Unbelievable!

 This is one of those stories that sounds like it never really happened.  However, it DID because there is photo proof!   Much thanks to Gus from the Solo Beatles Photo Forum for posting this story and photographs.   It is a great one!

Highland Haven’s Jim Higgins recreated the famous album cover image with Paul McCartney. Here’s his Brush with Fame story:

In April 1973, I was working in London when my friend Joe came to visit. We decided to skip the museums and pursue a pilgrimage to the famous Abbey Road crosswalk. Beatles fans since high school, we had a simple quest: get photos of each other strutting across like John, Ringo, Paul, and George did on the front cover of the “Abbey Road” album. 

We set out one early spring evening and wandered lost until some locals gave us directions to “the crosswalk.” The spot was in front of EMI Recording Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) at 3 Abbey Road in London, where almost all of The Beatles’ albums were recorded.   Like a couple of goofy tourists, we set about the business of photographing each other in between a steady flow of heavy traffic on Abbey Road. I waited for a break in traffic to get a shot of Joe crossing.

Then, it was my turn.  As Joe was setting up for the shot, we noticed a familiar face turning the corner and walking toward us.   Joe uttered — almost disbelieving — “Paul McCartney?” 
It was him!  And he walked right up to us.

“Yeah, you taking a picture of your friend crossing the road there?” he asked Joe with a playful smile.

“Yes! Is that where you guys crossed?” Joe asked.

“Yeah. Do you want me to be in the picture with him?”

“Sure!” Joe said.


Then, McCartney walked over to where I was standing.
“What a stroke of luck,” Paul said. “The folks back home will never believe this.” (And the intervening 50 years have proved that out.)

I could hardly move a muscle, let alone a foot, as Paul nudged me on.  “You can cross now,” he said.

The two of us scuttled across Abbey Road — Paul McCartney smiling broadly and waving his arms and me in front with an ear-to-ear grin.

We spoke briefly on the other side waiting for traffic to let up. He wanted to know where we were from (Massachusetts) and how we liked London (unforgettable!). We crossed back to the EMI side, but I could tell he was in a hurry to get going, so I asked for a quick photo of him with my pal Joe.

“Yeah, sure,” he said obligingly. “But just one more. I’ve really got to be getting along to work.” (The work he was getting back to was recording with his new group, Wings.)

I got the shot, thanked him, and watched as he walked through the door at EMI and disappeared inside.

Wow! I had just crossed Abbey Road with Paul McCartney!

One of those Days

 

“One of Those Days” (November 9, 1973)

By Kris Spackman

With a Little Help From My Friends

April 1974

 

I knew from the moment we got out of bed on Friday, November 9, that it was going to be one of those days!  Actually, it had all begun the night before, when we’d literally tried to eat ourselves out of house and home, so we wouldn’t have so much to carry when we moved flats the following day.  Marla and I were amazed at the amount of junk we’d accumulated in 3 months’ time in London, and though we stayed up half the night packing, we still had a thousand and one things to do that Friday.

As we rode the underground into town for our daily jaunt to Apple.  I half-jokingly predicted, “You watch – just cuz we have all this stuff to do, probably George, Ringo and McCartney will show up today!”   At Green Park Station, we paused to buy an Evening Standard, then made our way to Apple, arriving about noon – fifteen minutes ahead of our planned meeting time with Pattie and Kathy.  Taking up our “places” on the step outside, we began to read the paper.  Minutes passed and we were both hunched over a story, when a voice above us commanded, in a very insistent tone: “All right, you lot!  No sittin’ about here!  C’mon, let’s go…”

My immediate thought was “Oh for Christ’s sake, who in Hell is bothering us now?” and was ready to tell the intruder to buzz off when we looked up into the mischievously grinning faces of Paul and Linda!!  Talk about instant heart failure!  We both scrambled immediately to our feet, Mar repeating, “Ok…. Ok…” while I mumbled some incoherent, “Yes, sir’s” Quite enjoying the whole thing, McCartney slugged Marla in the arm, assuring, “I’m only kidding!” and before we could utter another word, they were on their way inside.  I finally managed to call, “It’s nice to see you again,” to which Linda smiled and waved.

