The watchful eye of the manager

 

Yea Yea Yea They are Here for Concert (1966 Los Angeles

 

Yea Yea Yea: They Are Here For Concert

By Ken Lubas

The Van Nuys News

August 26, 1966

    "Hot" best describes the day, and "frantic" denotes the atmosphere as crowds surged about the Capitol Record Tower in Hollywood last Wednesday evening, awaiting the arrival of rock and roll's young kings, the Beatles. Youngsters and oldsters alike awaited the opportunity to catch a glimpse, and that's all that it was of the shaggy-haired foursome, as the Beatles emerged from the back door of an armored truck and were quickly swept away by security guards to their Hollywood press conference. 

    Revolver, the title for the British foursome's 20th gold record since the Beatles made their U.S. debut in January '64, proved to be the golden word of the evening. Alan W. Livingston, the president of Capitol Records, announced that with the awarding of a gold record for Revolver, their latest album, the Beatles now have a greater number of certified million sellers than any other artist in the history of the Record Industry Association of America. A gold record for a single is given for selling more than 1,000,000 copies. Capitol Record officials estimated the Beatles' separate recordings of either "Yellow Submarine" or "Eleanor Rigby", both on Revolver, will reach the magic mark.

     Sitting before the throng of reporters gathered in the large but, under the circumstances, not too spacious sound studio, Ringo Starr, the drummer, appeared in a blue-and-white polka-dot, high-colored shirt, multicolored sports coat, and blue-and-white striped pants. John Lennon was dressed in a reddish-brown wide-lapel suit and black sweater. Paul McCartney wore white slacks and a gray striped long-sleeve shirt, and George Harrison was in blue jeans, a white silk shirt, and a brown suede jacket.

     Answering questions concerning everything from their latest run-in with religion to future plans, the mopheads flourished their Liverpudlian personalities and aired their views. In reference to the widely quoted article in which Lennon allegedly said the British foursome is more popular than Jesus, Lennon said at the press conference. "I've clarified it about 800 times. I could have said more popular than telly or any other number of things, but they certainly wouldn't have been as good publicity."

     McCartney said bigots took it (the remark) up. He feels the bigots understood the statement to mean, "Ah, he's bound to be arrogant." When asked about reports of Beatles' record burnings, Lennon said Pictures he had seen showed "middle-aged disc jockeys and 12-year-olds burning a bunch of LP covers."

     When asked if they thought all the publicity hurt their image, all agreed."Our image is what we read in the newspaper." Elaborating on the subject, McCartney said, "We know our real image, which is nothing like our picture image."

     Turning to the subject of their expected money from the current American tour. The Beatles don't have time to worry about such matters, Lennon said, "If we worried about it, we'd be nervous wrecks."

     About future plans, the group is considering a script for a new movie, but couldn't give any details of pending production. Lennon explained his appearance in the movie How I Won the War came about while he was alone on a holiday. "They just asked me, and I said yes." When asked what his favorite American singing groups were, Lennon said the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas, and the Lovin' Spoonful. 

    Starr explained to disappointed reporters that he doesn't carry pictures of his baby in his wallet, or any other pictures for that matter. Harrison, the quiet Beatle, was overshadowed by his counterparts during the meet. 

'    When earlier asked about politics, Lennon said, "Politics? They have no message for me, nor for any of us. I haven't got much time for politicians. I've never bothered to vote. The bomb? Nuclear disarmament? Well, like everyone else, I don't want to end up a festering heap, but I don't stay up nights worrying. I'm preoccupied with my life, not death."

     The Beatles, who were in Southern California for a performance at Dodger Stadium Sunday evening, said their most disappointing tour was in Manila, Philippines, last month, where they were booed as they left the islands.

    Following the conference, the Beatles, surrounded by security guards, bounded for the nearby armored truck and were mobbed by about 500 hysterical teenage girls. Guards surrounded the truck, and once their valuable cargo was safely enclosed, they rode through the Capitol parking lot on the rear and front bumpers to prevent the girls from hanging on. As the vehicle departed into the sunset, heading toward the Hollywood Hills, many of the excited youths leaped onto motorcycles to follow the group back to their residence there.

Unmoved By Mops (Los Angeles 1965)

Unmoved by Mops

By Penny Bleile

The Van Nuys News

August 31, 1965

 

The city editor said, “Go cover the Beatles press conference.” It was Sunday, and I really wasn't very happy. Mother said, “Thousands of girls would love to go.”  I said, “Mother, you could go.”

 We arrived at the secret press location to find about 200 teenagers waiting for their heroes to arrive, plus a large sign on the front door saying, “Welcome Beatles”. Several teenage girls mobbed us. I told mother, “short haircuts on girls and long ones on boys would only lead to trouble.”

