Pipe up

 

How rumors got started

 

April 9, 1964 - Pickwick Party 

When these photos were published in magazines in 1964, rumors were flying that Ringo and Hayley Mills were a couple.  And you can see why -- there is George and Pattie, Jane and Paul, and Ringo with Hayley.   But if you really look -- you see from Ringo's body language compared to the other two guys, you notice how far from her he is sitting and that he is talking to her and not posing as a cute couple. 

Read some fan mail

 

Long Beach '79

 

April 7, 1979

Just Call me "Lucky"

Just Call me "Lucky" (Finding a Beatle in a Haystack)

By Vickie Smallwood

The Harrison Alliance Issue #82

October-December 1992

To borrow an often-used song title, "With a Little Help From My Friends," Barbara Pazmino and I were able to attend the Dylan Tribute Concert on October 16 (1992). We had no intention of really looking for George because, with everyone in town at once, one might say it would have been like looking for a Beatle in a haystack!

We had met up with friends from Chicago and Cincinnati that weekend and sometimes luck is on one's side. And this was one time that we really walked into a windfall! Passing by one of New York City's more luxurious hotels on Sunday afternoon, we happened to spot a small band of faces, some of them familiar. That was all the encouragement we needed to join them to wait and see what would happen next. Our wait wasn't very long, as who should be the two next people to stroll out the door, but none other than Olivia and Dhani Harrison! Even if you didn't recognize Olivia, there's no mistaking Dhani. While Dhani has his mum's coloring, he's George all over again! They stopped for a brief moment and smiled at us. it was just long enough for those of us with cameras to take one quick photo.  They got into a van and drove away.

We waited for what seemed like forever when finally, after what felt like weeks on end, George came out. Up close, you could see that he had gained a bit of weight and looked better than ever! He also looked like he had a more healthy color to his face. 

Unfortunately, for the few of us that are truly fans, there always seem to be a couple of "rotten apples" that have to spoil things, and they all rushed over to George. Anyone's chance of ever asking for an autograph were instantly ruined. Some of us did manage to get a couple of quick photos as he got into a van. As the van pulled away from the curb amid shouts of "Great show, George!" and "Hope you tour soon, George!" much to our delight, George blew kisses to the ladies gathered on the wall. From then until the van was out of sight and out of earshot, "We love you, George!" rang out in the frosty air. 

At Kinfauns with George

 April 5, 1969

Swedish Radio Interview with George (1975)

GH: M-A-Y, with a line over the A, M-A-Y-A, and Maya, when you translate it literally, 'that which is not.' Maya, you know, it's like, I'll just go back, I'll try and do it quickly, to go back into the thing of meditation, the thing that I learned, it's like to say this state of consciousness we're in is only the effect of some very subtle cause; so it's like to say, this is what the Maharishi used to demonstrate, he'd have a flower, and he'd say 'you see there's a stem, and then the leaves and the petals and all the pieces of the flower. The stem's made of sap, the leaf's made out of sap, and the petals are made out of sap.  It's all sap. See, the cause is sap, but the effect is petals, left and stems, see.' So this is very, um, in some ways, quite deep, sort of philosophical thing. 

Usually, what I would do is make it, write a song and the melody, and usually get the idea of the words. Sometimes, I even write them all at the same time. The words I usually have to think more about than the music, and sometimes I can write a whole song musically, with, say, one verse and chorus, and then I'll leave it and then come back and finish off the other verses. 

INT: Yeah, I think your verses are getting more and more complicated. I mean in a good way, but...

GH: Yeah...

INT: more and more thought out. Y'know?

GH:  I don't know. 

INT: And that lots of, the circle around, you know?

GH:  I like the things to mean a lot of different things at the same time. 

INT: Yeah, that's what I was trying to say...right.

GH: Yeah, I like that but...

INT: Double meaning.

GH: Yeah

INT: What about 'Bye Bye Love'? Why did you do that one?

GH: I'll tell you what happened with that. One night, I was just at home playing the guitar with Tommy Scott. Tommy Scott's a sax player. He was playing the bass, and we were just sitting around the fire playing songs, and we started playing, and for some reason, I changed. I just started singing ' Bye Bye Love' but changed the melody into more like a sort of blues. You know how it goes (George sings Everly Bros. version): 'Bye-bye love, bye-bye happiness...' I changed it (George sings his version), 'Bye-bye love, bye-bye happiness...' It's more like it's making it mine and more like it's sort of a blues thing. We just played that for a while, and for some reason, it just stuck in my mind.  Then I decided that would be funny to record it. And as I recorded it, I did it all alone.  It was great for me, as you know, I've got a recording studio in the house, so I didn't have any engineers or anything.  I just did it., I have a rhythm machine to keep the time, and then I just played it on the guitar, then I later added the drum and all the bass and the synthesizer.  It was a good exercise for me in recording without any help. And then, I got more involved with it and started writing more about what was happening with my wife.  And that was it. 

