More Photos

There are a couple of new images on the Photos page. Enjoy!

October 2013

(31) Italy – As the month drew to a close, there was more exciting news from Italy where the Kindle version of Keith’s Marilyn climbed back up to n.11 in the “>Book Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” store on Amazon Italy.

- London, North - Another lunch-time/ early evening catch-up with Laurence, one of the country's finest property entrepreneurs.

(30) Linkedin – Thanks to good friend, and top archive film/video specialist, Richard Groothuizen for requesting Keith’s connection on the business website, Linkedin and, after accepting it, Mr Badman’s number of associates on the site had risen to an impressive 260.

(28) London, West End - BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London - An industry event organised by NBC America and hosted by Clara Fon-Sing; VP & GM, Archive Sales & Strategy, NBC News. A surprise turn-of-events came at the end of the night when Keith won the raffle to attend the Televisual Factual Festival at the BAFTAs on November 6  & 7. 

   

- Canada – Another week; another leap, up to #7 in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on Amazon Canada, and thus, the book was out of stock on the site! Meanwhile, elsewhere on there, the, as yet, unreleased softback version of Marilyn stood at #17 in the “Hot New Releases” category, and thus marked an uninterrupted 19-week run in either the Top 10 or 20 charts on the site.

(26) Canada - A surprising leap in the Amazon Canada charts. The hardback of Marilyn leapt to the No.17 position in the ‘Amazon Bestsellers’ in biographies listing, (cough, cough) one ahead (yes one place in front of) Jane Fonda’s current publication, Prime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit; Making the most of all of your life.

(24) London – Cryptic corner alert! A meeting of the great Beatle-minds! At a private get-together, organised by one of The Fab Four’s literary giants, Keith was one of the especially-invited attendees. A rather exciting, nay, tremendously exciting new Beatles project was discussed. More news soon!

(23) Leafy Berkshire – Keith completed his latest Rockin’ The Box piece, an article on Baker Gurvitz Army’s November 1975 appearance on Mike Mansfield’s ITV pop music series, Supersonic.

(21) America – Still in the Marilyn Top 10. On Amazon.com, Amazon Best Sellers Rank, the hardback version of Keith’s Marilyn climbed once again, to #9 in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section of the site. While today, on Amazon Canada, the, as yet, unreleased softback version of Marilyn stood at #10 in the “Hot New Releases” category, and thus marked an uninterrupted 18-week run in either the Top 10 or 15 charts on the site.

(20/21) London – Due to prior, unavoidable commitments, Keith was unable to attend the UK premiere of Good Ol' Freda! at the London Film Festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20 But thanks very much indeed to Peggy, Kathy, Ryan et all for the invite.

(9) America – On the rise again! Hardback of Marilyn climbed one spot to #8 in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on Amazon.com. While on the same day, on the exact same site, advance sales of the, as-yet-unreleased softback version of the book, saw it leap to #22 in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn”.

(8) America – Marilyn hardback – impressive #9 position in “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on Amazon.com America.

(7) Canada – Marilyn stood at #8 in the “Hot New Releases” category on Amazon Canada, and thus marked an uninterrupted fourth- straight month run in either the Top 10 or 15 charts on the site.

- PM - A return trip to Windsor, the home of Her Maj, to catch-up once again with Mike Randolph.

- The latest edition of Record Collector landed on the doormats of subscribers across the country, in which, as part of his monthly, Rockin’ The Box strand, was Keith’s piece on The Beatles’ November 1963, Granada TV appearance with the comedian, Ken Dodd.

(5) Berkshire – A return appearance at one of the finest bistro’s in town; John Barratt’s for sumptuous Chicken Curry. What with non-stop conversation, the evening went like a treat! (Thanks again, John!)

(3) Windsor, Berkshire – With immense honour, Keith participated in a photo shoot on Eton High Street with the famous 60s/70s snapper Mike Randolph (as seen on this site). Session over, our Mr. Badman returned home to catch-up with his old, long-time friend, Mike Dalton.

September 2013

(30) Canada – Still riding high! The soft-back version of Marilyn, over two months prior to its official release, was at #5 in the “Hot New Releases” category on Amazon Canada, and thus marked an uninterrupted 15th straight run in either the Top 10 or 15 charts on the site.

(28) The Railway, Felixstowe – Keith was “up” at Felixstowe this weekend for a top, top performance by The Kast-Off Kinks; a tribute band which features three original members; Mick Avory, John Dalton and John Gosling. Besides singing along to every Kinks classic performed that night, Keith also presented a simultaneous video show, featuring rare and hardly-seen archive clips of the band. (A highlight, standing alongside Mick as we watched an archive, 1966 clip of the band on German TV’s Beat, Beat, Beat.)

(26) Windsor, Berkshire – Opening of the Mike Randolph pictures presentation in Windsor, in advance of the Ricky Tick Club Retrospective evening.

(23) Germany – Lost for words… Another country cracked. On Amazon Germany, Keith’s Marilyn climbed to the Nr. 2 position in the “eBooks > Fremdsprachige eBooks > Englische eBooks > Unterhaltung & Kultur > Filme > Geschichte & Kritik” Kindle shop and in the Nr. 14 slot in the “Englische Bücher > Unterhaltung  Kultur > Filme > Geschichte & Kritik” section in Kindle sales.
- Canada – Still there! Amazon Canada. The paperback version of Marilyn, not due out for another 3 months was at #2 in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” books section and in the same position, #2, in the “Hot New Releases” category. So, on the same day, Keith’s Marilyn, in two varying formats was at No.2 in three completely different charts!

