Giuliano lists his needs from the city

Beatles author wants forgiveness — and a few breaks — in exchange for a museum

By Joyce Miles

Geoffrey Giuliano is stepping up his campaign to win support for a Beatles museum at 735 Market St.

The offbeat celebrity biographer/musician/actor sent an outline of a working proposal for the museum to the Union-Sun & Journal this week, along with a mea culpa to locals who he might have offended in the past with his antics.

The proposal outline contains details about a Beatles memorabilia collection and a listing of the things property owner Sri Radhe International would seek from the City of Lockport in order to pull off the museum.

In a separately e-mailed statement, “to the People of Lockport,” Giuliano says he’s not the same guy they used to know when he lived here. The statement includes an apology to Lockport Police Department and Chief Neil Merritt, whose battles with Giuliano over 735 Market and past occupants are the stuff of some fairly zany local lore.

“(O)ne never really expects one’s dreams to come true. In my case, and to everyone’s surprise, they did. I lost my balance. ...” the statement reads. “I am now, at 52, a much kinder, quieter, more compassionate, caring person.”

The Giuliano/SRI museum proposal outline hasn’t been sent to anyone at City Hall yet. Despite the mea culpa, Giuliano remains openly suspicious of the official greeting his idea will get and insists it needs an unfiltered public airing first.

“SRI will make its proposal ... via the media first to ensure that this matter is truly a public concern and no parties are allowed the chance to play politics behind closed doors,” he said.

SRI is a New York State-registered 501(c)3 corporation formed by Giuliano to promote and support Hindu ideas and causes. Giuliano says he is a spokesman for SRI only, not a board member.

According to the outline, SRI would open up 735 Market, both the house and the acreage, for a Beatles/’60s museum and other venues’ public arts and culture events. SRI would correct current building code violations, set up the museum, provide permanent Beatles and rotating ’60s-music exhibits and related events, and establish a “John Lennon/George Harrison International Peace Garden” outdoors.

In exchange, SRI would ask the city to: grant a permanent variance on the residential-only zoning of 735 Market St.; secure tax-exempt status for the property so long as it’s a museum; forgive unpaid 2006 property taxes; supply basic yard maintenance for the museum; assist in the search for grants, low-cost loans and “other financial considerations” to launch the project; provide advice on marketing and land-use planning; and aid security.

From the public at large, SRI would seek volunteers to create and maintain the peace garden and help out with the museum, the outline said. An unpaid caretaker who lives at the house free of charge in exchange for doing repair and maintenance tasks would be sought. Private investors, corporate sponsors and free legal assistance would be needed as well.

Giuliano claims the SRI Beatles collection, which he and his wife Brenda Black/Vrnda Devi amassed over decades while writing about the band members, is valued at about $5 million. The proposal says SRI would “pay a recognized Beatles expert to value the collection to prove to all parties the rarity and marketability of the exhibits.”

Pieces listed in the outline include musical instruments and recording gear used by the band, hand-written lyrics and notations by members, a framed collection of more than 5,000 original negative prints of the musicians, unused and alternate Beatles album cover sleeves and miscellaneous items that belonged to Harrison and Lennon.

Giuliano has written or co-written about 20 exposé-style books about the Beatles and another 20 or so about other ’60s musicians and film stars.

Mayor Michael Tucker had a phone conversation with Giuliano after the US&J; story about the museum idea two weeks ago and says he told Giuliano that the past — chronically overdue taxes, complaints associated with SRI occupation of 735 Market and Giuliano’s penchant for hurling invective at critics — makes the city highly unlikely to welcome the proposal with open arms. A read-through of the proposal outline this week didn’t change his mind.

“Great idea, wrong guy,” Tucker said. “I just can’t take it seriously. (Giuliano) has a long history here and I’m pretty sure that, because of that history, we’re not interested. We’ll see.”

Giuliano said SRI will make a full, formal presentation to city departments but he doesn’t state when. He wrote in an e-mail Friday that SRI is preparing to pay past-due water and sewer charges next week. He’s soliciting feedback on the outline and the question of whether the community would welcome a museum. Comments can be e-mailed to him at milesfar@hotmail.com.

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