INT: Does she mind?

GH: No, she loved it! (laughter) I sent Eric and Pattie a copy of it and they loved it!

INT: The papers all tried to make a big thing out of it.

GH: Well, you know....

INT: A revenge thing.

GH: No. Look, if you've split up with your wife, they automatically want you to hate each other so they can write about it. 

INT: To make a better story.

GH: So that song spoiled it for them because they're always trying to catch you doing something.  I learned from the past that if you have something to hide.  I make everything so there's nothing to hide anymore.  I've never had a private life for ten years, so I mean, I just got used to it. The thing the press doesn't understand, that they can't understand, is that I could be happy she is with Eric. 

INT: No...

GH: 'Cause he is one of my best friends. Well, why not? That's fantastic! I was just with her yesterday and the day before. We're great friends, and I love Eric.  The last time I was in Sweden was with Delaney and Bonnie.

INT: I saw that concert.

GH: Yeah? With Eric....

INT: They were in Stockholm, in concert...

GH: Yeah, we played Stockholm and Gothenburg

INT: It was great. 

GH: Yeah, I enjoyed that. I enjoy being in a band.  The only problem for me is if I am the leader of the band, it's hard because there is so much pressure put on you if you are in the front. 

INT: Do you ever miss the old times of being in a band? Of being with the Beatles?

GH: I don't know.  I think all of the Beatles miss playing in a band but not necessarily playing in the Beatles because that was a long time ago now, and the times have really changed.  Four people in the band, it was hard. We'd be playing concerts to 20 thousand to 70 thousand people, and in those days they didn't know how to mic everything.  Now, you can play with little amplifiers and put it through the sound system and get good sound, but in those days, we just had little amplifiers and had 20 thousand people shouting at us.  You couldn't hear a thing, and it was frustrating. And now the audiences are better.  They listen more, but the Beatles are very limited because our music, even the last Beatles tour, was a bit difficult trying to play things. I remember trying to do things like 'Paperback Writer,' which we'd got into 8 track recording, and it's hard to play four, just two guitars, bass, and drums to play things like 'A Day in the Life,' And 'Strawberry Fields Forever,'  we couldn't do it, because it's a studio recording. So you get a better chance of doing it if you have a few more people in the band. So that's why I just love this band I was with. It was fantastic with the horn players. It's nice to feel a good band behind you. 

INT: What sort of music do you listen to yourself? If you have time?

GH: Well, I like the Indian classical music.  That's my main thing.  But then I like some blues singers.  I prefer the old blues from the '30s and not the modern and the today people. I just love Smokey Robinson. Do you know Smokey Robinson? There's a lot fo stuff like that I like. There's Tamla/Motown and I like Dylan and the Band. There's all kinds. There's so much really that I think I prefer Smokey Robinson and Bob Dylan and Indian classical music. 

A Beatle break

 April 2, 1964 

Scandinavian Airlines steps

 

March 31, 1969

March 31, 1969 :  George and Pattie are in court in London,  John and Yoko are leaving Amsterdam and Paul and Linda (with Heather) are in New York City.    No word on what Ringo was doing on this day. 
 

Jumping Beatles

 March 31, 1964

George close up

 

Happy birthday to Eric Idle

 

I am unsure what year these photos were taken (late 1980s/early 1990s?) , but they show George and Olivia at a party celebrating Eric Idle's birthday.  Eric's birthday is March 29, so I thought it was a good time to share them. 

George at the door

 

Weird photo shoot

 Some people act like the Butcher album photo shoot was the first time the Beatles had a strange photo shoot --- nope -- it had been part of the Beatles photos since the start. 

Spring Break

 

March 27-28 1964 

The Beatles were given a short break over the Easter holiday and they took full advantage of it. 

George's sweater vest

 

Joanie and George

 

Maybe one of these dancers is Joanie?

I know this type of story—those of girls who went on a date with one of the Beatles while they were on tour—is pretty popular on this site.   I found this one in a 1973 issue of the Harrison Alliance.  It is obviously a re-print of something taken from 1964, but I don't know where it originated. 

It is a story about a woman named Joanie Sannes, who was a dancer at the Whisky a Go-Go.  I could not find very much information about Joanie,  not even a photograph.  The writer is Pauline Best, who I also could not find any information about.    

Update: Obadiah McDougall Jones found pictures of Joanie!  So now we know what she looked like!  Thank you!!

Joanie Sannes, as told to Pauline Best - August 1964

"In some way, George is the most handsome of the Beatles, but ... I sort of go for Ringo." Lovely 22-year-old Joanie Sannes sat in her Hollywood home staring at a picture of the most famous singing quartet in the world. Her remark was startling because Joanie had just had the unbelievable good fortune of being George Harrison's date at the first party the Beatles had given in Hollywood. 

