Peter Doggett

Peter Doggett
Born (1957-06-30) 30 June 1957 (age 67)
Pen namePeter Doggett
Rufus Lodge[1]
Occupation
  • Music journalist
  • author
  • magazine editor
NationalityBritish
Period1980–present
Notable worksYou Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of The Beatles
Website
www.peterdoggett.org

Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980,[1] when he joined the London-based magazine Record Collector.[2] He subsequently served as the editor there from 1982 to 1999,[3] after which he continued in the role of managing editor.[4] He has also contributed regularly to magazines such as Mojo, Q and GQ.[5]

Doggett has written extensively about the music and legacy of the Beatles. In the 2001 edition of Barry Miles' The Beatles Diary, he supplied commentary on each of the band's official releases[6] (later compiled in his and Patrick Humphries' 2010 book The Beatles: The Music and the Myth). In 2003, he was part of a team of specialist writers and critics – along with Mark Lewisohn, Ian MacDonald, John Harris, David Fricke, Miles and others – who authored the three-part Mojo: Special Limited Edition series on the Beatles.[3]

In 2009, his book You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of The Beatles was published in the UK by The Bodley Head.[1] The Los Angeles Times described it as "remarkable"[7] and included the work in its list of the ten best books of the year.[1] According to Beatles historian Erin Torkelson Weber, You Never Give Me Your Money is "one of the most influential books in all Beatles historiography".[8]

Among Doggett's other titles, Are You Ready for the Country (2000) documents the advent of the country rock genre.[9] His book on rock music's role in 1960s countercultural ideology, There's a Riot Going On, was published by Canongate in 2007[10] and was voted "Best Book of the Year" by Mojo's readers.[1] His more recent books include The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s (2011)[11][12] and Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone: 125 Years of Pop Music (2015).[13] Doggett's book on John Lennon's later years at the Dakota building in New York, titled Prisoner of Love: Inside the Dakota with John Lennon, was due to be published in April 2021 by independent publisher Jawbone Press. To the confusion of the Beatles and Lennon fan community, the book was cancelled shortly before its publication date.[14][15][16]

Doggett also works as a consultant for auctioneers of music memorabilia, specialising in the authentication of manuscripts and recordings. He has written CD liner notes and otherwise assisted in reissue campaigns of works by the Kinks, the Hollies and Tom Jones.[1]

In the 2010 UK General Election, he stood as the Green Party's candidate for the seat of Fareham in Hampshire, the same town in which he grew up.[17] He lives in London with his partner Rachel Baylis, an artist.[1] The couple have two daughters, Catrin and Becca Mascall.[18]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Peter Doggett – Biography". peterdoggett.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  2. ^ Doggett, Peter (2011). You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup. New York, NY: It Books. p. 352. ISBN 978-0-06-177418-8.
  3. ^ a b Mojo: The Beatles' Final Years Special Edition. London: Emap. 2003. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Staff list". Record Collector. April 2001. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Amazon author page: Peter Doggett". Amazon. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  6. ^ Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. London: Omnibus Press. p. xv. ISBN 0-7119-8308-9.
  7. ^ Ulin, David L. (4 July 2010). "Book review: 'You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup' by Peter Doggett". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  8. ^ Weber, Erin Torkelson (2016). The Beatles and the Historians: An Analysis of Writings About the Fab Four. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-4766-6266-4.
  9. ^ Staff reviewer (1 August 2001). "ARE YOU READY FOR THE COUNTRY by Peter Doggett". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  10. ^ Brown, Mick (27 October 2007). "Talkin' bout a revolution". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. ^ Litt, Toby (10 October 2011). "The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  12. ^ Staff writer (9 March 2013). "David Bowie and the 1970s – a conversation with author Peter Doggett". The Mouth Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  13. ^ Spencer, Neil (23 August 2015). "Electric Shock by Peter Doggett review – beyond cool, Mantovani, Van Halen and all". The Observer /theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  14. ^ Weber, Erin Torkelson (7 April 2021). "One less puzzle piece". The Historian and the Beatles. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  15. ^ Rosen, Robert (7 April 2021). "The Book That Cannot Be/El Libro Que No Puede Ser". Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  16. ^ Gerber, Michael (21 September 2022). "Reader question: "Thoughts on Prisoner of Love?"". Hey Dullblog. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Peter Doggett, Green, Fareham". Southern Daily Echo. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  18. ^ Doggett, Peter (2011). You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup. New York, NY: It Books. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-06-177418-8.