ono, personally signed off on and approved.

Likewise, Mansfield never really dishes up any dirt on his own eventual fall from grace in the music industry, though it is clearly implied that such a fall did in fact take place at some point. Rather he fast forwards throughout the book to the present. This is a time which finds Ken Mansfield at peace. With his past. With his family and his marriage. With his life. And at peace with the God who he finds himself in deep devotion and prayer with in his daily walks along his beloved Bodega Bay.

Mansfield is a man who has lived several lifetimes worth of experience, and any one of us should find ourselves so lucky at the journey's end.

This is an amazing book. Ken Mansfield has done a masterful job of relating stories and anecdotes about his days with the Beatles that will satisfy and intrigue any fan, while working in more meaty matters of faith and personal examination. The photos are great, the writing in first-rate, and the website on the back of the book .................... is fabulous. Highly recommend!

After all these years and after all the things I have read about the Beatles, for the first time I finally feel like I know them. What a refreshing view of these wonderful people. To cap it all off-as a baby boomer who grew up with the Beatles it is incredible to have such a beautiful pictorial about what is important in my life at this stage. Ken Mansfield describes his spiritual journey in such a non preachy way that I feel I have been given some direction in mine. I totally recommend this as a unique rock and roll historical journal with great new unseen pics of the Fab Four and as a personal level must read. I was totally surprised because I have never read a book so unique and unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Having been raised 25 minutes from Bodega Bay, in a Bible believing home, at the time the Beatles came to America, I could not get the connection when I saw the title of this book. Currently working part-time in a major bookstore, I saw the title on the Beatles display, picked it up and found that it had pictures of Bodega Bay and the Beatles in it. This caused me to want to read the book. I took it home to read (permitted by company policy) and ultimately purchased the book. It is a fascinating blend of Ken Mansfield's relationship with the Beatles on a personal basis and his journey to spiritual enlightenment. His descriptions of his meditative experiences in and around the shores of Bodega Bay are spiritually uplifting. His genuineness in describing both his spiritual fervor and his intimate relationships with the Beatles lends itself to reality of experience in a world so full of "novels". If you are acquainted with Beatles history and have a spiritual sensitivity, you will find this a most fascinating and readable book.

Ken Mansfield has written (with a little help from his FRIEND) the most Interesting (Beatles), Powerful (Biblical references and outstanding prayers!) and Beautiful (in it's entirity) book that I have read in a very long time. The insight into the Beatles is refreshingly honest and believable which is rare in books on the Beatles and the story of his travel down the path of life to Real Love is awesome. I loved this book and so will you!!!

This is an astonishing book by one time Beatles friend and US manager of their label Apple.

Unlike the sleazy tabloid portrayals of The Beatles in many books, Mansfield explores The Beatles as no other has done. He exposes not their excesses, but their endearing humanness. You see John, Paul, George and Ringo often simply as ordinary everyday people in the most casual of circumstances.

Mansfield journey is a strange one. Trusted to run The Beatles Empire firstly as a major US label rep, then as Apple manager Stateside, he seems unaffected by his famous bosses and often unaware of the fame that surrounds him.

Of course for any Beatles/rock fan (like me!) his stories are a delight. Yet his stories are often low- key, even ordinary and that is one of the great strengths of this book. His friendship with and respect for The Beatles means, for once, they are treated with dignity. Unlike many books, you don't feel like the author has betrayed his subjects.

The style of this book is like no other rock book I've read, as Mansfield oscillates between Beatles stories, Bible reflections and coastal metaphors. It is though an immensely satisfying experience.

This book about the Beatles definitely stands alone in the vast collection of archival histories, trivia and purported authoritative "insider" books on these four icons of popular music.

It stands alone in its innate dignity, not reverence for the four men who comprised the Beatles and lived "in the eye of the hurricane",as John Lennon said. Its humanness is as vulnerable as it is readily apparent.

Mr. Mansfield delivers an extraordinarily unique account of his work with the Fab Four without bending to third-hand recollections and racy rumours. He is not out to prove anything. As one of the few people specifically asked by the Beatles personally to help hold Apple together, his perspective is wholly noteworthy and refreshingly devoid of self-promotion and self-praise...much as we have come to expect from and respect in Sir George Martin.

I heartily recommend this book for all Beatle fans who are bored with the old, hackneyed retelling of the same tired stories, or those interested in an inside look into this specific eye-of-the-hurricane told by an intelligent man who was actually on the boat in "the perfect storm."

Mr. Mansfield, in the end, becomes much more than an itinerant historian...he becomes a friend.

Bravo.

At first, I found it a bit off-putting to read one chapter relating to Ken Mansfield's experiences working with The Beatles, & the very next chapter detailing his personal spiritual journey, but his poetic prose & very humanistic approach to both topics soon lulled me into a creative rhythm not unlike the way the Fab Four completely changed popular music when they appeared on the scene in the U.S.

Mansfield's writing is delicious, from the very first page when he says: 'You are invited to absorb these offerings as you would a suntan. Afterwards, you will probably look good in a white shirt or pale blue earrings.'

The photographs of Bodega Bay are absolutely lovely &, along with Mansfield's joyful hymns to his faith, make this book as much a keepsake as the formerly unpublished photos of Paul, John, George & Ringo.

I love this book because, at its core, The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay is an insightful, inspirational, reflective, and personal look at relationships.

As the trinomial title indicates, it is about three pivotal relationships in one man's life and how those associations have shaped his life path. Ken Mansfield shares his affiliation with arguably history's most influential rock group, which launched his 3 decade long career in the music business, understating yet hinting at the excitement that comes with the blurring whirl of touching fame. He approaches the topic of the Beatles through the eyes of a humble young man from the midwest sitting on a rollercoaster just before it takes off. He recounts personal stories of parties, concerts, and liaisons with people whose lives have touched him along the way. The fact that it is the Beatles with whom Ken started his career is almost incidental. These are stories about a man and his friends.

Sandwiched between anecdotal snippets of Ken's life in the entertainment world are thoughtful prayers from a now older man, having conversations with God and sharing with us as he looks at the steps he's taken so far and the steps he is faced with. Ken's focal relationship is to God as his trusted companion on his life path. It is his connection to his faith that makes the author so personal and real, and we can see how his love and devotion have given him clear vision after living a sometimes cloudy lifestyle. These are stories about a man and his spirituality.

Finally, the correlation of Ken's experiences, his faith and Bodega Bay is the relationship that appeals to many who find peace in nature. Ken's expression of his bond with the ocean, his environment, and his connection to his faith touches any human being who has ever glimpsed Heaven in a sunset or been enchanted by the deep vast blue sea. Bodega Bay is Ken's retreat, it is where he has slowed down to hear the quiet around him and feel most connected. But Bodega Bay could be any spectacular place in nature, it is about a man's bond with his environment.

As with all good autobiographies, you close this book feeling like you have a relationship with its author. He is a friend telling you stories of his life.

This is the most gentle and revealing book I have read about the Beatles---and I have probably read them all. Because of the author's approach to these men, their times and his personal journey there is something that rings inherently true and makes me believe this one over all others. It is the Seinfeld of the Beatle tomes. Mansfield has no axe to grind, no fame to gain and no apparent motive beyond the art of recollection and the rockin' events that rolled him in and out of Vonnegutian dimensions. The photography and classic packaging puts this one on my coffee table and in my fond memory bank.