The Greek Street Gang (part 4)

Paul and Linda posing for Barb -- March 25th

Joanna snaps them in big hurry --March 30

Paul tricked us on Monday by coming to the studio an hour earlier than usual.  Linda showed up on schedule, looking as if she’d been pulled from the shower still dripping wet, by an impatient band.  Her hair was wet and tangled; she had no stocking on, just bare legs in button-up shoes which weren’t buttoned.  We all wanted to say “what happen to you?” but thought better of it fortunately.

In order not to be disappointed again on Tuesday we got to Abbey Road about 12:30.  Naturally he didn’t bother to come early again and we had to find ways to amuse ourselves for the 2 ½ hour wait.  We were joined by my British penpals Kathy Turner and Margaret Drayton who were taking the day off work to come and help us keep the El Macco under surveillance.  He made a splashing entrance in the most colorful outfit he’d yet appear in.  He looked really splendid in a plaid jacket and a rainbow painted t-shirt, a lot more cheery than the drab blues and grays he’d been wearing for the last two weeks (it was the same jacket he wore all thru the British tour.  No one could ever accuse Paul or Linda of squandering their money on expensive new clothes).  Kathy had him sign a copy of “In His own words” and afterwards as he was signing something else, he leaned over to look at her and asked, “Is it true?” in a cute, teasing voice.

He was still in an upswing of a mood by Wednesday and came driving up to EMI all smiles and giving us all the thumbs up sign as he stopped at the gate.  I gave him the club newsletters which featured the articles of his U.S. tour, saying to him that he may get a kick out of what the fans think of the tour.   He looked very probingly at me and then started to read the first page of the newsletter.  Linda was looking over his shoulder and says, “It looks interesting.”  I found it rather annoying to have her always talking for him or interrupting in every conversation.  I wanted to hear Paul’s reaction and it seems the only time he talks for himself is when he’s on his own.  Then he can be very communicative and thoughtful and empathetic.  But when they’re together he clams up for the most part and seems to use her as a shield.  Everything bounces off her and does penetrate him.  At all times he’s a very guarded man, leery of letting anything too personally revealing out about himself.

Thursday we waited with Valerie and Linda Butcher, Cathy, Sheila and Silvia. We tried to think of original openings to greet him with.  In two hours we’d had a lot of laughs but only came up with, “You’re late, he’s already gone in.”  Not too clever.  Some of the best lines are too incriminating to repeat.  We used to joke that if the EMI gates were bugged they were sure getting some juicy conversation in there.  They’d have all the ammunition they needed ot put us away for life.

What we needed was some fresh blood to intrigue Paul.  And by sudden coincidence a mini bus load of Japanese teenagers descended on us.  They were on a “rock star tour” if you can imagine such an enterprising idea and were there to officially tour EMI studios.  They thought we were some famous part of the territory because they insisted on taking pictures of us.  Hams to end, Jo and I obliged with the Wings sign.  We were happy to have them there, imagining what a kick Paul was going to get out of being met by 20 enthusiastic young Japanese fans.  So much attention at once, he’d ham it up like mad for them and all their camera equipment.  But that shattered our visions of his impending delight and let us down by packing back into their van on the grounds that it was too cold to wait and they had a lunch date with Stretch.

After we’d waiting there hours all together we found out that Paul had cancelled the session for that day.  They’d had a late night the night before and he’d decided to sleep in.   He hadn’t even been able to get a hold of Joe who was already at the studio at this time, and Denny was probably on his way too.  Some men were there from the record company with platinum records to present the band with for “Wings over America” sales.  As they piled these records back into their car they told us Paul’d be in for sure the next day by 2 p.m.

As we were taking the Underground back home we ran into Rosie, Paul’s housekeeper on our train.  After reminding her that we knew her from Dallas during the tour, when we stayed in the same hotel and had lunch together once, I told her about the fans from Japan and how Paul had missed seeing them.  She told me that he had in fact gone in to the studio after all and must have got there 5 min. after we left.  He only stayed there a minute because she left when he came back.  She told us he’d be disappointed about missing the crowd from Japan, as he still wants very badly to play there in the near future.  She said it’s very possible they’ll be able to get a working visa and she’d go along as babysitter for the new little one.

