What a beautiful smile

A visit to see George

Front door meeting

I know I have posted this photo before, but it is a favorite of mine and I believe this one is clearer and larger than what has been posted before.

Autographing Beatle Book Monthly

Photo from Pat Kinzer visit on August 8, 1968

Happy Birthday to George

Since George's birthday this year fell on a weekend, I wasn't able to post photos in honor of our favorite "quiet" Beatle.    Here are some lovely photos from the Henry Grossman collection from 1968.


We love and miss you George!

All photos taken by Henry Grossman 

The painted bungalow

Thank you note

George wrote this fan, Roy, a note in March of 1969 after he wrote to Harrison and told him how his professor was putting down the Beatles and he stuck up for them.    Way to go Roy---and George approved!

When did George paint Kinfauns

Our dear friend over at the Kenwood blog posted this amazing fan-photo of George Harrison.   In the photo you will notice that George is wearing the shirt that he often wore during the summer of 1967.  However there is something that stands out in this photo----George's house is white!     We all know that George painted Kinfauns during "the summer of love" but when did this happen?

Well we have a clue.    Leslie Samuels talks to George and Klaus Voorman and shows them a photo of them painting the house "the month before" when her friend, Elieen from Chicago came to pay a visit.   We are able to date Leslie's visit to Paul and George's houses to July 12, 1967 (give or take a few days).

Elieen's photo of George and Klaus painting Kinfauns in June 1967

By the time Leslie made to to Kinfauns, it was fully psychedelic.  


Another slight clue we have is that John got this psychedelic Rolls on May 25, 1967 and I have read (although I am not sure if it is totally true) that his Rolls inspired George to paint his cars and his house.    So if we use those dates----then Kinfauns was painted between May 26-July 12.    So most likely George, Klaus, Pattie and whoever else was helping painted it over several days in June of 1967.    And this would make sense because mid-June wasn't an overly busy time for George or the Beatles.

The colorful house and car in black and white

A cool photo---but not the same effect as seeing it in color.

George at Kinfauns--pre paint

Always neat to see George at Kinfauns before the paint job.    Can anyone make out who took this photo?

Something for the George girls out there

Kinfauns George

Photo by Pat Simmons

Outside of Kinfauns

Here is a photo that seems to be making the rounds these days----not sure who is standing in the middle.   It looks to have been taken around the time the Beatles went to Greece. 

Inside Kinfauns

A trip to England in 1969

We have all seen Pat Kinzer's great photographs of George Harrison at Kinfauns in 1969.   And if you have her book, Do you Wanna Know a Secret, you have read about it.   While the book is one of my all time favorites, it doesn't go into a lot of detail about that trip, most likely because she didn't get to spend as much time with George as she did in 1968.  So I have typed up from the Harrison Herald the story of when she and her two friends went to England and got to see George.      

Harrison Herald

September 1969

By Pat Kinzer

I had a wonderful three weeks in England this year, as many of you know.  I could never begin to tell you all about it in the newsletter.  However, I have prepared a 13 page trip diary telling about the trip in detail.  If you would like a copy of this, you’ll welcome to it.  All I ask is that you send me a long, self-addressed stamped envelope with 2 6 cent stamps on it.   Since I can’t tell you about everything happened in this newsletter, I made up a list or two of some “interesting” things which is meant to be slightly humorous…but if you don’t laugh, that’s okay because I’m not exactly a born comedian!  Also, I’m printing an exert from my trip diary telling all about the day we (Pat, Lynn and myself) went to visit George at his home.  And now for my humorous lists:

Happiness is:  Heathrow Airport with sun shining for a change…staying in a hotel around the corner from Apple…George’s ponytail…Getting some sleep for a change….2 pm at EMI…”Orangie” orange juice…Paul’s green mini…Kevin and Mal both coming to the EMI door at the same time and realizing that someone’s either coming or going…Chasing Ringo up the stairs to get a good picture, and then running into him and ending up with a close-up of his right eyeball…leaving Paul’s house before the cops come around the corner…Hyde Park on a Sunday….realizing that it was Paul behind the wheel of the car that almost ran you down…seeing John and Yoko giving the peace sign with their hands as they drive away in their white Rolls…running around like idiots in the grass at Hyde Park just to let off some steam and relax…a light burring in the window of Apple late at night…touching John Lennon and realizing that he’s real after all…Ringo saying “Excuse me” when you’re standing in front of him trying to take a picture…George’s Mercedes parked outside Apple…singing “Hare Krishna” outside EMI while watching playback of the song they just recorded…looking at all the mail Mrs. Harrison gets and thanking God that I don’t get that much…Hearing “Remember Love” for the first time on Mr. and Mrs. Harrison’s stereo…the round-about and the policemen in Penny Lane…taking a “ferry across the Mersey”…standing outside the house that George was born in….seeming the primary school George, Paul and John went to and being thankful that I never had to go there….looking at George’s nephew Ian in amazement because he looks just like George did in baby pictures…the Esher train station after riding trains from Liverpool all day just to get there…talking to George at his home and not having to introduce myself because he already knows me…George’s eyes….watching George crack up after being asked to sign a Postcard of Esher…talking about Thames Ditton singing “Little Boxes Made of Ticky Tack”…Mal Evans supplying water form EMI for taking pills and fixing contact lenses…Pat mistaking Heather for Linda on Paul’s intercom system…getting winked at by Mal…shaking to death all the way up Claremont Drive and then wondering why I was shaking…Ringo….John….Paul…George…

