An online Beatles fan club for and about Beatle fans
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Jim Stagg's take on The Beatles
This week, I have been posting interviews that the Beatles gave to various U.S. disc jockeys for Datebook magazine during the 1965 North American tour. The last one I have isn't an interview but more of a reflection written by Jim Stagg.
Chicago's Jim Stagg, host of "The Stagg Line" on WCFL from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, is generally ackowledged to be one of America's top D.J.'s. Before his DJ days, Jim sang on radio stations in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Cleveland and even had his own album of songs -- 18 copies sold, according to Jim. And all to his mother. Right now, Jim feels that protest music is "a good indication that young people are thinking more and more about today's problems and issues -- much more than my generation did." He's 30, by the way.
Jim accompanied the Fab Four on their 1964 trip as well as the 1965 tour. Following are excerpts from Jim's interviews with the Boys as well as his personal impressions of them.
Have the Beatles changed since the last tour? No, I don't think so. They're just as unassuming as ever. They reflect an air of satisfaction and contentment. They've arrived, and they're basking in the warmth of it. As George Harrison said, "We don't have to prove nothin' to nobody."
Regarding the controversy over their Order of the British Empire, John Lennon told me, "It's the highest honor we could ever achieve. All of the other people who received the medal got it because they killed other human beings. We have earned ours by entertaining them. Consequently, we deserve them more."
Has marriage changed Ringo? Ringo told me, "The most important element in marriage is a willingness to compromise." I think marriage has changed Ringo. He's a little more serious than he was, a little less flamboyant, and perhaps becomes irritated more quickly than he used to. He's still the same warm and sincere individual and perhaps the least assuming of the entire group. He doesn't put on airs. He's just plain Ringo.
I asked the Beatles, "Could any one of you alone be as big asd as successful by himself without the other three?"
They all agreed, "No, it could never happen."
But Ringo added, "If any one of us could ever achieve success by himself, it would be Paul McCartney. He's got the looks. He's got the best voice. And he's a talented songwriter. And besides all that, he's such a dolly!"
Hundreds of girls have asked me the same question. "Are the Beatles REALLY as nice and friendly as they look?" My answer? Yes, dear little Beatleful girls. They are not only nice and friendly, but they are perfect gentlemen until they are bugged! (You should pardon the expression)
For instance, they all but tear their famous moptops out when they are asked the following question by interviewers: "What are you going to do when The Bubble bursts?" And you can't blame them for being irritated at things like that - they're entitled to revolt.
How do they feel about the latest fashions? Paul McCartney told me, "I like girls' skirts about the knee. Why shouldn't I? They've got such pretty knees!"
Making the White Album
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| Photos by Linda (Eastman) McCartney |
John looks so different without his glasses in this photo...
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Without You-The Tragic Story of Badfinger: A Book Review Ba
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| Badfinger performs at the original Cavern Club |
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| Badfinger with George Harrison |
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| Harry Nilsson with Pete Ham and Tom Evans (writers of Without Out) |
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| Mal Evans with Kathie Molland |
Many books are called "The Tragic Story," but I think the story of Badfinger truly deserves those words. In reading the book Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger, I really realized just how tragic it was for these Apple music recording artists. It was a long book, and while I knew how the story ended, I kept waiting for things to get better. It never did -- things just get worse and worse.
Badfinger (originally called The Iveys) started out as a band during the height of The Beatles but never tried to be like them. However, because they caught the attention of Mal Evans and got signed onto Apple Records, plus Paul McCartney wrote their first hit song, they were constantly compared to The Beatles. They HATED it. As much as they loved the Beatles and appreciated everything they did for them, they quickly were tired of answering questions about the Beatles and being treated as 2nd-rate Beatles.
That didn't stop them from associating with the Fab 4. George Harrison especially appreciated Badfinger and asked them to perform at Bangladesh and on All Things Must Pass. It Don't Come Easy was first offered to Badfinger before it was given to Ringo (can you imagine anyone but Ringo singing that song?)