The next day was beautiful, the sunniest we’d had in a long time.  Anthony Luscombe, one of our English members, came along with us this day.  Well, two o’clock came and went, and three and still no sign of Paul.  The rest of the band was already inside, the men with the Platinum discs were back and Trevor and Allen Crowder were both in the doorway of EMI looking impatient and watching the street for some sign of him.  They both wore their habitual glares and sneers.  Most of them were aimed at us.  Nothing would have delighted their fiendish hearts more than to drag Paul in the moment he arrived and see us all standing there disappointed.   It was written all over their faces.   We thought that’s it then, we don’t stand a chance in hell of having him even pause for a second.  As it got later and later we became more positive of that.  But we never say die, nothing had driven us away yet, not freezing cold, or rainstorms, or for chissakes not even blizzards.  We used to joke that the little white wagon was going to pull up any minute and take us away en masse.  So of course we preserved.  Paul and Linda finally drove up at 4 pm, Paul looked perfectly at ease and calmly content with himself.  What cares he that the others have been waiting for him for two extra hours, that the men with the discs are back again for the second time, trying to present him with an award, and least of all that Trevor and Crowder have bitten their nails down to the bone in impatience and both look like they’re going to wet their pants if he doesn’t run right in immediately. 

Paul doesn’t care one bit.  And we were so proud of him!!  He made us his first priority.  And there was only six of us.   Without seeming in the least bit hurried or put-out he stayed by his car and posed for picture after picture, signed an autograph for Anthony, answered questions and joked around.  I told him I didn’t have any decent pictures of  him yet where he’s actually looking up at the camera.  So he obliged and looked right into it.  Then I told Joanna to get in a picture with him.  She looked at Linda glued t one of his arms and asked innocently enough, “do you mind if I pose on his other arm?”  She hadn’t meant it to come out snidely and fortunately Linda didn’t seem to take it that way (but then she had a certain bond with Joanna).  So Jo took one of Paul’s arms and just as I was taking the picture, Paul leaned into the camera and made a grumpy face.  He thought he was being funny I imagine.

Anthony asked him about the science fiction movie and Paul said they were still going to be making it.  He said Roddenberry was just at Emi the day before.  He also said they’d be recording this album for the next three months!

Paul looked really sharp that day in his black leather jacket and colorful multi-striped tie.  When he finally sauntered in he wasn’t in the least perturbed that Trevor and Crowder could barely conceal their impatience and frustration.  Guess he showed them who works for whom!

It was snowing and cold and ugly on Monday but we were still hanging in there.  I had visited John’s Aunt Mimi over the weekend and she gave me a message to give to him.  I had to say it three times before I could even catch his attention and have him listen.  Sometimes he seems so into playing the part of “Rock Star Meets Humble Fans” that he isn’t even there.  Just the façade who’s going through all the poses.  Once he’d heard me, he said, “Yeah, OK sure.”  Like it still hadn’t penetrated.  He was wearing white “flood pants” (as we call them here when they’re that short) and he had them tucked (semi) into his boots.  Linda’s daughter Nicole gave him a rose, and he leaned down and said, “I’ve got something for you today” and handed her and each of us a copy of the most recent “Club Sandwich” – his own Wings Fun Club paper that he’s supposedly editing now.  We all had it already, but what the heck it was the gesture that counts.  He looked so cute handing it out to all of us so seriously.  I guess if I could give him mine, he could give me his!

For the next three days I had the rented movie camera again.  So naturally the next three days were lousy.  Everything worked against us.  Timing, weather, moods, everything.  Paul seemed in a real hurry to get inside.  The first day he saw it he hammed a little, made some waving motions into it.  Since Linda was hanging onto his arm as usual he had to forcefully yang his arm out of her grip to wave at the camera.  But then like a good boy he put it back in place.  He seemed in a bad mood the second day we had it.  Jo was trying to take his picture with the 35mm we’d also rented and she asked him if he’s pose and added that the camera cost us 5 pounds a day and Paul answered, ‘that’s not my fault.”  He really liked her a lot.

On Thursday Jo and I got to the studios about 2:10 and not finding any of our friends there went inside to ask the guard if Paul was coming in at all that day.  He said no that they weren’t booked again for any of the upcoming 3-4 weeks of the studio’s schedule.  It was raining out and we didn’t really want to wait around but we were supposed to meet our friends there.  Just as we got back out onto the sidewalk we spotted Paul’s car.  He was particularly grumpy and short with us.  He stopped for the movie camera but just for a few seconds and then waved and they both ran in.

And that we were to find out the next day, was that.  Trevor and John Hammel were both packing up all the equipment.  When Trevor drove out, he stopped long enough to say goodbye in his sarcastic manner, “have a nice wait, girls.”  John told us a few minutes later that the sessions were over for the time being, it was vacations now for them all.  It was Friday, April Fool’s Day, but it really was all over, no joke about that.