Misery is…lugging 8 suitcases from one end of England to the other when there’s only three of you to carry them…warm Coke…being so sleepy you don’t’ know if it’s 5am or 5pm…riding a London bus…the rising cost of room service in the hotels….a copy guarding Paul’s house until after Paul has gone…tipped thirty cents for a twenty-four cent taxi ride and not realizing it until later….sore feet…missing the Hare Krishna march in Hyde Park because you didn’t hear the announcement of the date change due to the fact that you were at Hyde Park waiting for it to start—on the wrong day…getting lost in the Tube when you’re starving to death…finding out that George spent the whole day at Apple and you didn’t know it because you were out seeing lousy movies just to pass the time….seeing George’s car outside of Apple and finding out that it was only Terry who was there…sleeping thru the alarm when you have to check out of the hotel by noon…walking five miles when you’ve only had four hours of sleep the previous night…walking around dark alleys in Liverpool late at night…to miss seeing Jackie Lomax at Apple because you were busy watching the Rolling Stones on TV…seeing the Beatles leave EMI after the last recording session…watching the nude scene in “Hair” when you’re entirely too close to the stage…hearing guitars coming from Savile Row but not being able to find where they’re coming from…getting on the plane to go back home.

Here is the exert from my diary about the day we went to George’s:  Monday August 4, 1969

Got up about 9:00 and ate breakfast.  Mrs. Damon (the lady we were staying with in Surrey) took us to Kingston so Pat could rent another movie camera.  From Kingston we took a bus to Esher, bought postcards and flowers and then went straight to George’s house.  Since Pat and I had been there last year, we found it without any trouble whatsoever.  Then we got there, Terry Doran was out washing George’s Mercedes in the garage and politely tried to pretend we weren’t really there.  Went to the door and Lynn rang the bell.  Margaret (the housekeeper) answered.  I asked her of George was in and she said he was but he was busy getting ready to go to work.  I told her I’d sent him a registered letter and that I was his fan club president from the States so she said to wait a minute.   She came back and said he’d see us for a few minutes and asked us to wait.  A couple minutes later, George came out.  I introduced Pat and Lynn to him (I had forgotten to introduce anybody last year).  He was wearing fared blue jeans, a sort of blue pinstriped shirt, a black jacket and black shoes.  His eyes are just as piercing as they ever were!  I asked him if he’d gotten my letter and he said he thought he did.  We knew he was in a rush to get to work, so I started to give him all the gifts and letters from various people.  I was about to hand him a note (without any envelope) from Pegi and he asked me if I had to give him small bits of paper because they get lost too easily.  So I merely explained that Pegi wanted to write a book about him and Pattie, just as people, and she just wanted to have his permission first.  He said she couldn’t write a book about him because she didn’t know that much about him.  He said he couldn’t even write a book about himself let alone someone else trying to do it.  He took the gifts in the house.  Lynn handed him the flowers we got, and he took them and asked her if they were for Hare Krishna.  Then I said we saw them recording the Hare Krishna song the other day and he said they were just listening to the playback.  He then commented that we were having good weather for our trip this year.  I said that anything was better than last year’s cold wave.  He then asked how we got the money to come to England every year.  I said we saved all winter!  All during this time we were taking pictures.  I asked him if he’d mind singing a few things and he said he didn’t.  I gave him a birthday card for club members that I had half-designed, and asked him to write the message on it, which he did.  Pat gave him some postcards of Esher to sign and he took one look at them and said, “Esher???” and cracked up.  He signed some pictures and scraps of paper for me and five Beatles Monthlies for Lynn.  Pat took some movies of him which I’m dying to see.  I only took about 5 pictures of him, but Lynn took 19 which is great since she’s our club photographer!  George was really rushed for time (he was eating breakfast when we got there).  We only stayed for about 15 minutes.  When we took the last pictures of him, he said, “Not don’t’ come back next year and get me to sign the ones you just took!”  We thanked him for his time, said our goodbyes, gathered up our junk and left.  We walked up Claremont Drive taking our good old time and taking pictures.  We were almost at the end of the road when Terry and George drove up the road real fast (rushing as usual) to the studio.  We ate lunch in the Wimpy Bar and then went shopping before going back to Thames Ditton.

