Summer 1971 in London

 Tonight I have a nice fan story written by Pamela Elijah.  It was originally published in the 1971 newsletter for members of the Beatles Fan Club in Indiana.   

England – Summer 1971

By Pamela Elijah

 

Those of you who write to me regularly know that I went to England this summer, and I have received several letters asking for details of my trip.  I thought it would be easiest to put it in this newsletter rather than trying to write all the details to everyone.  I was accompanied by Tempy Snow (Area Secretary for Vermont and Mass.).  We left Boston on June 7^th and arrived in London on the 8^th.  We both stayed with friends in Streatham, which is a section of Southern London.  Though we didn’t stay together, we were lucky enough to be within walking distance of each other.

On our first day there we learned that George was working at EMI studios on Abbey Road, producing a single for Badfinger.  So on June 9^th, we decided to go down and try to see him.  We arrived there at 5:15, only to learn that he had gone in at 5:00.  We decided to wait until he came out, and during the time we waited, we saw him come out into the hall a few times to talk on the telephone.   As it turned out we didn’t wait for him.  We left at 10:00 because it was so cold that our bodies were beginning to go numb.  (I later found out, when watching the weather on TV, that it had been the coldest June in England in 20 years!)

We went back the next day, the weather was warmer but it was raining, so we decided that if we could see him go in we’d leave then. (We had both developed colds from the night before).  There were a few people there.  Tempy and I were with Carolyn Mitchell (from Utah) and Val Furbish (She was formerly the Area Secretary for Delaware, now lives in England).  There were a couple of girls from New York and one of the Apple Scruffs.  We were all waiting patiently when suddenly the rain stopped, and just as it stopped George’s car pulled in.  One of the New York girls went up and talked to him for a few minutes.  He walked past my friends and I went up the steps.  When he got to the top, Carolyn called out to him.  He leaned down and asked what she wanted.  She was going to ask him for the lyrics to “Ain’t That Cute,” which is a song he had written for Apple artist Doris Troy.  Being very nervous, she ollked {sic] at him and said “Could you get me the lyrics to ‘Ain’t She Sweet?’”  He looked rather confused.  Val jumped up and said, “Cute!”  George then asked if they mean “Ain’t That Cute” and said he would get her the lyrics.  (He never did.)  I can’t remember what else was said, only the way he looked standing at the top of the steps.  He was wearing blue jeans, a denim jacket and cap, and a yellow shirt with Sanskrit writing on it.  He had cut his hair shorter the week before.  As soon as he went in, the rain started again.  This was all I saw of George as he left that Saturday for the States.

 

June 13^th I went with Val to see Ringo’s house.  It is in Hampstead, which is very lovely section of London.  It’s a big brick house on a quiet little street.  We played with Mr. Villoughby (Ringo’s Siamese cat) and then Martin Lickert (Ringo’s chauffeur) came out so we talked to him for a while.  We saw Zak and Jason playing in the garden.  Zak seemed very quiet, while Jason was just the opposite.  When he saw us he started to yell and scream, which caused the dogs – a poodle named Tiger and a collie named Sophie to start barking.  Jason started spitting at us, as Val said he is a “pretty normal little boy.”  Maureen must have heard all the commotion because it wasn’t long before she came out (dressed in a Superman t-shirt).  She looked very annoyed to see us, so we turned and quietly left.  IT was at this point I decided it was best not to bother them at their homes.

Paul receiving flowers from Vicky (June 15, 1971)

On June 15^th  Tempy called to tell me she found out Paul was going to be at EMI the following day and we made plans to go down.  However, later that evening I began to feel sick and found out my cold had led to tonsillitis.  So while everyone else went to see Paul, I ended up in bed.    I heard he was very nice, and Vicky Bell (from Cleveland) gave him flowers for his birthday.  He thanked her saying it was “wonderful.”

June 19^th Val, Carolyn, and I went to an all-night Beatle festival on Portobello Road.  They showed A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, and Let it Be.  They began at 11:30 pm and ended at 6:00am.  The theater was packed and it was almost impossible to find seats.  By the time the movie started every seat was taken and there were people packed in sitting in the aisles.  No one can say the Beatles aren’t popular anymore.

Since George was out of the country, we decided on June 20 to go to Henley-on-Thames to see his house and take some pictures.  It’s a beautiful place.  He has two small houses plus the huge one which you have probably seen pictures of.  He is now living in one of the smaller ones while the large one is being fixed up.  His land seems to stretch on forever with all sorts of beautiful trees and flowers.  While we were there we saw Terry Doran (George’s assistant) and Greg French (George’s cousin from Florida who is living with him).

