Geoffrey Giuliano

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Geoffrey Giuliano (born 1953) is an American author, radio personality and film actor, best known for his biographies of The Beatles members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, and of musician Pete Townshend.

Contents

Biography

Giuliano was born in Rochester, New York and raised in the villages of Albion and Olcott Beach, New York. He was the youngest of five children. He and his mother, Myrna Oneita Juliana, moved to Tampa, Florida when he was twelve. There he first became interested in acting, Vedic philosophy and fine art seriography. Giuliano legally changed his name to Jagannatha Dasa, but continues to use the name "Geoffrey Giuliano" for business purposes.[1] Prior to 1997, his legal name was Jeffrey Juliana.[2]

Giuliano attended Hillsborough Community College in Tampa and, in the mid-1970s, SUNY Brockport (class of 1976).[3]. In August 1976 he married Brenda Lee Black (later author/animal rights activist Vrnda Devi) and together they had four children, Sesa Nichole, Devin Leigh, Avalon Oneita and India Skye. He also has a young son from another relationship, Tulsi Mala Kuptsov born in Bangkok in mid July 2003.[citation needed] Giuliano has resided primarily in Southeast Asia since 2000 with his two grandchildren, Kashi and Varsana Jones. In April of 2007 he married Kesorn Faunmaong, a Bangkok executive at Citicorp of Issan descent.

Literary work

Giuliano has written some thirty often controversial biographies on 1960's musicians and several audio works (100 to date) on subjects as diverse as Frank Sinatra as well as archival interviews with survivors of the Titanic entitled, "That Fateful Night: True Stories of Titanic Survivors In Their Own Words." Giuliano has also authored two London Sunday Times bestselling biographies, "Dark Horse: The Secret Life of George Harrison" and "Blackbird: The Life And Times Of Paul McCartney." Along the way, he has collaborated with such pop luminaries as Cream/Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker, Pete Townshend, Dr. Timothy Leary, Richie Havens, Ben E. King, John Lennon's sister Julia Baird, 'Legs' Larry Smith, and British BBC TV presenter Gloria Hunniford, among many others. In late 1998, Random House Audio asked Giuliano to form a company for them called Tribute Audio, which produced a line of celebrity, interview laced, original spoken word CDs, all written, produced and narrated by the author. He worked in that capacity for some five years. In 2003, Giuliano founded SRI Books, as a resource for publishing his more esoteric literary works.[citation needed]

Giuliano has been a likely target for many dedicated fans of his biographical subjects due to his unrelenting warts and all writing style. On August 11, 1996 the Calgary Sun made the point in a review of his work on the life of the Who's Pete Townshend. "Unlike so many fawning rock biographers who lavish false praise on a bunch of worthless morons, Giuliano has the ability to get to the heart of the man and by doing so gives readers a glimpse of a period in history. Fans will never get closer to the man than in "Behind Blue Eyes" Unfortunately, Giuliano does such a magnificent job that many fans may wish they had never searched so hard."[citation needed]

Giuliano told Eye Weekly that he briefly worked for Townshend, but was fired after stealing a tape from Townshend.[4] A research assistant of Giuliano's subsequently wrote to the newspaper to defend him.[5]

A biography Giuliano authored about John Lennon (released in 2000) was similarly controversial. Giuliano claimed the book was based in part on transcripts of Lennon's journal given to him by the singer Harry Nilsson, who died on January 16, 1994.[6] The claim was made after Nilsson's death, and several people close to Nilsson do not believe he ever had the transcripts in his possession.[2]

Both the public and reviewers were torn over the controversial tome. On July 15, 2000 Colin Carson of the prestigious Library Journal commented, "Non-fans may be put off by this image of Lennon as a drug addict and paranoiac. This account is for vouyers and fans with deconstructive tendincies and is one of the best, most detailed books available on this subject." A Washington Post review of Giuliano's Lennon book said, "In exhaustive detail, using information purportedly gleaned from an unpublished Lennon diary (a text never directly quoted from), Giuliano reveals the not-so-shocking news that Lennon was not an altogether happy man. In other words, we get more of the character assassination that was begun in such high style by Albert Goldman's notorious The Lives of John Lennon."[7]