- Berkshire – Keith set to work on his latest Rockin’ The Box piece for Record Collector magazine. Under the spotlight today, Peter Gabriel’s rarely-seen appearance on a May 1977 edition of London Weekend Television’s Supersonic Saturday Scene.

(21) Canada – Simply incredible! Simply, simply incredible! The impressive run on Amazon Canada continued when the upcoming softback version of Marilyn returned to the #1 position in the “Hot New Releases” category…yep, #1…again! Incredible! While on the same site, on the very same day, the book was to be found at the #2 slot in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section and at #18 the actress’s Kindle versions chart PLUS at #9 in the “Books > Humour > Entertainment > Movies > Biographies” listings… As the saying goes, “You couldn’t make it up.”

(18) Canada – An interesting aside on Amazon Canada. The hardback edition of Keith’s Marilyn was at #26 in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section of the site and (get this) #74 in the “Kindle eBooks > Humour & Entertainment > Movies > History & Criticism” listings.

(16) Canada – Over at Amazon Canada, the paperback version of Marilyn stood at No.15 and thus marked a consecutive, uninterrupted run of 13 straight weeks in either the Top 10 or 15 of the “Hot New Releases” in biographies chart.

(13) Italy – Still in the Top 10! Today on Amazon Italy, Marilyn was at n.4 in the “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” Kindle store and at n.11 in the “Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” Libri (book) charts.

(11) America – A quick glance at Amazon.com saw Marilyn at #9 in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” book chart on the site.

(10) London – sad news. A truly lovely bloke, fellow 60s aficionado, and a top boxing man, Dean Powell committed suicide in London this day. Keith had known him since 1997 and was proud to do so. “R.I.P., Dean, mate. It was a great pleasure knowing you.”

- Italy – A rise of 5 places to n.2 for Marilyn in Amazon Italy’s “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” Kindle Store chart.

(9) Canada – The (soon-to-be-released) US paperback edition of Marilyn stood at No.11 in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section, and thus marked an un-interrupted run of 12 consecutive weeks in either the Top 10 or 15 of that chart.

- Italy – Latest news from Italy saw the Kindle version of Marilyn at n.7 in the “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section of Amazon Italy and at n.15 in the “Libri > Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” area of the same site.

(7) Berkshire, PM – A return appearance to the mighty-fine bistro of Keith’s great, most trusted friend, John Barratt. Besides the riveting, most enlightening conversation, the chicken offered this evening was, once more, truly exquisite. (“Thanks, John mate!”)

(4) Italy – Marilyn reached the n.6 position in the “Kindle Store > eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section on Amazon Italy. Furthermore, the publication was to be found at n.24 in the “Libri > Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” and at n.63 in the “> eBook Kindle > Biografie, diari e memorie > Biografie e autobiografie” section of the site.

- While in Canada, the amazing run continues, with the paperback edition of Marilyn (some three months before its release) still sitting in the #8 position on Amazon Canada in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section. While, on the same day, the Kindle version of the publication was to be found in the #59 slot in the site’s “Best Sellers in Biographies” listing.

(3) South London – In a typical, South London boozer, Keith was seen as an extra, credited as “Man at bar” in the new, highly amusing, Danny Dyer sit-com, Power To The People. (Currently still in production, but expect a TV screening in the – hopefully - not too distant future.)

New Photos

There are three new photographs on the photos page. Just click the link at the top of the page.

August 2013

(30) America – The month concluded with even more impressive chart action. On Amazon.com, Marilyn was at #6 in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” and at #44 in the “Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Biographies” sections.                          
- Canada – While on Amazon Canada, it was at #7 in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies listing

 (24 – 27) Liverpool – Keith, once more took control of the video show at Liverpool’s annual Beatles Convention, easily the biggest and best in the Fab Four-loving world! Many thanks to each and every one (long-time friends, loved-ones etc.) who was there to share the brilliance of this great weekend and to everyone at Cavern City Tours for making it all happen. 

- The CCT sanctioned, CD-Rom, History Of Beatleweek, by author and good friend, Neville Stannard (and friends) and featuring a foreword by Keith, was released at the Convention... and every single copy was soon snapped up! (Best check eBay I reckon for a copy now.)  

  (21) Canada / America – STILL hanging in there! The paperback Marilyn was at No.7 in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section on Amazon Canada. While on Amazon.com, that version of the book made a surprise leap to the #42 position in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section of the site. 

(20) Berkshire – Due to logistical problems, Keith was unable to fulfil a request to appear on BBC Radio’s The Anne Diamond Show.

(19) Berkshire – With the Bank Holiday fast approaching, Record Collector’s deadline was moved forward meaning Keith’s spent most of today researching/ typing his next Rockin’ column, which just happened to be The Beatles’ highly amusing, November 1963 Granada TV appearance with the comedian, Ken Dodd.  

- Berkshire – Further work was also undertaken on the treatment for Keith’s new Marilyn Monroe-related proposal. 