Maureen (photo taken by Pamela Elijah) on July 1, 1971

July 1^st Tempy and I went to Apple to meet Pattie O’Neill and Mar Young.  When we got there they said Maureen was there, so we waited until she came out.  She seemed very shy.  Mar gave her a scarf and seemed very pleased with it.

July 16, John and Yoko made an appearance at the Claude Gill Bookshop to sign copies of Yoko’s book “Grapefruit” which was just released in England.  When Vicky, Tempy, and I arrived, it stretched back for blocks.  We got in line with Patti and Mar.  When John and Yoko arrived, the whole crowd surged forward.  There was no more line, just a huge mass of wall-to-wall people.  I’ve never felt so closed in all my life, as I couldn’t move a muscle for at least 15 minutes.  I nearly fainted a few times and completely lost all my friends.  Luckily, John and Yoko were safe behind a table, signing books.  After about 25 minutes I somehow grabbed a book and got out.  I later found out Tempy had been pushed right up against the table and she got to stand there and talk to John.  As people got their books they began to clear out, so by the time they left there were only a few people around.  Vicky found out from a boy who worked there that they would leave by the back entrance.   We went out and waited for them there. Besides us, there were a few girls from Denmark.  John looked wonderful, wearing black trousers and shirt and a black jacket with little flowers on it.  Yoko was wearing a red and white hot pants suit.  They signed autographs for a while and then left in John’s white limousine.

 

July 18^th – Sarah Nolte called to tell me that she had been able to get me a ticket to George’s August 1^st concert at Madison Square Garden.  So I made plans to come back early in order to get to the concert.  As it turned out I missed the concert, but I was lucky enough to see George, John and Yoko, Maureen and the children in England.  There’s so much more I could go into …the days we went to Apple…seeing Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, and so much more.  But if I mentioned all the little things, I’d go on forever. 

Paul 'Caught Me on The Nose' says Carolyn

 

This is a story about Carolyn Mitchell from the April 1972 issue of the I.F.A. (The Independent Free Apple).   This was an anonymous Beatles fanzine from the early 1970s.   So I am not sure who wrote this originally in 1972.  The first part of the story came from The Daily Express on Friday, July 2, 1972.

No one really knows what happened.  Did Paul really punch Carolyn in the nose?  What we do know for certain is that Carolyn had been bothering Paul by hanging around his house on Cavendish and then hanging out around the farm.  Paul was angry and approached her and basically yelled and cussed at her.  She always stood by the story that hFe gave her a bloody nose and he said that it didn't happen.    Since they are the only two people there -- we will never know the complete story. 

I have "talked" to Carolyn through this site on a few occasions and I really, really love her book.  She looks back and admits that she made mistakes and would do things differently today.  Please do not judge her from what you think in 2021.  She is a very lovely person.  

Number one Beatles' fan Carolyn Mitchell demanded an apology from Paul McCartney last night for, she claimed, hitting her on the nose.  Fan and Beatle clashed when Paul told her to clear off from his farmhouse near Campbelltown, Argyll.  Carolyn went to the police, who are sending a report to the public prosecutor  Last night, Carolyn, a 24-year-old American said she would drop her complaint if Paul said sorry.  She waited in her car for him a few yards from his house.  Inside Paul denied he hit her and said there was nothing to apologize about.  He refused to see her.  His version of what happened after he saw Carolyn perched on rocks overlooking his home on Monday:  "I was very annoyed.  For three years I have been asking this girl politely, pleading with her to leave me alone and on Monday I admit I was rude and the words I used were very rough, but there as no rough stuff."  Carolyn from Salt Lake City, Utah, said, "I was shocked by what happened.  I was just sitting there hoping maybe to see Paul when he came up to me very angry." Paul's hand "caught me on the nose."   Carolyn came to Britain to be near The Beatles, she said.  She now lives in St. Johns Wood, London. 

For those of you who have been to London, to attempt to meet a Beatle, trailing cautiously down Cavendish Avenue, or stood across from #3 Savile Row (wondering if you would be welcomed to join others on those steps).  Wherever you were scouting London, you may no doubt have met or seen Carolyn Mitchell.   She may seem to come from nowhere and in turn, you wonder just where she did come from, but she's always there.  Most recently she was that little blurb in your local paper.  A vague story of the girl Paul had supposedly smacked in the nose (it had coverage in many countries). 

