First John and May sighting (The start of the Lost Weekend?)

Photos taken by Marie Lacey / the Greeting Committee

September 7, 1973 - Thanks to the Greeting Committee -- we have here the first photos of just John and May Pang.   May was known to the fans because she worked for Apple in New York City and was seen with John and Yoko from time to time.  So seeing them here together wouldn't have raised any big red flags and they do not look like they are in a romantic relationship in these photos at all.  But -- we all know what is about to happen!  

John thanks the Greeting Committee

Photo taken by Marie Lacey 

 September 6, 1973

50 years ago a group of fans that hung around the studio while John was making "Mind Games" gave this t-shirt that said the "Greeting Committee" to him.    John gave the group this nickname because they were always there to greet him when he arrived.   They made him this shirt and gave it to him as a gift.  When they saw he was wearing their t-shirt, they asked him to open up his overshirt so they could take a photo.  

One of my all time favorite photos of John.  He must have liked the photo too because it was framed and put on the white piano at the Dakota, where it stays to this day.  

Meeting Paul and Linda in 1974

 From McCartney Ltd 

September/October/November 1974 

 

For the first 3 ½ weeks of our trip which started on September 1st, it seemed that we weren’t going to get to see Paul at all to speak of.  We’d seen him once very briefly as he went by in his car, but that was hardly enough to satisfy us.  However, we had vowed that we were not going to bother him at his house so we kept waiting for a better time and place to come along and hoping that in the end there would be something to the old adage that all things come to those who wait.  

 

As it turned out our patience was to be rewarded, but the ironic thing about our first encounter with him was that it came completely unexpectedly.  That, by the way, is the key to success.  Never expect anything because when you do it usually never happens.   

In my case, after much thought, we finally decided to go to the house on the 24th just to leave some things for Linda’s birthday.  We fully expected Rosey to come out and fetch the gifts, nothing more.  Who should come driving up just after Marie had rung the bell and Rosey had answered?  None other than Paul himself of course, and when we saw that call pulling up, I think we all wanted to turn and run the other way!  But, luckily, we didn’t and Paul immediately bopped over to us thinking the gifts were for him!  But after Maire had explained that they were for Linda’s birthday (Paul: “Oh, you’re waiting for Linda?!?!”) he then offered to go in and get her for us.  However, Marie told him that someone was already on the way out for the gifts and just then Rosey appeared to prove our point!  We had him so confused!   

 

So anyway, he then asked Rosey if he could come in and told us that he’d see if Linda could come out “if we didn’t mind waiting” (sure Paul).  But as it turned out Linda was napping at the time so he asked us if it’d be alright if he took things to her.  Marie told him that “Yes, he’d do” so he took the flowers from her (asking if she’d come over from New York again!) and then he asked me if I wanted him to take the cake, I was holding onto her as well – at which point Marie told me to “go ahead and give it to him – that I could trust him!”  So, I did while saying something like that would be just fine with me.  Then just before he went in, he told us that we could come back the next day to see Linda and for photos of both of them if we like – first asking if 6:00 would be okay with us and then changing it to between 12 and 1 when he remembered that they were going to be mixing tapes later one.  So naturally, we did come back on the following day and in some respects, that day was even better! 

I say that mostly because of the fact that they posed for photos with us – which was especially nice for me since somehow ended up standing by Paul, with him having his arm around me, while Marie ended up standing by Linda (with no offense to Linda!).  I’m still not quite sure how that happened or how I ever got so lucky for once in my life, but in any case, I certainly enjoyed it.  It was probably thanks to the fact that Linda loves Marie and monopolized her every time we saw them!  But, still, I think that Paul and Linda enjoyed being photographed as well – especially Paul when he noticed that Barbara had a movie camera – started doing this little dance for her that was just so cute! 

The next two times we saw Paul were again from a distance –first from across the street at E.M.I. when he was mixing tapes there and then a few days later at a hotel.  We had big plans for that night - like already being in the hotel restaurant when he walked in, but too late we found out that we had to have reservations well in advance for that so we had to settle for watching him walk by from the lobby. 

