Around with the Beatles!

By 1964, the first of the official Beatles Booster Fan clubs started to pop up on the United States.   One such club's president was a girl from Los Angeles named Ping Tom.    (Who will be featured very soon on this blog because I found a great newspaper article about her).    From what I can tell, Ping is among the first Beatle fans to start a fan magazine (newsletter) in the U.S. that was mailed out to fans.    She worked with DJ's in Los Angeles and her Beatles Booster newsletter was well received.   In the August 1964 issue there is a story written by Carol Webber about meeting the Beatles in February in New York.   Carol's story lacks information, but I am sure it was exciting nonetheless to those receiving the newsletter in 1964.

Around with the Beatles!

By Carol Webber

Your terrific fan club president, Ping Tom, has asked me to write a little on my meeting with the Beatles back in February. Yes, I was one of the fortunate people to get to meet them personally while they were in America on their first concert tour.

First, my name is Carol Webber, I'm going on 23 years old and I do publicity work for a record company. One of the fellows I used to work for, he now works in New York, took me to meet the Beatles, and it was a great thrill. It turned out that I not only saw them once, but twice in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, again after a  concert at Carnegie Hall, ran into them in Washington, DC., and was on the train back to New York the same time they were, and  I saw the ever so briefly the night they returned from New York to London.

 I know a lot has been said in magazines about the Beatles, you have to meet them in person to really know the real Beatles!!!  I was around Paul McCartney a little more than the rest and, at first, he seemed a little quiet, but actually, he has a great sense of humor and the most beautiful soft talking voice! He has the darkest hair of the Beatles and the most beautiful eyes. He is so warm and kind and friendly. To hear him talk, you would know he is very educated, but he is a great one for practical jokes!

George Harrison is very quiet at times (at least the first time I met him) but he can really talk up a storm when you hit upon a subject he is really interested in (besides girls), and George has a great genuine warmth about him. I met his sister, Louise Caldwell, on one occasion, and she, too, it is very warm, and I just love to hear them all talk!

Ringo --well, it is hard to describe Ringo, except as a wild little fellow! He is the shortest of the group, but has lovely blue eyes (they are so blue). He is just as crazy as can be.

John Lennon is terrific!! Sometimes I wonder about John, especially after reading his book, In His Own Right, but when you are around him, he isn't as "nuts" as he may seem. He is very quick witted and there's something about John that is fascinating. He has a cute mouth and without his glasses, he can't see anything but just insists he doesn't like them.  I briefly saw his wife, Cynthia, and she is very attractive and has beautiful hair.   She does shy away from the public and didn't accompany John too much during their tour of America. She usually traveled alone, or with Louise, and met John at the various places, but stayed away from the press conferences.

Carol attended this press conference and took some photos 

Oh, I could go on and on for ages about the fun I had, the clever and wild things they say and do, but I would make Ping put out a 150 page bulletin just of my thoughts alone.

 I do want to straighten out of the book in this respect. I've heard many stories about the Beatles being loud, not too well mannered, and drink, but those stories or false, in my opinion, as the four Beatles boys I met were very well mannered. All seem very intelligent, and for sure, they were not at all like some of the reporters try to make them out to be.    They are down to earth, warm, friendly, mannerly, polite, and sincere fellows. When they were on stage, you can see they weren't up there working for the money, but were up there doing what they love doing. You get the feeling that they really are just more or less pleasing themselves, and if the audience enjoys it, it makes it just a bigger gig for them!

So just do me a big favor; when you read something in the fan magazines about the Beatles, just remember what I said, and keep in mind these boys are terrific, and I am proud to know them. They are the type of entertainers we should have more up.

Thanks to all of you for allowing me to take up a little of your time by telling you all of my meetings with the Beatles and my impression of them. Just hope all of you are able to meet them or see them in person on their August/September tour of America this year.