"George is a real swinging type. He drinks wine and beer - sometimes, he has a glass of each. He's got kind of a devil-may-care approach to life in general, but he's really kind and sensitive."

"The party was a fabulous success," she continued. "Stars and celebrities from all over Hollywood had come to meet the Beatles and stayed till early next morning. I stayed with George most of the time but got a chance to meet and talk to everyone.

"The whole thing was like a fairy tale," she remembered. "I never had swooned over Elvis or anyone else in my life, but the Beatles are different."

Joanie is a professional dancer at the Whisky a Go-Go and has taught people like Steve McQueen, Lana Turner... "But dancing with George was so different," she said, "I was so nervous and excited, but it was wonderful! After the party, George thanked me for coming and said he had a 'fab' time. I was thrilled!"

"I thought I'd never see the Beatles again, so you can imagine my delight when they came to the Whisky the next night. I could hardly keep time with the music—that's how excited I was. And I didn't dream that the dancers would stop and crowd around them. I dance there six nights a week, and lots of movie stars come in, and nothing makes those Watusi dancers stop. But they did when the Beatles came in.

 "George was so cute that night. You see, I dance in a cage high above the dance floor. Well, George came up there just to give me a kiss on the cheek! It was a friendly kiss, very sweet, almost innocent, and shy. 

"When I finished dancing, I came down and joined them all at their table. There was a railing near the booth, and some of the girls were pulling so much at Ringo that he had to grab hold of the railing, or else he would have been pulled away. Finally, they pulled so hard that the railing broke. I picked up the piece that Ringo was holding and took it home with me. It's my most valuable souvenir.

"George and I danced quite a bit, but I also danced with Ringo."

"After the nose had settled down, George and I began to talk. He said he was thrilled to see so many famous stars. Then someone said that the stars were more thrilled to see the Beatles. George couldn't believe it!"

"About this time, the boys suggested that we all go back to their house and continue the party. It was wonderful being in the house, especially for the second time. We talked some more, and I got a chance to dance with Ringo again.

"Now the boys have gone, I have only memories of the two greatest days of my life. But I do have that piece of railing. And all the boys sent me a lovely telegram, saying how much they enjoyed meeting me and hoping that they would see me again. I hope we do meet them again. I liked them all so much. No matter what happens all my life, I'll remember them."

Breath Away From Heaven

 

I knew that George and Olivia enjoyed visiting Fiji in the late 1990s/early 2000s (see photo), but I never heard this story about George's last public performance before.   While I do think most of this story is true, I have a really difficult time believing that the songs George played were "In Spite of All of the Danger" and "Cry for a Shadow."  It sounds like someone got a copy of Anthology 1 and just named the first two songs credited to 'Harrison'  off Disc 1.   I don't know ---  What do you think?

Breath Away From Heaven (Was George's Last Public Performance Near To Heaven?)

By Patti Murawski

The Harrison Alliance Issue #105

March-April 2002

Ex-patriate Collin McKenny lives and works in Lomalagi, a resort she owns on Vanua Levu in Figi. A refugee from corporate America, Collin acted on a dream in 1996, and after finding just the right site in Fiji, built a beautiful resort which so aptly reflects its name which means "heaven" in Fijian. Just a few short years after the resort opened, her life crossed with George's and Olivia's in a way she couldn't have imagined. 

For quite some time, the Harrison had been visiting Fiji as a stopping point between their homes in Maui and Australia. The local media was bursting with stories that the Harrisons were visiting various spots on this island nation, talking to developers, and looking to buy property in Fiji. 

Collin shared her experiences with me [The Harrison Alliance], a story of George's generosity and, remarkably, a story about a gathering in a small village that just may have been George's last public performance.

George and Olivia went for a stay in Fiji at Lomalagi (lo-muh-LONG-ee), a small resort situated on a working coconut plantation overlooking Natewa Bay on Vanua Levu. Lomalagi has spectacular views and is quite secluded, the latter being a quality that wasn't wasted on the Harrisons. 

"It was April or May 1999, for five nights. They visited Fiji at least once a year and were considering buying property here, " said Collin. But up until that point, the Harrisons hadn't invested in land. "They had been disappointed a couple of times, feeling that the settings weren't tropical and green enough. This was their first trip to Vanua Levu, which is much more lush than most other parts of Fiji.

"George and Olivia were looking at real estate in Fiji because they liked the idea of having property halfway between their homes in Hawaii and Australia. 

"They found us through our website! Goerge's secretary made the booking through a travel agent," she recalled. 

"I got a call at 6:30AM on the morning they were due in on the domestic airline they were scheduled on. They had decided to charter a plane from them because they didn't want to wait around for the scheduled flight at 8:00AM. By the time they scurried around fueling the plane and locating a pilot, they got to Savusavu airport about 20 minutes before they would have arrived on the scheduled flight. 

