July 1976

Dakota sighting

Cab watch

Working Girl

Dakota Daze

#9 Dream come True (repost)

This week's flashback post is from the June 1976 issue of McLen fanzine and was written by Margie Paturzo.

#9 Dream Come True

From Issue #12 (June 1976) issue of MacLen

By Margie Paturzo

On the morning of May 24, 1976, Monday, Kathy S. and I woke up early and proceeded to go to the Dakotas. We arrived there at 9:45 and sat down in the front on the railing.  The doorman was giving us dirty looks, but we didn’t care.  We sat and waited.

Around 10:30, some more girls joined us.  We all sat there talking about John and showing each other pictures we carried with us.  Then, one of the girls, Karen B., said, “Here comes Sean.”  We all turned to look and we saw this elderly look and we saw this elderly Japanese woman wheeling a beautiful baby in a stroller.  We were all delighted as we watched him pass by us.  I must admit, he is cute.  He was wearing shorts and had on a white hat and what looked like some kind of Japanese slippers.

After he went by, we were even more excited ‘cos we figured that John would be out soon.  We were wrong.  We waited and waited and around 12:15, the nanny brought Sean back.  Again we were delighted and we were sure John would be out after the nanny took Sean up.  Or so we thought.

Around 2:15 or so, Ann joined us with Pat and Joy (from “With a Little Help from my friends” fame) and Maryann.  We talked for a while and Kathy and I told them about seeing Sean.  After a while, Pat, Joy, and Maryann left.  Ann joined the rest of us to wait for John.

We started getting hungry so Ann went down the corner and got us hotdogs and sodas.  Believe me, hotdogs never tasted so good!   I kept thinking, “Watch John come out and see me with a hot dog in me gob!”

Around 3:10, Sean was wheeled out again.  I must add that no one took pics ‘cos we were afraid the nanny would tell John and then he would be furious when he did come out.  So we just watched, Ann getting her first glimpse of Sean.  And then we continued to wait.

We were all standing on the doorman’s side of the entrance at that time.  Well, after about another hour, Ann and I walked over to the other side.  I sat on the wall while Ann stood in front of me and the other side.  I sat on the wall while Ann stood in front of me and talked to me.  Well, at around 3:30,  I caught a glimpse of two people, a man, and a woman, walking out.  I recognized Yoko first, because of her long, frizzy hair.  Well, Ann hadn’t noticed them yet and was still busy talking to me, so I said, “It’s him, it’s him!” as I recognized the man in the white Levis.  Yoko must have heard me ‘cos she turned around to look at us, smiled and said, “Hi.”  By this time, Ann and I were on our way over to them.  So was everyone on the other side.

John was looking up and down the street for a cab and when Ann and I arrived by his left side, he was looking the other way.  Well,  Ann backed away and started taking pictures.  So I took out my pen and paper and said, “John?”  Well, he jumped back, looked at me and said, “Oooh, you scared me.”  In turn, I said “Oh John I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.  Can I have your autograph?”   All this time I was looking up into his face, unable to believe I was there with HIM!  He took the pen and paper and proceeded to sign his name.  I moved over in front of Yoko and John handed me back the pen and paper (see black and white photo).  I took it and was shaking so bad from being nervous that I hugged Yoko and told her how beautiful I thought Sean was (The things one will do when they see their favorite Beatle!).  Anyroad, I stood near Yoko, out of everyone’s way while they took pictures, and just watched that man.  While he was signing Kathy’s autograph, he asked where we all were from.  Well, everyone was yelling out their hometowns:  Chicago, Ohio, Delaware and then I yelled out “Connecticut!”.  Well, he must’ve realized (or thought) that I was the one he had written a letter to recently thanking me for “whatever I had sent him” to quote his words.  He looked up and glanced at me for a second, then went back to doing what he was doing.  I nearly melted into the ground.  All I kept saying in my mind was, “thank God he didn’t ask me if I was Margie.”

