Derek Taylor: podcast appearances and interviews

Derek Wyn Taylor (7 May 1932 – 8 September 1997) was a British journalist, writer, publicist, and record producer. He is known for his role as press officer to the Beatles, working with the band during 1964 and from 1968 to 1970. His association with the Beatles earned him the moniker 'the Fifth Beatle'. Before his tenure with the band, Taylor served as a publicist for California-based bands such as the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Mamas and the Papas. His promotional campaigns were considered forward-thinking and extravagant. Taylor was involved in staging the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and was known for slogans like 'The Beatles Are Coming' and 'Brian Wilson Is a Genius'. Starting his career as a local journalist on the Wirral at age 17, he wrote for the Hoylake and West Kirby Advertiser, Liverpool Daily Post, and Echo, before becoming a columnist and theatre critic for the Daily Express from 1952. During the 1970s, Taylor worked for Warner Bros. Records and HandMade Films. He is credited with coining the term 'pocket symphony' in reference to the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations'. A close confidant of the Beatles, Taylor maintained long-standing friendships with George Harrison and John Lennon. He contributed as an editor to Harrison's autobiography, I, Me, Mine, and authored several books including 'As Time Goes By' and 'The Making of Raiders of The Lost Ark'. Taylor returned to Apple Corps in the early 1990s and passed away in September 1997 due to cancer while working on the Beatles Anthology publication.