- Italy – The Kindle version of Keith’s Marilyn climbed back up to the N.9 position in the “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section on Amazon Italy. While on Amazon Canada, the forthcoming paperback version of Marilyn was still to be found at the No.6 spot in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies chart. 

(16) Canada – A rise of two places (from 8 to 6) for Marilyn in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section on Amazon Canada.

- A small piece of urgent, last-minute fine-tuning and Keith’s article on the 1972 ATV/ ITV documentary, Whatever Happened to Tin Pan Alley for Record Collector magazine was finally ready for publication.

(14) Canada – Book chart news! The paperback edition of Marilyn stood at No.7 in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section on Amazon Canada. The feat also marked the fact the, as-yet unpublished, softback edition has had an uninterrupted run of two straight months in the Top 10 of that listing.

(12) West End, London – Keith paid a visit to his agent, Robert Kirby at United Agents to discuss further their long-mooted Marilyn idea. More news soon. 

(10) Berkshire – The latest edition of Record Collector, featuring Keith’s feature on What’s On from 1978, dropped through the letter-boxes of homes across the UK.

- A return visit to the fine bistro of John Barratt. Sumptuous chicken was (once again) finely served, alongside top conversation. Sheer delight! 

(9) Canada – It’s all go there! In the “Best Sellers in Monroe, Marilyn” section today on Amazon Canada, Keith had two placings; the kindle version of The Final Years of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story was at No.5, while the paperback (USA/ Canadian) version of the as yet unreleased Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years stood at the No.10 position.

(7) South London – Keith caught up with old, long-time friend, Tel. Fine wine and conversations flowed effortlessly throughout the late afternoon/ early evening.

- While over on Amazon Canada, our Mr Badman added another number one to his belt when Marilyn climbed one place to the top position in the “Hot New Releases” in biographies section. (For the record, The Richard Burton Diaries was at No.2 while My Lunches With Orson (Welles) was at No.3.) At the same time, in the “Best Sellers in Monroe, Marilyn” listings, Keith’s book on the actress stood at the No.7 position. 

(6) Canada – Well, you couldn’t make it up! Keith’s Marilyn’s sped-up the Amazon Canada book charts to the No.2 position in the “Hot New Releases” section. (“Thank you Canadians; you’ve obviously got great taste!”) Keeping it from the top spot was The Richard Burton Diaries. And it didn’t end there. Marilyn was also to be found in the No.8 spot in the Amazon Bestsellers “Best Sellers in Biographies” Chart (on Amazon Canada) that day and in the No. 4 position in the “Best Sellers in Monroe, Marilyn” category.  

- While over in Italy, I kid you not, the Italian version of Keith’s Marilyn raced back to the n.1 position in the “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” Kindle Store and the n.5 spot in the “Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” listings in the Libri (book) section. 

(5) Berkshire – Keith completed his latest instalment of Rockin’ The Box for Record Collector magazine. Under the spotlight today, the wonderful, star-studded 1972 ATV/ ITV documentary, Whatever Happened to Tin Pan Alley. 

(4) Canada – Amazon Canada update. Keith’s Marilyn was STILL in the Top 20, at No.15 in the “Hot New Releases” section. (It didn’t stay there for long, though!) 

July 2013

(31) Canada – It’s still hanging in there, y’ know. Over a month since it first troubled the charts, the paperback edition of Keith’s Marilyn climbed one place to the no.14 position in the “Hot New Releases” in Biographies section on Amazon Canada, beating hands-down forthcoming publications on (cough, cough), Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. (“As Frank Sinatra once said to me, never name-drop.”)

(28) Yet another “KB” credit could be seen on TV tonight when BBC Four re-screened the well-respected, 1999 documentary programme, It’s Slade.
(25) Berkshire – With the 2013 Liverpool Beatles Convection fast approaching, Keith set to work researching/ compiling this year’s video show.

(22) Berkshire – Keith compiled the foreword for a rather exciting, new Beatles CD-rom, which celebrates 30 years of the Liverpool Beatles Convention. It should be released next month. (Watch this space for more news shortly.)

(19) Windsor, Berkshire – Another afternoon meet and catch-up with the iconic, rock, 1960s/70s photographer, Mike Randolph. The reason? To plan/ publicise his forthcoming exhibition, Randolph’s Rock Icons, which runs at the Windsor Library in Windsor, Berkshire between the 3rd and 29th September this year.

- Another Keith Badman credited programme hit the airwaves when BBC Four repeated (two times this evening) the “Director’s Cut” version of the 2012 documentary, Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender.

(18) Canada – Well I never. Marilyn made a surprise leap up to the No.4 position in the “Hot New Releases” in Biographies section on Amazon Canada, even beating the highly-anticipated new book, The Richard Burton Diaries, which stood at No.7. Get this. On the same day, Keith’s book was at No.8 in the “Amazon Bestsellers”, a chart based on the site’s “most popular products based on sales.” But what makes the feat so noticeable was that every other publication in the chart that day was available for sale at that very moment! Keith’s Marilyn was not scheduled to appear in the softback format until December 10 this year, still over 5 months away!

(15) Italy – No holding it back, it seems. The Kindle edition of Keith’s Marilyn book climbed back up to the n.11 position in the “eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section on Amazon Italy. While on the same day, on Amazon Canada, the paperback edition, a little under 5 months before its release, was still seen in the No.8 position in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” category.
- The latest edition of Record Collector, featuring Keith’s ‘Doors Special’ reached the UK shops today.