Then we collapsed!  We had been seeing McCartney and Linda almost daily for most of the month of October when they’d been recording “Band On The Run.”  But they're turning up at such an unexpected place as Apple, and taking us so completely by surprise threw us into a mild state of pandemonium!  Through the door, we watched them bop around reception, talking to Roger (one of Ringo’s errand boys), who was on the switchboard, then they disappeared upstairs for a few minutes.  Ringo had not yet arrived, and for a panicky few moments, we thought sure they’d “escape” before Pattie and Kathy arrived, or before our friend Angela (who worked in Apple’s kitchen) was made aware of their presence.  In fact, they were on their way out the door, while we frantically racked our brains for some sane conversation which would keep them there an extra few minutes – when Ringo pulled up, in driver Peter’s little blue Volvo, instead of his own tan Mercedes.

And there we were, folks …. McCartney and Linda to the left of us – Ringo to the right of us, and poor Kris and Marla in the middle, looking slightly more idiotic than usual!  In his usual slow pace, Ringo got out of the car; he was wearing one of his “work uniforms,” a red and black diamond checked sweater, blue jeans, and tennis shoes!  He paused to nod at us and bid us “Good morning,” and when he saw smiling Paul (who was holding the door open) and Linda, his face broke into a big grin and he held out his arm, greeting cheerily, “Good morning, boys and girls!”

McCartney called, “Hello, hello” and in they all went, trooping through reception and on upstairs.  A few paces behind, driver Peter shook his head and grinned at us, teased and amused, for we apparently looked as delighted as we felt!  We did manage to say hello to him, then summoned Roger, who was hopping around and babbling idiotically about getting McCartney’s autograph, and told him to tell Angela to get the hell up here!  When she appeared, we said a grand total of 3 words to her, “Ang, Paul’s here…” and she was off like a shot!

The whole thing was so absolutely insane, like a scene from some crazy movie, that we couldn’t get over it!  We still had no idea where in the world they’d come from, for neither the Rolls nor the Lamborghini were anywhere in evidence.  And they had to have come from the direction of Piccadilly Street to come upon us like they had.  I’d always had a feeling that McCartney would show up at Apple one day, but never expected him to sneak up on us that way!  When he’d been recording, he’d spent most of his time at George Martin’s Air Studios; but when he did the remixing, he spent one day at Kingsway and 2 or 3 at EMI.  We’d always managed to find out where he’d be ahead of time and turn up before he did, until finally, one day at EMI, he asked how we did it! (Kathy merely smiled and Marla told him, “We have our ways!”) (and to digress momentarily here, that was the same day that Mar and Linda had a heart-to-heart chat about Cleveland because her mother was from there!).  Anyway, in our discussion of the Macs’ “ambush” upon us “innocent by-sitters,” we decided that, on seeing us, he probably thought, “All right!  Now it’s my turn!  This’ll really get ‘em!” 

But little did he know that we had Angela on the “inside” who would shortly serve him tea and undoubtedly blow his mind!  Meantime, Pattie and Kath finally arrived, and once they’d heard what they’d missed, vowed never to be late again!  Then Angela came out, all aglow.  She had brought Ringo, Paul, and Linda their tea, and Mr. McCartney had indeed been quite astounded, as though we’d planned the whole thing!  When she came into Ringo’s office, Paul had stared at her in amazement, and said, “You work here?  How long have you been working here?”  She told him, “Three months,” to which he added, “Do you mean all the time at the studio… you were working here?”  He then proceeded to tell Ringo how Ang and her friends had waited for him at the studio, and Ringo teased her about “deserting” him!  Ringo really liked Ang, as does everyone at Apple who works with her; she’s just one of those immediately likable sorts, though basically quite shy.  We were really happy for her and for ourselves.  Later, Ang once again served them coffee.  Linda, who was on the phone, accidentally bumped into her, and was profusely apologetic!

Meantime, we waited outside, anxious to see what would happen next!  We heard they’d come to discuss publicity for the new album, but when they emerged about 2:30, Mccartney was carrying a copy of Ringo’s album.  By this time, we’d all calmed down a bit, and I noticed she was wearing a long coat, a red and blue vest, black pants, and a blue cap.  He stopped in front of us, all smiles, and said, “Your friend works in there! She brought me tea and I was all...”  and he did a darling imitation of his astonishment at seeing Angela!  Mar laughingly told him that’s what he got for sneaking up on us!  And then out of nowhere appeared that magic taxi which arrives the instant he sets foot out the door.   Calling goodbye, he and Linda got in and were off.  As we made our way home, I vaguely recall someone saying she wouldn’t be surprised if Paul returned to Apple later that day.