 

Then finally the 2nd week of October he started work on the new LP at E.M.I., so we got to see him several more times there and he stopped to talk with us at least briefly each time.  One night in particular Marie even had to help direct him out of his parking place – he almost hit the car next to him---twice!  But I guess the most memorable night at E.M.I. was the last time we saw him.  Marie told him that we’d come to say goodbye since we’d be leaving England in a couple days so he stopped and talked for a while. He asked us about our trip – what we’d done and if we’d enjoyed ourselves this time.  Linda told us that they’d gotten the card we sent them in Scotland.  Then Marie told Paul that Mimi had asked him when he saw her Paul said, “Oh?  How is Mimi?”   We told him just fine and about how nice she’d been to us.  And then Marie added that Mimi did miss John, though and Paul said, thoughtfully, that he imagined she would.  Then somewhere along the line, Paul noticed that there were two guys “with” us – one a pen friend of Marie (Hi Dave!) and the other a stranger to us.  So, he asked us if they were friends of ours, to which Marie very enthusiastically replied, “Yes!”  But that didn’t seem to satisfy Paul because then he had to add “How long have you known them?” Well, as you can imagine, we were quite enjoying the whole course this conversation had taken and would have let him think whatever he wanted – but then the one guy had to go and spoil things by saying he’d only met us a few minutes ago (darn).  However, not to be completely discredited Marie piped in that we had known Dave for a while.  It really was cute to see Paul’s reaction, though – his ego just couldn’t take the thought of us looking at anyone but him.  Then Dave asked him about his touring plans and the other guy asked him about his new LP.  So, we stood talking for a few minutes about that, and then Paul told us goodbye and to have a safe trip home.  That was a great way to end what had been a very special trip for us but on the other hand, it also made it even harder than it already was for us to leave.  He had been so nice to us and so natural, throughout our trip – but then we hadn’t made a nuisance of ourselves at his house like we could have very easily done.  The temptation to see him and talk with him every single day was great but, in the end, it was worth a lot more to have had just a few very special encounters with him than to have had many encounters with him but some of them having been unpleasant.  Paul really has a tremendous amount of patience and tolerance where fans are concerned – but he is human and can only take so much, so please, whenever anyone is planning to see him – remember that, consider his feelings and let’s not blow this special thing we have with him! 

Wings in concert

I really enjoyed typing out this story this afternoon.    I can only imagine how much fun this group of friends had traveling around England together and seeing Wings concerts in 1973.     This story was written by Doylene for McCartney Ltd and had no  photographs included with it, so I tried to find some to add to the story.

Wings in concert (part 2)

By Doylene

McCartney Ltd. November/December 1973

The Liverpool concerts (two in the same night) were definitely a highlight of the tour.  Before going to the first one we made a trip to the Cavern – something I had wanted to see since it was going to be closed and torn down in about ten days.   The whole club was much bigger than I’d imagined but the actual place where the Beatles had performed was very small and exactly as I’d pictured it.  We didn’t get to stay there as long as we would’ve liked to, as it was nearly time for the concert to start.  As we were all waiting for Paul to come out for the first concert, the crowd began spelling out Wings letter by letter.  Also must mention that shortly after I was seated (in my beautiful 4^th row seat), I spotted Paul’s Dad and Step-mother seated in the first row!   Then the concerts began and I enjoyed it so much.  Paul kept throwing his dad special looks and before the concert was over, his step-mother was kneeling in the aisle beside me, clapping right along with the kids!  Then Pal did something that really cracked me up.  Naturally Paul had heard the audience spelling out Wings before the concert so thinking he’d be really clever he introduced “Wildlife” as an earlier song by Wings---he spelled it wrong!  And somehow I sort of doubt that he meant to do that on purpose.  The concert ended with me standing on my chair again and catching three Frisbees sometime while I was up there.  A concert like that can really drain you and when you have two in one night—well it is was hard to take! 