(13) Berkshire – A return visit for Keith to the home of the famed bistro belonging to Mr John Barratt, one of the country’s chefs, for another top night of chatting, philosophizing, socialising and (of course) eating. “His cooking is still not on prescription, sadly!” Keith was heard to remark afterwards.

- Canada – Well I never. It’s still hanging in there. Keith’s Marilyn climbed one place to No.8 in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” section on Amazon Canada.

(12) Windsor – Another meeting with the famed photographer, Mike Randolph. Expect an announcement about this shortly.

(5) Canada – It’s still there! Keith’s Marilyn was seen at the No.9 position in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” section on Amazon Canada.

(3) Berkshire – Keith completed his latest Rockin’ The Box for Record Collector magazine. Under the spotlight today was the January 1978 Granada show, What’s On hosted by the late, great Tony Wilson and featuring, amongst many others, Glen Matlock, Georgie Fame and The Buzzcocks.
- Canada – Still on the up. The amazing run continues! Keith’s Marilyn climbed one place to 7 in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” on Amazon Canada. And get this! The as-yet-unreleased paperback edition of the book was also seen in the No.88 position on the site’s “Amazon Most Wished For” category.

(2) Windsor, Berkshire – With a multitude of ideas in mind, Keith met-up with his old friend, the legendary 60s/70s photographer, Mike Randolph, best-known for his ground-breaking shots of rock icons such as John Lennon, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

(1) Canada – A new month…with more of the excellent same. The paperback edition of Keith’s Marilyn climbed one position to No.8 in Amazon Canada’s “Hot New Releases in Biographies” chart.

June 2013

(27) Italy – Still flying high. Keith’s book on the great actress was placed at n.18 in Amazon Italy’s “Kindle Store > eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section of the site.

- Canada – Ten days on and the American paperback version of Marilyn was seen pitched at the highly respectfully No.10 position in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” section on Amazon Canada (some five and a bit months before its official release). As the day progressed, it climbed up to No.9.
(24 – 26) South Coast – After 19 months of trying, Keith’s “Peter Lawford” dream finally became a reality. (Those “in the know” will get this entirely and why he has chased this dream for so long.)

(23) Canada – Yep, it’s still there. On Amazon Canada today, the Marilyn book was seen at No.9 in the “Hot New Releases in Biographies” listing and at No.50 in the “Hot New Releases in Movies” chart. Cannot be bad!

(21) Berkshire – Keith met producer, Simon for further discussions about the proposed Marilyn TV/film idea. (Watch this space. More news soon.)

- On the same day, on the highly-respected Goodreads site, poster “Jane” rated Keith’s Marilyn book 5 out of 5. Her review was equally impressive, “The Author really did his research, and filled me in on information I had no idea about. Very descriptive and informative, and refreshingly objective. Many people pick a side when it comes to her death. This book set it straight with her alleged relationships with the Kennedy family, however made the air clear for you to make your own educated opinion on what happened. Many biographies on M.M seem only interested in painting her as a troubled mad woman, and the conspiracy of her death and Keith Badman does neither. Highly recommend it.” Thanks, Jane. Just cannot thank you enough.

(20) Canada – Still hanging in there! Two days on, and the softback edition of Keith’s Marilyn book was still in the No.4 position in the “Best Sellers in Monroe, Marilyn” chart. Meanwhile, in the “Amazon Bestsellers” listing, the publication (despite the fact it’s not due out for a little less than 6 months yet) was doing nicely in the No.52 position, one place below the book, Conversations with Woody Allen.

- While in the fabled, “Hot New Releases in Biographies” section, the paperback was still placed in the Top 10, sitting in the highly-presentable No.8 position (a fall from yesterday’s 7) and at No.37 in the “Hot New Releases in Movies” chart.
(18) Canada – Following a full 24 hours of being in the No.1 position, Keith’s Marilyn fell two places to No.3 in the “Amazon Hot New Releases” biographies section on Amazon Canada. Meanwhile, on the same site, the paperback version of the book was still placed at No.4 in the “Best Sellers in Monroe, Marilyn” chart.

- And it didn’t there. Oh no, sir. On the same day, the book reached the No.21 position in the “Hot New Releases in Movies” chart on the site.

(17) Canada – Incredible! Just under six months before its release (and bearing in mind that the work itself has been freely available in America and Canada for eleven months now), the paperback edition of Keith’s Marilyn book reached the No.1, YES, the Number ONE position, I reiterate the very top position in the “Amazon Hot New Releases” biographies section on Amazon Canada, beating new forthcoming titles on artists such as Michael Douglas, Al Pacino, Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, Brigitte Bardot, James Stewart and Corey Feldman! (The list, updated hourly, is based on an inventory of the site’s best-selling new and future releases.)

The good, nay truly superb news didn’t end there, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years also climbed to the #4 and #5 positions in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > Monroe, Marilyn” and (get this!) the “Best Sellers in Biographies” sections respectively on that same Amazon site. (“I reiterate. This was incredible!”) By the way, in the latter listing, Keith’s work was placed two spots higher than a book on comic-genius, Woody Allen and was actually beaten to the top spot by William Shatner’s biography, Get A Life. “You really couldn’t make it up,” as Keith proudly said.)

