Monday, June 18, 2018

Photos taken on Paul's birthday in 1968







I thought it would be good to re-post this fan story of meeting Paul 50 years ago today.

It amazes me how kind Paul McCartney was to these fans from California in the summer of 1968. He really seemed to have gone out of his way to talk to these two girls. This story was written by Lorelle (no last name was given) about when she and her friend, Cindi Gonzales went to London in June 1968. It first was published in a fan magazine called "Boss Beatles" and then was republished in "The Write Thing" in the November 1977.
Tuesday June 18, 1968
First thing we did was go to pick up our tickets at the Old Vic for John’s play that night, then we picked up the birthday cake we had made for Paul, in hopes of giving it to him. We went to Wigmore St. first, and no one was there, so we went over to Paul’s – plenty of girls there, but every one of them thought they owned the street. So back to Wigmore. Caught Kevin (Harrington, their roadie) and he told us they thought he was over on Waldor Street. So we rushed over there, but of course didn’t know which building to start in, so back to Wigmore we went, just in time to catch someone who knew the address 93-94 Waldor. He said the cake was very nice and thoughtful of us – so back we went (the cake by now was a little dead). We figured he was inside, so we waited. At 2:00 Paul and four other fellows walked up. They all looked at us and their mouths just fell open – no one was supposed to know about this place, and they must of asked us a dozen times how we found out, but we never told. We handed Paul the cake first, and when he opened it he said, “I’m overwhelmed girls.” And held it down for everyone to see. Then he said, “These two girls are form America.” He had on red patent leather shoes, red sock, his striped pant, and purple polka dot shirt (very see-through). We wished him a happy birthday and he thanked us and went inside. We decked to wait until he came out. About 3:00 he came out from inside and motioned for us to come inside. I couldn’t believe it and said, “Me?” and he motioned again, so the three of us went in. He said, “come on in girls,” and led us to the back room where they were doing a film for Apple promotion that Paul was taking to the States in a day. When we got in Paul said, “This is a regular party now.”
I noticed our cake sitting on the table. He picked up a knife and cut the cake by attacking in the middle and pulling outward – he cut himself a piece then told one of us to cut up the rest and pass it around. He was also drinking champagne at the time. Cindi cut the cake and passed it to the technicians and whoever else was in there (we were the only girls). HE told us to find ourselves a seat and proceeded to show the film as he tried to piece it together. He kept having to stop it to either take something out or add something new. In between I would just turn around and stare at him, then he’d look up and smile, he kept doing that and I finally had to turn away from embarrassment. He about killed me.
People would be coming and going and at 4:00 John and Yoko walked in – the first thing I did was offer him a piece of cake. HE was very polite, but didn’t want any. They stayed to see the film once and John was really cracking up at this one part with Alexis, I thought he’d never calm down. When he had walked in, he said happy birthday to Paul, and asked him if he’d gotten the present all right. He only stayed a while, and then had to go wash his hair for the premiere of his play that night.
Paul got a little wild during take 10, tapping out the beat to the music with his hands and broke the electronic table, so there was a hold-up. He came down our way and Cindi got a hold of him and asked him if he remember doing a concert in San Diego and of course he said yes. She said, “No don’t you remember coming down from LA in a bus in ’65?” And then he really did recall such a thing, but said he remembered the bus ride but not the concert.
I had to move from my seat so the three of us went over to the other side of the room, where I watched Paul.He was just sitting back there all by himself, drawing prices, so I finally got the courage to go back and talk to him. First off, I offered him a piece of gum. He was willing to talk so I started off by saying “I hear you’re going to Los Angeles tomorrow?” He looked shocked, and said, “Well, I’m not going tomorrow, but within a few days.” And I said, “You mean, I came all the way over here to see you, and you go right back where I came from?” He was looking down but said, “Do you want to come along?”