Book Review: The Beatles, The Bible, And Bodega Bay: My Long And Winding Road By Ken Mansfield
Published August 05, 2006
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.
- Book Review: The Beatles, The Bible, And Bodega Bay: My Long And Winding Road By Ken Mansfield
- Published: August 05, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Books
- Filed Under: Books: Religion, Books: Nonfiction, Books: Entertainment, Books: Biography, Books: Arts
- Writer: Glen Boyd
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- Glen Boyd's personal site
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Thanx Gordon.
I not only found Mansfield's memories absolutely fascinating, but I found his perspective to be the purest I've ever read on the Beatles.
This is a guy who was unquestionably there, and witnessed everything first hand, yet came out of it not only relatively unscathed, but with his very soul rejuvenated at the end of the day.
In my personal opinion, it is the single best book I have ever read about the phenomonon that was the Beatles.
But more impotantly it's about a guy who lived through it all from the inside, and came out on the other side with his soul not only intact but unscathed.
As a guy who has experienced the "music business" (albeit at a far lesser level than Mansfield did), I know exactly of what he talks about in this book.
I cannot recommend Mansfield's book highly enough.
Thanx for publishing the review Gordon.
-Glen
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
Wow...very cool. Thanx for the good news Natalie.
-Glen
Sounds like a pretty good book. From his lofty position, Mr. Mansfield had to have seen it all. As a Christian, I'd be very interested in hearing his thoughts this many years later as to what exactly motivated Lennon's statement about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus. Everybody knows that Lennon, despite his genius, could be a very impulsive guy...and the quote heard round the world was also clearly cast out of context. I just wonder how Mansfield feels in retrospect about it...now that he has found his peace with the Lord himself. Good review and I'm sure I'll check out the book.
Mr. Eggman,
I wouldn't mind hearing Mansfield's take on that question myself. Unfortunately, it isn't addressed in the book. Maybe in the sequel?
Goo Goo Ga Joob Mr. Eggman.
-Glen
This is one of those times when I realized I had the book on my shelf but had not read it. Thank you, Glen, for the pleasant review (a sensation I normally don't experience when reading a book review--be it a positive or negative review).
As for the Lennon/Jesus controversy, I suspect (although it occurred a year before I entered the planet) it was overblown and what Lennon was saying was more of a tough truth than him saying "they" were "better" than Jesus.
Scott,
My reviews have been called a lot of things over the years, but I don't recall "pleasant" ever being of them. So thanks for the compliment, I guess anyway...LOL. Glad you enjoyed reading it.
I remember the Lennon comment about Jesus pretty well, though I was just a young kid myself at the time. And I think you have the gist of it correct. Lennon was not saying his band was "better" than Jesus at all, but like you say making a comment on the ridiculous popularity of the Beatles at the time.
Like Eggman though, I still would be interested in Mansfield's take on this all these years later in light of the author himself having found his own faith in the Lord though.
Anyway thanks for the comment Scott and I'm glad you enjoyed the review.
-Glen
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Nice write-up, Glen--evocative.