(15) Berkshire, evening – A return visit to Keith’s good friend, the star chef, John Barratt’s for dinner and fine conversation. A truly sumptuous fare (chicken, of course) was served to all. (“Pity his superb cooking isn’t available on prescription,” our Mr Badman was quoted as saying afterwards.)

(10) Berkshire – A small piece of fine-tuning on Keith’s Ray Manzarek tribute and it was done. Thanks to Jason at Record Collector for his superb assistance on this.

(8) Italy - In the “Posizione nella classifica Bestseller di Amazon: Visualizza i Top 100 nella categoria Libri Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” libri listings on Amazon Italy, Keith’s Monroe book was to seen at the n.11 position.

Nice reviews: Thanks to Amazon customer, “Elsa” who took the time to write, “Compelling and intriguing if you love Marilyn's story (this) will give you new insights and ideas on her. Very good buy!” Also, to Michelle on the Goodreads site, the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations, who rated it 4 out of 5 stars and said, “Excellent book! Cleared up so many ‘conspiracy theories’. Loved this book!” Thanks very much to you both.

- Here’s a most pleasing and interesting fact. Statistics show an astonishing 93% of the reviewers of the book on Goodreads liked Keith’s work.

(6) South-Coast – For those who know Keith well, let’s just say today was the start of his, so-called often-talked about, frequently proposed, “Peter Lawford Project”. (Full of riddles yes, but for those familiar with him, you’ll know exactly what he means by this.)

(4) Central London – Provisional, yet extremely early work on Keith’s long-mooted Marilyn TV/film idea got underway with discussions between producer, Simon and his agent, Robert at the United Agents offices in London. (More hopeful news soon.)

May 2013

(31) Berkshire – As the month wrapped, Keith penned his latest piece for Record Collector magazine, a lengthy tribute to former Door, the great Ray Manzarek, who sadly passed away on May 20. The article, on Granada International's legendary 1968 show, The Doors Are Open show, for his monthly Rockin’ The Box series, will be published in approximately 6 weeks’ time.

(30) South London – Another trip into London. Amongst illustrious colleagues, much was discussed, plans were thrashed-out, projects were progressed and a couple of glasses of wine were consumed. It was an eventful day.

(25) Berkshire – A most interesting conversation occurred between Keith and a noted showbiz, paparazzi from the 60s and 70s. As a mark of respect, he won’t be named but let’s just say that, at the peak of his fame, he ruffled quite a few (Royal) feathers. “Thanks, Sir,” Keith said. “It was an immense honour speaking to you.” (Watch this space...)

(24) America – Keith’s Marilyn book made a surprise leap to the #6 position in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on Amazon.com.

(18) Berkshire – “It was 50 years ago today” that…The Beatles played in Slough for the very first time, and to discuss the fact, Keith was a live guest on BBC Radio Berkshire’s lunchtime, Henry Kelly Show. The group’s 1964 recording, ‘And I Love Her’, preceded the short interview.

(7) LinkedIn – The largest professional networking site celebrated its 10th year, and to celebrate a special, video-message email was sent to many of its members, including our Mr. Badman. Well done again! (Worth noting that, on that day, Keith’s total of connections on the site stood at 208.)

(6) Berkshire – Celebrating 35 (and a bit) years since The Sex Pistols’ original split, Keith covered John Lydon (Johnny Rotten)’s April 1978 appearance on LWT’s The London Weekend Show for his regular, monthly Record Collector column, Rockin’ The Box. The interview was noteworthy since it was, at the time, his very first for two straight years

April 2013

(23) Germany – Looking further afield, on Amazon in Germany, the US version of Keith’s book, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years was interestingly to be found at Nr. 84 in the “eBooks > Fremdsprachige eBooks > Englische eBooks > Unterhaltung & Kultur > Filme > Geschichte & Kritik” kindle shop on the site.

(22) England – What was the name of DJ, Mike Read’s first UK TV pop music quiz series? You’d be forgiven for thinking BBC TV’s Pop Quiz, but in fact you’d be wrong. It was ITV’s Pop Quest and you can read all about it in the latest edition of Keith’s Rockin’ The Box in the current edition of Record Collector magazine, which was published today.
(20) Marilyn certainly lives on! Almost 51 years after her death, in a study commissioned for the launch of Peugeot’s new RCZ car, the late great screen siren was voted “Queen of the Curves”, beating modern-day stars such as Kelly Brook, Kim Kardashian and Mad Men’s, Christina Hendricks to the crown. Keith was a guest on two BBC radio phone-in shows this morning to talk about the accolade.

(17) Canada – Impressive pre-orders on Amazon Canada meant that the paperback version of Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years (not officially released until December) was seen at the #25 spot in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section of the site.
- While on the same day, on Amazon in Italy, the Italian-language version of the book stood at the n.32 position in the Kindle “Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” chart on the place.

(16) Gale, CENgage Learning, Toronto, ON, Canada – editing and fine-tuning of Keith’s entry in the forthcoming edition of Contemporary Authors (CA) took place. (Thanks Sarah for your invaluable time on this.)
- Precisely 9 months after its release, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years remained in the Macmillan Top 100 Hardcover Bestsellers chart (as featured on their website www.usmacmillan.com)

(12) Berkshire (evening) – Another catch-up and dinner-rendezvous with his long-time pal, and former business associate, John Barratt, easily one of the South’s very finest chefs. (“Thanks again, John for another top night. Your expertise in the kitchen was, once more astounding.”)
(11) Book plug time! Keith was approached by Leslie Woodhead, the brains behind Granada TV’s legendary, August 1962 film of The Beatles live in the Cavern Club. His new book on The Fab Four, Beatles in the USSR is to be published by Bloomsbury in London and New York on April 25. It’s certainly worth checking out!