The one that followed was even more exciting—being that everyone seemed to be wound up right from the beginning.  He came out in a different outfit—the longer style jacket in black and red checks (more of a flannel type jacket as worn in the pub scene of the TV special).  For this concert we had third row seats so the view was even better.  Right after the concert had begun this guy with a movie camera started filming the audience and he kept aiming that stupid thing straight at me!   I tried to ignore him, but he must of found the look on my face as my eyes followed Paul around the stage quite interesting.  I hope he had a good laugh.  Just before Paul began “Little Woman Love,” he started to say the audience was welcome to clap along but before he could get it out the audience was bursting into applause.  Well, that brought the greatest expression to his face and he started saying “No..no…no… I mean the kind of clapping that you do with the music!”  And so went the concert with everyone going completely insane by the time he was into the rockers.   I was on top of my seat again and we all kept going down like dominos but climbing right back up.   People were on top of people shoulders.  After one encore of “Long Tall Sally” the audience was not about to let Paul go and he didn’t want to stop anymore then they wanted him to.   So, he came back for yet another encore, which surprised us all!  Incredible to say the least!  But the night wasn’t over yet.  Almost everyone else was waiting by the rear door entrance for Paul but having been fooled several times before; I decided to wait out the front.   It paid off!  As I was waiting there a bobby who had been standing on the corner told me to wait right where I was because Paul would be coming out the front shortly—but he asked me not to tell anyone else.  Then almost before he had gotten that said, sure enough Paul came walking out (in a gorgeous silver and black jacket ) and seeing him so close lke that nearly shocked me to death.  I was expecting but still I wanted desperately to say something to him but I couldn’t.  I just stood by his car—paralyzed.  There was hardly a soul around except one guy who asked Paul for an autograph (which he gave).  In spite of the fact that my tongue was tied like an idiot, it was good to see him so close and without the teenyboppers crawling all over him. 

Wings Backstage---is this the shirt she was talking about?

The next concert was in Leeds, but we decided we’d keep our room in Liverpool and come back on the train after the concert since it was only a few miles between the cities.  But what we hadn’t figured was no train leaves Leeds after 11pm, so we ended up spending a very miserable night in the Leeds train station, but the concert made it worthwhile.   We had special guest tickets (which came as a great surprise!) so we got to sit in a balcony directly overlooking the stage instead of on the floor with no reserved seats.   WE got quite a look from a couple roadies who were guarding the balcony stairs when we’d showed them our tickets like, “How did you manage that?”  Just before the concert started, Paul walked across the floor where the people were sitting instead of making his entrance from the backstage which gave the people on that side of the floor a thrill!  Then the concert started and I really enjoyed the view, especially when Henry opened his big mouth after the first few songs and everyone on the floor ran to the stage----looking like some kind of a stampede!     Just before the rockers began he gave me my thrill of the day by telling everyone to “clap and shake a bit” and then demonstrated by swiveling his hips from side to side.  I almost lost my grip on the railing there and fell through!  I was already tripped out due to the fact that I was sitting directly next to the amplifiers.  I could actually reach out and touch them, that close.  Anyway, it was quite a night.  Afterwards, I picked up my poor trampled poster and was able to get a hold of a RRS t-shirt.  Then we returned to the train station and began that awful vigil. 

Wings in concert in the UK

Back in Liverpool we slept almost through the next day and then we were off to Preston the day after that.  Ann, Marie and James rode with us.   Once in Preston we went directly to the Guildhall where James and Madeleine got to see Paul backstage.   The rest of us missed out.  However I had a second row seat at the concert, so that helped my disappointment! Marie and Ann didn’t have very good seats so we “shared” our seats with them.  It was really a fantastic concert.  Marie and I were going crazy over the looks he was giving us.  Then during “The mess”, we went down to the stage and Marie and I got directly in front of Paul.  That was Heaven for about 2 seconds and then we were crushed mercsiously  (sic) from behind as the other people rushed the stage.   The look of sympathy we got form Linda was really something and it was nice when Paul asked the people to move back for us, too!  At the time I didn’t’ think I’d get out alive but I now believe It was worth it—even if my view of him was mostly from the waist down.  Afterwards we waited for him at his hotel but a lot of good it did us since he was attacked by two girls the minute he stepped off the bus.  They were pulling him down by his hair.   It was really disgusting. 

Paul in 1973--photo may be from Marie Lacey

We left for Edinburgh the next day and had one free day before the concerts.  Two in one night.   When Paul and company arrived at the theatre, he came bopping down the middle aisle of the bus with a radio held to his ear.   Then once they were off the bus they were covered by “fans” again but Linda stopped to say “Hello” to me, which really shocked the heck out of me.  At the first concert we had balcony seats, 2^nd row which wasn’t bad at all.  I loved the way Paul introduced “My love”—adding “Let’s be having you…” after the usual introduction.  At that point we all ran up on the stage and said---“okay!”  Not really, but it’s a thought, right?  Obviously it was more than a thought to this one girl who climbed up on the stage and grabbed him from behind a couple songs later.   The guard pulled her off once but she grabbed Paul again nearly ripping his jacket off.  Afterwards we saw her walking out sobbing and shaking and being comforted by her girlfriends.   At the second show we had the lousiest seats of the whole tour—rear balcony—last row---really bad!  Marie said he  changed lyrics on “Hi hi Hi” making them a little more interesting, but I didn’t catch that.  Maybe I couldn’t hear way up there.  Anyway, we walked to the hotel after and waiting for him.   We were alone until 10,000 people appeared out of nowhere when his bus arrived.  So once again he was mobbed and we were disappointed.