My first meeting with Carolyn was also my first day in London.  As my friend and I wandered around St. John's Wood, looking for a casual pen pal (they all seem to survive for some reason in this area).  We found ourselves at St. John's and Elez Hospital, just at the end of Cavendish Avenue.  Carolyn was being assisted by friends in gathering up her belongings and mountains of kept plunder.  She just quit her job as a maid at the hospital and with her slight pay, she was moving out of her tiny quarters to attempt a repeat to go up to see Paul at his farm...again!

She left by bus, an 18-hour jaunt, first to Glasgow then to Campbeltown.  She didn't have knowledge of a place to stay after she got there, or how she'd return; she didn't have enough money for that. 

To know Carolyn isn't exactly to pity her or let her fall on her own stones.  Regardless of her share of misfortunes, I wonder if she has an angle on her shoulder.  She always seems to get out of some pretty hairy situations.  Recently she had threats of being reports, but she's still in London today. 

The most admirable quality of her personality is that she's friendly as well, and she refuses to believe that Paul dislikes her.  She has wandered aimlessly from one job to another and has been known to put want ads in the paper asking for positions near or in St. John's Wood, "to be near Paul McCartney."  She has been working on a book about The Beatles for ages, compiling peoples (fans ) in person account and meetings of The Beatles.  She had tried to get George and Ringo interested in supporting the book, but they kindly avoid her. 

Nobody hates Carolyn Mitchell.  She had found tolerance from the Scruffs, company with the Baddies, and has curiously interested many by passing acquaintances from other countries and visitors to Apple. 

Give her a Break, Paul!

This is an article from a London newspaper published on April 5, 1970.   I found it in the July 1970 issue of "Beatles Rule!" newsletter.   It was written by Peter Oakes.

Gone are the shrieking hordes of delirious girls.  Gone are the straining police cordons outside besieged theatres., but Beatlemania is still with us.

It's there, with all its unswerving adoration, outside a 40,000-pound house in St. John's Wood, London, home of Beatle Paul McCartney.

Come rain, hail, or shine, dozens of teenage girls, maintain a hopeful vigil outside the black double doors of No. 7 Cavendish Avenue.  Day in, day out.

All for a glimpse of their idol, and perhaps (just imagine) a friendly word from the star himself.  The most devoted fan of the McCartney flock must surely be 23-year-old American Carolyne Mitchell.  She arrived in Britan 13 months ago and since then hasn't missed one day outside the hallowed McCartney home.

Carolyne, who works in a private nursing home, explains it simply:  "I care for Paul.   I care for him deeply.  I'd like to be in there with him.  I'd be with Paul and I'd be happy."   There is, of course, a snag to that little idea.  Paul has a wife, Linda.  And what a sore spot that is for his worshippers on the doorstep.

To them, Linda is a great obstacle between them and their hero and what they say about her is enough to make an old style Beatle mop curl.

In his bachelor days, Paul would talk to the fans outside over the house intercom system.  Of even go outside for a chat and to pose for photographs with them.  Those were the good old days. 

Now they don't' see very much of Paul, sometimes not at all for weeks on end.  What wife, after all, wants her husband to chat with a bunch of strange girls outside?

But still, fans wait.  And wait.  And hope.  From time to time, police move them on, but in no time at all, they are back.  It really is all very frustrating and annoying for everybody, at least Paul's neighbours.

Mrs. Evelyn Grumi, who lives opposite, with her husband and two children, said, "The girls sit on our wall.  I wouldn't mind if they just sat, but they play their transistors very loudly and shriek and giggle and shout.  If you try to talk to them reasonably, they just hurl abuse language at you."

The McCartneys have complained to the police about the girls standing outside causing a nuisance.  Matters did come to a head on the night off Paul's first wedding anniversary.  One group of girls celebrated the occasion by spreading confetti and pushing a bunch of flowers through the gate. 

Another group banged dustbins and barricaded the McCartney drive with milk bottles -- with the result that three of them ended up in court for insulting behavior.  The fans have been in divided camps ever since.

The confetti crowd have since transferred their adulation to the headquarters of Apple.

They even produce a duplicated "magazine" which has recorded the girls conclusion that Paul was stolen from the fans by his wife.  Another issue has a lost and found column.  In the lost section was the time"  "Beatle Paul -- last seen March 12, 1969." 

Sally and Christine are in this group.  Both are 20 -- left their homes in the provinces to come to London to be near their idols. 