But even with hit songs for themselves, concert tours all over the world, and a #1 song for Harry Nilsson that they wrote -- Badfinger could never make it big. They were always broke. They were mismanaged and lost money. Joey Molland's wife, Kathie, was the cause of a lot of issues for the group. The drummer, Mike, left the group for a while, and they had another drummer until they got Mike to come back. Promises were made to them that never happened. Egos seems to get in the way. Badfinger should have been a lot bigger than they were. And it all lead up to the sad death of Pete Ham and later Tom Evans.
The book was very interesting, and I read a lot about the group that I never knew. I didn't think it painted Joey Molland in a very good light, but then again, it didn't paint much of anyone in a good light. The Badfinger story is messy, and the author did a good job of telling the story in spite of the difficult subject. I thought the book was longer than it needed to be, but that might be because the chapters were long. I don't like to stop reading in the middle of a chapter, and that might be why it felt like such a long book. This book was written in the early 2000s, and it is now outdated in some parts, but overall, it was an interesting book.
This is the affiliate link to purchase the book from Amazon. For every purchase using this link, I get a very small percentage of the purchase. Any money made from Amazon links is used for the annual fees to keep this site going.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Gary interviews the other Beatles
More interviews from Disc Jockey, Gary Stevens during the 1965 Beatles tour in North America and Datebook magazine.
Gary: Which do you prefer - playing a few weeks in one theatre as you do in England or one-nighters as you do on tour here?
Paul: Well, actually, if you think about it, if we play one place here, it's the equivalent of playing two weeks in England because the theatres are so much bigger here.
Gary: One of the newspapers last night had a story about you being about to marry Jane Asher. Is this just one more false report that you have to deny?
Paul: I never said it, but it's daft to deny it. That would just add to their story. They only write a story like that so that the next day, they can say, "Paul McCartney denies it."
Gary: Some people say your style of music is changing. Do you find that you are doing more folk-style or country-western?
Paul: Not really. We've done a few in country style, like "Honey Don't." On our last album, you might think we're going classical because we've a string quartet on it. But we just like doing a bit of everything that pleases us.
Gary: how did you feel facing 55,000 people in Shea Stadium?
Paul: Not nervous about it. Even if we made a million mistakes, nobody would know about it. We just listen to them!
Gary: Do you feel that you're almost a prisoner in your hotel?
Paul: No, I quite enjoy hotels. And besides, all the people we like come to visit us, instead of us going to them. But I would quite fancy going for a walk sometimes.
Gary: How is married life treating you?
Ringo: I enjoy married life. It's good fun. Everyone should be married.
Gary: Are you the boss?
Ringo: I think I am, but I'm not sure!
Gary: Do you have any pet names for your wife?
Ringo: No. I just called her Maureen, Mo, or Midge.
Gary: How have people reacted to your marriage?
Ringo: Ninety-nine percent of the mail was good. Everybody congratulated us.
Gary: Are you nervous about the big crowds that mob you?
Ringo: the only thing you have to be careful of in a big crowd is that there are so many people.
Gary: you often steal the show when you're all together. Are you the natural comedian of the group?
Ringo: I don't think I'm funnier than anyone else.
Gary: Are you going to get tired of making movies after a while?
Ringo: No. I don't think so. I enjoy it more and more.
Gary: Do you get tired of singing the same songs over and over at concerts?
Ringo: No. It's just like being a builder. They can't use a new style of brick every day.
Gary: Do you think it was more fun on the way up than now?
Ringo: It wasn't fun when we were starving. But when we first had a number one records, that was great. Then we played the Palladium, and someone said you couldn't do any better than that. And then we did Carnegie Hall, and they said the same thing. It's a very good coming up.
Gary: Has having money changed you? Are you a different person now?
Ringo: Not really. But I know that people sometimes just talk to you because you are a Beatle, not a fellow.
Gary: You're dressed casually in Levis spattered with paint. What's the story behind all that paint, George?
George: I'm not an artist if that's what you're thinking. The paint is from my painting the walls of my house in England.
Gary: Do you buy most of your clothes in England?