As per usual, we went back to Apple at 6 to wait for Ringo, and Ang met us with the news that McCartney and Linda had come back.   We’d missed them by just 15 or 20 minutes, and at the time, Ang had been outside talking to this older Italian woman who was a friend of Lucy (of ex-Scruff fame).  McCartney had asked Ang if that was her mother, which just completely broke us all up!

Ang gets off work at 6, and besides the four of us, she and two other friends of ours, Elena and AnnaMaria, waited as well.  Elena had some flowers which she gave to Ang to give to Paul and Linda when they came out.  We passed the time talking to each other and to Dave from McCartney Productions, who was going to drive them home.  Dave was in a harry and assured us they wouldn’t be long.

They came out about 8:30, smiling and saying “Goodnight” to us all.  Then Mar asked, “Paul, can we give you something?” He was quite agreeable and Ang and Kathy gave the flowers to them.  They thanked them, then Dave led them back to his car.  They called “Goodnight” to us again as they climbed in the back seat, then waved to us as Dave drove off.

The night was not yet over, however, for we were soon to be witness to another “phenomena.”  Mr. Richard Starkey at the wheel of his own car.  Apparently, he’d given Peter the night off and someone had brought the Mercedes into town for him.  But when Ringo took the wheel, we worried about him til we next saw him safe and sound.  The Mercedes was parked out front, between one of the other driver’s cars and another in front of it.

Ringo came out about 9:20. I was a bit nervous at the time because I’d been volunteered to ask him to sign a birthday card for a friend of ours, which we’d gotten most of the other Apple employees to sign.  He was saying his “Goodnights” when I approached him with the card, and without a second thought, almost before I’d gotten the word out of my mouth, he took the pen I held out, the card, and told me to “hold it” as he signed “Ringo – xxx.”  It almost seemed as though he were expecting me to ask him, and he was so sweet about it!  Then he moved towards the car, and started to get on the wrong side before he remembered he was driving! As he went around the other side, he winked and smiled at Angela, then got in and started it up.  We all stood by, nervously guiding him out of the parking space, crying for him to stop when he almost backed into the car behind! “Should we go out and stop traffic?”  Elena wondered aloud, but he finally worked his way out of the spot and drove very slowly up the street, as we all crossed our fingers and hoped for the best!

To celebrate the day, we then went to the pub, where Mal joined us a short while later for one drink and entertained us with stories about the ghosts at Friar Park!  Oh, we did finally get all our packing and cleaning done that day, somewhere in between times and when we got home that night.  And even though it was “one of those days,” we wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Los Angeles - Take 2

 Los Angeles – Take 2

By Gail Nowak

With a Little Help From My Friends

Issue #48

October 1984

 

October 23, 1984 – I knew ahead of time that Paul was one of the guests scheduled to appear on the Tonight Show.  I have a friend, Robbie, who works for NBC, so I planned to take a half day off from work and figured that Robbie could get me tickets, no sweat.  Much to my dismay, the employee tickets would go to the studio at 8:00 a.m. the morning of the show.  This was an impossibility for me since I had already made up a story to take off a half day.  So I resigned myself to the fact that I would not get into the taping, but since I had a half day to kill, I went down to NBC anyway, but myself, armed with my camera, in hopes of at least getting a glimpse of the man.

I arrived at NBC at approximately 3:00p.m. to find about 800 fans waiting in line (a record for the Carson Show).  This blew my hopes even further.  Then I spotted a friend of mine (Mike, who owns the GREAT Pepperland Records in Anaheim) up toward the front of the line.  He had spent the night at NBC waiting to get tickets.  Not only did he let me in line, but he also got me a ticket from a girl behind us who had an extra (Mike, I will love you forever!)  At this point, I was as good as in.

While waiting in line I became instant buddies with a girl named Janice, and we teamed up for the remainder of the afternoon/evening.  We got great seats for the show; about halfway up and right in the center.  It was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen since the studio is really small, so we were really close.  The audience was really primed and it was like Beatlemania all over again.  Paul was out on stage for almost an hour, since he was the first guest on, and remained onstage throughout the taping.  Fortunately, the video crew ran into technical difficulties when trying to show the “Broadstreet” clip.  This added about 15 minutes of extra time that we were allowed to gape at that gorgeous face.  A guy next to us had binoculars which he shared with us for a super closeup view.  During commercials, Paul and Johnny joked and chatted.  Once in a while Paul even answered fans that were yelling things to him from the audience.  I’m sure you all saw the broadcast of the show, so I won’t go into that.