Christine said, "I met Sally outside Paul's house and stayed with her.  My parents were a bit upset but they accepted it.  I was without a job for six weeks and spent the whole of the time following Paul and the Beatles around."

Sally described those traumatic days after Paul's marriage, "When he first brought Linda back, we would all stand in a row and scream abuse at her."  She also recalled an incident while Paul was on honeymoon.  A lot of girls, many of them Americans, broke into Paul's house and stole all his photographs.  he used to leave his windows open and girls were always climbing in and out.

On his wedding day, Paul's mail was also intercepted by the ever watchful fans.  The letterbox is easy to get into.  They took out the telegrams and read them.  But they put them right back after they had read them.

Now, four houses in Cavendish Avenue are empty, and display signs declaring "Sold" or "for sale" or "acquired."   Neighbours have even held informal meetings to try to work out a plan of campaign to get rid of the troublemaking fans.

Perhaps the answer lies with Paul himself.  For persistent fans -- the followers who made him an idol -- are an inescapable fact of Beatle life. 

Perhaps he can spare a few minutes to chat with Carolyne.  What a break after 13 months of waiting.  He's obviously the only person in the world the fans will listen to.

Kansas City Here we come!

This story is by Carol Mitchell, who I have written about before on this blog and who has responded in the comments section.   You may recall that Carol wrote a great book called All Our Loving which is mostly about her time in London waiting for the Beatles in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  Her book also has other stories in it, including this one, which has been on this site in part before.  Here is the full article as published in the November/December issue of the "The Write Thing."

Going to Kansas City … Kansas City Here I come

By Carol Mitchell

9/1/82

It was twenty years ago today…  Well, really only eighteen years ago that I first came face to face with four young men that we’ve all come to know so well.   I was eighteen then and just out of school when I heard the Beatles might add a concert date to their already announced ’64 tour schedule.  It seems Charlie Finley, then owner of the Kansas City A’s baseball team, couldn’t let “the boys” disappoint all the “wonderful young people” in K.C., so he offered Brian Epstein $100,000 and finally upped it to $150,000 to get the Beatles to appear.  I got in touch with some friends in Kansas City (I was living in Iowa at the time) who sent for tickets for me.  (They were older and not inflicted by this new insanity).  And I finagled press credentials from an old friend in Des Moines ‘cos sitting in a seat in a stadium just wasn’t close enough!

My father drove my friend, Nancy, and I to Kansas City.  I’m sure it was a long drive for all of us.  Nancy and I were eager to get there and my poor father was cooped up in a car with two raving nervous Beatlemaniacs.

When we got in around noon, we cleaned up and hurried to the Muehlebach Hotel (where THEY were staying) with press credentials in our hot little hands.  We had been forewarned that the press conference was closed to anyone under 18.  (Nancy was 17).  So we had both made the ultimate sacrifice and tucked our bangs behind headbands so we would appear more mature.  Well, we got in touch with someone who checked our credentials and sent us to room 111 to wait.  This turned out to be a screening room where people are just left and never get into the conference.  I was getting itchy, so we left and took off down the hall.  We found someone else, showed our credentials, swore on all that was holy that we were both 18and we were ushered into a different room.  This was the real thing!  These were other member of the press with real equipment.  Spying a couple of empty seats in the front row over on the right side, I gave Nancy’s arm a tug and we took off and settled into them.  There I met a slender blonde who introduced herself as Kathy.  She was 16 but looked older and had been brought in by a big wheel dj who wanted a fan’s reaction.  She shared her nerves with me and asked if she could use some of the questions I had prepared.  We wound up going to England together some years later, but that’s another story.

The next thing I knew, Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall came in.  Derek introduced himself and explained the ground rules.  First, questions from the general press, then radio interviews, then TV and still photographers.  We would be free to mix and mingle during the last two.  Derek looked fantastic and I was taken with him from the start.  But very quickly in came Ringo, John, George and Paul.  Ringo sat down at the table right in front of me!  John had on a very dark grey suit with red, white and black t-shirt and no tie.  He had brown eyes and his brown hair had a definite reddish cast.  Paul looked sleepy.  He was wearing a grey suit with a lavender and white pin-striped shirt and a black tie.  He had brown eyes and very dark brown hair.  George wore a grey suit too.  His had velvet trim on the collar.  His brown hair had only a hint of red.  Ringo wore a matching light blue and white pin-striped jacket and shirt.  His hair was similar to John’s except for a thatch of grey.  They all wore boots and smelled like “English leather.”