Meeting fans at Kinfauns

When Michael met the three Beatles

I am sure most (if not all) of you have see the photos and read the story of Michael Herring in the Daily Mail online this weekend.   And while it has been everywhere, the story really needs to be housed here at Meet the Beatles...for real, don't you think?  First I am going to share it for what it truly is...a wonderful story of a fan who met three of the Beatles (for real) and had a once in a lifetime experience.   And then I will have a response after it.  

Same photo without watermark, but blurry and small

Autograph of Ringo and John that Michael obtained that day.  Is that supposed to be a swastika under John's name?  oh John!

They are extraordinary pictures of the Beatles in their heyday, images never published before. 

And, it is claimed, these photographs reveal for the first time a bombshell moment in the band’s history that has left Beatles experts baffled.

It is 1968 and John Lennon coolly stares into the camera. Alongside him, George Harrison has in his shirt pocket a resignation letter from Paul McCartney – apparently written a full two years before he would eventually quit.

That is the claim of Michael Herring, who took the pictures as a 19-year-old art student during a magical day other Beatles fans could only dream about.

Mr Herring says he took these intimate pictures of the Beatles after turning up uninvited on John’s doorstep, later sharing a car ride with him to George Harrison’s house to see the Beatles recording – and witnessing the opening of a letter said to announce McCartney’s resignation.

US-born Mr Herring’s adventure began when he ‘doorstepped’ Lennon at his Surrey mansion, Kenwood, on May 28, 1968, after getting the star’s address through a friend. 

Mr Herring, who at the time was studying art in Kensington, West London, said that to his surprise he was invited in.

‘John opened the door and said exactly these words: “Well then, what’s it about?”,’ he recalled.

Mr Herring said he won Lennon over by joking: ‘John, I wish you could be me so that you know what it feels like to meet you.’ He was promptly invited in for breakfast.

Mr Herring sat down to eat with the singer and Yoko Ono – who ‘never spoke a word and was just mumbling into a cassette recorder’ – and then his luck got even better.

Impressed with Mr Herring’s knowledge of Yoko’s artwork, Lennon invited him to the band’s rehearsals for the White Album, which would be released later that year. 

They jumped into Lennon’s Mini and drove to Harrison’s Surrey bungalow, Kinfauns – adorned with psychedelic murals – to find George sitting on his lawn, playing the guitar. It was here that Mr Herring captured his series of evocative images.

‘George looked up and said, “Who’s this, then?”’ Mr Herring, 67, recalled. ‘John said, “This is Michael. He’s an artist. I found him in me garden.” They were chatting and the topic they were talking about was Paul. It appeared there was some question over whether Paul was going to show up for the rehearsal.’

In the house, Mr Herring was introduced to Ringo Starr and Harrison’s girlfriend Pattie Boyd.

And then came the arrival of a hand-delivered letter.

Mr Herring said: ‘There was a knock on the door. George opened it and there was a personal delivery guy. He handed him this pale blue letter. George read it and passed it to John.

‘I understood it was a letter from Paul’s attorney saying Paul wanted to quit the band. It was as if they were expecting he wasn’t coming that day. They didn’t seem that surprised. I can only paraphrase, but I recall George saying, “It’s from Eastmans and he’s not coming. Paul is quitting.” ’

Eastmans may have been a reference to the New York law firm Eastman & Eastman, the family business of Lee Eastman, father of the future Linda McCartney, who Paul had met in 1967. Linda’s brother John would later play a central role in steering 

Paul’s exit from the band.

The Beatles spent the rest of the day rehearsing in a small room and only broke to enjoy vegetarian curries. Mr Herring said he saw no drugs or alcohol.

Later, Lennon gave Mr Herring a lift back to the station, Mr Herring capturing one final iconic photograph as Lennon glanced into the car’s rear-view mirror.

Mr Herring kept his day with the Beatles under wraps for 47 years, only going public when he contacted a Manchester auction house, Omega Auctions, to enquire about selling his photographs and other memorabilia. The rare items are expected to fetch in excess of £10,000 when they go on sale on March 24.

Last night, Mark Lewisohn, a leading authority on the Beatles, said Mr Herring’s photographs were ‘fantastic because they capture a moment in history’.

But he cast doubt on the revelations about Paul’s resignation letter, saying: ‘There’s no way that can be accurate because the Eastmans had no part in Paul’s life until his relationship with Linda began in October 1968, and there was no way Paul was quitting at this point. They had a number of sessions at George’s house and Paul was certainly at most of them – maybe not this one – because we have the recordings.’