After the show, Janice and I went to the side of the building to try to see him leaving.  There was a fence to keep the public out, but we could see a limo and a crowd of people at the exit door.  Sure enough, before long, we saw Paul (though not very well because he was surrounded by people) get into a black Corvette which pulled away and drove off.  About 5 minutes later I was on the phone with Robbie (NBC employee) when Janice starts screaming to me that there was a black Corvette out on the street right in front of us.  Needless to say, I hung up the phone and ran over to the curb.  In between the cars, I could see that Paul was driving the ‘Vette and had the window rolled down.  Janice and I grabbed hands and started running across the street towards his car, which was stopped at a red light.  Paul saw us coming and was smiling and laughing.  As we reached the car he said, “Hello, girls.”  Janice said hello, shook his hand, and gave him a kiss.  Then it was my turn.  I also shook his hand and gave him a kiss (on the lips!).  Unfortunately, the light turned green (drat!) and the cars started moving.  He then said, “Watch out, girls.  Gotta go!” and off he drove to some unknown destination in LA.  It all happened so fast it seemed like a dream.  Of course, Janice and I are now friends for life due to this common bond that we shared.  I didn’t get a picture or an autograph, but I wouldn’t trade that kiss for anything in the world!

The Amazing Day We Met the Beatles

 The Amazing Day We Met The Beatles

Loughborough Echo

May 6, 2020

Written by Andy Rush

 

Sue Sharrock (70), says she has told the story in the past, but only once in public, to pupils during an English class that she taught.   Sue was 14 and living in Leicester at the time.   She later liked in Quorn for 33 years before moving to Whitlock 15 years ago. 

Her friend, Susan Taylor, who she met aged 10 now lives in Australia.  The two Susans didn’t actually attend the 1963 concert at Leicester but went a year later on October 10, 1964 and that’s where the story begins.

Sue, whose maiden name was Hands, told the Echo that her parents hadn’t allowed her to go to previous Fab Four concerts because they had always been on a Sunday. 

“But on one particular day in October 1964, they came on a Saturday evening so my parents allowed me to go, because we had to go to church normally every Sunday,” she said. 

“So my friend and I queued all night for tickets.  My parents came and brought coffee and soup and such like.”   She added that her parents actions were very great considering, “ They were very strict church goers; three times every Sunday.  But they were brilliant, absolutely.” 

“I think we must have cottoned on that if we wanted to get good tickets, we needed to be first, so we were first in queue.  We slept in our sleeping bags.  We got front row tickets, saw The Beatles and screamed our way through the concert.”

But that wasn’t the end of the pair’s Beatles adventure.

Not long after the concert a friend of theirs came to school bearing a Sunday Mirror news article that examined the behaviors of teenagers of the day and the role their parents played.  The double page spread included a photograph of Susan Taylor at the concert – midst Beatle frenzy – alongside a heading which stated, “Pop music with its hysteria and mass worship has partly filled the gap in young lives left by religion.”  The picture’s caption read, “the new worship – Beatles fan at a pop concert.”

A complaint was made to the newspaper over the way in which it was felt it had portrayed Susan.  Susan Sharrock takes up the story, “They (The Sunday Mirror) rang up and said, ‘We’re terribly sorry.  What can we do to make up for it?” 

“So my friend (Susan Taylor) who was listening in on the phone call said, ‘Oh, meet the Beatles.’”

“And they said, ‘That’s no problem.’”

“So she came running around to me and said, ‘I’ve got the most amazing news.  We’re going to meet the Beatles!’”

“I said, ‘Don’t be silly’ and she said, ‘We are – we are going to meet The Beatles!’”

A telegram from the Sunday Mirror duly arrived for the pair and their contact at the newspaper was none other than Derek Jameson, who later went on to edit The Mirror, The Daily Express and the Daily Star. 

Sue said, “We got a telegram saying that a car would pick us up on the Sunday, it was Remembrance Sunday and they picked us up at 1:00 and it was a Triumph 2000.

“We drove up to Liverpool and we were with the press.  We were meeting Derek Taylor, he was the press officer for The Beatles and we got out of the car and all the fans were there.   It was at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, and all the fans were there screaming their heads off.”

“We got out of this car and went through the doors, straight into a press conference.  We were introduced to all The Beatles and we were taken into a corridor and had photographs taken with them.   All the press were standing in like  horse shoe because they thought we were somebody important, which of course we weren’t, and all these national papers took photos of us. “

“We went into The Beatles dressing room before the concert.  I don’t know how long we spent with them -  probably almost an hour.  We got photos there in the dressing room with them and about a week later, we received copies of them. 

