Monday, April 25, 2022

Contact with The Beatles

 After seeing photos of The Beatles with the Maharshi in Wales in August 1967, I wondered about the fans that are in these photos.  Were they there to listen to the Maharishi too?  Were they local fans?   I was happy to discover this story written by an unknown fan that was there that day.  It was written right after seeing them during that time.  The printing on this article in the newsletter was hard to read (I sort of enjoy it because I feel like I am breathing new life into this story).  There is one word that I just couldn't make out, but it doesn't take away from the story at all. 


Contact with the Beatles

As told by an anonymous girl in Wales

Around the Beatles fan club newsletter

October 1967

We left the house at about half-past six the same night, and we made our way to the college.  We came up to the main gates where a crowd of only 15 people were there.  We saw Marianne Faithful across the courtyard, but we weren’t satisfied at only being outside the college.  We walked along the road by the college.  We walked along the road by the college and found a small path going alongside the college.  This path led to an archway just about 50 feet from the building in which THEY were in.  We dared not go any farther as there was a policeman with an absolutely huge ______ guarding the door.  We waited there for about half an hour and decided to ask one of the men if the Beatles would be coming out soon.  He was very nice and said that the Beatles would be coming out before long to go to a lecture in a hall about 100 yards away.  We dashed along to the hall to find that we were the first there.  The crowd gathered before long, but it was only a small crowd of about 60. 

I had a present for Paul.  It was a huge fluffy flower on a stick.  I had inscribed on the stick “TO PAUL FROM DILLYS”.  The followers of Maharishi began to come to the hall.  We had a talk from a lady, warning us that The Beatles were here not for singing but for meditating.  And that we shouldn’t’ scream or mob them.  I was beginning to get nervous by now and wishing that I wasn’t in the front row of the queue.  But suddenly there was a blaze of flashbulbs and I heard a cry from my sister, “Oh isn’t Ringo good looking!”  And there walking towards us were John and Ringo.  They both said “Hello” to us and they were so close that we could have rubbed shoulders.  They walked slowly by – they are so better looking than their photos.  John was clean-shaven, but Ringo had a mustache.  George followed them.  He also said “Hello” and flashed a quick smile which showed those gorgeous white teeth.  George had a mustache and his hair was almost reaching his shoulders.  And following George was Paul!  His tall slim figure was easily recognizable.  His pictures do not do him any justice at all.  He walked slowly up by me.  I clutched my present in a shaky hand and I told myself that it would be now or never.  I took a deep breath and I put my present in his hand.  He turned around and looked at me. He is so good-looking.   His hair is black and shiny, his eyes slant, and are gentle.  He said, “Oh, is this for me?”  I said, “Yes, it’s a present for you.”  He said in a sincere voice, “Are you sure you don’t’ want it back?”  I could just about manage to say, “No, you can keep it.  It’s a present.”  He clutched the stick to him, took one step forward, looked back again and smiled (and oh what a gorgeous smile), and said, “Thanks love” in that gorgeous Liverpudlian accent.  For the next five minutes, I could only say “He spoke to me.  He spoke to me.”








  After the crowd had dispersed my sister and I went to the large windows of the hall.  We went to the nearest window by the stage and watched and listened to Maharishi talking to The Beatles and his followers.  Maharishi and the Beatles sat on the stage, and the followers sat on seats in front of the stage.  Paul wore an ice blue Chinese-style shirt, green trousers, and brown leather shoes.  He sat most of the time with his right leg crossed over the left and his hands clutched his right knee. George wore a multi-colored shirt and orange trousers and only sandals on his feet.  Ringo wore a multi-colored shirt, green corduroy trousers, and mustard-color suede boots.  John also wore a multi-colored shirt, white trousers, and only sandals on his feet.  Paul noticed us once and smiled.  But George was the worst.  He kept looking at us through the corner of his eyes every five minutes.  We arrived home at about eleven o’clock that night.




The next day we went to see them again on Sunday.  We were allowed to wait outside the door this time.  We had only been waiting for 10 minutes when John came running out before anyone could ask for an autograph.  Paul was the next to come out, his stepsister Ruth was holding his left hand, and in his right hand, he had a load of newspapers.  I was a bit nervous of asking him for an autograph as he had his hands full.  But I went up to him and asked, “Paul, please may I have your autograph?”  He smiled and said “Sure, love.”  As he signed my book on top of all his newspapers, I told him that my present looked like a large fluffy flower and not like a duster as some people had thought.  He laughed and said that he had thought that my present looked like a flower.  As soon as he had given my autograph book and pen back, he was surrounded by pressmen.





  I couldn’t get to Ringo as he was also surrounded by pressmen.  George was only talking to one man, therefore I ran up to him to ask for his autograph.  But it was evident George was arguing with the man.  I stood by George’s elbow for five minutes listening to the argument.  When they had finished talking, George was in such a temper that he didn’t see me and walked away and opened a door and slammed it behind him!  I’m glad I didn’t follow as I might now have a broken nose!  I went home feeling very happy. 



