Peter Asher Denies Responsibility for Beatles' Breakup at L.A. Show
Posted on Dec 8th 2010 4:00PM by Melinda Newman


Rebecca Sapp, WireImage

Rock 'n' roll could have looked very different if not for Peter Asher.

To be sure, there are the obvious roles the Grammy winner played in musical history: as part of British invasion duo Peter and Gordon, as the Apple A&R executive who signed and nurtured James Taylor and as producer of such acts as Linda Ronstadt (who he also managed), 10,000 Maniacs, Diana Ross, Cher, Neil Diamond and countless others.

But as he revealed in his multimedia show, 'Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir of the '60s and Beyond,' at Los Angeles' Grammy Museum on Tuesday night, some of his behind-the-scenes activities had just as great an impact.

Asher, who grew up a privileged child in London, met Paul McCartney through his younger sister Jane, who was dating the Beatle. McCartney would lodge at the Asher home in London when not on tour and even wrote Peter and Gordon's first hit, 'World Without Love.'

Peter and Gordon had success on both sides of the Atlantic, coming to America to appear on both 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'The Jackie Gleason Show.' "We'd never seen 'The Honeymooners' in London," said Asher, recalling that Gleason struck him as "this drunken a-----e being obnoxious to everyone. I later saw 'The Honeymooners' and realized he was a genius."

Asher expanded into other ventures as Peter and Gordon's light started to dim, including partnering with Barry Miles and John Dunbar in a London art gallery and a book shop. The Indica Gallery decided to support a young artist named Yoko Ono by putting on an exhibit, attended by none other than John Lennon, who met Ono and was smitten. "According to some pessimistic Beatles fans, I'm responsible for the breakup of the Beatles," Asher said. He comes down squarely on Team Yoko, discarding the persistent belief by some that she caused Lennon to leave the group. "I don't believe that,' he said. "He was so happy with her. They were incredibly in love."

But, he admits, just as he was responsible for leading one couple to marriage, he helped lead to another to split. The best man at partner Dunbar's wedding to Marianne Faithfull, Asher invited the husband and wife to a party for the Rolling Stones, thrown by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Oldham heard Faithfull sing at the party and, on the spot, decided to sign her. He later introduced her to Mick Jagger and Dunbar found himself a single man as Faithfull ran off with the Rolling Stones frontman. "I'm the full-service best man from hell," Asher joked.

Asher, who interspersed his stories with performances of songs by Peter and Gordon, said he is frequently asked if he knew he was witness to many pivotal moments in rock history. His answer is always no, aside from one notable exception when he knew he was in the exactly right place at the exactly right time.

"Paul and I were sharing the top floor at [Asher's parents' house on] Wimpole St. There was a basement music room Paul would use to write in. There was a black upright piano in there," Asher recalled. "One particular afternoon, John came over. They were down there for about an hour and a half. They called me down and asked if I wanted to hear what they'd written. They sat side by side on the piano [and played me] a very early version of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand.' I felt it was a great artistic moment."

Asher tells Spinner that he would love to take the show on the road. In the meantime, he's busy recording a tribute to Buddy Holly, whose music Gordon Waller introduced him to all those years ago. Guests on the album include Stevie Nicks, Lyle Lovett, the Fray and Cobra Starship. Asher didn't have to go far to find Cobra Starship -- his daughter Victoria is the band's keytarist.

Peter and Gordon Perform 'World Without Love': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_lJPUKTchI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.spinner.com/2010/12/08/peter-asher-john-lennon-yoko-ono/

I was kind of thinking the same thing...hard to say. Paul met Jane on April 18, 1963, and they began dating right away. I Want To Hold Your Hand was recorded in Oct. '63. Not sure if he was living in the attic of the Wimpole Street house yet, but he spent a lot of time in that home before he was asked to move in {by Jane's Mum, no less!}

I would love to read about his memories and experiences.  What a life.