ImageCollect.com/J Stevens  (please do not post this photo elsewhere)

The next concert was at Glasgow and since we were the only ones going, Marie let us use her tickets which were 5^th row seats.  I really despised the town.  The people were rude and the accents were terrible to understand, but the concert was great!   Right from the start the crowd was enthusiastic but the security was something else.  No one was even allowed to stand up!   Guards came along shoving each person down and they were really rough!   Also, just as the concert was starting this stoned little groupie in makeup and glitter wanted to know if she could “sit on my lap” (which she then proceeded to do!).  I always get the strange ones.   Anyways, soon a guard came to my rescue and threw her out.  For once I was glad to see him!   During the concert, Paul walked over to Linda, whispered something to her and they both smiled.  Would have been interesting to know what he said.  Anyway, that got a shriek from the audience.   Finally, at the start of “Long Tall Sally” the guards couldn’t hold the crowd back any longer and everyone rushed down to the front.  And seeing that everyone had a short time to unwind, Paul decided to do “Long Tall Sally” 1 ½ more times!   That was really fantastic.  We started to wait outside the theatre after the concert, but the Bobbies had other ideas and we were sent on our way.  Then we went to the hotel Paul was supposed to be at but wasn’t.   Luckily there as a couple guys there who knew where he was so they showed us the way.  Of course, due to our detour, we missed his arrival, but did get a nice view of him through a picture window as he came out of the elevator for dinner and he gave us a big smile.

Wings London 1973

Audience in London 1973

The next day we began the long trip back to London for our last stop, but three more concerts.   We got there at 6pm after traveling all day and Marie gave us a couple extra tickets for the 1^st concert since it had been sold out when we wrote for tickets.   We had seats in the 26^th row but it wasn’t too bad since we were on the ground floor and had binoculars.   The thing I really remember about this concert is the girl getting on stage and grabbing Paul during “go Now”.  Of course, it had happened before but this time the girl started kissing him and it seemed that it took forever before she was removed.  It was driving me crazy and I kept thinking “My god, someone get her off!”  Strange feeling.   The next day Marie, Sarah, and I decided to be brave  and make a trip to his house.  We all chipped in for some roses and finally he and Linda came walking out just before it was time to leave for the theater.  Marie gave him the flowers while Sarah and I froze in the middle of the street.  Then he and Linda got in the car (the red one) and drove past us beeping the horn at us and waving.   You should have seen his face when he saw us in the press pit that night at the concert!   But Marie had seen someone in the pit she knew so she thought  if she could do it, we could do it, so we crawled in!   Anyway, being in there made it the most enjoyable concert of all!  We had a perfect view of him at al times plus we could move around all we wanted during the rockers.   Then we got another look from him when he did his “My Love” intro about couples.  He looked at us and shrugged like he didn’t know what we could do.  Finally the last day of the tour rolled around and I couldn’t believe it was almost over.  We all decided we had to be in the press pit again, so matter what, since it was our last night and all.  So that where we headed (Sarah, Vickie, Ann and Madeleine joined us this time!)  But it seems a lot of other people had the same idea and it was really crowded in there.  When they started checking press passes I thought we’d had it in but we managed to half-way hide under a tarp thing they had in there.  Anyway, no one bothered us.  Not because they couldn’t see us, but probably because they thought we were suffering enough!  My best memory of this last concert was when he was singing “when the night…” he looked so gorgeous and when he sang “I never will forget the night,” I thought how I’d apply that to myself and never forget that moment.  I also remember exactly how he looked as he was getting ready to leave the stage.  He had a guitar pic in his mouth all the while he was talking and then he raised his arm up to wave goodbye he pulled his jacket up quite nicely.  Also, I have to mention that all during the concert these people in the front section kept yelling for “Yesterday” and finally Paul told them to “Shut up!” which I thought was hilarious. After the concert we went to the Café Royale where a party was being held for Paul.  We waited a long time and then finally we saw him and Linda walking down the street toward us.  Him in a yellow safari outfit with short sleeves.   Then this strange guy ran up to him and starting shoving things in his face so there ended our chances of really speaking to him.  I walked him walk inside the building and someone was kind enough to leave the door open so I stood there looking at him for as long as I could.  That was the last time I saw him.    Then the man acting as Paul’s chauffeur was nice enough to give us al lift home and he even let us take a look at Paul’s clothes which were in the trunk.   Having spotted the “Macca” jacket each of us just HAD to tr it on and that was nice—to be inside something he’d been inside.   The next day I returned to L.A. leaving behind the most wonderful 2 ½ weeks I’d ever spent.  I know I’ll never forget them as long as I live.

