In honor of Pride Month, Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth interview with Rick Marcelli and Robin Bragg Marcelli, authors of “Hide Your Love Away”.
Today’s show is about one of the most brilliant, successful, and yet enigmatic and tragic figures in the history of show business: Brian Epstein, the man responsible for the phenomenal success of the world’s greatest rock and roll band: the Beatles.
Brian Epstein was by far the most important and successful music artist manager of his time, and he ran a rock and roll empire. But what the public didn’t know, is that he was a tormented, lonely, emotionally fragile gay man desperately trying to hide his secret personal life, and to cope with the constant threat of gay bashing, blackmail, extortion, and even criminal prosecution – because homosexuality was a serious criminal offence back then. Brian Epstein died in 1967 of a drug overdose at the age of 32. And there’s been much speculation about the circumstances of his death.
Our guests, Rick Marcelli and Robin Bragg-Marcelli, have written a fascinating book on behalf of their close friend, who was first a lover, and then a very close friend of Brian Epstein’s for the last 4 years of his life. The book is entitled, “Hide Your Love Away: An Intimate Story of Brian Epstein as told by Larry Stanton”. Our guests are well known in the entertainment industry and have had impressive careers in artist management and producing.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Rick Marcelli & Robin Bragg Marcelli on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
The official website for Harvey Brownstone Interviews may be found at https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com
Get “The Talk Show Blend” – Coffee For The Modern Day Trailblazer! By Harvey Brownstone from Breakfast At Dominique’s available at https://www.HollywoodBlends.com
For more information about Harvey Brownstone, here’s his Wikipedia page: