Say the "The Word"

 

If you would like -- please check out this article I wrote with author of the John Lennon Series, Jude Southerland Kessler for the Fest for Beatle Fans blog about the song "The Word."  

https://www.thefest.com/rubber-soul-deep-dive-part-6-the-word/?fbclid=IwAR0PNq3aVGzUgR1hYNUFjQWm-wzI42MAZRjdotzHQI4s8Fzi6aiGJvXwIkw

Why did John and George leave the Rishikesh?

50 years ago today, on April 12, 1968, John Lennon and George Harrison, along with their wives Pattie and Cynthia chose to leave the Maharishi's camp after 2 months.      There are many theories as to why John and George abruptly left the guru and did not finish the program as they originally had planned. 


1.   The "official" story -   The story that had been told from the beginning is that the Maharishi had been seen with a young lady from the camp in his private quarters engaging in sexual behavior.  Believing the Maharishi to be a spiritual man that abstained from the desires of the flesh, they were angry by his behavior and found it to be a betrail.    They attempted to speak to him about the issue and he just giggled and did not talk directly about the issue and avoided answering the two Beatles.  This caused them to get angry even more and so they packed up their things and left the ashram.  While they were waiting for the taxi, John wrote a song called "Maharishi" (which of course was renamed and recorded as Sexy Sadie).  The original lyrics really called the Maharshi out on his behavior.

The official story got even more shocking in 1970 during John's infamous "Lennon Remembers" interview with Rolling Stone.    John states that he had heard that the Maharishi had tried to rape Mia Farrow and some other girls and when he and the others went to confront the man about these charges, he gave John "a look" that was telling of his guilt.


2.  Magic Alex -    After many years had passed, the story of Magic Alex's involvement in all of this started to emerge.     Cynthia Lennon talks about it in her book, and it is found in other Beatles books.   According to this theory,  Maharshi never had an affair with any of the girls, but Magic Alex started the rumor that he had.      Alex spread the rumor and made sure George and John heard about the sexual relations between a young American teacher and the guru.  He even stated that the strictly vegetarian man gave the girl some chicken!    The two Beatles were so mad about all of this, they just packed up and left in a huff and never questioned Alex about the story.      According to those that believe this theory,   Alex made up the rumor to get all of the Beatles back to London so that he could get back to work on his inventions for Apple Electronics.   Meditating in India was not monetarily beneficial to Alex and he was wanting to get back to work and get more of that Beatle money. 

Alex came out saying that none of this was true except for the fact that he was indeed the one that told the guys about the affair with the American teacher and that the Maharshi even admitted that he was just a man with urges.   Alex continues to say that it really wasn't a big deal because they were ready to leave the camp anyhow.  Pattie and Cyn had gotten tired of meditating and John and George were ready to get back to the studio.   He basically says that they would have left on April 12 regardless of the story of the affair.


3.  John was disillusioned -  This comes from Cynthia Lennon's second book.   She states that later John shared with her that he wanted to leave because he felt that the Maharishi's motives weren't pure, but that he was just like everyone else and was doing the meditation for fame and money.   That he was using the Beatles association with him to gain him more exposure and more money.    They were drawn to him to learn his wisdom and techniques of meditation, but John felt used.     

Personally, out of all the theories, this one makes the most sense.   Maharishi did use the Beatles and the Beach Boys and any other famous person to get famous and make money.   Maybe it wasn't his original intentions, but it seems like he got a bit greedy once the rich and famous began to follow him. 


4.  They were asked to leave -  There is one theory that doesn't have anything I can locate to back it up that George once said that because of their use of drugs, the Maharishi had asked John and George to leave.     Supposedly George said this in an interview in 1991, but I sure can't find the quote.    It really doesn't make a lot of sense.   I know there was a little drug usage in the ashram, but basically, it was a drug-free zone.    Why would Maharshi ask his two most famous devotees to leave? 



According to many different articles, all four the Beatles considered the time in India to be worthwhile and did not hold any grudges against the Maharshi.      Reportedly, John spoke to him on the telephone and apologized for what he had said (not sure if that is true).   In 1991, George went to visit him in person in the Netherlands and had a good conversation with him.     One thing I can say about the Mahrishi is that he neve had a bad word to say about the Beatles.    Many others in is position could have really bad mouthed the guys, especially after John accused him of raping Mia Farrow!   However, he never publically uttered a bad thing about any of the Beatles.

Who is Aunt Milly and why should she come back

This photo taken by Mike McCartney shows Uncle Albert and Aunt Milly taking a rest at the McCartney home on Forthlin Ave in Liverpool.

Every time I watch the film of "All you need is love" I see a sign that says "Come Back Milly" and I wonder to myself.   "Who exactly is Milly?   Why does someone want her to come back?"     

The Milly in question is Jim McCartney's sister.    She was married to man named Albert Kendall, (Uncle Albert).        She must have been a special woman in Paul's life.    When Paul's mother, Mary passed away, it was Paul's aunties that really stepped up and helped out Jim take care of the household needs and the two young boys.      Paul honored her memory by giving the middle name of "Milly" to his youngest child, Beatrice.    (And here I thought it had something to do with her mother's last name!).        Aunt Millie was the only family member that was concerned when Paul was to marry Linda.    She wasn't sure about her nephew marrying an American woman.     Although maybe others in the family had concerns and only dear Auntie Milly had the guts to speak up and say something.      