He finished what he was doing and looked up and raised his finger and said, “Here’s the cab.”  He took Yoko’s hand and started to cross the street.  Everyone yelled, “Goodbye John” and watched him cross the street to the waiting taxi.  I immediately started crying ‘cos I just couldn’t believe what had just happened.  Kathy and I hugged each other and cried (her favorite is John too, can you guess?)   We watched the taxi until it turned out of sight and then we ourselves took a taxi – to the Stanhope Hotel, where Paul stays.  Within an hour of seeing John, we saw Paul leaving his hotel.  But that in itself is another story…

A lot of files

I could use these file cabinets for all of my Beatles fanzines and photographs.   I wonder if Yoko still uses them.

#9 Dream

Tonight is another John story from a fan.   It was written by Anne Tishelman and was published in the October 1979 issue of 'With a Little Help From My Friends."   

Photo taken on October 8, 1979, by Laura Choby 

It all started when Pat S., Laura C., and Pat D. decided to come to New York to hopefully see John.  They came on Saturday, October 6 (1979), and stayed with me, as I live just outside of NYC, 12 miles from John.  On Saturday night we stopped by John's, but it was about 8:30pm, and we really didn't expect to see him.  We just wanted to make sure that he was here and not upstate at the farm or anything.  Well, he was here.   We were all excited as long as we knew he was at least in the City, we had a chance.  We talked to the doorman for a bit and then came back to my house for the night, feeling very hopeful.

On Sunday, the 7th, we got to John's early in the afternoon, figuring John probably likes to sleep as late as the rest of us.   We got there about 1:30 pm or so, and just as we got out of the car, out comes Sean and the nanny!   It was quick and took us by surprise.  Sean waved and said "Hi!" a couple times.  He is SO adorable!  He's got very long hair - as long as John's (if not longer) very small eyes (but then so does John), and he's got the Lennon nose!  Off they went down the street, leaving us marveling at our luck and hoping to see Daddy!

We waited around for a while, getting colder and colder.  A couple more people came around Laura decided she needed cigarettes (after we'd seen Sean and a friend, the nanny and an older man go off into the park we figured we'd be safe going then because they'd probably be there for a while so we wouldn't miss anything), so we went for a little walk.  Coming back, we decided to walk a bit in the park.  We went in, and Laura was taking a few photos of the many roller skaters we saw.  I glanced over to the left, and in the distance, we saw the nanny.  We looked ahead of her a bit and saw Sean running around with two other little kids. The man was there, and there were two women with them as well.   They walked down one path, and Sean was throwing a Frisbee. They started back a little, so we went around and past them.   The kids started playing a huge rock -- more like some sort of boulder stuck in the ground, and we headed towards there as well.  Sean climbed up to the top and then would slide down the other side, and the other kids followed him.  We hung around there looking very touristy but with our cameras hidden.  Sean started playing soccer and then again with the Frisbee.  The other kids came around, and they all started generally running around.  We kept hearing them calling "Sean, Sean!" and it was just so cute.

The three kids were playing with the older man.  He was a monster for a while for them.  They were playing around in the grass.  At one point, the man was on the ground, and Sean started pulling grass up out of the ground and throwing it at the man singing, "It's raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring."   Another Lennon voice!  Maybe we'll get an LP yet from a Lennon!  After Sean, then the other kids started signing as well.  Then while the man was still on the ground, he pulled on the cuff of Sean's jeans, and he said, "What's the matter, Sean?  Doesn't anyone ever sew your pants?"  Laura and I just laughed.  They kept running around, laughing and having a good time, and we were just nonchalantly watching.  It was so adorable.  Sean is a doll with much energy, but at the same time, it kinda pulls on your heartstrings seeing Sean so happy romping around with this other man, whoever he was, and not John.   I'm sure he does play around with John, but seeing that just made us think a bit.  A lot more people would've been watching if it had been John Lennon and his son in Central Park.  I doubt if anyone else around there that day knew who he was.  Anyway, they started calling the kids together to go.  They started walking towards 72nd Street, and we did too, far enough behind them, so they didn't see us.  They stopped as the kids started eating oranges, but we were too close to stop.  We slowed down a bit, pretending to be generally looking around, but caught up with them.  We were right next to Sean.  He was wearing Sassoon jeans, no less! (A 4-year-old!).  There was a sort of fork in the path.  They went towards the left, so we went to the right.  We waited until they were ahead again.  Then we stayed on the opposite side of the street from them.  When we got to 72nd Street, Pat and everyone were still in front of the Dakota, and we motioned to them that Sean was coming.  They saw him but didn't see us.  They didn't go in the Dakota; they walked past.  We waited a while, but as it got later, colder and rainier, we figured John wasn't going to come out.  We were waiting after the others had left.  It would've been polite of John to come down and say hello to the four of us.  We talked to the doorman for a while, Tom and his friend Craig came, and we all went to warm up somewhere.  Didn't see John but it was a good day.

On Monday we decided to go a bit earlier.  Monday, October 8, 1979 - a day we'll not soon forget!  We left my house at about 9am.  We had breakfast and the Dakota Restaurant and then went over to John's.  Sharon and Julie were there again and a couple of other people.  At about 11:15 am a limo pulled in.  Was it for John?  The doorman confirmed it.  He was coming out in a little while!  Knowing he was coming, we just did not feel the old at all anymore.  We were getting more and more excited with every sign of movement from the office/lobby.  Every time the doorman walked in we were waiting for John to come out with him.  The state these Beatles reduces us to!

As we were waiting, a delivery truck pulled up and the man took out these two HUGE  boxes that were wrapped in white with big bows on top.  We all noticed them I think, guessing they were for John and Sean.  We joked that the boxes were so big that Ringo had probably sent them and Paul was in one and George in the other!  We found out the next day that they were the gifts that John and Sean gave each other -- each gave the other a life-size doll of himself!  Imagine getting a life-size John doll for your birthday!   At 11:45am, out they came.   The limo was in the driveway, so when we saw them come, we all moved toward the car.  John came out first, got in the back seat, then Sean right behind him, and Yoko behind Sean.  The nanny got in the front seat.  What a shock seeing John!  He looked so good!  Tall, thin, dressed in black, with a ciggie.  His hair is long again and he has a beard.  He looks like he just stepped across Abbey Road - 1969 all over, except the beard is a bit thinner.  As he came out and saw everyone, a big smile came across his face and he waved before he got in the car.  I don't care what anyone says, he loves it as much as Paul!  Sean was wearing a cowboy hat, and all I remember of Yoko is that she was wearing the big dark glasses she used to always wear.  We stayed on the driver's side of the car as that's where John was sitting (behind the driver).  As the car backed out of the driveway slowly, we just watched John.  It stopped right next to us before pulling out into the street.  John never stopped smiling and he was talking to Yoko.  As the car pulled out into the street we moved out a bit, and as it started to drive off, John turned around to us and waved int he rear window.  Laura and I were dying.  This was the first time either of us had actually "met a Beatle" and seeing John in such a good mood and so obviously happy, well, it just made it that much better!