.. Ah, but if I didn’t think he was putting me on, I would of said, yeah, right away, but I told him something about how I couldn’t leave until next Tuesday, or something equally stupid like that. He had me flabbergasted. So I changed the subject fast and went on to something more practical—underwear! Well, I promised a friend of mind that if I met him I would ask him this, and anyway it isn’t an every day question, is it? I started by saying, “did you happen to get anything unusual in the main around Valentine’s Day?” And he said, “Like what, I do get some unusual things.” And I said, well, they had hearts on them.” And I was getting very nervous – so he said, “come on, you can tell me” (all this time he was looking down, drawing a picture) and I casually said, “like underwear?” and he looked up so fast and questioned, “Why did you send them?” so I explained to him and he said, “Yes I remember getting something like that.” Then this man sitting next to Paul said, “In other words, he isn’t wearing them now” and Paul laughed. (Before this, he had said, “You heard that, write it down in the books so we’ll have something against her).
He said he wasn’t going to John’s play that night but to the opening of Jane’s play. After our discussion which lasted 20 minutes, he stood up and remarked how stuffy it was in the room and then went outside for some air.I really and made an observation of his features, how really soft his hair is, his lip that does have a noticeable bash in it, his soft green eyes, and his stomach wrinkle beneath his shirt!
When he came back in, he let the film go for a final run-through. After that (6:00) he got up and changed into his brand new coat, and got ready to leave. I thanked him graciously for lettering us come inside, and he said he didn’t mind at all.
That night at the Old Vic we spotted John in the third row from the front, and watched him quite a bit. About nine John’s play, a combination of his two books started. It got three curtain calls at the end. I think John was rather pleased. We ran outside at the end and got there as John was coming out. There were people from the press, photographers, autograph seekers, all around him. This was when he was asked where his wife Cynthia was, and he announced that he didn’t know. He was sort of mad.
(Paul then left on the 20th for a short trip to California on Apple business).
June 25th—Tuesday. At Paul’s house the housekeeper told us he would be out shortly (this was at 3:00, he came out at 7:30), in the meantime Mike came and went in. Then Paul came out in his green mini, he tore out into the street, backed up, then Mike yelled at him and he drove back in really fast. His car was leaking and so they were trying to fix it. Fast service and he was out in the street again. Our friend Susan was taking movies, and Paul practically ran us over. He hoped out of the car, and said, “Did you get it all right?” Then he got in on the passenger’s side and Mike got in to drive. Then Paul looked up and pointed at me and said, “Hey, I met some of your friends over there, a whole mob of them. They asked me if you still had your hair curled, and I told them no.” Paul and Mike both did the thumbs up sign and drove off.
At midnight we decided to have one last look at Paul’s house. The light in the back room was on, and all of a sudden Paul started singing “Step Inside Love.” We decided to ring the front door. Footsteps, lights go on, door opens, and who should be standing there, but Paul himself dressed in red velvet jacket, pink shirt, and his grey slacks. He said hello, and asked how we got in, we told the truth the front gate was open. We asked about our friends again. He said five were ours. “You do have friends in LA don’t you? What was your name?” Lorelle, I said twice. “Ah, yes Lorette, that’s it.” He said he still wanted me to get him a pair of moccasins like I had, size eight Martha came out and we talked about her. Cindi said he should brush her, and Paul said, “tried to tell her that, but she just won’t seem to do it.” I asked him if he was alone, and why he was up at this hour. “No.” he said, he wasn’t alone, he had Martha, and he was listening to the King Family Album! For that hour and everything, he was ever so sweet to us. He told us to have a nice trip back to the States and I said, “I’ll probably never see you again.” He said, “Oh, you’ll be back next year.” And he explained to Cindi how to open the gate. He came out after we had gone out the gate to say good night again.

5 comments:

  1. like the fan memories and this lot were very lucky indeed with Paul being exceptionally nice but no regard with bothering him at midnight

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  2. Is Jane holding Eddie the dog in the 3rd picture? Thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete