This photo was taken on July 9, 1969. Cathy Sarver is the girl in the background. Anyone know who actually took this photo?
An online Beatles fan club for and about Beatle fans
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Unseen McCartney
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| (Image: TikTok/maebe.later) |
This story and photo has been making the rounds lately. The Liverpool Echo posted the story posted below with the photos. This site seems like the right place for this story to live, so I am posting it here. I have seen a lot of comments about Paul not wearing a mask in the photo. I do not think this is a recent photograph. There hasn't been a Beatle exhibit in NYC in quite a while and Paul hasn't been seen without a mask since the pandemic began.
Teenager 'starstruck' after Paul McCartney photobombs her holiday snap
Written by Charlotte Hadfield
A woman was left "starstruck" after spotting Sir Paul McCartney in the background of one of her holiday photos.
Mae Archie from Connecticut, USA was on holiday in New York City when, after coincidentally visiting an exhibition about The Beatles, she posed for a photo in the street.
But it wasn't until she returned home from the holiday that the 17-year-old realised she'd missed an important detail in the picture.
It was only the legend Sir Paul McCartney himself, strolling past her on a zebra crossing.
Mae, who is a big fan of the Fab Four, said she was "starstruck and beyond excited" and has since had the photo framed.
She shared a video on TikTok explaining what happened which has since gone viral, racking up over 12,000 likes.
Mae told the ECHO: "I realised when I got home and was sitting in my bedroom.
"I kept looking back at the picture on the ride home but I couldn’t seem to put a name to his face, which is wild because I’m such a fan and was just at an exhibit he was featured in.
"I ran downstairs freaking out. I was starstruck and beyond excited. I have the picture framed.
"It has become a great talking point and one of my most cherished memories."
Mae said she was initially upset that she didn't realise it was Sir Paul because she would "love to have a conversation with the legend himself."
However, since then she has come to accept it and it has made a great story which she will always look back on.
Mae said: "I now laugh about it because it is so unreal.
"I woke up this morning to a ton of notifications. I was confused as to why out of nowhere I was getting so many followers.
"My friend, Nico, then sent me a screenshot off of Google and the entire front page was me. I was shocked."
After realising how far the news had spread Mae said she sent a message to her friends on their group chat and they all shared the "the moment of shock and excitement together."
She added: "I called my family as well and they all thought it was amazing, I am still buzzing with excitement. The response from the media and the viewers have been great. I’m so happy to share my story with everyone."
Sharing the video on TikTok Mae wrote: "Taking pictures in NYC and realising when I got home, THE Paul McCartney photobombed me."
Hundreds of viewers took to the comments to express their shock and excitement at the story.
One wrote: "Out of all the spots to photobomb just like the ABBEY ROAD COVER."
Another said: "How on earth did you not recognise him?! I'm super jealous!"
A third wrote: "Omg he's recreating Abbey Road."
While a fourth added: "I would literally lose my mind."
A Day at the beach
This photo of Paul and Julian in Greece in 1967 is SO cute! Paul has been a great uncle to Julian.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Paul's Views on Girls
This is the third installment of the 1964 newspaper article series called "Beatles by the Beatles." The spotlight is on Paul this time. I think it is so funny to think that the Beatles actually wrote these articles because they are so strange --- but I am sure thousands of girls were fooled in 1964.
One thing I've noticed since we started getting a lot of publicity is that the rumors start flying thick and fast. People have been saying, for instance, that we all wear wigs. It's true of course, that John sometimes wears a bald wig. That's only because he discovered the other day that the top of his head was completely covered with hair.
Then there are rumors that I'm engaged or married. Of course, I have girl friends, but I haven't yet found one I'd like to marry. And if I do find one, then I'll marry her.
People say it might affect my career. I don't care. I think it's stupid to put your popularity before your personal happiness. The important thing is to be a completely happy person, and if you can achieve this through marriage then you'd be daft not to go ahead with it.
But I wish they'd stop marrying me off to girls I've only met once. I realize that all this publicity is the price you pay for success, but there are times -- only occasionally-- when it can be a bit of a drag. For instance, if you've traveled five hundred miles and are hungry and short of sleep, you tend to get a bit out of sorts.
"Is it true you've been married five times?" It's a funny thing, but we're constantly being asked all sorts of profound questions. But we're not very profound people. People say what do you think of the H-bomb, of religion, or fan worship? They want our views on sex and whether we think we're getting too much publicity too soon.
But we didn't really start thinking deeply about these things until people asked us. And even then, we don't get much time to consider them. What do I think of the H-bomb? Well, here's an answer with the full weight of five O levels and one A level behind it. I don't like the H-bomb because it could blow me up, and millions of other people as well.
And I don't like the idea that if one man makes a mistake he could blow the world to pieces. Is that profound? I don't know, but it's what I think. Another favorite question is: "Supposing your fantastic success ending tomorrow? Look what happened to Bill Haley -- aren't you afraid the same thing will happen to the Beatles?" Well, if it ends tomorrow, it ends. But we've had setbacks before. when we first started, Brian, our manager, took some of our tapes to a record company. They refused them. They didn't want to know about The Beatles.
But we didn't moan: "This is the end of the line. We're finished. We simply decided to try again with another company. And as for comparing us with Bill Haley -- well, it's ridiculous. It's like saying, "Our granny has a wooden leg and so has our kitchen table. Doesn't the kitchen table look like granny?"
Anyway, I don't think ahead very much. I just enjoy life while it's good -- as it certainly is at the moment. And if it goes sour, well, I'll have to think of something else. I think most of all I'd like to be a really successful songwriter.
But I just don't worry, I suppose I have a got a sort of vague fear about death. The worst thing about dying seems to me to be leaving everybody behind having a great time. Is there a life after death? I just don't know -- so I can't believe it. Put me down as agnostic.
But let's get on to similar things. Like John Lennon who I help write most of our songs. John and I see eye to eye musically most of the time at least when he got his glasses on. We're always being asked how we write our songs. Well, I'll let you into a secret. There are two things we always do when we're going to sit down and write a song. First of all, we sit down. Then we think about writing a song. Sometimes we slog away for hours before we get anything. Other times an idea comes pretty quickly. Maybe we'll read something which we'll make a good musical sequence accidentally.
Somehow the songs get written, I suppose we've produced about a hundred altogether though not all of them have been published. It's funny, but while music is the thing I'm most interested in. I'm not really mad on playing the guitar and singing.
Sometimes I feel I'd like to learn the piano -- then I get tired of that and think about taking up the trumpet! Yet I suppose if I were to stop playing guitar and singing for a couple of weeks I'd miss them like mad. Basically, we haven't changed much since we started -- except George Harrison who went all big time for a while and actually started cleaning his shoes.
There is one thing I've noticed about myself which disturbs me a bit. I seem to get impatient a little more easily. If there is a breakdown in the organization it sometimes seems to get me down more than it should.
This annoys me. Because I see myself acting this way and can imagine people saying of me: "He's a spoilt little..." But I suppose this annoyance is an outlet of some kind. Of course, if you can be like Harry Secombe -- laughing all the time -- it must be fabulous. I'd love to be like that.
People have exaggerated the effect that this fan business has on us. Somebody wrote that we were frightened, lonely and bored. Well, we are none of these things.
It could get a bit dreary if it went on and on but believe me, we can take a lot more of it. I suppose for ten percent of the time you miss the privacy of going unrecognized. Then it can be a bind -- when you want to go out for a quiet walk or something. But that's a small price to pay for the wonderful time we're having.
What I like most about our music is the fact that there are no musical rules. It's unpredictable. You never know if John and George are going to remember the chords. But mind you, it's more difficult for them because they play their guitars the wrong way round.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Monday, January 25, 2021
I'm the Beatle with the Baby
This is the John Lennon part of the newspaper series from 1964 called "The Beatles -- by the Beatles themselves." Remember that this is written as if John himself wrote it. I found it glued into a scrapbook I purchased.
Ask yourself who is the most cultured, mature, artistic, married, short-sighted member of the Beatles ... and the answer's a Lennon.
A lot of people thought that when the news got out that I was married and had a six-month-old son, it would be professional suicide.
But they were so wrong. The fans were simply wonderful. I know that you're always supposed to say: "My fans are just wonderful." But I really mean it.
When they heard I was married, they wrote me hundreds of letters saying, "I like you even though you are married." And they sent dozens of presents for my son John.
Now I know I can afford to buy him all the presents he wants, but getting them from the fans was great. It really made me feel good.
We all realize that there is a danger that because of this fantastic fan worship we might get to think we're supermen or something. But when I feel my head starting to swell I just look at Ringo and I know perfectly well we're not supermen.
But I'd be a liar if I didn't tell you that we love all the publicity we're getting. Go on, admit it....you wouldn't mind getting your name in the papers either, would you?
What I can't stand is people who write in to the papers saying that one week's wages for The Beatles would build a church in Africa. And they moan about all the uproar and inconvenience we cause in various towns.
But I hope we give more enjoyment to more people than any church in Africa. As for the inconvenience -- well we don't' want to create it. We don't have people going round shipping up support and hysteria for us.
Still, I suppose that having had all the favorable publicity, it's now getting round knocking time. We don't mind people putting us down -- we enjoy reading the carping comments as much as the friendly ones. But there are always a few who feel they have to do their bit for society as an evil influence. Then there were the veteran musicians who say to each other, "Never mind, Bert, we'll still be playing long after this lot are finished."
Well, we don't profess to be brilliant, musicians. But the kids don't want brilliant musicians. I'd be the first to admit that our success is out of all proportion to our musical talent.
But we don't pay the kids to queue up for days to get tickets for our shows. So I suppose we must have something. One thing I know, we've got is mutual understanding. We were all friends before we started playing together. And we're individuals too; that's why we don't' have a leader.
The only thing I was interested in as a kid was art. My math teacher once wrote on my report: "He is on the road to failure if he carries on like this."
Well, I carried on like that, and believe me, failure is great. I met my wife at art school. We met over a pot of paint, I hope my son will turn out to be artistic, too.
I'd really like to spend more time with my wife and son. I try to get home regularly, but it's difficult. I had an idea at first of being a wandering minstrel, taking my wife with me. But it doesn't work.
So now she stays with her mum in Hoylake. I'm not hiding her from the public. But I have tried to keep her away from the press. I don't see why they should treat her like a freak just because she married a Beatle.
What does she think about my being away so much? Well, she knew what it would be like when she married me. And she's very understanding about it. I phone her nearly every day although the telephone is a horrible means of communication. Voices mean so little without the expression and gestures that go with them.
The thing that bugs me most is life is being shortsighted. I've been that way since I was ten. The other boys call me four-eyes whenever we have a mild shout-up in the dressing room. But I hate having those horn-rimmed things hanging on my face. The other boys have fun telling me the wrong door to go through when I'm not wearing them so that I finish up in a cupboard. But I haven't yet spoken to a poster.
By the way, all this talk about being fed up and frustrated because we are prisoners in hotels and theater dressing rooms is a lot of nonsense. One of the great things about being one of the Beatles is that we have so much fun offstage.
We're always clowning about. In Sweden, George took a film of me with his cine camera while I joined various groups of passers-by and started grinning and muttering to them. When they spotted the camera they tried to get away because they thought they were interfering with the film. But I just followed them and they couldn't understand it. It was hilarious.
What I'd really like to do is to write a musical with a lot of our humor in it. I get more fun out of writing words and music than from being on the stage really. The only trouble is that I'm dead lazy. Not that I count that as a falling. It's a blessing really.
People are always asking me what accounts for our success. I haven't the faintest idea. If anybody really knew just what made us tick I suppose they'd be forming dozens of identical groups. I mean you could tell four guys to play like this, dress like that, talk like this, play like that -- and it just wouldn't' work.
The next thing we'll get is stories that we're either cracking up or splitting up because we love what we do and we'd go n doing it even if we couldn't afford silver-plated yachts.
As for splitting up -- well we all know that one Beatle is no good without the other three. I tried singing on my own once, and I never felt so soft in all my life.
Elton John concert after party
Here is what Davey Johnstone wrote on December 9, 2020 about playing with the Elton John Band and that famous Thanksgiving night in 1974 with John.
The Elton John Band were fortunate to spend time with John in the mid-‘70’s culminating in him joining them on stage at Madison Square Garden, NYC on the 28th of November 1974. It would be his final concert performance.
Even after all these years, the memories of that unforgettable Thanksgiving night continue to reverberate and inspire awe among Elton’s team. At 7pm GMT today we will be posting a video about that special night which features contributions from Elton’s team (including Davey.)
We also wanted to share this very special photograph of Davey with John which was taken at the party after the concert. We love you, John 
[Photograph property of and courtesy of Davey Johnstone.]
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Rest in Peace Ron
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| "Beatlemania" by Ron Campbell |
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| Mitch Axelrod interviews Ron Campbell at The Fest for Beatle fans in NYC 2014 |
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| Showing one of Ron's artwork at the Fest for Beatle Fans NYC 2014 |
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Ron Campbell this weekend. If you aren't familiar with Ron, then I am sure you are familiar with his work. Ron was a cartoonist. He was one that worked on some really big-name shows: Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, George of the Jungle, Rugrats, The Smurfs and so many others!
He also worked on the Beatles cartoon in 1965 which lead him into becoming one of the head animators on the Yellow Submarine movie. Ron's work is some of the best scenes in the film. He did most of the stuff with Max and the Cheif Blue Meanie and I believe all of the "Nowhere Man" song with Jeremy.
While I don't believe he ever met The Beatles, his work on their animated projects should not be forgotten. Ron made the Yellow Submarine into the classic film we love today.
Once he retired, he spent time traveling around the country, displaying his artwork. He was a frequent visitor at Beatle conventions where he showed himself to be a very kind and talented man who would happily sketch a cartoon Beatle for you.
He will be missed.
Larry King and the Beatles
The decade of the 2000s was Larry King's time to shine when it came to the Beatles. He interviewed Paul and his then-wife, Heather Mills several times in the early 2000s. They spoke about landmines and seals.
In 2007, Larry spoke with Paul, Ringo, Yoko, and Olivia about the one year anniversary of the Love show in Vegas and was there for the unveiling of the George and John portraits that are in the lobby. This is the famous interview when Larry called Ringo by the name of George.
Then in 2008, Ringo gave Larry a hard time for mentioning how old he was (68) on his birthday during a segment about saying peace and love at noon.
From the top down
This has to be a first -- usually you see fans standing at the bottom of a hotel looking up at the Beatles waving from their window high above them. These fans did the opposite -- they went up to the roof and look down on the Beatles. I hope the guys turned around and gave them a wave as well.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
The Beatles: Ringo's Starr's Own Story
I am going to share the four-part series knows as "The Beatles by the Beatles Themselves..." by Universal Press Association. These articles were published in various newspapers in 1964 or could be ordered and send to your home for fifty cents. Imagine that you are a young fan in 1964 and you get these articles. You believe that the Beatles actually wrote these articles and you are excited to read the information. I have the four articles in a very cute scrapbook that was put together by a fan in 1964. I am sure she was thrilled to paste these into her book.
The Beatles: Ringo Starr's Own Story
Meet the Mad Mad Beatles, in particular the one with the Big Nose who calls himself Ringo Starr, but whose given name is Richard Starkey. He's looking for a steady girl. What will she be like? Here is what he wants, told in his own words:
I'm the small one with the big nose. They're always pulling my leg about my nose. And because I'm only 2 ft 9 in (actually 5 ft 8 in) they introduce me on the stage as the Midget.
I fold up when they say that -- well, I did for the first 300 times.
I'm also the oldest one - 23, Middle-aged, really. But if anybody asks I always say John's the oldest because he looks so much older. I mean he could be our father really -- if he was a bit better looking.
It doesn't seem that only a short while ago we did the Royal Variety Performance. It was great meeting all those people, like Marlene Dietrich.
People said to me, "Didn't you feel embarrassed among all those experienced performers when you've only been in the business a year?"
Well I suppose we were a bit embarrassed. But it's not up to us. What can we do? We were a bit nervous well, we just went on and did what we always do and they seemed to like it.
I know we're always making cracks about being simple, unspoiled lads. But honest, all this rush of publicity hasn't made us any different.
We still get a great kick out of seeing our names in the papers. It's not so long ago that we had to struggle to get a line in the paper.
It's great while it lasts -- and we all know it could all end in a year, or even in a couple of months.
It's fabulous to have so many fans, even though it means that we're prisoners in every theater we play. I see that some people have been saying that we're a burden on the police and all that.
But the police don't seem to mind. When we played at one town, a police sergeant told us that every copper in the station had volunteered for the job of getting us in and out of the theater.
People say it's a waste of public money -- but if the police weren't there it would cost a fortune in hospital bills. The fans are really wonderful but sometimes they get carried away. When they start showering things on the stage it's a problem for the boys in front.
We've only got to say we like miniature cars or hard candies and we get them showered at us on the stage. That's why I've given up liking eggs.
And if they must throw the candies I wish they'd take them out of the tins first. It was the same with jelly babies. One of us said we liked them and now we've got enough to last us until 1967.
This tour we're doing at the moment is great. In every other group I've been in there have always been arguments. But this is a very happy group. We always end up together even when we're not playing.
The only thing I miss is having a steady girl.
I was engaged to a Liverpool girl three years ago. It lasted a year, then we broke it off.
I've got a few girl friends in London and Liverpool but at the moment I don't' get a chance to see them. And though I love the fans, there's not much enjoyment in going out with them because I always feel they're with me because I'm a Beatle and not because I'm Richard Starkey (my real name).
But I'll tell you the sort of girl I like. I like them to be shorter than me, for a start.
The color of their hair is unimportant, but I can't stand girls that wear jeans when they are not built for them. Very few girls are.
They should have some intelligence. They don't have to be intellectual -- I wouldn't understand what they were talking about. But I don't like them to be thick. I like them to do a lot of talking because I'm no good at it.
I've got no plans to get married at the moment., but I'd like eventually to settle down with a wife and have a couple of kids. The best age for marriage? There's no best age. But I don't think you should wait until you are 29.
My future wife will be someone who can cook good plain meals. I'm very fussy about food. Can't stand onions.
I suppose what I like most of all in the world at the moment is playing drums. I started playing about five years ago and I think I'm better than I was. But I don't' do anything technical. Just off-beat stuff. I can't stand rock group summers who play modern jazz.
I can't read drum music. It would help if I could. I suppose - but I like working things out for myself. I keep the arrangements in my head. This way, of course, I sometimes make mistakes -- you know, your attention tends to wander when you are playing the same numbers over and over again.
My favorite drummer in Britain is Phil Seaman -- but there are lots of American drummers who are great. The drummers who play with groups like the Shirelles, for instance. They knock me out. They do such fab bits.
One thing I miss in the music business is getting home for Christmas. I haven't spent Christmas at home for the last three years. I love Christmas. It's a fab time.
My mother -- she used to be a barmaid- and my father (he's a painter and decorator) have got used to not seeing much of me. But being an only child I'd like to make it this year if I can.
It's a long time since I spent a quiet evening at home. and I love that. The only chance we get to relax now is going to night clubs. But I love being at home and playing records, watching TV or reading science fiction.
My biggest kicks musically come from original blues and singers like Chuck Jackson, Brook Benton, Dinah Washington and Sam Cooke.
Cinema? I like Glenn Ford, Paul Newman and the Method school. But there won't be much Method about our film -- mostly madness.
I shouldn't' say this -- being the newest member of the group (I joined in August 1962) - - but the other three are all potty. They only asked me to join because they had to have one good looking one.
But joining the Beatles was the best thing I ever did. Don't' ask me how much money I'm earning. I haven't a clue. It all goes into the company. We just get pocket money -- quite a lot of pocket money.
It's a bit different from being on the dole - as I sometimes was a few years back.
And if it all ended tomorrow? Well, I think I'd do what I've always wanted to do. Open a ladies' hairdressing salon.
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