I made a tape of the press conference on a little battery-run recorder (back in those days we only had reel to reels, no cassettes)  Unfortunately this poor thing ran at an uneven speed and the tape is mostly unintelligible now, but I did make a written transcript of the conference then and here it is:

J=John, P=Paul, G=George, R=Ringo, DT = Derek, N=Nancy, K=Kathy, C=Carol,  O=general press, U=all the Beatles in union

O:  John, what does your wife think about all the girls chasing after you?

J:  She’s not worried.  She knows they’ll never catch me.

O:  Paul is it true you are secretly married to Jane Asher?

P:  No, it is not.  We are not even engaged. (pause)  That’s all I can say about that.

K:  George, why did you throw your drink in a reporters face in Los Angeles?

G:  Well, he was a very nasty man.  And besides, we had asked him to leave because he was taking too many pictures and we couldn’t see anything.  And so I just decided that he ought to be baptized.

K:  What kind of cigarettes do you smoke?

G:  filter tips

J:  But we’re not going to do any free commercials.

O:  I’m from Variety..

J:  Well good for you!  (general laughter)

O:  Who is the most exciting woman you’ve ever met?

J:  Ringo’s mother is pretty hot.  (Ringo looked hurt).  It’s just a joke Ringo.  Just a joke.

C:  John, what do you think of Paul?  (Paul shot me a look.  John and George seemed to enjoy this question)

J:  He’s okay.  We have to put him down sometimes.

O:  Who is your favorite actress?

P:  Sophie Tucker (then all the Beatles laughed)

K:  What do you think of Jayne Mansfield, Ringo?

R:  She’s  a drag.

DT:  Drag; D-R-A-G.  That’s an English expression.  It means, “She’s a bore.”

J:  I believe that’s an American word, Derek.

O:  What about Mamie  Van Doren?

U:  Ugh!!

O:  What do you think of the Rolling Stones?  (John lets out a terrible groan)

K:  Ringo, do you date fans?

R:  Yes, when I have the time.

K:  Ringo, show us your grey hair.

R:  No.

K:  Why not?

R:  Because it will mess it up.

K:  Well it already looks messed up to me.

O:  John, are you writing a follow-up to the books you’ve written already?

J:  No, I wrote book, not books.  No, I’m not writing anything.

O:  What will happen when the group breaks up?

P:  Well, john and I will continue writing music, and George will play basketball.

G:  or I’ll roller skate.

O:  of all the questions you have been asked what is the one question you wish you had been asked at a press conference? (they thought for a few seconds)

P:  I guess we’ve been asked them all.

O:  What place did you enjoy the most in the U.S. and did you want to stay there longer?

J:  New Orleans because we liked and music.  And we’d like to go back there sometime.

C:  Paul, do you believe the rumors that you’re conceited?

(Paul just looked up at e and smiled and nodded his head “yes”)

O:  Do you ever go to any children’s homes or orphanages?

J:  No, we never do.  (Then we all said we’d seen pictures of them at one painting Easter eggs).

P:  Oh well, that was at Easter.

O:  Do you like baseball?

R:  No.  (Then everyone laughed at the Beatles.  Finally, someone explained that their promoter that night owned a baseball team and that they would be playing in his stadium that night).

R:  Oh well, we like the A’s (then Paul made a thumb-up sign)

K:  Will Mr. Finley have you boys wear green and gold at the show tonight?

J:  No, we’ll wear what we usually do.

O:  What do you think of people copying your hairstyles?

P:  We don’t mind.  When people start copying our styles, we change them.

R:  We change our clothes too!

O:  What special care do you give your hair while on tour?

J:  We wash it and comb it

O:  What do you do about barbers?

J:  Oh, we never go to them anyway.

K:  Paul, did you enjoy your vacation in the Virgin Islands?

P:  (smiling sweetly) Yes, I did.  Thank you.
O:  Do you all speak German fluently?

U:  No!!

J:  Just well enough to get along on the Reeperbahn.

K:  John, due to the recent anti-smoking reports, are you planning to stop smoking?

J:  no, we all have to sometime, you know.

O:  Ringo, do you like the girls tearing up your sheets and going crazy?

R:  I don’t mind as long as I’m not in them.

O:  Does the U.S. government get any money from you? If so, how much?

J:  Ha ha ha!  Not a cent!

R (aside to us) When the British government is done with us, we’ll only have ten dollars to our name.

