August 5, 1961
An online Beatles fan club for and about Beatle fans
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Waiting Five Days to Meet John (1980)
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| Photo taken by "Blonde Brenda" |
I found this story in the July 1980 issue of "With a Little Help From My Friends." And it just seems off to me. According to the note before the article, it was originally published on June 4, 1980, in the Soho News, which was a Milwaukee newspaper, and was sent to the fanzine by Curt Merwin.
As I read the story, I realized I knew it—it was Brenda's story. If you ever read Fred Seaman's book, then you might remember Brenda. I have met Brenda numerous times at Paul McCartney concerts, Beatles conventions, and even had a nice get-together at her home a few years ago. She has told me her story about meeting John in 1980 -- I specifically recall the part about talking to him about Beatlefest and him sitting in his limo, chatting with her. I also remember her talking about meeting John on Yoko's birthday and bringing her flowers.
So either Brenda used an alias of Marsha and said she was from Wisconsin instead of Minneapolis when talking to whoever wrote this article, or Marsha stole Brenda's story and claimed it as her own.
Stranger still -- no writer is listed for this story, and when I Googled "Soho News in Milwaukee," there is nothing listed. Nonetheless, I am going to reproduce the article just as I discovered it.
Thunder, lightning, the rain is coming down in sheets. Umbrellas collapse. Traffic stands still. Pedestrians run for cover, but a teenage girl yells joyfully into a payphone on Central Park West, oblivious to the downpour. "I saw him!" she shouts. "I talked to him. I got his picture!"
Marsha Salzberg, 18, has just finished talking to John Lennon, 40, former Beatle. For two years, this slender girl with the round, flushed face and slightly crooked teeth has been coming from her home in Middleton, Wisconsin, for one purpose-to wait for John Lennon in front of the Dakota, where he lives with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their son Sean.
"I guess I've talked to him more than anyone else," says Marsha.
Are there many others?
"Oh yeah, one girl from Pennsylvania, a couple from Queens, mostly from New York. I'm friends with lots of them. I get their addresses out of the Beatles fan magazines. Write to them, then come out and visit."
She drifts back to the moment. "He talked so much today. He wouldn't shut up." She shakes her head at the wonder of it all. "He's moody, though. Some days he's the sweetest guy, but others, like the first time I saw him in January of '78, we've been waiting six days, and I was about to leave for the airport when he and Yoko came out of a cab. I said "hello", and he said "hello...goodbye," and that was it.
I tried some other times, but nothing happened until February of '79. It was Yoko's birthday. I had all these gifts and flowers for her. First, John came out. He was adjusting his hat and smiling. Then Yoko came out with friends. I kissed her, and she said, "That's very kind, thank you." Then I hugged John, and he said, "That's very nice." I'd brought him a plant.
"It all started about seven years ago. I saw a TV special on the Beatles, and I couldn't believe how the girls were reacting. I had to find out what was going on. Paul was my favorite at first. Then I remember listening to Rubber Soul, and realized I liked John better.
"I've been to New York five times, and I've seen him 17 times. Mainly, it's just small talk. I never know what to say because I don't want to offend him."
But this time was different, and as Marcia speaks, her eyes are blank. Part of her is still with John, still living the most important 10 minutes of her life. She speaks without emotion, almost clinically determined to remember everything-not for mere self-glory, but for the love of history.
"Today I didn't recognize him at first because he changes his look so much. He had his hair pulled back with a ponytail in the middle and a full beard and a mustache that kind of went up at the end, and I said, "John, do you remember me?" And he said, "Yes, you're the girl from Wisconsin. Are you the one who's been waiting five days?" And I said, "Yes, I can't believe you came out". And he said, "My dear, after waiting five days, you deserve it."
"Then he sat inside his limo, and I knelt down beside him, and we talked. I said, 'Can I give you a kiss?' And he said, 'No, I don't want to get into that. Here, shake my hand or something.' So I took his hand and held it. I asked what he was doing, and he said, 'According to everybody, all I do is stay in my apartment and sleep, and I'm bald.' And I said, 'Well, you're definitely not bald. You look really good,' and he smiled. And then he said, 'Are you here for the Beatlefest?' And I said, 'Yes'. And he said, 'I've always wanted to go to one of those. They have photos I've never seen before. I saw this one of us at Hamburg, me and Stu, the dead beetle, and Paul and George, and this pimp.' Then he said, 'Are you one of the new generation of Beeale fans? You weren't around when we first came out. 'And I said, 'You probably think I'm crazy.' He didn't say anything. Then I said, 'John, can I take your picture?' And he said, 'Yes.' I took it, and then a secretary came out and saw me and said, 'John!' He said, 'It's okay. She's been waiting five days to get it.' I took a second one, and John said, 'Okay, that's enough.'
