Geoffrey Giuliano

Biography:

Giuliano was born on September 11, 1953, in Rochester, New York. At the age of 12, he moved with his family to Tampa, Florida, where he completed his education at Plant High School and Hillsborough Community College before later graduating from SUNY Brockport.

In a 1992 interview with The Guardian, Giuliano made controversial remarks about The Beatles, calling them “real shits in real life” and dismissing Paul McCartney as “shallow and vacuous.” His comments sparked backlash, including a response from George Harrison’s wife, Olivia Harrison, who accused him of misrepresenting her husband’s words to promote his book. George Harrison himself later stated that he had only met Giuliano briefly at a mutual friend’s home.

Giuliano’s biography Lennon in America: 1971–1980 (2000) also stirred controversy. He claimed the book was based on transcripts of John Lennon’s diaries, allegedly given to him by singer Harry Nilsson, as well as audio tapes recorded by Lennon. However, multiple sources close to Nilsson disputed these claims, and critics questioned the book’s accuracy. While Library Journal praised it as a detailed and revealing account, Publishers Weekly criticized it for its credibility issues and excessive focus on Lennon’s personal life.

In 2005, the film Stoned: The Wild & Wicked World of Brian Jones was partially based on Giuliano’s book Paint It Black: The Murder of Brian Jones (1994).

In 2021, he wrote and released an audiobook titled Surviving Squid Game, I Am VIP 4, detailing his experience playing “VIP #4” in the hit South Korean series Squid Game.

A long-time advocate for vegetarianism, Giuliano has followed a vegetarian lifestyle since 1972 and has spoken out against fast food. He currently resides in Bangkok, Thailand, with his son and also has a daughter.

In March 2020, Giuliano and his son traveled to India on a spiritual pilgrimage. Expecting to stay for only two weeks, they carried just $2,000 in cash. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international flights to Thailand were canceled, leaving them stranded in Jaipur, Rajasthan. With no access to fresh clothes and little money left, they survived on “monkey nuts and bananas” for an extended period. After months of hardship, they were finally able to return to Thailand on a humanitarian flight in October 2020. The incident was widely covered in both Indian and Thai media.