O:  You boys are getting $150,000 for tonight’s show.  So do you plan on performing extra-long?

J:  No longer than usual.

P:  Just extra well.

O:  When this is all over, what will you boys miss most, the fans or the money?

J:  We don’t see our money.  We have accountants that handle it for us.  We haven’t seen them for a long time either.  We’ll always have the money, so I guess we’ll miss our fans.

O:  Do you believe in religion and politics?

J:  Yes both, but we don’t discuss them.

K:  If you don’t discuss them, then why did you say you’d support LBJ in Chicago?

R:  We didn’t!  We said Eisenhower!

O:  Ringo, is it true that you have to have your tonsils out?

R:  Yes.  We received a telegram today.

O:  Is it true that you are sending them to a girl who wrote you?

R:  No.  I’m not even keeping them myself.

J:  We are going to auction them off.

O:  do you do anything for free?

J:  Yes, charity.

O:  Is there anything you don’t’ like about the tour?  (Here Paul got rather upset and really seemed to mean what he was saying)

P:  Yes.  Too much protection.  We can’t see or shake hands with our fans.  They take us clear to the end of the runway and then load us in a limousine and then we’re off to our hotel suite.

C:  Paul, is it true that you lost your driver’s license and if so, how?

P:  Yes, but I got it back right before we came on tour.  They caught me three times for speeding … they catch you over there, you know.

K:  George, how bad was your accident?

G:  It was nothing at all.  He just tapped me.  That was all.  Nobody was hurt.  It seems the farther away from the thing you are; the worse the stories are about it.

C:  What do you boys do when you are confined to your hotel room?

R:  Well, we sleep, watch the telly, listen to the radio, play cards, and sometimes we talk to each other!

O:  What kind of cards do you play?

P,G, & J:  Poker!

R:  Crazy Eights?

K:  Who do you think is the best of all of you?

J:  We really aren’t very good at anything, but Ringo is pretty good.

R:  No, John, you’re better than I am.

J:  No, Ringo, you know you’re the best.

(Finally they gave this up and let someone ask another question)

O:  George, what about the girl who climbed nine stories and jumped in the window and grabbed you in your night clothes?

G:  She jumped on Ringo, not me.  No, actually I was in the other room in bed asleep.  The police caught her before she got in my room.

K:  Paul, pictures of your father show that he doesn’t have much hair.  What’s going to happen to you?

R:  Well, what do you expect of a 65 year old man?

During the radio session that followed, we spoke with Ringo and then scooted over to talk to Paul.  He put his arm around me for a few minutes.  I went home vowing to never clean my suit!  It smelled of English Leather!

N:  Ringo, do you know how to play guitar?

R:  Oh, I know two ro three chords; but it hurts my fingers, you know.

N:  We’re from Des Moines, Iowa.  Do you know where that is, Ringo?

R:  20,000 cities and I’m supposed to know them all?!

C:  I’ve seen a picture of your girlfriend, Maureen Cox, and she looks very nice.  Do you like her very much?

R:   No.  Well, she just a girl and I like girls.  And you’re a girl and like girls.

P:  Oh hello girls (he put his arm around me)

N:  We’re from Des Moines, Iowa.  Have you heard of it, Paul?

P:  Oh yes.  Are you ladies sisters?

N & C:  Oh no.  We’re not even related.

P:  Oh, well, you look a lot alike.

C:  Paul, how is your brother Mike?

P:  (quite flirtingly) Fine, thank you.  Good luck.

After that we stood and watched while they took pictures.  A Playboy bunny posed with them.  She had her hand underneath the back flap of Paul’s jacket, down low.  He looked a little funny, but just stood there.  At the end of the session, I asked Derek if he’d have John autograph the copy of his book that I was carrying.  He took it and said he’d be back and then they all left.  We waited around a bit and were interviewed by some reporters.

Finally, I decided we were going back to get my book, autograph or no.  So we got on the elevator with some DJ’s from Kansas and rode up to the Beatles floor.  When we stepped off, the hall was filled with detectives.  The DJ’s said they wanted some autograph pictures someone had promised them.  The detective sent them packing.  And then turned to us.  I told him Derek had my book and had promised to return it.  He looked a little disgruntled, but took my name and went down the hall and knocked on one of the doors.  I followed.  The door opened and I could see the Beatles sitting around laughing about john’s writing and passing a small dark book around.  Then the detective blocked my view and turned and came back.  He had my book (thank heaven I had scrawled my name in it) and I opened it and found four more names inside it!