  But that happiness did not last for long, as that night we heard of the tragic death of Brian Epstein.  I deiced to go up to the college and try to see The Beatles and say how sorry I was.  But on the road to the college, I saw a big, black car passing and sitting in the back was Paul.  He looked pale and his face expressionless.

 


 

18 comments:

  1. "An absolutely huge____" In Britain, police dogs were Alsatians. On the fields behind Forthlin Rd, police held an annual festival, which PM and brother always watched from their garden shed roof, and part of the show was watching what the trained Alsatians could do. Remember the found footage of the festival from 1958-59, Sara? where you could see 3 blurred figures on what was evidently PM's house when you counted the properties along that row - - 2 of those figures figures almost certainly PM and MM and the third that year possibly JL. Anyways, I am thinking the "huge____" guarding the door in Wales might be 'Alsatian'?

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    1. You might be right because the first letter looks to be a lower case a.

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  2. Truncheon. He had an absolutely huge truncheon.

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    1. enjoyed this wales account very much - good find Sara

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  3. Paul blew it. He should have married Jane.

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    1. Jane was and is a brilliant woman in every way

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  4. And they would have ended up in divorcing!

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  5. They would still have gotten divorced, simply because they weren't meant for each other. That's destiny. Why is this site filled with Paul haters and Jane's obsessrs. This is baffling to me, pls Sara say something. I know it's free speech but this is just too much.

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    1. I need help keeping track of all of this at the moment. People in the 1960s and onward seem to be very obsessed with Jane being better for Paul than Linda. What happened is WAY in the past, and Paul ended up happily with Linda. I can't say what would have happened because it didn't happen. Jane is an important part of The Beatle's story because she was there for so much history and inspired many songs. That is why I post photos of her. However -- she was never and will never be Paul's wife.

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    2. Sara, thanks for being open minded. Paul wrote those songs inspired by Jane because he loved her. He has admitted that. Obsession works both ways. There is a lot of online hate and misogyny towards Jane Asher from Beatle fans. How she was no good for Paul, wasn't 'meant' for him, only cared about her career, never loved or supported Paul, was incompatible with Paul, and can't act. On top of this, fans exploit Linda's early death to ridicule Jane's looks now that she is old. What's the matter with these people? It's all rubbish. I would say later fans probably don't realise just how difficult it was for relationships during the Beatlemania era. John, George and Ringo's marriages also broke down. That must mean that they too were incompatible, were never meant for each other, or destined to find other people. Really? Four out of four relationships failed - that's way way above the statistical average. To all you people who get upset with the 'Paul should have married Jane' trope (I'm not one of them btw) why does it upset you so much anyway if Paul and Linda's marriage was so secure and happy? That is so weird. Paul changed. They all changed and not necessarily for the better unfortunately.

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    3. not really paul haters but a lot of us just love jane that's all

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    4. Sara - your post kinda surprised me as you sound a bit hostile toward Jane; it's only some fans' opinions not obsession; Paul got who he wanted

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    5. Thls obsession with Jane is leading you nowhere! You have your opinion and I stick to mine. Jane and Paul weren't meant for each other and they would have end divorcing, just like the other three. During their courtship, they spent a lot of time away from each other, relationships don't work that way. The other three married young and both Cynthia and Maureen were pregrant. They must have faced alot of problems during Beatiemania. No wonder they got divorced. On the other hand, their second marriage worked because there was maturity, real love and investment (time with each other). That's why Paul's marriage has worked and so has Jane's. This lady would have a good laugh if she happens to see this obsession. Give it a rest!

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    6. I still don't really comprehend what this whole conversation is about. I am just in a grumpy mood, in general, this week, and it has nothing at all to do with the beautiful and talented Jane Asher. She was never Paul's wife, and over the past 50+ years, people have kept saying that she should have been instead of Linda (is that even what this discussion is about?) Like Cynthia, Maureen, and Pattie, Jane is part of the Beatles story. I am confused and too exhausted to try to untangle the entire conversation.

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    7. Sara - there is nothing to disentangle. It isn't about whether Paul should have married Jane. I'm not seeing that in most of the comments about her. They are mostly about Jane herself or Paul's infidelities. Is so, then I disagree about it going on for 50 years. It's the advent of the internet and social media that has stirred all this up. And to be fair, just as many people will say Jane had a lucky escape from Paul as those who say he should have married her. A bit of perspective helps. I wish you a pleasant weekend, Sara, and hope you are feeling happier.

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    8. Sara - there is nothing to disentangle. It isn't about whether Paul should have married Jane. I'm not seeing that in most of the comments about her. They are mostly about Jane herself or Paul's infidelities. Is so, then I disagree about it going on for 50 years. It's the advent of the internet and social media that has stirred all this up. And to be fair, just as many people will say Jane had a lucky escape from Paul as those who say he should have married her. A bit of perspective helps. I wish you a pleasant weekend, Sara, and hope you are feeling happier.

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  6. I agree with everything you said, thank you Sara.

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