It’s a bit embarrassing because in one of them Paul McCartney’s got his arm round me and I’m looking into his eyes.”

 

The Stowe tuckshop girls

 

The Beatles at Stowe is the gift that keeps on giving in 2023!   Much of it is thanks to Samira Ahmed, my favorite new Beatles historian.   She has done a report on the two girls that met the Beatles and had a meal with them at the tuckshop, and I can't wait to hear it!    She shared the color photo and the autographs on Twitter along with this information:

"It wasn’t us screaming,” They think it might have been some of the boys. The wonderful Stowe tuckshop girls Maggie & Jan. Not enough places so had to take turns to sit at the table. With their scrapbook &a copy of their father’s tape made over dinner with the Beatles

Now I can't wait to learn more about these fans, Maggie and Jan! They took turns sitting at the table with The Beatles, but it looks like they got a seat next to Paul to share. And those autographs are great! This is the stuff I live for, you know?

John's Home!!!

 

John’s Home!!!

By Vickie McCartney

With a Little Help From My Friends

October 1978

On October 3, 1978, Donna Standin and I went into NYC to view John’s Rolls at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Design.   After we took all of the pictures we wanted to get, we decided to go over to the Dakota.

We didn’t really expect to see anyone.  When we got there, two limos were parked out in front.  That was it.  I was determined not to budge until we saw who was going to come out.  We were barely there two minutes when John and Yoko came out of the building.  They started walking up 72^nd Street pretty fast.

They were holding hands.  Yoko’s hair is almost waist-length.  She was wearing a grey coat sweater, black pants, and shoes.  John’s hair is just about collar length, and it’s hard to believe how skinny he is.  John wore a blue suede cap, brown suede jacket, black turtleneck sweater, a red plaid scarf, black Cuban-heeled boots, wire specs with black lenses, and black drainies so tight he looked like he was poured into them.

We ran up in back of them so fast, if John had stopped short, I would have rear-ended him.  This was the first time Donna had ever gotten to see John so close.  It must have been a shock because of saying something to them, she said, “Let’s go to McDonald’s.”  I finally found my voice, “John, could I trouble you for an autograph?”  He looked over his shoulder, smiled, and said, “Sorry luv, I don’t do that.  But I could say ‘good morning.’”  It was 11:00 a.m., and he looked tired.  Me: “Ok!”  Brilliant conversation. John: “Good morning.”  Me: “Good morning, John.  Thank you!”  I can’t believe I said that!

We followed them for 12 blocks taking pictures from the rear.  Everyone once in a while they would stop and window shop.  We wonder if they were trying to see if we were still following them.  When they stopped and waited for the light to turn green, John looked to see if we were still there.  We pulled out a subway map and hoped we were faking him out.

We decided to go into McDonald’s after all; we didn’t want to make him mad.  But the strange part was, the whole 12 blocks we tailed them, no one else stopped them or talked to them.  It ended up being a perfect day!

Mac'd Out in Hollywood

 

Mac’d Out in Hollywood

By Kris Spackman

With a Little Help From My Friends

October 1984

 

The ol’ boy’s done it to us again, gang!  What a mad, wonderful two days were October 22^nd and 23^rd (1984) in LA Beatle history!  As he did in New York and Chicago, Paul breezed into town to promote “Broad Street,” and gave us the chance to see him again.  I hadn’t seen him since the ’76 tour, so I was both thrilled to pieces and absolutely determined we were gonna track him down!

Good old Simmons phoned to let us know he’d left Chicago Friday morning and was LA-bound.  We cruised around town a bit on the weekend, but the weather was so lovely, we guessed that they could be at the beach, Disneyland, the zoo visiting the Chinese pandas?  Anyway, wherever they were was definitely where we weren’t.

But Monday evening was another story.  Thanks to a good friend, we found out that the official press party was being held at one of those fancy Beverly Hills restaurants, the Bistro.  I zoomed over there immediately after work and was joined shortly by my two good pals, Leslie and Sue.  As the legions of Hollywood press descended on us, along with the video camera, crews from Entertainment Tonight, half a dozen local TV stations, and even a film crew hired by Mac himself to film his arrival for his archives.   Tension began to mount as the 6 pm arrival time drew near.  The Beverly Hills police assisted Fox publicity people in lining everyone up in a half-orderly fashion on either side of the doorway, and Sue and I found ourselves sandwiched behind a video cameraman and his boom-mike man on one side while Leslie peeked between two photographers on the other side.