The rest of the trip and the concert were great, but I was most delighted with all that happened that afternoon (And Derek Taylor thank you!)

More of Round Hill

There was such a nice response from the photo I posted last week of Ringo's home in London called "Round Hill" that I decided to post the other photo I have of this home. This is taken from Carolyn Mitchell's book All Our Loving. I would guess that the girl in the photo is Carolyn herself.

Beatle fan: Carolyn Lee Mitchell

Carolyn Lee Mitchell is the fan who wrote the 1988 memoir of her time in London called All Our Loving. I thought it was an interesting book and a quick read. The man who was the ghost writer of the book, Michael Munn states on his webpage that "The book is an embarrassment, and the least said about it the better." Sure this book isn't some great piece of literature, but it wasn't a bad book.

Carolyn left her home in Salt Lake City, Utah for London a week before Paul married Linda. Bad timing on her part. It is a shame that she couldn't have been there a few years earlier. But instead she was there, standing outside Cavendish Avenue during a rocky time in the Beatles history.

The most important part of the book, which I have talked about before, is where Carolyn speaks about the trip she took in 1971 up to Paul Scotland home. While she is hanging near Paul's home, Paul gets fed up with her coming around and says some rude things to her about it. Carolyn then accuses Paul of punching her in the nose. To her shock, this account went world-wide and hit papers everywhere. I was surprised that I found several articles about the incident online. One of which I have posted.

When she wrote the book in 1988, you could tell that she had grown up a lot from that love struck teenager of 1971. She regretted following Paul up to his farm and sees how foolish of a decision it was on her part. At the time she just wanted to be close to Paul and befriend him. Now she understands that Paul went to that farm to get away from people just like her. She didn't respect his privacy. And while she dropped all charges against Paul, she never backed down from her original story that Paul hit her in the nose, something that Paul always denied. I guess no one but those there knows for sure and in 2010 it no longer really matters.

I was surprised that I could find very little information about Carolyn Lee Mitchell online. It seems like she disappeared after the book was published. But Carolyn if you are out there, I would love to hear more stories and see an actual photo of YOU with one of the Beatles!

And if you have never read her book, I do recommend it. While most of the book focuses on Carolyn and her devotion to Paul, she also includes stories of her friends who were also waiting around Apple and Paul's house. It is a quick and fun read.

U.K. newspaper

Bruno sent me this interesting newspaper article this weekend. Although the article itself isn't intact, the photos of Paul are very nice. Some of them I have seen (and posted here) and others are new to me. From what I can read in the article is that these two fans of Paul's, Christine and Michelle are upset because they think that Paul has changed from what they once knew of him. If anyone has ever read the book, All Our Loving, by Carolyn Mitchell, you will know that this is something that Paul fans said after near the time the Beatles broke up. That Paul had changed and became less friendly. In Carolyn's book she tells the story of how she went to Paul's home in Scotland and when Paul saw her, he actually hit her. She dropped all charges against Paul and was sort of shunned by Beatle fans for a short period of time. To get the complete story, you really need to read her book. But the point was how Paul was not the guy they once knew. Looking back at that time, it was obvious that Paul was going through a lot of stress and change in his life. I am sure announcing the break up of the Beatles and going solo was a stressful time. Add the fact that he needed to sue his old band mates, and well....it couldn't have been a good time. Paul himself even said in the Wingspan documentary that during that time he was drinking and depressed. But the fans didn't realize all of that. They just knew that the guy they adored had changed for the worse.....

Kansas City Press Conference

There isn't anything I love more than a good Beatles press conference story. (No I am not joking. Beatles-wise I have two huge obsessions: The 1966 North American tour and press conferences). So this really is cool to me!

This story was written by Carol Mitchell (who also saw the Beatles in concert in Minneapolis in 1965 and in St. Louis in 1966). It also was published in the August/September 1985 issue of Beatlefan (they printed a lot of fan stories in that issue....very cool).

The photos come from a book about the Beatles in Kansas City.

I was 18 and just out of school when I heard The Beatles might add a concert date to their already announced schedule. It seems that Charlie Finley, then the owner of the Kansas City baseball team, couldn’t let “the boys” disappoint all of the “wonderful young people” in K.C. So he offered Brian Epstein $100,000 and finally upped it to $150,000 to get The Beatles to appear. I got in touch with some friends in Kansas City (I was living in Iowa at the time) who sent for tickets for me. And I finagled press credentials from an old friend in Des Monies because sitting in a seat in a stadium just wasn’t close enough.

