Meet the Beatles for Real: Jimmie Nicol

Showing posts with label Jimmie Nicol. Show all posts

Monday, April 1, 2024

Scandinavian Airlines steps

Thursday, January 25, 2024

No smoking on the steps of the plane

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Living the Beatles Legend: A Book Review

If you have spent any time here at MTBFR, you will quickly learn that my favorite person in Beatledom (outside of the Fab 4 obviously) has always been Mal Evans. He caught my eye when I first became a fan some 30 years ago because of his resemblance to my Grandpa who passed away in 1994 (although through this book I learned that my Grandpa was taller than Mal). Because of his appearance, I tried to learn more about the Beatles road manager and quickly discovered that there was not much out there about him.

When I started this site, I decided that I was going to dig and find more information about Mal Evans and learned all about the book he was writing at the time of his death and also about his diaries (my Grandpa was also a man that kept a diary, so that really interested me). On this site, I questioned how a book that was almost finished could disappear and never see the light of day. At one point I even questioned if it had information in it that Apple didn't want us to know.

So it is with tears of joy that I write this review, because not only are Mal Evan's diaries and manuscripts safe and sound, but Kenneth Womack used them exclusively to write the book Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans.

I finished reading the book a few days ago and I have taken some time to digest it. Like all well-written Beatles books,.I am going to need to re-read it to truly grasp it all. But WOW -- what a journey Ken takes the reader on through Mal's life. It is a tragically sad story from start to end, yet it is also filled with so much joy. Mal was there for everything The Beatles experienced. Every tour, every album, holidays, India, the rooftop -- you name the event and there is a 99.9% chance Mal was there (the only thing I think he missed was the Maharishi in Wales when they learned of Brian's death). And this book is his story told through his words. You don't get the same old Beatles stories in this book. So much new information is hidden within the covers.

There were a few things in the book that I was originally disappointed about (namely what was said about The Apple Scruffs) but I really shouldn't have been. Living the Beatles Legend is not a Beatles history book and should not be read as if it is. Some of the things in the book contradict stories that are canon in Beatles lore (for example the back story of the song Let It Be). But the things in the book are Mal's point of view and taken from his own manuscripts and his own memories. As far as Mal was concerned, Let It Be was written because in India when Paul started singing "Mother Malcolm comes to me...." I am happy to say that this book truly is Mal Evan's story. A man who up until recent years has just been a footnote. He led an incredible life, and you just have to read it to understand.

The book itself is not difficult to read, however, do be warned that Ken uses words sometimes that I had to look up in the dictionary so that I was sure I knew what they meant. I read the book while I was on the road -- on airplanes and in hotel rooms mostly and I don't think that was the right way to read it. I am going to re-read it when I have a chance to really dig deeper. And I just love Beatles books that give me a chance to do more research and learn more.

I have to give Living the Beatles Legend the title of Best Beatle Book of 2023 (well umm...right after Dear Beatle People naturally) because of the new stories and information that has been discovered from the book. I recommend all Beatle fans should read it and it would be the perfect gift for family and friends to get Beatle lovers for Christmas.

As I finished it, I couldn't help but think that Mal was smiling down, happy that his story has finally been told. The words he wrote over 47 years ago are finally being read by people who love the Beatles. Thanks, Mal, and thanks, Ken.

https://amzn.to/3SVBKj2

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Sunday, October 1, 2023

This kid wants to be Ringo's stand in

Monday, August 28, 2023

All the very best

Sunday, June 5, 2022

The Beatles and the Blonde

June 5, 1964

Monday, April 4, 2022

Interview with Jimmie Nicol (1984)

Jimmie Nichol has always been quite a mystery. Jim Birkenstadt unraveled much of the Jimmie mystery in his book, The Beatle Who Vanished. Jimmie was only heard from a handful of times since he departed from the Beatles in 1964. One of those times was when he appeared at a Beatles convention in 1984. I found an interview Jimmie did with Evert Vermeer (EV) for Beatles Unlimited and was published in April 1985. I am going to just share the part of the interview that is Beatles-related.