George: Yes, but there are some good clothing stores in the south of France, too.
Gary: Do the Beatles usually take their vacations separately?
George: Yes, but I haven't had a holiday in a long time.
Gary: George, you seem to have the longest hair of the Beatles. Was it always that way?
George: We all had much longer hair when we were first getting started. Brian Epstein had us cut our hair a bit and put on suits. But now our hair has started to grow back to normal again.
Gary: Do you find that old friends react differently to you now that you are famous?
George: No. People who have been good friends are still good friends. They are amazed when we visit them, and they see we are still the same as ever. We haven't changed all that much.
Gary: Do you get on well with other English groups?
George: If you were to go into one of the popuar English clubs at night, you'd probably see members of maybe eight groups who are all enjoying a laugh together. Like with the Aniumals and the Stones. People think we all hate each other, but that's not true. We're all in pretty much the same position, and talking about our work relaxes us.
Gary: How do you feel about the tremendous effect you have on fans?
George: We don't want to be setting examples to people. We enjoy the music we play and the films we make, but we don't want to put ourselves on a pedestal and say we're gods now. We want to be normal and stay sane, and have a great time.
Paris 1960
I scanned this photo from a poster. It looks much better than what I previously had of this photo. Previously, John sort of looked very washed out and you couldn't tell there was someone in the background.
Monday, February 26, 2024
Interivew with John
Just like the interview with George I posted yesterday, this is an interview with disc jockey Gary Stevens and John Lennon from Datebook magazine, published in 1965. It occurred during the 1965 Beatles North American tour.
New York's Gary Stevens is one of the youngest DJs in the Empire City, entertaining one of the nation's largest teen audiences from 7 through 11 p.m. every night on WMCA, the home of the "Good Guys." Gary shares the spotlight with his friend enemy, the Wooley-burger, which he calls "the world's most ferocious animal." According to Gary, "Listeners can tell by its growl that this is no beast to fool around with," but they can count on this lively character to serve as the foil for Gary's lively pranks.
Before joining W.M.C.A., Gary DJ'd in Miami, St. Louis, and Detroit, where he also hosted a TV bandstand show.
He's a Beatlemaniac from way back, even having vacationed with them in London.
Following are excerpts from Gary Stevens' various exclusive interviews with the Fab Four.
Gary: Do you feel that your audience has changed any?
John: Over all, it's probably grown a bit.
Gary: Is your audience growing up?
John: No, I think getting younger. The average age is about 13.
Gary: Is it easier to play for a lot of people than for a small group?
John: Yes. Nobody is going to know what we're doing.
Gary: How is life for a Beatle in London? Are you always surrounded by fans?
John: We can go almost anywhere in the world as long as we go alone. If I leave the house, say, at 10 a.m. and go out to buy a pair of shoes - a few people will see me, but no big crowds with gather, and no press.
Gary: you have the reputation of being the "intellectual" of the gorup. how do you react to fans' worship of the Beatles?
John: It looks like worship from the outside, but we really don't meet any fanatics. You know that the fans like you, but you never know how they really feel.
Gary: It has been said that you fellows don't take yourselves seriously. Is that true?
John: No, we couldn't. If we did, we'd start thinking we were gods or something.
Gary: Do you get nervous when fans charge at you?
John: Not too. As you know, our security is pretty amazing.
Gary: If you could say one little thing to your fans, what would you say?
John: What I'm saying now. I don't think of them as a mass. If I were talking to one of them, I'd find out what she wanted to know. I wouldn't just say "Hi, thanks for buying my records." Maybe she likes us and doesn't buy our records.
Gary: Does acting come naturally to you? Do you have a dramatic coach?
John: No, we don't. They just give us lines, and they try to make it look like we're acting. Half the time, we don't look at the script. We do it on the spot, and it requires many takes. I didn't even know what our two films were about until I saw them.
Gary: Do you like to listen to your own singing?
John: I like to listen to our new records.
Gary: Are you a perfectionist?
John: No!
