Since I would guess that most of you don't own the book Body Count by Francie Schwartz, I thought I would include here the paragraph she wrote about painting the Apple Boutique building to advertise for the Beatles new single. This takes place in the book after Francie and Paul's relationship had ended and Francie was back in the United States
One evening Paul had suddenly decided to go down to Apple and paint the sotrefront windows white. Nobody saw us leave but by the time we had fingered "Revolution" and "Hey Jude" in web paint on each of the windows a few reporters had gathered outside, wanting to know who I was and were there any truth to the rumors. Next morning, the Daily Sketch ran two half-columns headed, "Paul and Francie paint the town white" Witty. Keen-eyed newsmen much have picked that item up here because when I got home to Newark the phone didn't stop ringing, with reporters wanting tidbits about Paul, The Beatles, Apple. I wanted the phone cut off bit it wasn't my phone. After a week of telling them there was no story, I just hung up each time.
On 7 August 1968, McCartney took his new girlfriend, Francie Schwartz, and Taylor to the Apple Boutique, closed only a week before, in order to paint the upcoming single's title Hey Jude/Revolution on its large street-side shop window. Within a day, the hand-made piece of promotion was mistaken for an anti-Semitic graffito (since Jude, besides being an English first name, happens to mean "Jew" in German), and the window was smashed by passers-by.
ReplyDeleteDiscussing the episode in The Beatles Anthology, McCartney explained that he had been motivated by the location – "Great opportunity. Baker Street, millions of buses going around …" – and added: "I had no idea it meant 'Jew', but if you look at footage of Nazi Germany, 'Juden Raus ' was written in whitewashed windows with a Star of David. I swear it never occurred to me."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude#Promotion
I used to have a copy of "Body Count." But sold it to raise $ towards a concert ticket to see Paul, a worthy cause at the time. I still have a photocopy of the infamous chapter.
ReplyDeleteJane had to live thru the publishing of that awful book as well
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DeleteBC would have about as much impact on Jane as a fly zooming over the roof of her house.
How do you know? Did she ring?
DeleteBC is exactly the sort of thing Jane would just ignore.
Deletedoubt Jane would have ever read that trashy book
Deleteno comparison between Jane and Francie = Jane has class
ReplyDeletemany copies of BC were bought by us 1st gen fans always wanting anything on Paul; read mine on a train and then threw it out
ReplyDeleteThe train window? :)
Deleterubbish book
ReplyDeletefrancie gave a realistic account of a part of paul's personality that many of us younger fans at the time were not aware of
ReplyDeleteyeah, apparently John was not the only one rough with women
DeleteEm, there's rough and there's rough.
DeleteHer book was rubbish and clearly it was written by a scorned woman. Yes, Paul treated her badly, but the other three didn't treat their women any better either. These were four men in their twenties, living the high life, surrounded by fame, wealth and adulation. Whoever expected them to live like angels, were just living an illusion.
ReplyDeletetrue but somehow people want the illusion of paul being an angel even today
DeleteNot necessarily. He'd be boring if he was.
DeleteThe only realistic account of Paul will be Jane's but that will never happen. Francie had some reasonable insights into Paul but 1968 was a troubled year for him and I felt she exploited that a little. Jann Wenner from Rolling Stone was the publisher after all. Her account of Paul was only one chapter on her dysfunctional relationships with eight other men all written in a similar tone.
ReplyDeleteTime and life hasn't been all that kind to Francie. She continued to exploit her brief time with Paul long after they were done, trying to garner "fame" and attention, all without any valid results.
ReplyDeleteFrancie did have some intriguing insights into Paul, at that very troubled time in his life, but lacked compassion and discretion.
money makes the world go around
DeleteYes it does.
DeleteYes, Francie did exploit Paul's vulnerability at the time. His prvate life was in turmoil and the four men were arguing a lot during the White album recording sessions. Jann Wenner was a John fan boy, and he must have been thrilled to publish her book, and eagerly show Paul's bad side to the public.
ReplyDeletesure, she had her 10 minutes of fame writing about paul & hers sex life otherwise there'd be no book
ReplyDeleteFrancie Schwartz hate here is excessive
ReplyDeleteNowhere near the hate displayed towards Yoko Ono if that's what you'd describe as excessive. The Paul hate on the internet is excessive and has been for years. A good deal of that was set off by Schwartz herself under the auspices of Jann Wenner. She gets off rather lightly in comparison. Honest criticism of any of the Beatles should be welcomed, but Schwartz chose to get herself involved making some very dubious claims. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
DeleteAgree. Not certain exactly how much negativity FS set in gear with first her book, endorsed by John worshipping Wenner, followed by years of vitriolic rants against Paul on a usenet group still in existence. But she definitely didn't grant herself or Paul any favors by almost never coming to the internet table with anything other than bitter resentment.
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