Okay, so they were gone.  We figured they had to come back, so we'd wait.  We sat around talking about John and how great he's looking.  a few more people had come around.  We began to feel the cold again.  After a while, Pat went to get her car and double park in front of the building so we could still be on the lookout for John without freezing to death.  Pat and Laura were in the front, Pat D and I in back.  We were definitely warmer in the car, but we all were getting pretty drowsy.  "Limo watching" is tiring.  We were expecting John to come from the same direction which they had left; the direction we were facing.  Thank God Pat had looked in the rearview mirror when she did.  She glanced back  and said, "Silver Limo!" and I turned around, saw the license plate number and said, "It's him!"  We piled out of the car so fast.  Laura got out with me right behind her.  Pat swung her door open in the street, nearly hitting the limo.   Pat D.couldn't get the lever that moves the seat forward to get out of the back, so she crawled through the tiny space between the seat and the car -- now we're becoming contortionists!   Laura and I went up to the driveway as they pulled in, so that when he got out, we were right there.   I dont' remember Sean or the nanny at this point, and all I remember of Yoko was that as she got out right in front of me, I saw she's the same height as me and had a lot of gray hair in the back.  She went right in, but John stopped for a minute.  As he got out Laura shook his hand.  He got out and started taking out balloons and presents and things (we found out later that they'd gone to Sean's birthday party) and someone said they had a present for him, to which he replied, laughing, "I haven't enough hands!" and held up the balloons.   People were calling him and he said we had to "keep it down or they'll kick me out!"  to which we all laughed.  Hearing his voice, that voice it's enough to melt me away!  He had us pretty near tears I think.   Then Laura said, "John, can I take a picture John, please John?"He said, "Okay luv, but make it a quick one."  Laura took two and as I heard him say it was ok, I figured this was my chance.  I picked up my camera, focused it, and then realized my shutter-release-button lock was on.  By the time I got it unlocked, he was well under the archway.   I snapped one anyway, but of course, you can only make out the outline of his head, which is completely blacked out.   Just as he was about to go in, we called out "Happy Birthday John!" and he turned, gave us a big smile, waved and called "Thank you."  Then he went in and as soon as he was out of sight, Laura and I grabbed each other and started babbling and laughing and jumping up and down. 

Sure, we all miss hearing from John, but if he's that happy now just being with Sean and Yoko, then I think he deserves that happiness.  Sure, we'd all love to hear from him again, but if he never records again, I think I'd understand.


We went by for a little while on the 9th, but there were a lot of people around and we really didn't expect him to come out.   On Wednesday we were there for quite a while, and it snowed that day!  Luckily we had found a parking space right in front.  We knew he was in, and that alone is enough to keep us sickies waiting there.   We talked to various doormen there a lot and found out little things.   John's only got three apartments in the building (we had heard rumors that he had up to seven).  According to one of the doormen, there's the one they live in, one for the nanny, and one is a studio.  He's got three now and he's out to "buy the building," said one doorman.   On Thursday, Sean was seen coming home for lunch, going back to school, and coming home from school again that afternoon.  We didn't see John anymore.  We saw his secretary, who said that as far as he knew, John had no plans to go out that day.  We left some cards and gifts for John and Sean which the secretary took upstairs with him, and had to leave early as we were heading back to Cleveland that night to make it in time to see HELP on TV on Friday afternoon, and the Cleveland convention Saturday and Sunday.

One thing one of the doormen said that I forgot to mention.  He said Paul had been there last spring.  Also one time we checked out the Eastman's apartment and talked to the doorman there who said that Paul was due in the next day to sign a multimillion-dollar deal - the tour!  We nearly had a stroke and proceeded to act like our usual mature selves while driving down Park Avenue.  The next day though, Paul didn't show -- apparently he'd changed his mind and decided to come to NY at a later time.


We met John and Sean, we had a good time together.  We met John!  I still can't believe it.  I wonder if I ever will.

Meeting John

This short fan story comes from the July/August 1976 issue of "The Write Thing."  It was written by Bruce Vogel of Bellerose, New York. 