But he added: ‘This does not undermine the general story, which I do believe.

Mr Herring, a retired illustrator now living in Australia, insists his memories of events at Harrison’s house are correct.

A spokesman for Paul McCartney did not comment last night.

Alright so there is Michael's incredibly wonderful story.    And yes---it has some surface errors.   Pattie was George's wife in 1968, and not his girlfriend.   I believe that this s Michael Herring's memory of what happened in May 1968 and I believe that most of it is true and that all of it is true to him.  As with all fan stories, there is often more there that meets the eye (as they say in Help!)

Hunter Davies gave a response to Michael's story that I want to look at.   I truly respect Hunter Davies and I admire him for digging into this story and looking at it deeply.   That is what Beatle historians do.  We sift through the stories and dig down into the truth by asking questions.   Davies asked some great questions, although I do not agree totally with him. 

Questions 1:   Would John Lennon invite an unknown fan into his home just 9 days after he and Yoko got together?

I have to say that this isn't very far-fetched to me.   We have seen on this blog that John would from time-to-time invite fans into Kenwood.   This story is very, very similar to that of David Goggin in that he was an American in at Kenwood to meet John, John invited him in for a meal and then drove him to get George and to attend a Beatles recording session.    He even referred to Michael as someone he "met in the garden" just as he did David.    I am not sure what just getting together with Yoko would have to do with anything, really.   John didn't have plans with Yoko that day--he had plans with the Beatles.   I have no problems with this part of the story.

Question 2:  Would George have invited a fan in his home in 1968?   Here is a quote from Davies, "George would not have invited strangers into his house. By 1968, he hated being a Beatle and hated even more being asked about being a Beatle. Fans would get short shrift."    Before I began this blog, I would have read that statement and said, "Yeah...that's George totally."   However, I have to kindly disagree with Hunter Davies on this point.    We have seen time and time again that George Harrison was the most willing of the four Beatles in invite a fan inside of his home.    There are stories from 1968 and 1969 (Pat Kinzer and Sue B comes to mind) of fans coming to Kinfauns and George spends time with them and in some cases inviting them inside of Kinfauns!    I think a lot of it had to do with George's upbringing with his parents.   They were so super kind to the fans, that I think George felt like it was his duty to be the same way.   I really think that George disliked fans in large groups, but really liked getting to talk to fans on an individual basis.    

 

Question 3:  Did the Beatles allow strangers in on recording sessions?   I agree with Davies on his point that it was an extreme rarity for the Beatles to allow an outsider to sit in while they were recording anything.   It was done very, very rarely.    We know that David Goggin sat in during the recording of "I am the Walrus."    Yoko sat in during the recording of "Fool on the Hill."   There must have been something about Michael Herring that John, George and Ringo trusted to allow him to sit in while they were working on the White album demos.

 

Question 4:  Did Paul really resign from the Beatles on May 28, 1968?    I think we all agree that there is no way that Paul resigned from the Beatles.    Wouldn't he have said something about it in the Anthology?   Wouldn't it have been mentioned way before 2015?    So what was that letter business all about?   Here is my theory:    Between May 20-29, 1968 the Beatles met at Kinfauns and made demos of the White album (if you haven't heard the full bootleg sessions you need to...amazing!).  Paul was there prior to the 28th and said to others that he might not be able to make it on the 28th for the next session.    Paul was extremely busy in May of 1968.  He and John had just returned from New York to announce Apple, Paul was working with the band Grapefruit on their promotional film (filmed on the 26th), and he was sort of juggling three women (Jane, Francie and Linda).   So the three didn't think Paul was going to show up.  He might have said that he would try to make it.    The letter comes from Paul saying that he wasn't going to be able to make it and George makes a joke saying that Paul has quit the band.   He says the Eastmans bit because it was a joke.   Paul had just spent time with Linda Eastman in New York.   John had probably given Paul a hard time about Linda's dad being a lawyer.   It was a joke between the three of them.   However, Michael didn't know that.  He took what was said at face value.  Paul had quit the Beatles.   There were always rumors about one of the Beatles quitting.    Paul wouldn't have been involved with the Eastmans in May of 1968---he barely was in a relationship with Linda.   

 

Question 5:  Why did Michael Herring wait so long to share his story and photos?    Well---the photos have been out there.   They just haven't been so crisp and detailed.   But I had seen some of them before.   Sometimes Beatle fans do not wish to share their stories.   They want to keep them private and to themselves because they like to hang onto it.    I personally don't understand it, but I do respect it.   

 

 

Pattie says goodbye

At home with Harrison

Kinfauns walk (prepaint)