A September 15, 2006 review of Giuliano's book Revolver: The Secret History of the Beatles in Kirkus Reviews[8] said: "The few scraps of new information presented emanate from Giuliano's connection to George Harrison, but he fails to adequately explain his relationship with the former Beatle." George Harrison, interviewed in Los Angeles on December 14, 1992, was asked if he had ever met Giuliano. He replied, "Yeah, I met him briefly. I have no way of recalling what year it was. I met him at the home of "Legs" Larry Smith for possibly thirty minutes. I visited with Mr. Smith and he was in his flat." In the same interview, he stated, "There is a certain trick to the way Giuliano goes about his work. He acts as if he is kind of authorized, and [all] these people, not just him, but all these type of people, have a skill of wheedling their way into places that are going to be some benefit to them in getting their books written."[9]

Hindu beliefs

In the March, 1991 edition of Hinduism Today,[10] Giuliano was quoted as saying: "I'm very orthodox. The only books I read are religious Indian texts." The article also stated that while still working for McDonald's Giuliano met a sannyasa at a Hare Krishna temple in Toronto, and became his disciple. It also mentioned that Geoffrey and his first wife Vrnda Devi were raising their four children as vegetarian Hindus.[10]

Giuliano explained his relationship to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in an editorial in the September 10, 1999 edition of Vaishnava News,[11] stating that he had been "vaguely" critical of ISKCON over the years, but adding, "Can I ever repay the personal debt to ISKCON that I've had? Absolutely not, nor can now my children, in the second generation." According to the official website of SRI srilotus.com in the late 1990s Giuliano founded the umbrella charity, SRI/The Spiritual Realization Institute (and later Sri Radhe International Inc.) which manifested as a free veggie food pantry (Dasa Food For All) in Lockport, New York, as well as an animal sanctuary, Devotional Yoga center, spiritual retreat and not-for-profit publishing house. In 2000 he also founded a charity in aid of the abused women of Radha Kund, North India called The Vrndavana Widows & Children's Trust which feeds, clothes and provides acute medical care for the holy residents of this sacred village.[citation needed]

Films and other media

Giuliano co-directed the DVD "The Beatles A Celebration."[12] A review on Beatles Collectors.com stated that "the production itself is very unprofessional," and that its content consists of "a tabloid style account covering only the negative publicity that cropped up during the Beatles career."[13] Giuliano went on to play a supporting role as pirate Captain Li in a made-for-television movie that aired on the Hallmark Channel cable network called "Mysterious Island."[14] Since that time he has co-starred in the about to be released film "Lost At Sea" and is currently starring in the action thriller, "Bangkok Adrenaline".[citation needed] On November 19, 2005, a film, "Stoned: The Wild & Wicked World of Brian Jones," based on his bestselling book for Virgin in the UK, "Paint It Black: The Murder of Brian Jones" premered in London. The movie was directed by Stephen Woolley and co-produced by Nik Powell, the producing team behind such films as "Mona Lisa," "Interview with the Vampire" and "The Crying Game." As a singer songwriter Giuliano has written for and/or recorded with George Harrison, Richie Havens, Ben E. King, Steve Holly, Ginger Baker, Denny Laine, and 'Legs' Larry Smith [ex-Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band]. He has released two CDs, "Chocolate Wings" (2001) and the haunting Indo fusion work, "God Dwells Within" (2006).[citation needed]

In late 2005 Giuliano was hired by an American radio syndicator, KGB, to host a series of two-hour radio shows, "Geoffrey Giuliano's Roots Of Rock", which aired on more than 60 stations in the United States and Canada. The shows produced so far have highlighted such classic rock acts as the Beatles, U2, and Jimi Hendrix.[15]

