Senior lecturer in Literature and Popular Culture at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Richard Mills has published a new book which combines academia with original research to create a contemporary story of the Beatles.
The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death and Progressive Nostalgia is the first book to discuss the subcultures within the Beatles fandom in detail. It considers the influence of the death of John Lennon and George Harrison on the nostalgic fan conventions that have remained popular for 48 years. Chapters include journalist super-fans, tribute bands and Beatles tourism.
Author Richard Mills said “I’m very excited about the publication of my fandom and Beatles book in paperback. It is fantastic to know that my magical history tour of the Beatles legacy is the first serious study of Beatles fandom”.
St Mary’s runs a short course The Beatles: A Magical History Tour led by Richard that is open to anyone with an interest in the Beatles or 1960s popular culture. Across five weeks, a range of topics will be discussed including Beatlemania and feminism, psychedelia, the Beatles' musical influences and the modern-day Beatles fandom. The next course will be at The Exchange, Twickenham on Thursday evenings from 7pm-8:30pm between 6th January – 10th February 2022.
Richard also teaches a Beatles module as part of our Film and Liberal Arts degrees.
There will be a book launch in the autumn with a panel of experts and special guests. The book is available to purchase online and find out more about the short course on the University website.
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