Sunday, February 25, 2024
George and Drew (Datebook inteview from 1965)
This interview was posted in Datebook magazine in 1965 after the Beatles 1965 N. American tour.
Atlanta's Paul Drew, one of the most influential disc jockeys in the nation, has been the mainstay of WQZI's talk-and-music schedule since he took over in 1963. With his straight-from-the-shoulder, no-kidding-around approach, Paul has managed to garner the enthusiasm of both teenagers and adults in and around Atlanta on weekdays from 7 to 11p.m. and Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight. The kids really listen to what "Paulie" has to say on station "QUIXIE" because they know he's a phony baiter from way back. On his show, you can hear the latest in pop as well as authentic regional music. Paul Drew's favorite composers? Paul McC and John L.
Paul traveled with the Beatles on both their American trips. Following are excerpts from the series of interviews he had with the Beatles as he accompanied them on their last tour.
Drew: Who is Steve Bimbo and the Alligators? I heard you mention him yesterday.
George: Steve Bimbo is nobody.
Drew: Who made it up?
Geroge: John. It's one of these things that we do if somebody is having a discussion or talking about something. And one of us just doesn't quite catch a name and says who, and the other one, instead of telling him the name, he'll make the name up, and that's what John did the other day.
Drew: Oh, this is a brand new joke from yesterday?
George: You see, I was drying my hair with a weird hair dryer that actually shook my head so that I couldn't hear what everybody was talking about, so I kept sticking my head out, saying "Who" or "What?" And every time I do, John would say, "Steve Bimbo and the Alligators." Just a little joke, you know.
Drew: Have you done any shopping for any of your friends in England since you've been in America?
George: No, we're all slow. We just bought a few T-shirts and hats, but you know we haven't bought anything spectacular; all we bought was a portable radio, you know, a transistor. We usually have to get somebody to come down from the shop and bring everything he has, and then we end up buying quite a bit of stuff. But you know, there's nothing really that we can think of that we want.
Drew: And I guess it does take some of the fun away not to be able to go out and buy it yourself?
George: Yes that's the thing, 'cause you know I like going in a shop and then seeing something and then buying it. for us, we've got to know what we want beforehand and send for it. But when somebody who owns a shop brings down a whole lot of stuff, he usually brings stuff that we never thought of, but we like, you know.
Drew: I notice you have a comb in your pocket, do you comb your hair much? Or do you just usually let it lay naturally?
George: Well, I just usually comb it when I get up in the morning, trying to get it going right. Because it's usually like a tree when I wake up in the morning. Then I comb it before I go on to the show.
Drew: Have you had a haircut since you've been on this tour?
George: I clipped a bit off of it myself last night.
Drew: What did you do with the locks? Everyone will be interested.
George: I wrapped it up in a few pieces of tissue and threw it down the toilet.
Drew: Shame on you. Those poor fans who'd like to have a lock of your hair!
George: Never mind.
Drew: Any particular reason why you don't sing one of your two songs on the American tour?
George: Yes. We like to do songs that are older ones that people know more about. You know, it's bad enough for them trying to hear what we're doing as it is. At least if they know the song, then they don't worry about hearing it as much. you know they can all join in or do what they like.
Drew: If you could play, just for the fun of it, with any other group of your choosing, just say the other Beatles would say, "Go ahead, George, have a ball, go play with such and such, and give it a good go." Not professionally, and not for a future, but jsut for the fun of it, who would you like to sit in with?
George: I don't know. I'd like to sit in with the Byrds I think.
Drew: Have you ever done this, sat in with another group?
Geroge: Yes. Last trip to America. LAst year we ended up in Key West 'cause we couldn't land in Jacksonville because of the hurricane, and we stayed in a little motel there, and the Bill Black combo was on the trip with us, set up the equipment in the bar, and later when everybody had gone home, we had a sssion, just on our own, and it was nice. I never enjoyed playing so much for ages. It was great.
George's 21st birthday
February 25, 1964
I am feeling sorry for "Anne" and Benita -- after George left from these photo op, these fan club leaders had to clean up all the letters, keys and other gifts received.
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