EV: It has been said that technically you were a better drummer than Ringo Starr.

JN: Without being unkind, Ringo Starr isn't really a drummer. On some of the recordings he played really well, he's got a good feel when they get together. But the Beatles weren't the greatest band. In fact, as a group, they were pretty bad.

EV: Well, some of the live appearances may have been appalling, but the atmosphere was there.

JN: Well, they didn't really care about live concerts. And the equipment didn't match the acoustics. Nowadays you can hire a company to handle just the sound acoustics, but they didn't have that.

EV: Are you doing anything at all in music now?

JN: Oh yes, I'm composing and recording my own music now, but just as a hobby, because I'm mainly concentrating on my company. I have to be able to create the right environment to make music.

EV: Would you say those days with The Beatles helped you on in your career, or do you see them as a disadvantage?

JN: No, nothing in life has been a disadvantage to me. And if it has, I've always turned it into an adventure.

EV: How did you feel you fitted into the act with the other three Beatles, who had been a close unit for eight years or so?

JN: As I said at the convention, I'm not prepared to disclose that now. But that will come out in the book, because I think that's very interesting.

EV: But you must have had the feeling you were more or less the odd man out.

JN: In retrospect, analyzing what actually happened, I get that impression as well.

EV: It must have been a fascinating experience to be inside that circle for a while.

JN: It was disappointing. Not fascinating, because I had been used to it before. When rock n roll first hit I was touring with screaming kids. That was another reason why they chose me. They knew how I would act as a person coming into a pre-made image.

EV: But you had to be a bit of an actor playing a Beatle?

JN: They didn't want to admit, even though it was written in black and white, that there was anybody else playing the drums except Ringo. They wanted to present The Beatles as The Beatles, as a whole. Obviously, they were extremely afraid of a failure on the tour, of an outsider coming in.

EV: There is a photo of you leaving Australia after Ringo got back, on which you're waiting for your plane. You look awfully lonely on that.

JN: Oh yes, that's a beautiful picture. Well, if you look at that photograph, that answers your question.

EV: Did you feel you were being dropped at that point? And afterward, did you ever hear from Epstein or any of The Beatles?

JN: No, not at all. Ringo came back one day and I left the following morning. I will include my suppositions in the book. Obviously, because I was part of the internal politics, I saw and heard many things, but I never commented on them.

EV: Were you contracted for the whole tour?

JN: No. It was on a daily basis, actually. I never knew from one day to another whether I would be going onto these different countries. Probably, that put a lot of pressure on me, this situation makes you uneasy, and I wasn't as mature as I am now.

EV: How were you received by the fans? Did they accept you as a Beatle, or did they really make you feel like a stand-in?

JN: Basically, the fans had no choice. It was either The Beatles with me or no Beatles at all. But of course, no one is indispensable. If I hadn't been the right person in the right place at the right time and with the right background, obviously someone wise would have done the job.

EV: Was there any audition?

JN: Just one rehearsal in the studio with George Martin.

EV: After you went back to England, did you ever meet anyone?

JN: No. Never. One time I was playing in a club in London, and George happened to come in one evening with a lady friend, and he sent the waiter with a drink. But I declined the offer.

EV: ....??

JN: My dear sir, I have my self-respect. I will not be bought by anyone, even if it's to my disadvantage.

EV: Did you feel George wanted to make up for something?

JN: Ooooh yes, of course. We both knew what had happened. It was one of those situations where no words have to be spoken.

EV: Do you have any fixed ideas about your book yet?

JN: No. There's a lot of work to be done. We want to be in complete control of everything. The book does have potential and distribution possibilities worldwide but won't have a bad publisher. It will not be a Beatles book, although commercially speaking, the Beatles will be the selling point.

EV: Aren't you afraid that some fans will be offended by any negative remarks in the book like some of them were by things in Peter Brown's book that harmed their idea of The Beatles?

JN: I think negativeness can be taken by rational people. Of course, the dirty bits will be good for the sales, but it would be pretty sensationalism. But my intention is not to do an expose-the-Beatles type of book. That's all been done before.