(10) Germany – Marilyn-mania continues! In the Amazon Bestseller-Rank in Germany, the English- language (US) version of The Final Years was at Nr. 40 in the “Kindle-Shop > eBooks > Fremdsprachige eBooks > Englische eBooks > Unterhaltung & Kultur > Filme > Geschichte & Kritik” section on the site.
- While on Amazon in Italy today, the Italian-language version of the publication stood at n.22 in the “Kindle Store > eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section on the site.

(9) America – Important movie documentary tip-off! Keith was approached by Amanda Sileo who furnished him with further details of the new Marilyn documentary, Love, Marilyn which debuts in America on HBO on June 17. “Directed by Liz Garbus (the Press Release states), Love, Marilyn is based on the book Fragments; writings, musings, diaries and journals of Marilyn's are read and interpreted by a variety of highly distinguished actresses. Each one with their own story as to why they chose to do this project, connecting to her words and relating to the complexities and kaleidoscope of sides that was Marilyn Monroe.” The movie certainly looks most promising indeed.

(8) Berkshire, England – Our Mr Badman prepared his latest piece for Record Collector magazine. This time, a tribute to the former Soft Machine member, Kevin Ayers, who sadly passed away back in February. Under the microscope was his July 1976 appearance on Granada TV’s, So It Goes, which was hosted by the legendary, much-missed, Tony Wilson.

(4) South London – Another trip into the City, the South of, to be exact, to have another meeting with his long-time associates, Tel and Chappers. More things were discussed and ideas formulated.

(3) LinkedIn – Keith reached the magical 200 mark in Connections on the world’s largest, social networking website for people in professional occupations. Thanks to Tim Disney, Managing Director at Rediffusion Films Limited for helping him reach that landmark connection.

(2) Gale, CENgage Learning, Toronto, ON, Canada – With immense pride indeed, Keith was informed that a place had been reserved for him in the next edition of Contemporary Authors (CA), the worldwide, award-winning, biographical reference source of approximately 116,000 popular, modern-day novelists, poets, playwrights, non-fiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters. (Thank you very much indeed, Sarah for the invitation.)

March 2013

(30) America – Important movie tip-off! The new, highly-anticipated Monroe documentary, Love, Marilyn debuts in America on HBO on June 17. Watch this space for more news shortly.

(28) Amazon, Italy – Further book chart action! Canada’s obviously not the only one that loves Marilyn. Some eight months after its release, Keith’s book on the actress climbed back to the impressive n.3 spot in the site’s “Kindle Store > eBook Kindle > Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e television” section and the n.33 position in the site’s book “Arte, musica e cinema > Cinema e television” category.

The impressive news didn’t end there. On the same day, the chart placings on Amazon in America revealed that the hardback edition of Keith’s book had risen to the #6 ranking in the “Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on the site. (Words fail me!)

(27) Amazon, Canada – The country certainly loves the great lady. Today, a little under three weeks since pre-orders started being taken, Keith’s Marilyn book leapt up to the #2 position in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on the site and the #34 spot in the “Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Entertainers” and the #70 position in the “Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women” sections on the site. Incredible, considering the softback publication is not due for release for another 9 months!!!!

- While on the same day, Keith’s article on David Bowie’s appearance on a 1978 edition of ITV’s The London Weekend Show was published in Record Collector magazine.

(26) South London – Keith spent another, highly enjoyable day with his old mate, Tel. Projects were discussed (and wine was consumed), Watch this space for further info on the exciting plans that were kicked-about.

(23) LinkedIn - Keith received a rather important connection invite on LinkedIn... from Marilyn Monroe's photographer and close-friend, George Barris! (Thank you, George. It was a real pleasure to hear from you.)

- BBC Four, England – On the same day, another of KB’s TV shows hit the airwaves when BBC Four in England gave the December 1999 show, It’s Slade another airing.

(21) Italy – The success rolls on! Some eight months after its release onto the market, the Italian version of Keith’s book on the late, truly great Marilyn Monroe leapt to the No.3 position on the ‘Bestsellers Arte, cinema e fotografia > Cinema e televisione’ section on Amazon Italy.

- While on the same day, during the afternoon to be precise, on Amazon in Canada, the US/ English language, paperback edition of the book stood at an impressive #16 in the ‘Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn’ section on the site.

(18) West End, London – Another trip into London, this time to catch-up with John and Erik, easily two of the world’s leading Beatles film/video/audio collectors. Following a most delightful lunch, Keith was treated to a simply amazing, 90-minute feast of totally rare/ previously unseen Fab Four footage and audio. (Thank you, guys, it was an absolute privilege!)

- Get this, here’s another one for the “You couldn’t make it up” department. Prior to seeing his two great American friends, Keith ventured into Leicester Square, turned right towards Piccadilly and found himself in… the area especially cordoned off for the Red-carpet, London premiere of the new action-movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation at the Empire Theatre. With the star-spotters already lined-up behind the railings, no doubt quite a few of them were totally confused by the sight of Mr Badman’s somewhat unintended appearance.