 We were about to offer the girls our autographs. They wanted the photographer's camera and our press credentials. We said, “No”. They were mad. We were nervous.

 We walked up to the door and showed them our press credentials. The policeman and the young lady at the door said, “Step aside. If you don't have a gold ticket, you can't come in.” We stepped aside. The teenage girls laughed.

We waited 10 minutes and tried again. We stepped aside again. The girls laughed louder. Finally, they let us in. I was lucky and got a white slip that allowed me to sit while my associate and the news cameraman had to stand.

 Officials said I could ask a question when the Beatles came in.  A guy stood on stage and asked that there be no demonstrations when the Beatles walked in, a silly thing I thought to ask members of the press. Then I looked around and could find only about half a dozen authorized members of the press. The rest were young girls and long-haired boys.

The Beatles finally came in. No one demonstrated. I poked my cameraman. He had almost fallen asleep. The press conference began. I took out my pencil and paper and wrote down my question. I raised my hand, and they put the microphone near me. I opened my mouth,  and the girl next to me grabbed the microphone and asked Ringo if he answered all his fan mail personally. “Sometimes”, he said. They took the microphone away.

The Beatles sat on stools on the stage and drank Cokes and smoked cigarettes. Someone asked if the Beatles appreciated women more now that they were famous. “We always appreciated them”, said Paul McCartney.

They were asked if they would grow old gracefully. “We’ll try to,” said John Lennon. He smiled. The girl next to me sighed. I looked puzzled.

 Next, they were asked about what they thought of the police protection during their Los Angeles stay. “It was so good”, said Paul, “that even our friends couldn't get in to see us. “

There was a pause. Some photographer fell off a chair. The girls laughed.

The Beatles were asked about the new picture they would be working on. They said it would be a Western film, with 90% of it  would be shot in Spain, “because it's cheaper than filming in the United States.”

 Someone asked Ringo if he knew what was his basic appeal. “I don't know. Maybe my smile.” He flashed his smile.

 A child psychologist asked how they react to the public pressure, which tries to turn them from people into symbols. “We only do it two hours a day, the rest of the time we’re people,” said  Ringo. “That's a very good answer,” said  the psychologist. The girls applauded .

Next, they were asked about the empty seats at their concert in San Diego. They said they added that concert at a later date. Ringo chewed his gum.

 Another girl asked where they got the inspiration for their music. I smiled then “out of our mind” came the answer.

 And so it went until an hour had almost passed and the grand finale came. The President of Capitol Records gave them a gold record because their album of “Help” had sold over  1,000,000 copies in less than two weeks, something their other six albums had also done.

The man on stage said to clear the room for security reasons. The Beatles had to get to the Hollywood Bowl. We got up to leave, and the girl I sat next to ran toward the stage. She stole Ringo’s Coke, and her friend took the cigarette butts that once belonged to George and Paul. I wanted to go back and get something of John's so he wouldn't feel bad, but some guards were tearing him away from one of his fans. So I left.

We got Cokes on the way out, but of course, they didn't belong to the Beatles, but they tasted good anyway. We walked outside, and there were about 300 girls waiting. The Beatles walked out, and the girls rushed them. The guards held the girls off, and the Beatles jumped into their armored truck and headed for the Bowl. Three people stepped on my feet as they ran after the truck.

 We walked to the car in the parking lot. “What's going on here?” Asked an elderly woman. We said, “The Beatles were here.”  “I should have known,” she said, and drove away with her husband.

 I drove home to tell my family about my visit with the Beatles. My father said to be quiet. He was watching a movie, and my mother said I just didn't appreciate the finer things in life. The Beatles got $45,000 for their work Sunday night. I got a sore foot and hunger pains. I should have known, too, Lady. 

 

Beatles Shrug Off Press (Los Angeles 1965)

 

Beatles Shrug Off Press

By Ray Duncan

Pasadena Independent

August 30, 1965

A new era began in American life, starting Sunday night, when the Beatles held a quiet press conference. Though the average age in the room was very low, there was no screaming, no clawing, no fainting, no gasping, and very little applause. It was an ordinary, orderly press conference, such as might be held for the President or for a quartet of astronauts.

 A modest crowd of youngsters had gathered outside the Capitol Records building in Hollywood for the supposedly secret event, but they created no disturbance. Inside, in a large recording studio, several uniformed guards had no trouble keeping order when the famous four marched in. The people who seemed to do the least work at the Beatles. Beatles press conference are --the Beatles

 Photographers fought for favorable positions. (Dozens of little girls with Brownie cameras were accepted as photographers for this happening.) and guards kept the cameramen at bay, and the TV cameramen sweated under the heat of the lamps.  A British press agent waved his arms to stage-manage the affair, but the four casually clad Beatles sat in careless ease, facing the crowd and cheerfully evading most of its questions.

