Editing Brian Epstein (section)

==Personal life==
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Throughout Epstein's life, he was known to be kind and caring to his family, friends of his family, and business colleagues. When Lennon married [[Cynthia Lennon|Cynthia Powell]], on 23 August 1962, Epstein served as best man and paid for the couple's celebratory lunch afterwards.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=348}}{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|p=83}} During Cynthia's pregnancy Epstein paid for a private room in a hospital and offered the Lennons the sole use of his flat at 36 [[Falkner Street]], Liverpool, when they needed a home. He also agreed to be godfather to Lennon's son [[Julian Lennon|Julian]].{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|p=93}}{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=171}}

===Sexual orientation===
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Epstein's homosexuality was not publicly known until some years after his death, although it had been an [[open secret]] among his friends and business associates.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=88}} While Epstein was in the British Army, he commissioned a tailor to make him an officer's uniform. He wore the uniform when cruising the bars of London, but was arrested one night at the [[Army and Navy Club]] in [[Piccadilly]] by the military police for impersonating an officer. Epstein managed to avoid a [[court martial]] by agreeing to see an army [[psychiatrist]], who learned of Epstein's sexuality.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=86}} After ten months he was discharged from the army on medical grounds for being "emotionally and mentally unfit". Epstein later stated that his first homosexual experience was when he returned to Liverpool after being discharged.<ref name="NowhereMan" />{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=260}}

Epstein spent a year studying acting at RADA, but dropped out shortly after his arrest for "persistent importuning" outside a men's public toilet in [[Swiss Cottage]], London. [[Cottaging]], as it was called, was one of the few public ways that gay and [[Bisexuality|bisexual]] men could meet, especially if they were [[closeted]].<ref name="NowhereMan2">{{cite news |first=Glenn |last=Frankel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101714_2.html |title=Nowhere Man (p2) |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=26 August 2007 |access-date=26 May 2011}}</ref> When Epstein first saw the Beatles perform he noticed their stage attire first, saying, "They were rather scruffily dressed, in the nicest possible way, or I should say in the most attractive way—black leather jackets, jeans, long hair of course".<ref name="FranklyBrian0407">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/mersey/5184.shtml |title=Frankly Speaking: Brian Epstein (time: 04.07) |publisher=BBC |date=23 March 1964 |access-date=2 July 2011}}</ref> McCartney said that when Epstein started to manage the Beatles they knew that he was homosexual but did not care, because he encouraged them professionally and offered them access to previously "off-limits" social circles.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=88}}

Although the group, Lennon in particular, often made sarcastic comments about Epstein's homosexuality to friends and to Epstein personally, no one outside the group's inner circle was allowed to comment. Ian Sharp (actor Richard Tate),<!-- https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music/lennons-college-pal-spills-beans-3536664 https://coronationstreet.fandom.com/wiki/Richard_Tate https://www.advocate.com/news/2005/11/24/john-lennon-pal-recalls-outing-brian-epstein --> one of Lennon's art-school friends, once made a sarcastic remark about Epstein, saying, "Which one of you [Beatles] does he fancy?" Sharp was sent a letter by Epstein's office within 48 hours that demanded a complete apology.<ref name="NowhereMan4" /> Sharp apologised but was then ostracised. McCartney sent him a letter directing him to have no contact with any of them in the future.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=302–303}} Epstein went on holiday to places such as [[Amsterdam]], [[Torremolinos]] and [[Barcelona]] or Manchester at weekends, as the attitude towards homosexuals there was more tolerant than in Liverpool, even though Liverpool did have several gay bars.<ref name="NowhereMan2" />

In his autobiography, [[Pete Best]] stated that Epstein drove them both to [[Blackpool]] one evening where Epstein expressed his "very fond admiration". Epstein then supposedly said, "Would you find it embarrassing if I ask you to stay in a hotel overnight?" Best replied that he was not interested and the two never mentioned the incident again.<ref name="NowhereMan4" /> There were reports of a brief sexual encounter between Lennon and Epstein during a four-day holiday in [[Barcelona]] in April 1963. Lennon admitted in a 1971 ''Rolling Stone'' interview that he knew Epstein was a "fag" and that he (Lennon) enjoyed "playing a bit faggy and all that". Addressing the rumours again later, Lennon told ''[[Playboy]]'' in 1980, "Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated&nbsp;... but we did have a pretty intense relationship". A fictionalised account of the Spanish holiday is featured in the 1991 film ''[[The Hours and Times]]''.<ref name="dowling">Dowling, William J. (1989) ''Beatlesongs''. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. {{ISBN|0-671-68229-6}}</ref>