We waited…and waited…and waited…while Jane Seymour, Michelle Phillips, Richard Perry, Michael McDonald, Victoria Principal, D.J. Rick Dees, and Weird Al Yankovic all arrived.

I guess they must’ve been waiting for the eggs to boil again because it was 7:15 before they finally turned up.  And there he was!  What a sight for sore eyes!  In the shock of drinking in that face again after all these years, all I could do was just look at him.  They paused momentarily to pose for the press, and Linda made a funny face at “our” video cameraman as she went through the door.  I remember thinking he seemed smaller to me and that he was wearing an iridescent green suit!  I couldn’t swear to it at the moment, though.  But oh, how gorgeous he still is!

In a minor state of shock, and that glow you feel after seeing one of them, I had to rush off then to the next part of the day’s adventure, leaving Sue and Leslie to await his departure for the LA premiere of the film.  Of course, he was late leaving the restaurant, but the girls reported that there were less people around, so they got another brief but good look at him.

Meanwhile, I connected with my good friend, Kim, at the UA Egyptian Theater in Westwood.  Kimmie miraculously had managed to secure a ticket for herself and guest to the premiere itself!  Westwood was absolutely one gigantic scene!  On both sides of the street, barriers had been erected to hold back hordes of cheering, yelling crowds who’d come to wish him well.  Spotlights crisscrossed the night sky while the Broad Street soundtrack blasted over speakers set up outside the theater.  For a panicked moment, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find Kim in the mass of humanity, but there she was, right at the arranged point of meet.

On pins and needles, we went through the barriers and were admitted to the theater.  It was only about 7:45, and we were among the first to arrive.  A friend of Kim’s who was an usher pointed out to us the row of seats reserved for the Macs among the four set aside for “celebs,” so we promptly sat down in the next row behind.  And what a choice of seats!

 

We could tell when Paul and Linda arrived by the spontaneous roar of the crowd outside.  And in they came, flashbulbs and TV lights going off around them.  Paul was signing a hasty autograph for someone at the door, and then, as Trevor escorted them down the aisle, the whole audience broke into applause.  It was fantastic!  He looked so happy, smiling, and proud.  He and Linda edged down the row of seats, past friends seated in the first 5 or 6 seats, and then there he was, seated directly in front of me and only two rows ahead.  I couldn’t believe it!

Before he sat down, though, he turned around he gave a thumbs up, and thanked everyone for coming to another burst of applause.  The security people made sure he was surrounded by people he knew.  Bob Giraldi was in the row directly in front of us, Paul in front of him, so we had a wonderful view of him the whole time.

As he and Linda settled in their seats, Michelle Phillips asked him if he wanted the rest of her popcorn, and he accepted, ate some, and handed it to Linda.  Then he turned around and said to the guy next to Giraldi, “And who are you?” so Bob introduced him to whoever it was.  He also chatted to the guys seated to his left, who looked like musicians but no one we knew (Toto maybe?).  When the lights went down, Kim said she thought he was biting his nails.  He made comments to the guys on his left and to Linda.  They leaned heads towards each other during “Here There and Everywhere” which was real sweet.  When her first appearance came during “Ballroom Dancing,” Linda kind of laughed and leaned toward him to say something, almost as if she were a bit embarrassed…and she did the same almost every time there was a closeup of her.  For the most part, Paul seemed to be listening to the audience’s reaction, and he got lots of applause for all of the wonderful songs.  I wished I could see his face, but I was glad to be behind him, so I didn’t have to turn around to look.  Occasionally, his head would bop to the music.  At one point, I was reaching under my seat for my Coke and knocked it over!  In a moment of horror, I imagined it running down under the seats and getting his feet wet, but thank God, the lid stayed on tight, and I was saved!

As the film ended, he and Linda got up immediately to leave, and he danced down the row to the aisle.  They were quickly escorted outside where we heard the waiting crowd roar a farewell.

Kim was absolutely blissed because it was the first time she had ever seen him, and I wasn’t much better, since I hadn’t seen him in so long.  And to be close for two whole hours!