"Everybody in Savusavu knew they were going to be at Lomalagi," she said. "But privacy is very much respected here. Celebrities who come here are never bothered in any way."

Collin said the Harrisons were the only visitors to the resort for part of their stay, and although they were enjoying their quiet time, they often joined her for lunch and dinner.  "For several meals, it was just the three of us. We had many nice conversations at lunch and dinner."

"They took a lot of walks on the beach. All beaches in Fiji are public, and at low tide, you can walk for miles. Our beach is a mix of coral sand, shale, and lava, fun for beachcombing."

The Harrisons had friends staying in Fiji at the same time they were there. Actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, as well as Gavin DeBecker, were in the area.

"Hanks was in Fiji filming the first part of Cast Away.  George and Olivia made plans to have lunch with Tom and his wife on their last day here. I tried to subtly suggest that they all have lunch here at Lomalagi, but there was a guy here from LA, Gavin DeBecker, who does security work for celebrities, so they had lunch at his house instead. George and Tom were good friends. I don't know how far the friendship goes back, but I do know it was a strong one."

Collis also recalls Dhani phoning and asking to speak to his parents. "Their son was at college at the time, somewhere on the east coast. One afternoon, he called for them (the villas don't have phones), but they weren't close by, so his message was, "Just tell my mom and dad that I called and that I love them very much." I thought that was so special. "

After a few days at Lomalagi, George and Olivia asked if they could visit the local village of Nasinu, about 3 km from the resort by beach and 15 km by car. "The chief asked if he could tell the people in the village who he was. Everybody knows the Beatles, even in a remote Fijian village! George graciously said yes, but asked that there be no photos taken. 

"When we arrived, they had a big area set up, with mats and cushions for all of us. Tea was served. The Fijian men performed a meke, a beautiful choreographed Fijian war dance, complete with warrior costumes and war paint. They looked very fierce! The meke lasted for about 30 minutes. 

"George didn't stick around for tea! As soon as the Lomalagi Band Boys (a group of local musicians that regularly entertain at the resort) sat down with their guitars and ukelele, Geroge immediately jumped up from where we were sitting and joined the boys on the mat-covered ground. 

"The first thing he did was to take the ukulele and start playing a Beatles song! The villagers went crazy! He then played chords with them while they played and sang Fijian songs. A bit later, he borrowed one of the guitars and again played some Beatles music. George played with the boys for more than an hour.

"The rugby coach went running off and when he came back, he was waving a Beatles cassette. Apparently, he had seen the Beatles perform in New Zealand many years ago. 

"The musicians' guitars and ukelele were very old and pretty beat up. About six weeks after George's visit, a huge box arrived containing three guitars, a ukelele, small percussion instruments for the band and for the school children, and lots of extra guitar and ukelele strings. 

"Later, two more packages arrived a couple of weeks after the guitars and ukelele. In one of them were a dozen Beatles cassettes for me; that was a fun surprise! George also sent a package of cassettes to the rugby coach!"

I asked Collin if she recalled any of the songs that George did at the village. She couldn't remember but asked the Lomalagi Band Boys if they did.  "Two songs they remember are 'Cry For a Shadow' and 'In Spite of All the Danger.'"  I told her those were pretty unique choices and probably were never performed publicly before. "Our lead guy found the two song names on some of the cassettes Geroge sent me! George sang some other songs as well, but those two, for sure, are remembered by Leraki!"

During our discussion, it occurred to me that this impromptu concert was probably George's last known live public performance. Later, I researched it carefully and discovered that with the exception of some private parties for the birthdays of a couple of friends, I had been correct in my assessment. Collin was stunned. "Wow, that gives me the goose bumps! Last public performance. What a legacy we'd have here."

Collin ran into George again at the airport in Savusavu about six months later. In the fall of 1999, the Harrisons were still looking to invest in property in Fiji. Accompanying George was Gavin DeBecker. 

"I was at the airport waiting for a flight, and he came in on a helicopter. He'd been looking at an island that was for sale," she recalled. They had made an offer on a 25-acre island between here and Savusavu town just before George was attacked in his home in England. After that, they withdrew the offer.

"He spotted me, walked over, and gave me a hug and a kiss! He was a lovely man."

Collin had one last story to relate about George. 

"Right after George died, the Lomalagi Band Boys had performed for our guests and were sitting on a platform down below the dining room. They frequently do this -- play and sing while we are at dinner. The ukulele George sent was on the deck, in front of one of the boys. All of a sudden, a coconut dropped from a tree high above and crunched down on the ukulele. We now have it hanging on the wall in the dinning room."

https://www.lomalagi.com/

I won't back down

 March 22, 1989