One Beatle was smoking, another chewed gum, and one did both. They wore loafer-style jackets and open shirts and an air of having been through all this many times before.  They were cordial and quick-witted enough, even in the face of idiotic questions. After all, what can you ask a Beatle?

 But something in their manner suggested an undertone of good-natured arrogance and quiet contempt toward this part of their peculiar career.  As is customary at these Beatles press gatherings, very little significant communication took place. “Is there any truth to the rumor…..?”  A questioner began, and a Beatle at that point quickly answered, “No.”

 “Will this be your last World Tour?”  “No, and it's not a world tour. It's only America after all.”

 “What is your basic appeal to young people?”  “I don't know, really " said Ringo, trailing  off into a smile, which is part of the answer.

“Which singing group is next to you in popularity? “ “I don't know. Really, there's a new one every week.”

 One hard fact emerged from the Beatles and seemed to move the audience deeply. They declared that their favorite American singing group was one called “The Birds” [sic]

After 15 minutes of this sort of exchange, it was more interesting to watch the audience, and there were many remarkable, pretty girl children whose eyes were a little too old, but whose lips were still vulnerable with youth. Many were brassiered beyond their years, coiffed in a manner that couldn't be striking, and blonded in various unconvincing shades.

The audience boys included one who had dressed like a Beatle in concert black and who had also neglected his hair in Beatles fashion. With him was a girl with ordinary girls hair, which looked strange.

“Where do you get the ideas for your songs?”  “Out of my head.”

 A bearded elderly man who claimed to be a child psychologist asked the Beatles how they managed to survive the pressure of publicity and adoration. They said, “Well, it's only about two hours a day. The other 22 hours were just plain people.”

 An adoring girl asked, “How long do you think you will be supremely popular as you are now?”  “Well,” said a Beatles, “let me figure…”  And he trailed off into a reverie, ending with a sudden smile, no answer.

“ Do you find that you have to be more circumspect now than when you were less famous? “Circumspect? No, we're Roman Catholics.”

 And the jolliest question of all from a serious adult, “Do you have any comment on the recent charge that you are actually aiding the communist cause by softening and corrupting our youth?”  Said the Beatles, who are getting $45,000 for each of the two sold-out concerts in Hollywood Bowl last night and tonight, “We're all capitalists.”

Ringo promotes Help!

November 6, 2007
 

Ralph Gibson in Hollywood

 

August 24, 1966

The Hollywood Capitol Records press conference in 1966 has to be one of the most photographed press conferences of the Beatles career.    Here are some photographs taken by freelance photographer Ralph Gibson.   These are all new to me.  

I sneaked one in for Mark to enjoy!   

The conference at the tower

 

Revolver press conference

 

The thinking man

 August 24, 1966 -- Capitol Records Tower press conference 

The man from U.N.C.L.E.

 

The Beatles with actor Robert Vaughn on August 24, 1966, during the press conference at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles.  

(Info for all those out there that always want to tell us when and where photos were taken.  Hahaha!)

Tony Barrow leads the press conference

 

Peace and Love 2019

Another installment of Girls that met the Beatles from Datebook

All photos taken by Vicki Hessel 

Fans that Got to Meet the Beatles (Los Angeles)

By Vicki Hessel

Los Angeles, California:  Even standing there among the photographers in the crowded room on the first floor of the Capitol Records building, I didn’t believe it.  I wasn’t quite sure why I was there, but it just couldn’t be for a Beatles press conference!  I didn’t even feel excited, just tense.

But there was Tony Barrow saying, “The Beatles are on their way.  We’ll have all the photographers come up along the front here for five minutes of still photos.  Then, after the questions, we’ll ask you all to leave so the television equipment can be set up.” 

Surrounded by professionals with their complex cameras and equipment, I lifted my little “Flashfun” with a bulb and was ready.  I’d moved pretty close to the front of the room.  Being 5’1” often has advantages.

Suddenly there was screaming from an opened side door.  Photographers clicked frantically at whatever their huge bodies were hiding from me.  Being 5’1” doesn’t ALWAYS have advantages.  Then I saw the Beatles – casually dressed, laughing, waving and reaching for ciggies.  I touched the man in front of me.  “I’m short,”  I said against the noise.  “You can shoot right over my head.”   He smiled and helped me squeeze in front of him.  Sardinesville.    I was crushed by shoving bodies and swinging camera equipment.  I managed to snap some pictures over the shoulders.

After a bit, I found myself in front.  The boys were on a small platform with a red drape background.  I clicked, ejected and replaced the flash bulb, rolled the film, and then shot again as the boys grinned, waved, looked this way and that.  Then my twelve pictures were gone, and the photographers were being moved back to the sidelines.  When we were finally contained behind a sawhorse, I found I was still in front, crushed against a very tall photographer who plainly wished nineteen-year-old girl reporters with “flashfun” cameras had never been born (or at least released from their cages).  Sitting about three feet from me was U.N.C.L.E.  Robert Vaughn, and near the boys was Dave of the Byrds. 