After the movie, Kim and I raced back to her place to pick up her sleeping bag, and we were off to Burbank and NBC, where we joined Sue for an all-night campout for the “Tonight Show” tickets.  God bless Sue!  She’d gone directly to NBC after Paul left the party at the Bistro, arriving about 9 p.m. to find she was 7^th in line.  Kim and I got there about 11:30, and we all spent a long, cold night huddled together in sleeping bags and blankets, trying to catch a couple of hours sleep.  People continued to arrive all night long, and by 7 a.m. the next day, at least 300 people were in a long line, stretching away from the building and around the corner.  The box office opened promptly at 8:30; clutching the precious bits of paper in hand, we raced around to the front of the building to the Carson studio entrance.  And so began a long day of waiting.  We didn’t date leave for fear no not getting in, though Kim had to go to work for a while, so we held her place and ticket.   

The taping itself was not scheduled to start until 5:30 p.m., so we spent the day gabbing with each other and others around us and eating out of the cooler Sue had brought. 

As the day wore on, the old “natives are restless” syndrome began to set in; as more and more people arrived, the line grew behind us and in front of us.  Some people in front of us seemed to be collecting new friends by the minute, and we finally had to protest to the NBC pages, who confronted the culprits and sent them to the back of the line.  As it was, by the time they began to allow people into the studio at 4:30, there were at least 350 people in line and a group of about 40 stand-bys, all of whom, amazingly, made it inside!  We found out later that Paul insisted that tickets be distributed to the fans who had waited all those hours and not to family/friends of NBC and Carson show staff.  Yey Macca!

We were among the 2^nd bunch to be let in, and we decided to split up for single closer seats.  Sue and I were about 8 rows up, and Kim and her friend, Mary Ann, were up a bit higher.  The problem with the Carson Show is making sure the huge cameras and boom mikes don’t block your view.  I had a great view of Paul while he was in the main chair but not when he moved to the couch, and for Sue, it was just the opposite.

Anyway, by the time the taping was to start, the crowd was practically hysterical with excitement, almost to the point where I was afraid, they’d start throwing people out.  I can apricate all the enthusiasm we can muster for the man…but when it gets to the point of spoiling things for him and for the people who want to hear him, it just isn’t fun anymore.  If all those fans who screamed and yelled every time his name was mentioned had just shut up, he would’ve been on stage and on your TV screens five minutes sooner.  So please, folks…remember that in the future.

 

As you know, he looked just great.  He seemed just a bit nervous and a trifle low-key at first, but there was our Mac underneath it all!  During the commercial breaks, fans kept yelling down at him.  Some were ok, and then there were the idiots who made fools of themselves (like the girl who yelled, ‘You’ve got a great bum!’ which embarrassed him at that point; he just ignored them and conversed with Carson).  He responded to an “I love you, Paul” with a cute “I love you too!”  and to “How’s Linda?” and “How’s Ringo?” with “Just fine!”  Then one girl said, “Thank you so much for all the music,” and at that, he really smiled, half stood with thumbs up, and replied, “Thank you!” and everyone applauded and cheered.  Some dumb guy yelled at him, “Hey Paul, sing ‘Hippy Hippy Shake’” and in his best NY-American accent, Mac mocked him back, “Yeah…yeah, sure man…yeah!”  He mostly chatted with Carson in-between, though.

One funny moment was when they went to play the tape of the Broad Street clip, and for the first half a dozen tries, the tape would not play properly.  Carson’s comment was, “Where’d you get this thing? Fotomat?”  And Paul protested, “I didn’t touch it!”  He said he’d never looked at it, so he didn’t know if it worked on not.  The producer then stopped action until they finally got the tape going and said they’d re-start from there.  So all the “bad starts” wound up on the cutting room floor.

While Mary Gross and the magician were on, he talked to her or Ed McMahon during commercials.  He seemed rather bored with the magician and kind of looked around, swinging his foot in time to the music. 

At the show’s end, he shook hands all around and waved goodbye to the audience.   We all headed home, exhausted and overwhelmed.  Hurry back, Mac!

 

 

 

 

 

Sleepless Nights by Lizzie Bravo (final installment)

June 4, 1967

 

June 7, 1967

Sunday, June 4, 1967 -  Paula and I went to the Saville.  Procol Harum and Jimi Hendrix were on tonight.  We stood by the door watching the people go in, went to have something to eat, and ended up missing Paul.  The girls told us someone kicked Jane when she got out of the car and that Paul was upset, but found it funny, too.  He had his "joker" jacket on (as usual these days).  George, Pattie, and Cynthia also arrived.  Cyn was wearing orange.  We saw Mick Jagger and Peter Asher.  During intermission, we managed to sneak into the theatre and saw the part with Jimi Hendrix, which was great!  Paul and the others were there at their usual upstairs place.  He clapped many times, smoked about 4 cigarettes, and bent over like he was trying to see something.  Jimi started his show playing "Sgt. Pepper," --fantastic!  We went outside to wait for you-know-who.  HE came with Jane and was rather in a hurry -- I suppose he was worried the girls would kick Jane again.  He put his left hand on Paul's shoulder and said, "Excuse me" (which left her rather dazed), then took Jane's hand, got in the car, and left immediately.  Jane had a nice light flowered dress with a headband of the same material.  I took two photos of Paul. 

