Signed edition of the late Norman Pilcher’s book “Bent Coppers.” Published by Clink Street Publishers in 2020.
Bent Coppers
“Semolina Pilchard“. There is conjecture in Beatles circles that John Lennon used this term in his song “I Am The Walrus” to refer to police officer Norman Pilcher. There was a mass trade edition of this book written by the notorious policeman who was responsible for arresting several of the most important rock figures of the 1960s on drug-related charges.
This book is Norman Pilcher’s version of the stories that captured the imagination of many who were part of the counterculture movement of that era. The version of the book shown below represents the signed edition of which only 250 copies were issued before Norman Pilcher passed away from cancer in March of 2021.
An interesting revelation according to Norman’s good friend, Reg, was that Mr. Pilcher after John had been charged at the police station, Norman sat down with John, and it was then that John and Norman had a long chat. It was there that Norman was swayed by John and what he believed in. John actually did send Norman postcards following his arrest from various locations, 6 in all from Japan France etc.
I am sure when the two of them were in the police station neither of them could have envisioned at that time what the long-term consequences of that arrest would be!!!
So what were those consequences? Let me know in the comments below!
If you wish to purchase a limited editioned signed copy of Norman’s book, they are only available through the author’s friend Reg, at contact.bentcoppers@gmail.com and not the publishers.
Buzz
Thank you for posting the availability of Norman Pilcher’s memoirs – I purchased the book as a result. It is a well-written manuscript that certainly gives the other side of the story regarding the drug busts of 2 Beatles and others. The former sergeant’s entire career and story was interesting. I would highly recommend this book!
Jennifer-it had to be difficult for him to write this book as he certainly must have been aware that many Beatle/Lennon fans vilified the man for having arrested their idols. As stated before, the book’s revelation that John communicated with Pilcher via postcard from around the world several times, shows us that the mean adversarial role portrayed by the media was a myth!
Thanks John for your detailed responses and all of the information on these great books and memorabilia. Author Jude Southerland Kessler just gave you a “shout out” during her Zoom presentation today, so be ready for a lot more followers!
Is this book any good or is it about him cashing in on a few arrests?
The main reason I enjoyed this book is it adds a bit of humanity to the man. Most Beatles fans detest Norman Pilcher because of the effect the arrest had on John’s life. However, most people do not realize that John sent Norman postcards from various parts of the world after the arrest. Press reports about people have a tendency to strip people of their individual emotions and their reasons for doing things, their psychology. That is the reason I bought the book and I was not disappointed in that endeavor. The other reason as a collector that I bought the signed edition is that Lennon’s arrest had long term implications for his life (the deportation attempt by the US government) and as a result, it is a part of Beatle history. I can never vouch for how someone else may enjoy or dislike a book because we all have differing predispositions and expectations that we use when reading any book. I tried approaching the book with an open mind suspending my preconceptions about someone that was perceived so negatively in Beatle circles and the press depictions of the man. The shocking revelation to me from the book is that Pilcher acknowledges that John’s personality won him over. That was an acknowledgment that I had never expected. Ben, we can all choose to believe what we want to believe but when there is some type of emotional and psychological context to the belief, it helps to understand things better. Surely we are reading an alternative viewpoint from Pilcher’s perspective and even if you reject it, it is good to at least to be able to view the reasons the author holds the perspective that they have. I can not adequately judge what were Norman’s reasons for writing the book were. As a Beatle collector, however, I am happy that I was able to see some of the viewpoints from the other side of the coin. I hope that helps to answer your question.