===Drug use===
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After the start of his management career, Epstein started taking [[stimulant]]s, usually [[Phenmetrazine|Preludin]], which did not require a prescription at the time. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr had also taken it since their days in [[Hamburg]]. Epstein explained his use of the drug as the only means of staying awake at night during numerous concert tours.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=301–302}} In 1964, Peter Brown suspected that Epstein was taking too many pills, as he would often cough at parties, which Brown realised was Epstein's way of secretly putting pills into his mouth without anyone noticing.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=518}} McCartney often met Epstein at late night clubs in London, and remembered that Epstein would often grind his jaws (possibly due to [[bruxism]]), once saying to him, "Ugghhh, the pills".{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=131}} Epstein also developed dependencies on the drug [[carbromal]], a [[barbiturate]]-like [[sedative]]/[[hypnotic]] drug.
[[File:Brian Epstein home-24 Chapel St. London.jpg|upright|thumb|24 [[Chapel Street, Belgravia|Chapel Street]], London, where Epstein lived, and later died]]
In 1964, after having been introduced to [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] by [[Bob Dylan]] in [[New York City|New York]], Epstein was observed by McCartney standing in front of a mirror, pointing at himself and repeatedly saying "Jew!", while laughing loudly, which McCartney found hilarious and "very liberating".{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=188–189}} Epstein later became heavily involved in the 1960s drug scene. During the four months when the Beatles' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band|Sgt. Pepper]]'' was being recorded, Epstein spent time on holiday, or at the [[Priory Group|Priory Clinic]] in [[Putney]], where he tried unsuccessfully to curb his drug use. He left the Priory to attend the ''Sgt. Pepper'' launch party at his house on 24 [[Chapel Street, Belgravia|Chapel Street]], but returned to the Priory immediately after.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&GridE=-0.15093&GridN=51.49997&lon=-0.15093&lat=51.49997&place=Chapel%20Street%2C%20CITY%20OF%20WESTMINISTER%2C%20SW1&db=GB&scale=5000&search_result=Chapel%20Street%2C%20CITY%20OF%20WESTMINISTER%2C%20SW1&lang=&db=GB&keepicon=true|title=Location of Epstein's Chapel Street house |publisher=multimap.com|access-date=27 May 2011}}</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=337–338}}

Epstein added his name to an advertisement that appeared in ''[[The Times]]'' on 24 July 1967, which called for the legalisation of cannabis, the release of all prisoners imprisoned because of possession, and research into marijuana's medical uses. The advertisement was sponsored by a group called Soma and was signed by 65 people, including the Beatles, Scottish psychiatrist [[R. D. Laing]], sixteen doctors, and two members of Parliament.<ref name="Tokyo">{{cite web |url=http://www.taima.org/en/hemplib3.htm |title=Paul McCartney's arrest in Japan |access-date=27 May 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927152218/http://www.taima.org/en/hemplib3.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Epstein responded to questions about the advertisement by saying, "My opinion is that pot smoking is definitely less harmful than drinking alcohol. I am not addicted to either, but I have been very drunk and very 'high'."<ref name="BrianEpsteinDies" /> In June 1967, after McCartney had admitted to [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]] use, Epstein defended him to the media, stating that he too had taken the drug.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=699–670}}

===Gambling===

In August 1965, the Beatles and Epstein visited [[Elvis Presley]] at his house in Los Angeles, where Elvis's manager, [[Colonel Tom Parker]], set up a [[roulette]] wheel and several packs of playing cards. Epstein immediately asked to play, as he was known for his love of gambling.{{sfn|Lipack|1996|p=57}} McCartney frequently visited gambling clubs in London, such as Epstein's favourite casino, ''[[Crown London Aspinalls|Curzon House Club]]'',<!--  http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/322/md/read/id/1149831/sbj/ex-john-aspinall-illegal-of-the-day-and-more/ https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/26/archives/london-casinos-a-clubby-world-the-classy-six-the-clubby-world-of.html  https://www.geocities.ws/jdskinner123/czchiplist.html https://www.ebay.com/itm/305324646637 https://archive.today/20241105023952/https://www.ebay.com/itm/305324646637 https://www.jstor.org/stable/23636652 https://www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/subjects/curzon-house-club-casino  https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/the-private-gaming-clubs-of-sixties-london-55323  --><ref name="CurzonHouse">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835349-8,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330095546/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835349-8,00.html |archive-date=30 March 2008 |title=You Can Walk Across It on the Grass |publisher=Time Inc |date=15 April 1966 |access-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> where he often ran into Epstein.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=131}} He once saw Epstein put a [[Alfred Dunhill|Dunhill cigarette lighter]] worth £100 ({{Inflation|UK|100|1965|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) on the table, then lose it during a game of cards. Epstein often lost thousands of pounds by playing [[Baccarat (card game)|baccarat]] or chemin de fer (the original version of baccarat when it was introduced in France), but would stay at Curzon House the whole evening, eating an expensive meal and drinking fine wines. The club never presented Epstein with a bill, as they knew he lost so much in the casino.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=131}}