(14) Good Book Guide – A reference to Keith’s Marilyn book appeared in yet another recent edition of The Good Book Guide. It read, “If you thought you'd heard all there is to know about Marilyn Monroe, her life and death then think again.” (Thank you all!)

(11) Canada – Er, simply incredible! Some eight months (yes eight months) before its release, the paperback edition of Keith’s Marilyn book climbed to the #5 position in the “Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn” section on Amazon Canada. (“I’m speechless!”)

(9) Texas, USA – Good Ol’ Freda received its World Premiere at 5pm at the Vimeo Theater as part of the prestigious SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. (Well done, Peggy McCabe, Kathy McCabe, Ryan White and, of course, Freda Kelly for doing this. Really proud of you all.)

(6) BAFTAs, London – Freshly spruced-up, Keith was a guest at another top, top night at the BAFTAs in Piccadilly, London. Organised by AP, it focused on their new Movietone compilation entitled The Roxy. (Thanks to Alan, Jenny, and Obi for another, truly superb evening.)

(5) Berkshire – Keith begin work on his long-mooted movie/ stills documentary production, A Life in A Day.

February 2013

(25) USA – Keith’s Marilyn book made a surprise (but most welcome) leap up to the No.8 position in the ‘Best Sellers in Marilyn Monroe Biographies’ on Amazon.com.

(20) USA – The latest hot news on the movie, Good Ol’ Freda (on which Keith has been archive consultant) is that it’s nearing completion and, most incredibly, The Beatles’ company, Apple granted its producers permission to use four original Beatles tracks in the film, which is pretty much unprecedented for an independent film. Publicity for it is continuing apace, with mentions already appearing in The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone.
Warmest congrats to the team behind the project, Kathy Peggy and Ryan. Well done to you all! Been a pleasure working with you. (The movie’s website can be found by clicking here)

(18) Amazon.com – Amazon in the States began taking pre-orders for the paperback edition of Keith’s book, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years, which is set for release by St. Martin's Griffin on December 10, 2013. Btw, here’s one for the "It slipped through the net" department, a recent review of the publication from The Good Book Guide, "Based on hitherto unseen personal records, exclusive interviews and eyewitness accounts, this is the definitive, unvarnished and final word on the death of a legend." (Keith couldn’t have put it better himself.)

(13) Berkshire – Keith concluded his two-part David Bowie feature for Record Collector magazine with a piece about the singer’s 1978 London Weekend Show special, which focused on one of his June 1978 concerts at London’s Earl’s Court. (It will hit the shops in approximately 6 weeks’ time.)

(12) Berkshire – Keith helped celebrate and organise the 88th birthday celebrations for his most beloved mother, Kathleen. It was another top (highly emotive) day indeed.

On the same day, he (and no doubt, several hundred others) received this most delightful email from Deep Nishar, the Senior Vice President, Products & User Experience of LinkedIn, saying, "Keith, congratulations! You have one of the top 10% most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012. I want to personally thank you for being part of our community. Your journey is part of our journey, and we're delighted and humbled when we hear stories of how our members are using LinkedIn to connect, learn, and find opportunity. LinkedIn now has 200 million members. Thanks for playing a unique part in our community!" Mighty impressive, aye!?

(9) West London – A rash of birthday celebrations begin with top journo, Rob Meakin celebrating his 40th at a venue in London. A top night indeed for a top bloke!

(5) South London – A further trip into London for further discussions about some (rather exciting) future media-related plans. Watch this space for further details.

(2) North London – Life-long Gunners fan, Keith was once more at the Emirates to watch his beloved Arsenal beat Stoke City 1-0 (oh yes!). A nice catch-up meal with friend, Laurence, one of the country’s top property specialists followed. (Thanks again. Mate. Really enjoyed the day.)

January 2013 - Happy New Year everyone!

(29) America – Marilyn paperback version imminent! It’s announced that the softback edition of Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years will be released in the States by St. Martin's Griffin on December 10 this year.

(26) Berkshire – Never one to turn down a truly delightful, freshly-prepared fare, Keith once more had the opportunity to sample the exquisite cooking of John Barratt, a good friend and easily one of the South’s finest chefs. Non-stop chat accompanied the enchanting dinner. (Thanks, John. I enjoyed it!)

(24) Italy – There’s life in Marilyn yet! Six months after its Kindle release, Keith’s book on the actress, Gli ultimi giorni di Marilyn Monroe: Le relazioni pericolose, le trappole, il presunto suicidio: tutta la verità sulla fine climbed back to the lofty No.5 position in the ‘Bestseller in Cinema e televisione’ section on Amazon Italy today.

(22) Berkshire – With David Bowie set to release his first studio in 10 years, Keith hurriedly wrote and compiled a new Rockin’ The Box piece for Record Collector magazine, focusing on his January 1973 appearance on LWT/ ITV’s Russell Harty Plus.

(18) Berkshire – Further archive consultancy work on the forthcoming documentary, Good Ol' Freda (website http://goodolfreda.com/) a film about Freda Kelly, The Beatles’ famous Fan Club Secretary. It has already been selected as a headliner film at the prestigious 'South by Southwest Film Festival' in Austin, Texas. (The world premiere is scheduled to take place on March 9 this year.)

