{"product_id":"the-velvet-mafia-the-gay-men-who-ran-the-swinging-sixties-9781787602311","title":"The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the fifties and sixties, in the period leading up to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality and the founding of the Gay Liberation movement, a group of gay men behind the scenes of rock'n'roll was changing pop, politics and society for good.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough a mix of new interviews and contemporary reports, Darryl W. Bullock shines a light on the lives of the so-called 'Velvet Mafia', including impresario Larry Parnes, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, songwriter Lionel Bart, record producer Joe Meek, and Bee Gees and Cream manager Robert Stigwood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Velvet Mafia \u003c\/i\u003eexplores how the LGBT professionals at the heart of the music industry were working together and supporting each other at a time when being homosexual could mean the end of your career - or much worse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDarryl W. Bullock\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer, publisher, and editor specialising in music and the arts. He has written for publications including\u003ci\u003e The Guardian, Pitchfork, the Quietus, Songwriting Magazine, The Bath Chronicle, Venue, Folio, The Spark, B24-7, 3Sixty, The Bath Magazine, the Bristol Evening Post, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Western Daily Press\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the publisher of \u003ci\u003eThe Green Guide to Bristol and Bath\u003c\/i\u003e. Darryl is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe World's Worst Records\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eVolumes 1 and 2\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eFlorence Foster Jenkins: the Life of the World's Worst Opera Singer\u003c\/i\u003e (Duckworth-Overlook, 2016), and \u003ci\u003eDavid Bowie Made Me Gay\u003c\/i\u003e. His next book, \u003ci\u003e The Infamous Cherry Sisters, \u003c\/i\u003ewill be issued in December 2018.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Omnibus Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50376622211346,"sku":"9781787602311","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c2647c11-c9ea-493f-b0e8-e3096f0233e0.jpg?v=1728601807","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-velvet-mafia-the-gay-men-who-ran-the-swinging-sixties-9781787602311","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}