Yoko, John and Bruce on April 9, 1976

My two friends, Ronny, Lee and myself, set out for Manhattan in hopes of meeting John.  We carried along with us a shopping bag full of pictures and books in hopes of getting a few autographs.  We waited outside John's apartment for an hour and a half before John and Yoko stepped out of a taxi cab.  We approached John and I asked him if it would be alright if I took a picture of him.  He said he wouldn't mind.  I couldn't believe I was talking to him.   Of course, I know what he voice sounds like but to hear it in person is something else.  He kindly posed next to me with Yoko on his arm while Ronny snapped the picture.  He told us that he had seen us waiting outside but that he had to go out for a while.  It sounded as if he was apologizing for not seeing us sooner!  I thought it was great of him to say that.  The date was April 9 and Sean was exactly 6 months old.  I mentioned this to John, and he looked at me and said, "You know about these things, eh?"  That killed me.  I felt it was a great compliment.  He said I looked a little young to be a Beatle fan and I told him I was 17.  He signed our books without seeming bothered at all.  I  asked him if he didn't mind, but he very kindly obliged.  Yoko stood quietly behind John but before we left I went up to her and asked her how she was.  She smiled and said okay.  We said goodbye and thanked them for talking to us.  He waved and said goodbye.  I went too quickly but I'll never forget how nice he was.   THANKS, JOHN!

Signs of the times

Beatles '76

Photo does not go with story, but fits timeframe

This story was found in the editorial section of  the October 1976 issue of MacLen fan magazine.  Apparently in the Autumn of '76, a 16 year old held his own Beatles convention and it wasn't very good.    This is what people were writing about, but in the midst of that I found this gem of a story. 



You are so fortunate not to have gone to Beatles '76.  It was so disorganized, run by a 16 year old rude punk.  they were  to have a dancing contest but cancelled it due to no participants.   Allan Williams was there, drunk as usual!   Flea market had a few good things, but they'll be there in February.   The only good thing about this convention was the promos.

The convention was so rotten that I spent 36 hours outside the Dakota.   Saw Sean.   He looks right at you.  He was clapping, playing with his feet and laughing.   His hair is lighter now and is he big!   I didn't take any pics because I respect their wishes.   We saw him about eight times.

John and Yoko came out at 2:00 on Monday.  Does he look good!?!   We hadn't eaten or slept for 24 hours so we just sat there and said "Oh my God!"  They looked at us like "come on."  The doorman blew the whistle for a cab.  John jumped in mid-air!   Meena had an aghast look on her face, so he gave her a mocking one back.   by this time, we stood up and they were in the cab.  He waved, we did, he did, we did, they did, then we went crazy and John smiled at us as they took off 

They returned at 6:00 walking up the street.  We started to "crawl" and they both smiled.  It was sprinkling, but they took time for us.  Meeena's pen wouldn't write, so John licked it with his tongue (souvenir now).  Yoko was fascinated by a picture I had of them in April.  John looked at it and said, "What was I, drunk when you took this?"  Yoko wanted to know all about it.  She thought she was pregnant in it (she wasn't).  She was so funny.  She kept pulling on John's jacket saying, "Oh John, when was this taken?"  Like he would know, right?    When they first walked up to us, John said with so much concern, "they're still here."    In April, Yoko was the one who said that.  He just couldn't believe we'd waited in the rain for him.  Anyway, they want a copy of the picture.  I was so flattered since Yoko is a photographer/artist.  John looked at us and said, "what are you -- the new Beatle freaks?"  I've loved them since I was seven.    He said, "How old were you, 2?"  I told him since I was seven -- their jaws dropped and they both repeated, "seven!"  He things were 15 pushing 20.  He said they only  had a little time because they wanted to see Sean before bedtime.  A young boy was there and he went to shake his hand and John said, "Right on, man!"   As they were leaving, I called to John  and explained that I wouldn't be there October 9th and gave him two cards (Sean and John).  He took them, looked right in my eyes -- just like Macca -- and said "thank you."  It's not much, but for me that did it!   The nanny came out and asked if we were happy and started to laugh, saying she was glad.   She's nice after all.   She took Sean for a walk and it started to pour.  She flew across the street saying, "oh my God."   Sean is just like Daddy because he slept through the rain! 

Anyway,; John had a bit of growth of hair (a start of a beard?), tight jeans.  He looked like he lost weight and looks fantastic.  He's so nice.   So through the whole weekend, John and Yoko made mine worthwhile!

