
You Won't See Me
When The Beatles Ghosted Imelda
$51.73
- Paperback
272 pages
- Release Date
6 January 2026
Summary
The Beatles, on what would be their final world tour, arrived in a place unlike any other. The Philippines was home to America’s biggest military bases in the region at a time when Vietnam was ramping up to its height. The Marcoses were photogenic, and on the surface at least, poster children for democracy: Ferdinand and Imelda were dubbed the ‘Jackie and JFK’ of Asia, by Life Magazine. The Beatles management saw the tour as a lucrative opportunity to open up new markets.
At some poin…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9789815323085 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 9815323083 |
| Author: | David Guerrero |
| Publisher: | Penguin Random House SEA |
| Imprint: | Penguin Random House SEA |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 272 |
| Release Date: | 6 January 2026 |
| Weight: | 230g |
| Dimensions: | 19mm x 135mm x 215mm |

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Critics Review
“I am as intrigued as any fan to find out what really happened to the Beatles in Manila. And after knowing David Guerrero for some time now, I feel he will certainly relate the story in the clearest fashion possible.”
—Julian Lennon, musician and photographer
“I found it fascinating: meticulously researched, and a swift yet deft catch-up of a notorious episode in the history of both the Beatles and the Philippines. One strange effect of reading it is that it feels both hard and easy to believe that this infamous episode took place over sixty years ago. Hard, because it all occurred well within my lifetime, and from the 1970s onwards I came to know not only the country but many of the journalists and others quoted (Nick Joaquin, for example), so the story still feels vivid. But easy in the sense of how much has changed, especially in the world of pop music and the way it is performed and marketed.
I think the book is an indispensable addition to Beatles literature, as well as a fascinating glimpse of an era destined to become a turning point in Filipino political history.”
—James Hamilton-Paterson, author of America’s Boy: A Century of Colonialism in the Philippines
“A cautionary tale of pride, ego, and celebrity misadventures, You Won’t See Me explores how the global Beatlemania phenomenon transfigured into one of the Philippines’ most infamous political scandals, permanently altering the course of rock ‘n’ roll while planting the seeds of a national revolution.”
—Sai Versailles, Rolling Stone Philippines
“When the Fab 4 and Imelda collided, the power of Beatlemania met the political heft of the Marcoses in 1966 Manila. What could possibly go wrong? Well, just about everything, as David Guerrero brilliantly details.”
—Paul French, author of Her Lotus Year
David Guerrero
David Guerrero is a Manila-based writer who loves both the Beatles and the Philippines. In researching the story he wrote and presented the BBC World Service Documentary “When the Beatles Didn’t Meet Imelda”. The book was further developed as part of his Masters degree at Harvard University’s Extension School. He was recently honored with a National Book Award in the Philippines for his for a book on generating creative ideas. As a celebrated advertising creative director he devised the long-running tourism campaign line “more fun in the Philippines”; and has won major international advertising awards for clients of the agency he founded, BBDO Guerrero. David was born in London to a Filipino father and English mother; and is married to Angel, a magazine publisher. Together they have raised two children and are now mainly responsible for a dog and two cats.
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