 

The Wings Super-fans

I love that I recognize so many of the names from this clipping from the Wings Fun Club newsletter because of the Beatles fanzines that I have been reproducing here over the years.   While I realize that I do not know any of the fans listed here, I feel like I sort of do know them through their stories and finding their photo and name mentioned in the Fun Club really is awesome.

Marie and friends

Marie Lacey with her friends when they met Paul in London in October 1976.  I just know that there has to be a great story behind these photos.  

Let John and Yoko stay in the USA

In recently reading through fan magazines that I have obtained from the early and mid 1970's, I am reminded of the fact that Beatle fans worked very hard for John Lennon to stay in the U.S.A.   Each fanzine has addresses and petitions to send in for John.   It is easy after the fact to forget that it was John's fans that really did all that they could for John to get his green card.   I am not sure how much help it really gave John, but I'd like to think that it was maybe that little extra to help him win his case.   

Here is a story written by Barbara Clark for "McCartney Lovers and Friends" from January 1973 from when she and her friends hung around during one of John's immigration hearings in April 1972.

 

So I thought I would write about last April 18, 1972, when we went to see John at court.  We started off at 7am for the city, but heavy traffic, the car getting sick on the way (the car stalled out while turning a corner, and a taxi pushed us down the road, where we had to stop for over ½ hour) and the location of the 20 West Broadway (Immigration Office) being unfindable, slowed us down a bit and we didn’t arrive there until 9:30. 

Having missed John by a few minutes, we were killing each other, and then noticed that a crowd had already assembled (waiting for him to come out).  There were photographers, news reporters, groupies, teenyboppers and assorted people who didn’t know what the hell was going on, but stayed anyway just to see what was happening.  Three long hours passed, and finally John made his way out.  Seeing the reporters, he threw his arm around Yoko, and seemed to dread the upcoming serge.  They literally jumped on him.  He spent about 15 minutes answering questions about the court proceedings.  Answering some questions on the lighter side, he said that in kindergarten and all through school, nobody liked his face, and he seemed to always be in real bad trouble because of it.  He answered a girl’s question about his LP that was going to come out in a few weeks (He was really cheerful about that).  He finally pushed his way through the mob and smiled when he looked our way.  “Thomas” opened the car door and they were off.  Tommy, Marie, Sagi and I were at Apple on a hunch, when Geraldo Rivera from ABC news arrived along with some cameramen.  (They went inside to interview John, and it was on TV that night).  Marie suggested that he ask John to do a concert for the children of Willowbrook as George had done for Bangladesh.   He said that he would (Well it worked!)  He seemed to be rather snotty, he thinks he’s a real celebrity you know.  We waited and waited and waited.  Soon after, two true blue Beatle fans (guys) from New Jersey arrived.  They came to give John a letter.  It was about Yellow Matter Custard.  They kept asking Marie if she knew where John lived so that they could visit him and send him letters (“How should I know?” she said innocently).  Eventually, we saw Tom (his driver) come out from Apple, and John came out about five minutes later.  The two guys managed to speak to him and asked him about Yellow Matter Custard.  John told them to contact Dave Morrell (He’s about 17 ad calls himself the #1 Beatle fan because he has every LP and bootleg going and about $1000.00 worth of Beatle collections.)  Anyway, this Dave bloke was on the radio once bragging about his bootlegs, and John was interested in Yellow Matter Custard so he got to meet John and give him a copy (Oh yeah, he was also at Apple earlier in the dya).  Anyway he walked towards Marie’s car looked in and then saw Tom behind us and got into the blue station wagon.  They took off and when we decided to go our way we found that they were going in the same direction.  We almost went through a red light, got hit by a bus, and then found John in front of us.  His lane was going too slow and we didn’t know what to do.  A cab driver yelled out for us to pass him and Tommy yelled back, “but you don’t understand the situation!”  Marie, having one of her nervous attacks, kept saying “let’s take a vote on this.”   We had to pass, but I did look back and saw John resting his arm and hanging out the window smiling at all the people passing by.