George Best & Me

Manchester in the late 1960s and early 1970s revolved around the exploits of one man - George Best. At his side throughout this exciting period was his best friend and confidante Malcolm Wagner (or 'Waggy' as he is universally known) with whom George eventually opened Slack Alice night-club in 1973. Now for the first time Waggy sets the record straight on George's exploits during a period when he was the most recognisable face in the world. The relationship began following a chance meeting at a Manchester night-club in the mid-sixties. Some months before, Malcolm's career as a singer with early 60s pop-combo The Whirlwinds had ended but that chance meeting with Best, then a young footballer with a growing reputation following a number of sensational performances for Manchester United, led Malcolm into a new social group - the Best Set, which grew in reputation as George's fame grew. By 1968 George was winning the European Cup and Malcolm was running the Village Barber, often cutting Bestie's hair in front of crowds of adoring fans. Manchester was their oyster and as George's fame grew, it soon became clear that the pair needed a sanctuary. They found it in the infamous environs of The Brown Bull, a rundown pub on the wrong side of the tracks. Within weeks of the pair setting up residence there, the nation's most famous celebrities were attracted to a previously non-descript Salford pub. By 1973 George and Malcolm opened Slack Alice night-club in the city, once more attracting the celebrity cream of the day to a club tucked down a small side street in Manchester. Again, the power of George's magnetism ensured the venture's success even if by now Bestie's football career had ended. Regular visitors included the likes of Elton John, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. The pair travelled the world together from Canada down to Mexico via Palm Springs, then later on to South Africa and Israel. The tales of these trips and many other exploits are told here for the first time as Malcolm comes clean about life with George and the power of his celebrity and reveals the seeds of his ultimate demise through alcoholism. At its centre, this is the tale of two lads with the world at their feet in an era when anything seemed possible. It includes contributions from: Sir Michael Parkinson, Bernard Manning, Graham Gouldman, Paddy Crerand, Andy Peebles, and George Best.