"Then Sean came out with his nanny and Yoko's mother, and they got in the car. John said to Sean, 'Watch out for the baby's fingers', as he closed the door. Then Yoko came out, and I said hi, and she said, 'Please don't bother John. He wants to relax.' And I said, 'Okay.' She kissed John goodbye, and they left. And she waved."
Marsha wants to be alone to walk in the rain, knowing that she's been part of John Lennon's life this morning, and that he is now part of hers forever. She can't think anymore or analyze. "I don't know why I do it. It's just that people worship him. It's a thrill. As John left," she says. "He said, 'See you next time.' I said, 'If I come out again, but I probably will, but I didn't want him to know that."
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
John and Yoko Live in Montauk (1976)
John and Yoko Live in Montauk
By Craig Neidermeier
The Write Thing
September/October 1976
John and Yoko live in Montauk, Long Island, right now. I had a friend show me his house. It's a secluded oceanside brick home. So, being a curious Beatles fan, one day my girlfriend and I wanted to go and swim on the beach, so we decided to walk through John's yard, not really knowing if he'd be there.
I was really tense because I saw Yoko walking around in the house. Then we got to the backyard, and my girlfriend said, "Hello, John," And I looked to my left, and there he was, blue cut-offs and a T-shirt, and just looking out to sea. He seemed amazed that we were in his backyard with blankets, pillows, and our dog.
I asked him if we could possibly cut through his yard to get to the beach, and he said, "The beach is down the road. Bug off." He was upset that we were trespassing, and I said I was sorry, and he said "Yeah, sure", and then we left.
If I only knew he was home, I would have knocked on the door and did the whole scene more politely. But it was still a great high point in my Beatle life to be actually talking to him in the flesh. You can see him on any given day riding his bike through town. People just act cool, and he feels comfortable. Paul and Linda were in Montauk on September 2, eating in a high-class restaurant there.
North vs. South views on the controversy (1966)
I have always found it interesting to read real people's reactions to John's Jesus Statement during the controversy in the United States. I chose two different areas of the United States to share what people were saying. The first article is from Wisconsin (in the north) and the second is from North Carolina (more in the south).
They're Still Loyal To Beatles
By Clifford C. Behnke
Wisconsin State Journal
August 8, 1966
If some teenagers in the United States are about to burn their Beatles records, it doesn't look like their counterparts in Madison are going to pitch the first disc.
The Beatles' banning and burning began two weeks ago in Birmingham, Alabama, where two disc jockeys retaliated against Beatle John Lennon's remarks in Datebook magazine by instigating a ban on Beatles records on their stations and urging listeners to send in Beatles records, wigs, and other souvenirs for a big bonfire.
Lennon was quoted as saying the Liverpool quartet now was "more popular than Jesus Christ, and that Christianity will vanish and shrink."
"I think it's stupid to ban their music for something he said," freckled Jenny Sheahan, 15, said in Lennon's defense as she finished a Coke at King's Restaurant on the square Saturday afternoon. "I don't think he was right, but he's entitled to what he thinks," said Jenny, who saw the Beatles in person in Chicago last summer. "I think the radio stations know that the teenagers don't want the stations to ban the Beatles," she added.
Madison's two rock and roll stations, WISM and WMAD, which play the Beatles records, will continue to play the group's recordings. The stations are allowing their listeners to voice their views on the controversy over the air. Both report that callers are not in favor of a ban on Beatles music.
Janet Robey, 17, a clerk at Victor's Music Store on Capitol Square, said, "It was ridiculous to say what he did," but she also thinks a ban on the Beatles would be equally ridiculous. Janet added that she thinks some parents and teenagers who never liked the quartet are behind the ban movement.
Tom Forsythe, 17, who leaves for the Air Force today, agreed and said, "I don't think the ban is right." He was one of the few teenagers interviewed who liked the new Beatles single, "The Yellow Submarine", which was released last week. "It's an unusual sound for the Beatles," he said. The majority of teens said they disliked the new record, but not because of the recent controversy. It was too unusual to be readily accepted, according to most.
Freckled and pert, Janice Nash, 16, said, "I still like 'em. I think John was joking around when he said it."
Sue Fass, 17, said she doesn't think religious beliefs should interfere with their music. "I think that's two different things. Christ stands for religion, and the Beatles stand for something else."
Peter Robinson, 14, a drummer in the four-piece Intrigues, a Madison rock-and-roll group, was not a big fan of the Beatles and was also against the ban. But he was critical of the quartet's drummer Ringo. "He doesn't change his beat from record to record."
"I don't think people should take it seriously," said Camilla Carraher, 14, another customer at Kings. "It's just that they're in the public eye so much they have to be careful what they say," she said. "But I don't think John should have said it in public."
A giggling Linda Young, 14, said they didn't mean that when they said that. "It's not their fault. If people listen to the records, it means people aren't paying as much attention to religion these days." Linda said she was ready to picket herself if Madison radio stations banned the music.