(17) Berkshire – It took a while but, he did it, Keith finally posted on Twitter. You can follow him, if you wish, on @KeithBadman1 – see you there!

(16) Berkshire – Record Collector deadline day, and Keith prepared another piece for his monthly, Rockin’ The Box column. This time, DJ, Mike Read’s first UK TV pop series, and it wasn’t Pop Quiz, as many would guess, but Yorkshire ITV’s Pop Quest from 1978.

(10) London – another trip to the City where the seeds of an exciting new media-related project for 2013 was planted. Watch this space!

(4) Bloomsbury, Central London – another, highly productive, lunchtime meeting with Brent Kubasta, host of the weekly archive music radio show, Magic Transistor Radio, on the Rollins station, WPRK, Florida. The delightful curries, brisk conversation, and fine drink flowed pretty freely throughout their 6-hour meet. (“Good seeing you, Brent!”)

(3) Happy New Year everyone – 2013 kicked-off in fine style when the book charts on Amazon in Italy revealed Gli ultimi giorni di Marilyn Monroe: Le relazioni pericolose, le trappole, il presunto suicidio: tutta la verità sulla fine had risen to the No.3 spot in the ‘Bestsellers Cinema e Television’ section on the site.

December 2012

(29) BBC Four TV, England – The “Director’s Cut” version of Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender received its television premiere on BBC Four tonight at 9pm, which meant two of Keith’s past programmes were screened on the BBC in the space of eight days. Impressive stuff!

(25) Christmas Day – Merry Christmas to you! Keith spent the great day, like last year, with his family and volunteering with the staff & patients at his local care home. A wonderful time was had by all.

(21) BBC2 – Welcome repeat time, when BBC Four in England, as part their tribute night to the legendary 70s rockers, Slade repeated the 1999 documentary on the band, It’s Slade, which featured some early (13 year-old) archive research by our Mr Badman.

(19) Amazon, Italy - the Book Charts on Amazon in Italy revealed Gli ultimi giorni di Marilyn Monroe: Le relazioni pericolose, le trappole, il presunto suicidio: tutta la verità sulla fine had risen to the No.5 spot in the ‘Bestsellers Cinema e Television’ on Kindle section on the site.
(10) Good news time – Keith’s monthly series for Record Collector magazine, ‘Rockin’ The Box’ was commissioned for another year.

(4) South London – Besides continuing his birthday celebrations, Keith also participated in his first “On the couch” interview for a new (highly humorous) internet television station. News and a direct link to this will follow soon. Watch this space!

(1) Slough, Berkshire – Keith’s annual birthday celebration kicked-off in fine style with a dinner catch-up with some friends at the As Asia restaurant, in Slough.

November 2012

(28) Berkshire – For the purpose of his forthcoming, two-part feature on the 80s music series, The Tube for Record Collector magazine, Keith conducted a lengthy interview with Christopher Phipps, the Assistant Producer on the Tyne-Tees/ Channel 4 series throughout its 5 year run. (Mega thanks for your time, Chris, really enjoyed the chat.)

Canada – Another impressive day in the Canadian book Charts, when Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years once more rose up the listings, to the No.4 position in the ‘Marilyn Monroe Bestsellers’ Chart on Amazon.ca. On the same day, in the same listings, the hardback UK version of the publication, The Final Years of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story was seen at the No.58 position, while the UK paperback edition was seen 9 places higher, at No.49.

(25) Canada / USA – Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years leapt up to the No.8 position in the ‘Marilyn Monroe Bestsellers’ Chart on Amazon.ca. While on Amazon.com, in the same section, the book reached the No.16 slot.

(22) London, Earl’s Court – Yet another visit to the Big City, when Our Mr Badman had the pleasure of spending several hours in the company of the legendary newspaper reporter (and fellow Beatles-fanatic), Robert Meakin. (“The time just whizzed-by,” was the quote of the day.) Keith was also sad to learn the fact that the historic Earl’s Court building (sometime next year) is about to pulled-down and turned into a housing estate. Scandalous!

(16) London, West End – another trek into the City, where Keith met some friends, Tel and Chappers, and, for the first time, the legendary photographer, Philip Townsend. (He was responsible for taking some of the very earliest snaps of The Rolling Stones.) A visit to group’s impressive, new, official shop on Carnaby Street followed.

(14) BBC Caversham Park, Reading, Berkshire – Six weeks after his first attendance, Keith made a return guest appearance on Tony Blackburn’s lunchtime show on BBC Radio Berkshire, this time to talk about the history of BBC Radio and the 60th anniversary years of the British Singles Charts.

(13) Book Charts – Canada: Another impressive day on the Canadian Amazon Charts when Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years ascended the listings one again, reaching the lofty No.2 spot in the ‘Bestsellers Marilyn Monroe’ section, in addition to being No.6 in the ‘Movie Biographies’ and No.15 in the ‘History & Criticism’ sections on the site. (Wow indeed!)

Record Collector update – Keith’s two-part examination of the 80s Tyne-Tees music show, The Tube (as part of his regular Rockin’ The Box columns) begins and is due for publication in the January/ February 2013 issues. The first will focus on former Led Zeppelin frontman, Robert Plant’s interview on the show in December 1982, his first since the split of the super-group.