--written by Karen Blackburn (from Delaware)

Remembering Paul Goresh

It is with much sadness that I share that Beatles fan and John Lennon photographer, Paul Goresh passed away after a long illness on January 9, 2018.   

The post I did about Paul in the early years of this blog remains the most popular post on the entire blog and currently is getting even more hits.    There is something about this man that interests us so much.   Who was he?   Why did he take photographs of John Lennon?   Why was he outside of the Dakota on the night John was killed?

Since first posting about him in 2010, I became friends with him on Facebook and found Paul to be a very nice, humble man.   He was happy to share some of the photos of John that he had taken to be on this blog, but told me that he had over 200 photographs of John that no one has ever seen, including the very last photo of John ever taken.   Paul snapped one more shot of John in the car as he and Yoko were leaving in the studio.    I still hope that we will see a least some of those photos.

So how did this regular fan get to meet John Lennon?   It is a pretty wild story -- but no wilder than any of the stories that included crazy things fans did to meet the Beatles.     On February 12, 1979 Paul and his friend Mario dared each other to meet John Lennon.     He worked for an electronics shop at the time and decided to act like they were VCR repairmen  and try to get into the Dakota to meet John.    Paul had on a clipboard that he was supposed to fix a VCR for a "J. Lennon."    The doorman waved them through.     The crazy part of this story was that John really WAS having problems with his VCR, but hadn't gotten around to telling anyone on the staff to call a repair man. 

So Paul and Mario knock on the door of John's apartment and were extremely shocked that John answered the door.    John was mad because he figured his secretary had scheduled the appointment and didn't bother to tell him, so he asked the guys to leave.    The secretary told them to come back a few days later.

Not toally sure if this note from John has anything to do with Paul but look at #6

And so they came back but John had bought himself a new VCR.    Paul asked him to sign his copy of "In his own write"  and John agreed just as long as Paul wouldn't take any pictures.     Goresh even showed me a photo of the book he had autographed.   

Photo by Paul Goresh 

And the story could have ended there and it would have been a great "meet the Beatles...for real" story.   However,  Paul Goresh wasn't going to be satisfied until he got photos of John Lennon.   So he started snapping some pictures of John coming and going from the Dakota with a telephoto lens.  John sees him and gets angry about it.     The next time, Paul apologizes to John and the two of sort of developed a bit of a friendship.   They would occasionally go for walks together for five minutes here and there.      So when it was time for John to go public again, he told Paul that he could take photos.   And that is how Paul got to take that famous photo that ended up on the cover of "Watching the Wheels."

Paul was at the Dakota on December 8, 1980, and we all know that he took that terrible photograph of John with his killer.    At the time of taking the photo, it would have just been a snapshot of John signing an autograph for someone.    There was no way that Paul or any other person there knew what was going to happen.   I personally do not know why Paul chose to go public with the photograph -- but I never did ask him about that. 

My condolences go out to Paul Goresh's family and friends and for all of us in the Beatles community that had the opportunity to get to know him. 

Meeting at the Dakota

Watching the Wheels

All photos taken by Paul Goresh 

We are behind John and Yoko

Photos by Charlene Bass 

It is difficult to tell exactly what year these photos are from.  

Waiting for a cab

Photos taken by Pat Manouses

 These photos were all taken outside of the Dakota on July 31, 1976

Walking home

Dakota Time

Photo by Tom Carswell 

Photo by Tom Carswell 

Photos of John outside of the Dakota building all taken on March 8, 1977.

Hailing a cab

I bought these photos off ebay recently and was a little disappointed to see that they were not first generation photos and were extremely fuzzy.   I am not sure if the originals were this fuzzy or if it is just the quality of the photograph.    Does anyone out there also have these photos and would you check and see if the quality is better?  Thanks

A chance meeting outside the Dakota

I have been seeing this photo making the rounds with the fan chopped out.   That always bothers me, because the fan is part of the story of this photo.     So here it is with the fan still there---lucky guy!