Neil Aspinall is finally leaving Apple Corps. This is an exceptional story. In 1961 at the age of 19 he gave up his two quid a week job as a trainee accountant to become road manager for his mates the Beatles. When they stopped touring a few years later he became their personal assistant. In the 70s he graduated to running Apple. Since then he has turned up every day at their office to tend to their affairs, argue with their record companies, hire lawyers to frighten pirates and oversee reissue projects. That's 46 years with the same employer. Can anybody equal that nowadays, in any field of activity? Man walks out on steady job with prospects and a pension to chance his arm in the pop game. Forty six years later he comes crawling back, having seen the error of his ways. He's also, I note, been married to the same woman for the last forty one years, which is another show business record. Buy that man the biggest carriage clock in the shop.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Good and Faithful Servant
Neil Aspinall is finally leaving Apple Corps. This is an exceptional story. In 1961 at the age of 19 he gave up his two quid a week job as a trainee accountant to become road manager for his mates the Beatles. When they stopped touring a few years later he became their personal assistant. In the 70s he graduated to running Apple. Since then he has turned up every day at their office to tend to their affairs, argue with their record companies, hire lawyers to frighten pirates and oversee reissue projects. That's 46 years with the same employer. Can anybody equal that nowadays, in any field of activity? Man walks out on steady job with prospects and a pension to chance his arm in the pop game. Forty six years later he comes crawling back, having seen the error of his ways. He's also, I note, been married to the same woman for the last forty one years, which is another show business record. Buy that man the biggest carriage clock in the shop.
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I've heard it said that Apple was wholly dependent on what was inside Neil Aspinall's head. Meaning that he was central to everything the company did/does. Unsaid was that if he were to suddenly pass on, that huge knowledge store was not available to anyone else taking over the mantle.
ReplyDeleteDon't know how true that is, but this really was one job that you would have expected to have been kept forever. What a surprise.
I wonder if somebody's getting it ready for sale? It's a unique case of a small but immensely valuable company still wholly in private hands. Imagine the gold rush if there was a stock market listing.
ReplyDeleteYour description of his role and work record demonstrates that he has contributed more to society via his work on a 'Grade 1 listed National Institution' than a good many MBEs have done. I bet there are curators of museums with gongs galore.
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