Geoffrey Giuliano
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Geoffrey Giuliano (born September 11, 1953)
''Tell Me What You See - Biography - A Brief Life Sketch of Geoffrey Giuliano/Jagannatha Dasa'', downloaded from internet on May 13, 2011
is an American author, radio personality, and film actor, best known for his biographies of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
members
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
,
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, and George Harrison, and of musician
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
. He is also known for his involvement in the McLibel case. In 2021 he garnered international attention by appearing in the role of VIP four in Netflix's series ''
Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-r ...
''.


Biography

Giuliano was born in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
and raised in the villages of Albion and
Olcott Beach, New York Olcott is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of Newfane in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, this community population was 1,241. Most locals refer to it as Olcott Beach. It is part of the Bu ...
. He was the youngest of five children. His father, Joseph Robert Juliana, was a heating contractor. He and his mother, Myrna Oneita Juliana, moved to
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
when he was 12. There, he first became interested in acting, Vedic philosophy and fine art seriography. He was born "Jeffrey Joseph Juliana", but later adopted "Geoffrey Giuliano" as a pen name. In 1997, he changed his legal name to "Jagannatha Dasa". For a brief period, the honorific title of "Puripada" was awarded him by several Indian yoga students, but Giuliano ultimately rejected the title as inappropriate. Giuliano attended Madison Junior High School, H.B. Plant High School and
Hillsborough Community College Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only P ...
(all in Tampa). In the mid-1970s, he graduated from the
State University of New York at Brockport State University of New York Brockport (also known as SUNY Brockport or Brockport State, and previously The College at Brockport) is a public university in Brockport, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). History C ...
and began working as an actor.


Literary work

Giuliano has written extensively on popular music, particularly
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
. By 1999, he had authored 20 books, including ''Dark Horse: The Private Life of George Harrison'' (1990) and ''Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney'' (1991). ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine described ''Dark Horse'' as "evenhanded and soundly researched", while Barry Miller of '' Library Journal'' said it was "a revelatory biography of the elusive Harrison and his constellation of secular and spiritual interests, passions, pursuits, friends, and loves ... Harrison's own autobiographical ''
I, Me, Mine ''I, Me, Mine'' is an autobiographic memoir by the English musician George Harrison, formerly of The Beatles. It was published in 1980 as a hand-bound, limited edition book by Genesis Publications, with a mixture of printed text and multi-colour ...
'' is unsurpassed for the song-by-song explication, but ''Dark Horse'' should be its on-shelf companion." In an interview for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in September 1992, Giuliano offended George Harrison's wife
Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...
by referring to the Beatles as "real shits in real life" and dismissing
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
as "just shallow and vacuous". On October 5 that year, ''The Guardian'' published a letter from Olivia Harrison in which she wrote that "like a starving dog he iulianoscavenges his heroes, picking up bits of gristle and sinew along the way." She also complained about Giuliano's use of a quote by Harrison on the cover of ''Dark Horse'', saying: "My husband once made the remark: 'That guy knows more about my life than I do.' Giuliano missed the joke and used it to endorse his book." When interviewed in Los Angeles on December 14, 1992, Harrison said of Giuliano: "Yeah, I met him briefly. I have no way of recalling what year it was. I met him at the home of
"Legs" Larry Smith Larry Smith, often known as "Legs" Larry Smith (born 18 January 1944) is an English drummer of the comedy satirical jazz group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. He was originally invited to join the group by Vivian Stanshall as a tuba player and ta ...
for possibly thirty minutes." Giuliano's
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
biography, ''Behind Blue Eyes'', was published in 1996 by
Dutton Books E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...
. A reviewer for ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' said that Giuliano "peels away the layers of Townshend's public persona to find a complex, passionate man who is full of contradictions" and described the book as a "penetrating look" at the musician's life. ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' commented that ''Behind Blue Eyes'' covered the subject's rock-star excesses, his spiritual preoccupations, and "lots of overintellectualizing about rock", adding: "In other words, this is the perfect Pete Townshend bio." Giuliano's biography of
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, ''Lennon in America: 1971–1980'' (
Cooper Square Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, 2000), was controversial. Giuliano said the book was based in part on transcripts of Lennon's diaries given to him by the late American singer
Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...
and on audio tapes recorded by Lennon. Several people close to Nilsson said they did not believe that he ever had the transcripts in his possession; others familiar with the journal and the tapes disputed the accuracy of Giuliano's interpretation. Writing in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', David Segal described Giuliano's text as "a highly critical, luridly detailed account"; he quoted Giuliano's response when he was asked to corroborate his claim that Nilsson gave him the diaries: "It's obvious that I'm going to do things in an ethical manner." Steven Gutstein, a former New York assistant district attorney who read the diaries during an early 1980s larceny lawsuit, recalled that they contained "a lot of philosophical musings combined with mundane details of everyday life". Colin Carlson of ''Library Journal'' said of ''Lennon in America'', "Non-fans will be put off by this image of Lennon as cad, drug addict, and paranoiac; this often sensationalized account is for voyeurs and fans with deconstructive tendencies and is one of the best, most detailed books available on this subject." Less impressed, a ''Publishers Weekly'' reviewer commented, "If Giuliano's own double-talk isn't enough to diminish this work's credibility, his endless, voyeuristic descriptions of Lennon's sexual encounters are." In April 2009, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' in London reported that Giuliano was instructing lawyers to file suit against
Julia Baird Julia Baird (née Dykins; born 5 March 1947) is a British retired teacher and author. She is the younger half-sister of English musician John Lennon, and is the eldest daughter of his mother Julia Lennon and John 'Bobby' Albert Dykins. She also ...
, Lennon's half-sister and the co-author of his book ''John Lennon, My Brother''. Giuliano maintained that Baird had based her 2007 book ''Imagine This'', which was being adapted for screen as the
Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a leadi ...
film ''
Nowhere Boy ''Nowhere Boy'' is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. ''Nowhere Boy'' ...
'', on material he had gathered in their earlier collaboration. Giuliano stated that his lawsuit would request the recall and destruction of Baird's book, as well as a halt to the production of ''Nowhere Boy''. The following month,
Kevin Loader Kevin Loader is a British film and television producer. Since 1996, he and co-owner Roger Michell have run a London-based production company, Free Range Films, through which the pair have made several feature films directed by Michell, including ...
, the film's producer, commented on the story: "It's nothing to do with us. I haven't heard from anyone's lawyers." In early 2010, Giuliano set about re-launching his literary career, founding Icon Editions to publish his extensive backlist and several new books authored with his middle daughter, Avalon Oneita Juliana. The author redesigned, updated and re-recorded his 200-plus audio books for download.


