July 2019

Beginning in 1978, George Harrison became drawn into a vocation he’d only dabbled in previously: filmmaker. HandMade Films came into being serendipitously, simply because he wanted to see Monty Python’s Life of Brian get made. This “accidental studio” went on to produce work of staggeringly high quality, resulting in works ranging from Time Bandits and The Long Good Friday to Mona Lisa and Withnail and I. (Also: Shanghai Surprise.)      The story of George’s cinematic career has now been told, in a new documentary produced by AMC UK: An Accidental Studio. My guests today are two of the documentary’s producers and directors, Bill Jones and Ben Timlett. Join us for this discussion of a surprisingly sturdy cinematic legacy, brought to us by the Quiet Beatle.

The full story of The Beatles’ Rishikesh visit and their relationship with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had never been explored in detail and from the inside before – until now. Susan Shumsky spent over twenty years studying TM, including seven working directly with the Maharishi. The author of 14 books, her newest – Maharishi and Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles’ Guru – sheds light on the Rishikesh experience and how it impacted The Beatles’ lives and art. Years of misinformation is cleared aside by her direct knowledge and insider accounts of the good, the bad and the ugly of the Maharishi experience. Susan Shumsky’s site: http://www.divinerevelation.org/