In the spring of 1967, Milly traveled to Adelaide, Australia to visit her son, Jim.    There was some real worry in the family that Milly might decide to live in Australia and never return to England.  The McCartney's wanted to get a message to her to let her know that she is loved and missed at home and they want her to come back!

Her nephew, Paul was going to be on the first ever world-wide satellite broadcast with his band, The Beatles, performing their new song, "All you need is love."    This would be the perfect way to get the message across to Milly.    And so Paul painted a very simple sign that read "Come Back Milly!"

 photo by David Magnus

The sign was displayed during the broadcast and 400 million people around the globe saw it while they watched the Beatles perform. 

One of those 400 million people was, you guessed it Milly Kendall.   Angie McCartney wrote in her book, My Long and Winding Road,   "Milly told us she had not long arrived and was tired and exhausted from her journey.   But they had the telly on in the next room and she was half watching the screen when suddenly this placard came up.  She was flabbergasted , as at this stage we were not as tech saturated as we are now.   It was a real link between our two hemispheres."

No one knows if Milly really was going to stay in Australia indefinitely, but after a short time she came right back to England.    I guess you can say that the sign worked.    

Paul's LSD interview --- when did it happen and why?

As fan of the Beatles, we are all well aware that illegal drugs played a part in their life.   While lately it seems like this part of the story has been skipped over, it was a big part of the Beatles' and their associates lives.     I have always believed that drug usage in 1967 is way different than drug usage in 2017.   And while I personally don't condone it at all and have never taken any illegal substance myself, I accept that it was part of the Beatles creativity and history.


Paul McCartney was the last of the four Beatles to try LSD.    John and George, along with their wives, took it in 1965 when their dentist slipped some into their drinks without their knowledge.   That summer, when the Beatles were touring North America,  Ringo joined John and George in taking LSD.      They tried to pressure Paul into doing it with them, but he refused.    It wasn't until Paul was with Tara Browne that he actually tried LSD for the first time.     He took it again on  21 March ---during that infamous time when John accidentally took some, thinking they were uppers and George Martin took him up on the roof of EMI for some fresh air.    They called off the session and Paul took John back to his house and decided to partake together.

Ten days later, On March 31st, a reporter named Thomas Thompson of Britain's Queen magazine spent some time talking to the Beatles for an article that would be published a few months later.   In his article, which was reprinted in the June 16, 1967 issue of Life in the United States, he writes the following:

Paul, 24, the unmarried Beatle, is also the only one that lives in London -- the others having become suburban squires.   He is swept up in London's so called swinging world, goes to dinner parties and discotheques and talks about art and football.   He is very much aware of the world's troubles, and has his own ideas of what it will take to straighten everything out.  For example, he professes agony over the war in Vietnam, and is deeply committed to the possibilities of LSD as a universal cure-all. 

"After I took it, It opened my eyes, " he says, "we only use one tenth of our brain.  Just think what we could accomplish if we could only tap that hidden part!  It would mean a whole new world.  If the politicians would take LSD, there wouldn't be any more war, poverty or famine."

This is a pretty bold claim, especially from a guy that originally was too scared to take LSD in the first place.     Now he has taken it at least twice and he thinks every politician should join him.    So what he had to say in this article caused a few ripples at the time.    On Paul's birthday, June 18, 1967 ITN evening news stopped by to talk to Mr. McCartney about what he had to say about LSD.    Paul is seen sitting in his back yard in a swivel chair.  He is wearing a green shirt and is pretty relaxed.

Everywhere you look online, you will find that this interview took place on June 19, 1967.    It is my belief that the interview took place on June 18 and was broadcast on June 19.     Photographs show  McCartney wearing the exact same clothing that he wore when he is opening birthday cards inside his house.     There are other photos from that day of him in his yard with Martha.     And then these photos of him sitting in that swivel chair and the big reason why I believe it to be on June 18, is because in one of the photographs you can see a microphone attached to him as he is sitting in the chair.  

What happened in this interview?    Paul says that he has taken LSD four time and he won't tell the reporter where he got it.    Then he places the blame of spreading this news onto the reporters,

Mmm, but the thing is -- I was asked a question by a newspaper, and the decision was whether to tell a lie or tell him the truth. I decided to tell him the truth... but I really didn't want to say anything, you know, because if I had my way I wouldn't have told anyone. I'm not trying to spread the word about this. But the man from the newspaper is the man from the mass medium. I'll keep it a personal thing if he does too you know... if he keeps it quiet. But he wanted to spread it so it's his responsibility, you know, for spreading it not mine.

And Paul does make a good point.   People get mad at celebrities for not being honest.   Paul makes the decision to be honest with the reporters and they decide what the next move will be.    However, I really don't think any reporter sees it that way at all.   They want that big scoop.

Then the reporter asks if Paul thinks that the fans will be taking drugs now that Paul said that he did. That  basically Paul has a responsibility to  keep kids off drugs.

No, it's you who've got the responsibility. You've got the responsibility not to spread this NOW. You know, I'm quite prepared to keep it as a very personal thing if you will too. If you'll shut up about it, I will.

The whole ordeal blew over fairly quickly and is now just an interesting footnote in Beatles history.