‘How I Didn’t Become A Beatle.’ Brian Hudson.

‘How I Came To Write ‘How I Didn’t Become A Beatle,’ by Brian Hudson.

Ed. Brian was one of the founders of The Big Three

First let me explain the title of my book. The inspiration came from Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall. Having been a member of an early Liverpool beat group (The Big Three) which is sometimes mentioned in books about The Beatles, I had the idea that a title like this, which mentions Merseyside’s most famous sons, would be both funnily appealing and entirely appropriate.
The original memoir that I wrote dealt with far more than my Liverpool days. It was a collection of episodes from my life from my birth in Cleveland, then part of Yorkshire, through my school days near London, my time as a student in Liverpool and my years in various parts of the world, including West Africa, Hong Kong, the Caribbean and Australia.

Literary inspiration came from the brilliant autobiographical writings of Laurie Lee, author of Cider with Rosie, and Flora Thompson who wrote Lark Rise to Candleford.  Novelist Arnold Bennett’s concern with the interestingness of ordinary people and places also encouraged me to write about myself, an ordinary English working class boy who realized his ambition to get an education and see the world. How I wish that I could write like those authors!

By the time I began to write my memoirs, I was already an experienced published author of books, chapters in edited works and journal articles. As a university teacher and researcher, it was part of my job to write scholarly works for publication, something I enjoyed but which required strict adherence to academic procedures and conventions. There was little room for self-expression and artistic creativity in scholarly books and academic journals.

My opportunity to do more creative writing came when, in 1999, I took voluntary early retirement from my university in Brisbane, Australia, entering into an arrangement whereby I remained on campus in an unpaid research capacity. As an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, I continue in that role but have time, too, to indulge in other activities, including writing my memoirs.
It occurred to me that it was worth recording life at the University of Liverpool, the original Redbrick University, at a time when it was normal for students to be funded by the State and local authorities, thus enabling the young men and women to enrich their experience by having the opportunity to participate fully in cultural and artistic activities of all kinds.

The city of Liverpool, with its artists, musicians and other colourful characters as well as its University, was certainly a vital part of my education. Although I was not fully aware of it at the time, I was there when Liverpool was experiencing a kind of cultural renaissance of which the emergence of the Mersey Sound was but one part. Importantly, it was a part in which I played a small role, one that enabled me to experience the excitement of life at a remarkable time in the history of a remarkable city. 
Many of the anecdotes I recorded in my book were stories that I had often told over the years and so were firmly fixed in my memory. No doubt, the accuracy of some details may be questionable but I have tried my best not to embellish the truth.  In recording “the facts”, I have been greatly helped by the letters home that I wrote, correspondence preserved by my late parents. Personal diaries kept through my Liverpool years and beyond were also helpful, even though the entries are generally sparse and often cryptic. Important dates such as gigs and exams are quite often noted and the occasional personal name or phone number sometimes jogged my memory.

Correspondence from my old friend the late Arthur Dooley was particularly useful for my chapter ‘Art in the City’ which I believe provides a valuable record of that notable Liverpool sculptor who was part of the vibrant Liverpool Scene in the ‘sixties. As well as my own recollections, I drew on the memories of others who kindly read or listened to my reminiscences and offered comments and suggestions.
When I began to search for a publisher, I had the good fortune to meet, via the internet, Neil Marr, a partner in the publishing company BeWrite. Although he lives in the south of France and we have never met in person, Neil’s advice and editorial input have been invaluable. While my memoir was not right for BeWrite, Neil was ever-supportive in my endeavour to become a published autobiographer.
Eventually, success was achieved when one publisher, Sutton, later absorbed into The History Press, UK, accepted the Liverpool part of my manuscript. Presumably, the acquisitions editor felt that readers would be more interested in the ‘Sixties Liverpool Scene than the life of a working class boy in the North and South of England and his later wanderings overseas. During a visit to England in October, 2008, I eventually saw my first copy of How I Didn’t Become a Beatle on display in the World Museum Liverpool, venue of The Beat Goes On Exhibition. It seemed the ideal place in which to see my autobiographical work in print for the first time.

I am now seeking a publisher for the other part of my memoir. The title, Whe’Yu From?, is taken from the question put to me by a man I met in Spanish Town, the former capital of Jamaica, my island home for many years. In 1985, I migrated with my wife and two boys to Brisbane, Australia where, near the close of the twentieth century, I began to write about my life experience.