My friend Nancy and I got in around noon and hurried to the Muehlebach Hotel (where THEY were staying) with press credentials in our hot little hands. We had been forewarned that the press conference was closed to anyone under 18 (Nancy was 17). So we both had made the ultimate sacrifice and tucked our bangs back behind headbands so we would appear more mature (who were we kidding?). Well, we got in touch with someone who checked our credentials and sent us to Room 111 to wait. This turned out to be a screening room where people are just left and never get into the conference. I was getting itchy, so we left and took off down the hall. We found someone else, showed him our credentials, swore on all that was holy that we were both 18 and we were ushered into a different room. This was the real thing!

John had on a very dark grey suit with a red white and black T-shirt. Paul looked sleepy. He was wearing a grey suit with a lavender and white pin-striped shirt and a black tie. George wore a grey suit also. He wore a plain white shirt and black tie. Ringo wore a matching light blue and white pin striped jacket and shirt. He had a black tie, too. They all wore boots and smelled like “English Leather.” They all had very fair and clear complexions.

I made a tape of the press conference on a little battery run recorder (Remember back in those days we only had reel to reel, no cassettes!) Unfortunately, the poor thing ran at an uneven speed and the tape is mostly unintelligible now. But I did make a written transcript of the conference. Here are some high lights.

Q: John, what does your wife think about all the girls chasing after you?
A: She’s not worried. She knows they’ll never catch me.
Q: George, why did you throw your drink in a reporter’s face in Los Angeles?
A: Well, he was a very nasty man. And besides we had asked him to leave because he was taking too many pictures and we couldn’t see anything. And so I just decided that he ought to be baptized.
Q: Who is the most exciting woman you’ve ever met?
A (Lennon) Ringo’s mother is pretty hot. (Ringo looked hurt) It’s just a joke, Ringo. Just a joke.
Q. John, what do you think of Paul? (Paul shot me a look. John and George seemed to enjoy this questions).

A: He’s okay. We have to put him down sometimes.
Q: What do you think of the Rolling Stones?
A: (John just let out a terrible groan)
Q: What place did you enjoy the most in the U.S. and did you want to stay there longer?
A: (Lennon) New Orleans, because we liked the music. And we’d like to go back there sometime.
Q: What do you think of people copying your hairstyles?
A (McCartney) We don’t mind. When people start copying our styles, we change them. (Starr) We change our clothes too!
Q: John due to the recent anti-smoking reports, are you planning to stop smoking?
A: No, we all have to sometime, you know.
Q: Ringo, do you like the girls tearing up your sheets and going crazy?
A: I don’t mind as long as I’m not in them.
Q: Ringo, is it true that you have to have your tonsils out?
A: Yes. We received a telegram today.
Q: Is it true that you are sending them to a girl who wrote you?
A: No. I’m not even going to keep them myself. (Lennon) We’re going to auction them off.
Q: Is there anything you don’t like about the tour?
A: Yes. Too much protection. We can’t see or shake hands with our fans. They take us clear to the end of the runway and then load us in a limousine and then we’re off to our hotel suite.
Q: What do you boys do when you are confined to your hotel room?
A (Starr) Well, we sleep, watch the telly, listen to the radio, play cards, and sometimes we talk to each other!

After that we stood and watched while they took pictures. A Playboy bunny posed with them. She had her hand underneath the back flap of Paul’s jacket, down low. He looked a little funny, but just stood there. At the end of the session, I asked Derek if he’d have John autograph the copy of his book that I was carrying. HE took it and said he’d be back and then they all left. We waited around a bit and were interviewed by some reporters (the headbands didn’t fool them!).

Finally I decided we were going to get my book back, autograph or no. So we got on the elevator with some young deejays from Kansas rode up to The Beatles’ floor. When we stepped off, the hall was filled detectives. The deejays explained they wanted some autographed pictures someone had promised them. The detective sent them packing. And then the turned to us. I told him that Derek Taylor had my book and had promised to return it. He looked a little disgruntled, but took my name and went down the hall a few doors and knocked on one. I followed. The door opened and he went in, leaving it open. I could see The Beatles sitting around laughing about John’s writing and passing a small dark book around. Then the detective blocked my view and turned around and came back. He had my book (thank heaven I had scrawled my name in it) and I opened it up and found four more names besides it!

The concert was great, but I was more delighted with all that had happened that afternoon (and Derek Taylor, thank you, wherever you are!)