When Astrid Kirchherr and her friend Klaus Voormann came across The Beatles playing deep within Hamburgs red light district they were gobsmacked – rock n roll simply did not exist in Germany in 1960. Soon they began attending shows every night and Astrid, a gifted photographer, got the idea to shoot the band. With Klaus’ help translating, soon The Beatles were their fast friends and subjects of Astrid’s latest photo sessions- their first official publicity photos.

While she connected with all of them, none so much as as the mysterious heartthrob of the group, Stuart Sutcliffe. Wait a minute! There’s no Stuart in The Beatles! Well, in their inception there was, and in no time they were inseparable. Like Astrid, Stuart’s talents lie in his art and together their work flourished. Astrid was his muse, but also highly influential in The Beatles early career. In this episode you’ll hear both Stuart and Astrid’s story, along with The Beatles pre-world domination.

You can find Astrid’s incredible work here: http://www.artnet.com/artists/astrid-kirchherr/ & Stuart’s at Stuart Sutcliffe Art and Paintings – The Official Estate

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