Selected bibliography

*''Dark Horse: The Private Life of George Harrison'' (1990) *''Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney'' (1991) *''The Lost Beatles Interviews'' (1994) *''Paint It Black: The Murder of Brian Jones'' (1994) *''Behind Blue Eyes: The Life of Pete Townshend'' (1996) *''Lennon in America: 1971–1980, Based in Part on the Lost Lennon Diaries'' (2000)


Films and other media

Giuliano co-directed the DVD ''The Beatles: A Celebration''. In 2005, he played a supporting role as pirate Captain Li in a made-for-television film that aired on the
Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...
cable network called ''
Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...
''. Since that time he has co-starred in ''Mechanic Resurrection'', also in ''
Scorpion King 3 ''The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption'' is a 2012 direct-to-video sword and sorcery action adventure film released on January 10, 2012. It is the third installment in ''The Scorpion King'' series and stars Victor Webster in the title role ...
'' and the costume drama ''
Vikingdom Vikingdom is a Malaysian English-speaking fantasy action film directed by Yusry Abdul Halim, produced by Shireen M. Hashim, written by Abdul Halim, and starring Dominic Purcell, Conan Stevens, Craig Fairbrass, Natassia Malthe, and Jon Foo. Th ...
''. In August 2010, Guiliano was quoted by CNNGO.com as stating: "In Thailand, there are no more than perhaps five real professional (foreign) film actors, in a sea of aging psychotic steroid-junkie gym rats, towering old queens in love with
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
, out-of-work English teachers who acted a bit in high school and other assorted human oddities." On November 19, 2005, the film ''Stoned: The Wild & Wicked World of Brian Jones'' premiered in London. The film was "based on and inspired by" Guiliano's book ''Paint It Black: The Murder of Brian Jones'', as well as Terry Rawlings' ''Who Killed Christopher Robin'' and Anna Wohlin's ''The Murder of Brian Jones''. As a singer-songwriter, Giuliano has released two CDs: ''Chocolate Wings'' (2001) and the Indo-fusion work ''God Dwells Within'' (2006). In late 2005 Giuliano was hired by an American radio syndicator, Laurence Kahn of KGB Radio, to host a series of two-hour radio shows. Titled ''Geoffrey Giuliano's Roots of Rock'', the shows aired on more than 60 stations in the United States and Canada. The program highlighted classic rock acts such as the Beatles, U2, and
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
. In 2021, he portrayed VIP #4 in the Netflix series ''
Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-r ...
''.


Ronald McDonald and animal rights

Giuliano worked for an advertising agency, Vickers & Bensons in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada, portraying the
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
advertising figurehead
Ronald McDonald Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. He inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland, with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and ...
for "basically a year and a half" for "The Ronald McDonald Safety Show".
"Confessions Of a Corporate Clown," McSpotlight.org website]
A statement, dated "Fall/Summer 1990", in which Giuliano decried "concerns who make their millions off the murder of countless animals and the exploitation of children for their own ends" was submitted on behalf of the plaintiffs in the 1991 McDonald's Restaurants v Morris & Steel, "McLibel" case in London. Giuliano also played the Marvelous Magical Burger King for the
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
Corporation. Giuliano has been a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
since 1970.


Criticism of the United States

In 2019, Giuliano published to his YouTube channel a video titled "Why I Wont Live In America", in which he explains why he stopped living in the US about 25 years prior to the video. He explains what he believes to be the good things about the US, but also explains how the negative aspects of the country's history outweighed the good—being founded on the genocide of Native Americans, and that the US "has earned its reputation as an imperialistic, marauding power". He says the Constitution and Bill of Rights were good ideas, but then describes them as "all those lofty documents" written by slave owners. Giuliano also explains that "
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
had over 600
laves Laves may refer to: * Fritz Laves (1906-1978), a German mineralogist and crystallographer, best known for his description of the intermetallic Laves phases. * Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves (17 December 1788 – 30 ...
at Monticello".


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Giuliano, Geoffrey 1953 births American biographers American male film actors Hillsborough Community College alumni Living people American male biographers Writers from Rochester, New York People from Albion, Orleans County, New York People from Niagara County, New York State University of New York at Brockport alumni Historians from New York (state)