Ronald McDonald and animal rights

Giuliano has been a very vocal advocate of animal rights since the early 1980s for his renunciation of the fast-food giant McDonald's after portraying their promotional personality, Ronald McDonald, for some two years in Toronto, Canada, out of Vickers and Benson advertising. Shocked at the hypocrisy he found within the company's mammoth corporate structure Giuliano testified for the prosecution in a famed 1991 London court case known as McLibel. In an interview he gave in London some years later, Geoffrey summed up his bad experience playing Ronald north of the border. "There's no question that I was manipulating these children. I was a highly paid, highly trained, highly polished actor. Every show was a performance and I had a mandate to get that message out there, and yeah, it was not too hard - anybody can manipulate a child. I just went home one night, and I said, 'I cannot do this, I can't live with myself if I continue to do this.' Giuliano also played the Marvelous Magical Burger King for the Burger King Corporation doing shows and other appearances throughout New England. The author /actor has spoken widely regarding his turbulent term as the McDonald's clown and the shadowy ethical implications of factory farming and animal rights for such groups as PETA. Giuliano has been an ardent vegetarian abstaining from meat, fish or eggs since 1970.[16][17] In 2001 Giuliano published the book, "Compassionate Cuisine" with then wife Vrnda Devi. ASPCA's Debroah Lyn Black for Animal Watch magazine wrote, "A cookbook with a conscience, it takes a holistic approach to vegitarianism. Devi belends eastern philosophy, spirituality and nutrition with original recipes to embrace not only an animal free diet but a humanitarian lifestyle. Animal welfare is the cornerstone of this compelling and enriching work." In 2004 the website A Cooks.Com deemed it a "recommended book" and also reviewed the work saying, 'Celebrated vgetarian gourmet Vrnda Devi examines the negitive effects of a meat based diet; outlines the benifits of a vegetarian diet rich in unprocessed fruits, vegetables, milk, whole grains and nuts; and explains how such a diet can help heal, strengthen and purify the body."[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Lockport's prolific rock biographer reincarnates as leader of Hindu temple Buffalo News, April 25, 1999
  2. ^ a b Lennon, imagined Buffalo News, May 28, 2000
  3. ^ Alumni Spotlight - SUNY Brockport Division of Institutional Advancement, 2006
  4. ^ News article: "Infamous Beatles hack remains unrepentant" Eye Weekly, May 11, 2000.
  5. ^ "Letter to the Editor, The Mother Teresa of Rock Journalism" - Eye Weekly, June 29, 2000
  6. ^ Harry Nilsson Obituaryalt.obituaries usenet group,posted January 15, 2006
  7. ^ Love Them Do The Washington Post, Book World Section, October 8, 2000
  8. ^ Review of Revolver: The Secret History of the Beatles - Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006
  9. ^ [http://books.google.com/books?id=EMGM5GkGIZkC&pg=RA2-PA179&lpg=RA2-PA179&dq=geoffrey+giuliano+los+angeles+george+harrison&source=web&ots=Y2H0N09bEZ&sig=qhez3a5SWkIc6b2gIrPOqZRP9sc#PRA2-PA180,M1
  10. ^ a b "Former Ronald McDonald Turns Vegetarian Activist". Hinduism Today (March 1991). Retrieved on February 6, 2007.
  11. ^ Poison CD Hoax by Jagannatha Dasa, Vaishnava News, September 10, 1999
  12. ^ "The Beatles: Celebration" at imdb.. Internet Movie Database.
  13. ^ Beatles Celebration - Geoffrey Giuliano, Review by Sooz. Sumaree Promotions.
  14. ^ "Mysterious Island" at imdb.. Internet Movie Database.
  15. ^ Geoffrey Giuliano's Roots of Rock. geoffreygiuliano.com.
  16. ^ "Interview," One-Off Productions, 1997
  17. ^ "Clowns - Ronald McDonald". Tv Acres. Retrieved on February 8, 2007.

External links

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