A job where John Lennon feeds you grapes as Paul McCartney plays the piano sounds like a sensible career choice. In The Women Who Wrote Rock (Radio 4), Kate Mossman tells the stories of “young women who happened to be in the right place at the right time”. That time was the early 60s, when pop exploded and intrepid reporters were smuggled out of hotels in laundry baskets in the name of getting a good interview.
This is a gem of a popumentary, full of warmth, excitement and ego-free fandom. Trailblazing journalists, such as Maureen Cleave and Dawn James bagged their stories by observing what went on and asking the questions that satisfied screaming fans. Rock’n’roll cliches didn’t factor and, from these fond memories, it sounds like a joyous and surprisingly innocent time. Teen magazine Fabulous would interrogate Keith Richards about his favourite colour and what kind of girl he’d like to take on holiday. As the writers recall their experiences, it’s heartwarming to hear how little separation there was between them and their subjects. “They were just ordinary people making lovely music,” says James, who Ringo Starr cheekily described as “beauty and brains”. James also spent an afternoon in Carnaby Street with Cat Stevens for a story and his one-word answers said more about him than any great quote could.
Mossman describes the time as a “short and magical period in the history of pop”. Surprisingly, it wasn’t men who elbowed the women out of their jobs, but drug use – which rendered the musicians unable to talk any sense. Brian Jones was a “lost soul” and the Beatles talked “absolute nonsense” during an interview.
But it sounds like so much fun while it lasted. Cleave casually procured the famous “bigger than Jesus” quote from John Lennon. It went largely unnoticed in the UK, only causing controversy when it hit the front of an American magazine six months later. Cleave didn’t mince her words when Lennon shared the lyrics to A Hard Day’s Night, making him change the “terrible” line: “When I get home to you and my tiredness is through, I’ll make you feel alright.” She really did write rock, and she doesn’t even mind that she didn’t get a credit.