Blonde, blue-eyed Candy Lofton, 14, of Minneapolis, said, "The Beatles are not more popular than Christ, and they never will be." She attributed the group's popularity to their hair. Candy was lucky enough to see the Beatles perform in Minneapolis, but she didn't hear one note they sang because everybody was screaming.
And the Beatles still are a scream. Most teens are still loyal fans, and even the less enthusiastic throw cold water on possible Beatles bonfires in Madison.
Beatles Battle: Take It Or Leave It
No Writer Listed
The Salisbury Post (N. Carolina)
August 6, 1966
You can just about believe what you want to about the Beatles controversy with so many different versions out. If you've been looking for a good excuse to dislike the Beatles, you have one now if you want it. Or if you still want to remain a Beatles fan, you can do that too by saying that John Lennon of the Beatles was quoted out of context or whatnot.
What is certain is that the whole incident has caused many local youths to reassess their sentiments about the singing group, as the short interviews indicate. What is perhaps most ironic is that some youths who could never have been swayed into disliking the Beatles by anything their parents or other adults could say have done so now on the basis of what a Beatles himself is said to have said.
The following paragraphs are some of the things carried in several newspapers about the controversy: "The furor was set off after a magazine article quoted John Lennon of the Beatles as saying the mop-haired group is more popular than Jesus. More than a dozen radio stations in North and South Carolina have dropped recordings of the Beatles from their programs because of what they consider a sacrilegious remark attributed to a member of the long-haired group.
"Beatles manager Brian Epstein said John Lennon had been misinterpreted. When a newsman asked Epstein if he actually believed the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, he snapped, 'Of course not!'
"'I do not think for one minute that John Lennon intended to be flippant or irreverent,' said Miss Maureen Cleave, whose interview with Lennon set off the wave of Beatles bannings in the United States. She continued, 'He was simply observing that so weak was the state of Christianity that the Beatles were to many people better known.'
George Chun -- Zimmerman's employee -- Route 4, Moxville: "Personally, I don't think they're more popular than Jesus Christ. I don't think they will outlive Jesus Christ because religion has been here since His time. Man has to have something to believe in and strive toward. This group, I think, is just a passing fancy. The long hair attracts the young ladies. I do like them as a group, although my favorite kind of music is progressive jazz. If anything, I think John Lennon was saying those things in that interview to cause more talk about the group."
John Bulcher --radio announcer, salesman -- Route One: "I never really thought they would come out with a statement similar to the one they are credited with. It seems to me that they are condemning themselves. Lennon has used a comparison which I think is out of bounds. Our station doesn't play Beatles music by the Beatles, but by other groups doing their songs. Our musical format doesn't allow Beatle music by the Beatles anyhow, so we don't have to make a decision about whether or not to play them after this.
Danny Fisher -- Assistant Kenny's Manager -- Morepark: "As I understand it, there's been a mistake in what he said. It's unexcusable if he did say it. What I think must have happened is that John Lennon said, referring to a few teenagers, that even the Beatles are more popular right now with some teenagers than Jesus Christ is. With just a few young people, I think he is correct. I don't believe the majority feel that way, though. I don't really believe Lennon said it, meaning what he did."
Mrs. Eddie Nester -- store decorator-- North Main Street: "I just think it's disgusting. They've got a lot of influence with young people, and he should have known it would cause a big controversy. Somebody like that ought to watch what he says. I used to like to listen to the Beatles, but not anymore. Nowadays, Johnny Mathis is about my limit. I don't have to worry about buying their records because, you know, you don't buy records after you're married. "
Herman Hyman --smoke shop owner--Rutherford Street: "I think John Lennon's statement reflects a kid carried away by his own popularity. I believe the kid is not one who doesn't believe in religion. I think he does. I also think he's sorry now. I don't think it's so much about possible financial consequences as about the fact that he has disillusioned so many youngsters and knows he cannot undo what he has done."
Paula Hyling -- high school senior-- Birmingham, Alabama: "I like their music, but I don't like the things they have been saying. I have bought their records. I just don't believe the things they said are true. They must think they are so big now that they can say anything they want to and get away with it. I used to be a real fan of theirs; they have just kind of made me mad."
Earl Smith -- fiber industry employee -- Route Four-- Moxville: "I'm a Beatle fan, although I'm not crazy about their style, their hair, or their clothes. I think they are kind of overjudging themselves. I just don't think they're that popular. Younger people than myself are really the ones who have kept them in business to date. It's a fad; it will die out."
Charlene Carscaddan - West Rowan, Southmore- Route Six: "Right now, I don't like them. I don't think there's anybody better than God. I was a fan of theirs. I just like their music. Now, I'm not going to buy any more of their records. Period."
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