...Around March of 1967, my father received a large envelope that was addressed from London...so begins Tosh's short narrative that is June 1, 2014. What came out was a black and white photograph and a letter, addressed to Wallace. It was a very formal business letter and it came from Brian Epstein, who I knew at the time was the manager of The Beatles.
Tosh's father is Wallace Berman, "an American experimental filmmaker, assemblage and collage artist and a crucial figure in the history of post-war California art." The letter was a formal request for Wallace to sign a release, allowing The Beatles to use his image on the cover of what would become Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Tosh continues the short narrative with his reaction to seeing the image Martin sent his dad: My first impression was an image of a funeral, with all the people at the ceremony facing the camera.
Remember, it's the Spring of 1967 and perhaps only a small handful of people, at this time, had actually seen the image of what would (arguably) become the most-famous cover to grace a rock/pop album.
It's a great vignette on its own; but, if you're a Tosh Berman fan or a fan of The Beatles or Wallace Berman, it's essential reading. A variation of June 1, 2014 later showed up in Tosh's book, Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World, which was published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Books in February 2019. (It's really a terrific memoir, and if you're reading this, you need to buy & read Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World, too.)
Finally, June 1, 2014 first appeared as one of 365 posts Tosh shared with his friends on Facebook during the calendar year 2014. That's where I first read it. Tosh completed one vignette for each day of that year, and he's now calling the collected writings the "2014 Series". As the title suggests, the particular vignette I printed/published was posted to Tosh's FaceBook feed on June 1, 2014, which coincided with the 47th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's commercial release.
The book is offered here (and only here) at publication price of $19.95, and it's strictly limited to 300 signed copies, and it won't be reprinted. However many copies you see as available is what's left of the print run.
You're more than welcome to request one of the four colors, and if they're available, I'll be happy to accommodate your request.
If you're a bookseller, I'm offering generous discounts to the trade as well!
Finally, domestic shipping on me; international shipping calculated by eBay's Global Shipping Program.
Thanks and support your local indie bookshop!!