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It’s impossible to read anything about John Lennon’s childhood without coming across the name of Pete Shotton. In Ray Coleman’s biography of John, Pete is described by a school period contemporary as John’s “Lieutenant,” and it’s an apt description.

John Lennon and his old friend Pete Shotton during the Apple Corps period.

It’s impossible to read anything about John Lennon’s childhood without coming across the name of Pete Shotton. In Ray Coleman’s biography of John, Pete is described by a school period contemporary as John’s “Lieutenant,” and it’s an apt description. The two were inseparable. We covered their early relationship in an early edition of this newsletter, so this time around, I wanted to focus on one of the more significant aspects of Pete’s life after his time with John and The Beatles.

It all started with a holiday trip to the USA. While Pete had visited New York during the heady days of Apple, he hadn’t really seen much of the United States, until in 1976 when he embarked on a long holiday to the United States with a friend, covering 29 states in ten weeks. Over the following years, Pete would make many return trips and became enamoured with the concept and culture of the American Diner.

Sensing a business opportunity, he felt that there would also be a market for a similar style restaurant in the UK.

In 1983, Pete and his business partner opened their first restaurant in Plymouth on the south coast of England. They named it Fatty Arbuckle’s after the silent movie star and director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle because it sounded like a very American name. It’s unclear if they were aware of the controversy surrounding Arbuckle at the time.

The second Fatty Arbuckle’s was opened in 1985, and the first franchised outlet opened in 1991. By 1997, it was the largest American-style restaurant chain in the UK with 42 outlets, including a flagship store in London’s West End not far from the site of The Beatles’ former Apple Boutique that Pete had managed for a short time.

The chain was known for serving generous portions at affordable prices. The menu had around 60 different options, but its signature dish was the 24oz steak known as the Arbuckle Challenge.

The Mayor of Warrington in Cheshire about to tuck into one of Fatty Arbuckle’s signature meals at the restaurant chain’s opening in the town.

In 1996, Pete cashed out after the chain was bought out by a venture capital company. Although the size of his buyout was never publicly declared, all Pete would admit was that he “ended up a F’ing multimillionaire.”

He and his mate John had done all right in the world. Not bad for a couple of mischief makers who languished at the bottom of the class.

The rest of Pete Shotton’s story is covered in the latest episode of THE FORGOTTEN BEATLES podcast.

Alan

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The Savage Young Beatles

The Savage Young Beatles will be returning to the historic Jacarnda Club in Liverpool for a special one-night engagement to celebrate the Holiday season.

Come join them on Saturday, December 13th for a Rocking Christmas Celebration.

Tom and Ed from The Savage Young Beatles were recentky featured in a photoshoot at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. (Which I highly recommend if you haven’t given it a visit yet.) The resulting photos have a classic cool vibe while projecting a sense of fun.

Beatles Books From My Shelves

“John Lennon In My Life” by Pete Shotton & Nicholas Schaffer

If you can still find a copy, I highly recommend Pete Shotton’s memoir of his time with John from childhood days to that fateful day in December 1980. While the hardcover edition is going for insane prices (about $450), the large paperback edition is still very affordable (around $30 to $60).

It’s an honest, open, and intimate look at life in the eye of the whirlwind. Pete was there from the earliest days as a brief member of The Quarrymen, to the rise of the Fab Four, the craziness of Apple, to the arrival of Yoko, and the break-up. In many ways, Pete was John’s anchor to the real world outside the craziness of being a Beatle, and this is one of the few firsthand accounts that really addresses how important the old-school pre-fame friends were.

The Beatles in Comics

Title / Issue : Punch Magazine

Publisher: Odham’s Press Ltd.

Date : November 23rd, 1966

Cover Artist: Hardelsman

While not strictly a comic, the British satirical magazine Punch (founded in 1841) has always been well known for its cartoons and illustrations. This ‘stained glass’ style cover image of The Beatles to accompany an interview with Paul McCartney, is such a striking image that I felt it deserved inclusion here.

Rock out to our BTWB Playlists

If you would like to listen to full versions of the songs mentioned in either the main Before They Were Beatles podcast or the new Forgotten Beatles series, you can now find them on my new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AlanPorterWriter

Or you can check out the Before They Were Beatles playlist on Spotify at

What Else Is Alan Working On?

For more information on what else I have going on with writing, podcasting, and general slice-of-life stuff, check out my regular FREE bi-weekly CAN’T SEE THE FOREST newsletter -