The Beatles were seated on their swivel stools.  John swung joyously about on his throughout the conference.  George, wearing a brown suede jacket over a white silk shirt tuck into scuzzy blue jeans sat nearest me…my beloved Paul in white Levis and a grey shirt with black pinstripes, John, in a black jersey shirt and dark-cinnamon colored suit, and Ringo in blue and white striped pants, blue print shirt and white jacket.

During the first few questions, Paul accidentally pulled the cord from his microphone.  Making his “oops” face, he tried to fix it, looking about in embarrassment.  George, the electrician finally leaned over and fixed it.

Q: An English designer has said that miniskirts aren’t popular in America because American woman have ugly legs.

Ringo:  If they don’t’ wear miniskirts, how can you tell if their legs are ugly?

George and produced a coke from somewhere and was drinking it.

Q:  A recent Time magazine article said “Day Tripper” was about a prostitute and “Norwegian Wood” was about a lesbian.  What was your intent?

Paul:  We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, y’know?

Q: do you have much trouble getting around?  Can you go to the movies?

Paul:  In England we can ‘cause we know England.

Ringo:  But when we’re in America, we’re on tour, everything’s advertised, and that’s why everybody knows where we are.

The others turned in mock surprise, John slapped his legs and exclaimed in one of his many voices, “Oh!  Is that why everyone knows where we are?”

Q: John, did you meet Cass of the Mamas and Papas?

John:  Yes.  She’s great.  I’ m seeing her some nights.

Q:  What is your most exciting or disappointing experience?

George:  I think Manila was the most disappointing.

Q:  I’d like to address this next question to George.

John:  Yeah, George what’s your new address?

Q:  You recently made a statement about coming to America to be beaten up…

George:  Oh, that was after Manila and someone said, “What are you going to do now?” and I said, “We’re going to rest up before we go get beaten up by the Americans.”  By beaten up, I meant…

John:  jostled

George:  Yeah, jostled.

Paul:  Anyway, we aren’t beaten up by fans.

George:  Yeah.  There’s been a lot said about fans.  All the ones we lost we really don’t mind.  If they can’t make up their minds, who needs ‘em?

Q:  About those Beatles bonfires…

John:  We missed ‘em.

One of the adult newsmen, irritated by the number of young girl reporter present, asked John if they were always so blessed by “would be” reporters.

John:  You can’t always tell the would-bes from the real ones.

It ended too soon and people started leaving as the TV equipment was readied.  Photographers were free to take more pictures.  I didn’t have any film left, but I went forward anyway.  After a moment, I found myself in front of the Fab Four and still unable to believe it.  I waited until Paul had finished speaking to a man, then I called, “Paul!”  And held out my hand, unable to say “can I shake your hand?”

He stared at me for a second and then a smile burst across his face and he was leaning down toward me.  His hand, strong and wonderful caught mine and shook it vigorously and my favorite face was looking at me as it grinned and said, “How do you do?  Glad to meecha!”  I had no answer ready and was unable to say a thing.  I hoped desperately that  I was smiling back at him but he seemed to understand.  Then he stepped back with the others.

Still feeling like an embarrassed idiot, I glanced to my left at the small table before George’s microphone.  There stood his half-empty Coke bottle.  I fought a mental battle and decided:  Yes, I was silly enough to want the bottle as a souvenir.  But I couldn’t just walk off with it.  I’d have hated for George to see me leaving with it, especially if he were still thirsty.

“George!”  I called.  He looked my way.   “Can I have your Coke?”  He shrugged and nodded, saying, “Yeah sure.”  I captured my prize and left the stuffy room feeling very happy.

I guess what impressed me the most was that they were so much nicer than I’d expected them to be.  They weren’t sarcastic or irritable, even when asked the most stupid questions.  They really seemed to be enjoying themselves.  They were friendly, polite, pleasant, bouncy, and funny, willing to follow the photographers’ zaniest suggestions.

John’s face looking learner; he seemed to be the most alert, answering most of the question quickly, often supplemented by a remark by Paul.  George was very casual and thoughtful and smoked a lot; he seemed to be the most concerned about the Manila flap.  Ringo, sweet and cuddly, smiled a lot and was rather quiet.  Paul was a clown, lively but innocent looking with his lazy eyes and lightning wit.

Their best treatment was for their fans, the girls who had managed somehow to get there, and who wanted to shake hands or get an autograph or collect a Coke bottle.  That famous Coke bottle?  Of course, I still have it.  It’ll make the most precious pop-art vase in all California.

Revolver snaps

Photo shoot in Hollywood