Tuesday, June 6, 1967 -  Went to Cavendish.  Saw Paul and Jane arriving in the Aston around 6:00.  He had on green trousers, light green jacket,  and the baseball boots he's been wearing. 

Wednesday, June 7, 1967 -  Paula came here around 11:00, and we listened to the LP, then we went to Cavendish.  Paul was in.  Neil arrived and left shortly afterwards with John and Mal in his car.  They came back in about 15 minutes.  John was smiling and playing the guitar, gorgeous!  I took some pictures. They all left again.  This time Paul was in the back seat with Jane in his lap (his fans didn't like seeing that too much...).  We rushed to EMI.  Mal and George Martin arrived first, then at around 7:30pm, was in Ringo arrived in a new black car.  He was in a great mood, signed for a few people, and pretended to scare a girl who was trying to take his picture!  Neil, John, Paul, and the others arrived next.  John signed a few autographs and said, "I've got no time, luv."  Paul just rushed in.  A long time after that, Pattie, Cyn, Carl Wilson, and Mick Jagger arrived. Cyn had a blue dress on.  She looked at me a lot -- I wonder if she realizes that I am the one that asked her to send that letter back.  

Ringo was the first one to come out.  He was in a great mood, signed my "Sgt. Pepper" album, and asked me quite seriously why wasn't I wearing the moustache (from inside the cover), for which I greatly apologized!  Paul was second out at 2:40a.m.  Paula stopped him by the door, politely asking him to sign for her (she was rather shaky at this moment), to which he replied, "Sure, got a pen?"  She handed him the pen, and he signed.  One of the girls took a photo of him and her at that moment.   She thanked him and, he said, "Alright luv, good night" and went down the stairs, with his hands in his pockets.  He met Carl Wilson, who asked him, "Can I go with you?" getting, "No, Jane's home" as a reply.  (he was walking backwards while saying this!)  He said, "See ya" and walked home.  Mick and Marianne left next, full of bell sounds (from necklace)  . George came out, signed my album,, and said, "Hello."  John left around 3:00.  Paula accidentally bumped into him.  I said, "Can you sign, John?" and he said "Yes, I can!" and "Yes, you may" to Paula (I can't remember what she asked him). I took some photos and gave Cyn some roses I had picked up at a garden for her.  I told her they looked nicer when I'd just picked them.  She was genuinely pleased, but I think at first she thought I was going to hit her (some of the girls would call her names and be really rude).  She was surprised when I handed her the roses.  She said, "Oh, thank you, great!"  and smiled, and I asked her if Julian was alright, to which she replied, "Yes, fine, great, thank you"  I asked her to give him my love and said,, "Yes, great, thank you."  She was very, very sweet and kind and has a very sweet voice too.  (Mad me feel REAL guilty for wanting her husaband so much, still I can't help it -- how can I possibly resist the handsomest, sexiest human being on earth?).  My album slipped out of its cover right on the ground, and John bent down and picked it up for me, for which I thanked him.  I gave him the little lucky charm from Brazil that my mum had sent for him, and he said, "Thanks mum!"  Cynthia sat on his lap in the car but thank goodness I didn't see that --the girls told me.  I would have died of jealousy and pure envy.  This girl must be the luckiest person on earth.  I walked back home and went to sleep.

Sleepless Nights by Lizzie Bravo (3rd installment)

Photo taken by Lizzie Bravo

 Friday, June 2, 1967 - Cynthia sent my father's letter with the check inside it to me -- thank God! (If you can believe it, I wrote my father and put John's address instead of mine in the letter -- I was certain everybody on the planet had to know his address by heart.  My dad thought I'd moved again and sent a letter and check there and a telegram to my "old" address to let me know.  Do I need to say how I felt when I got the telegram?  I phoned Cyn and asked her to please send it to me. I told her I'd moved and my dad didn't know my address but knew I'd be around John somewhere (a dirty lie))  

Paula came here to listen to the new album -- she loved it, of course!  Spent the afternoon at Cavendish, as usual -- it was pouring down with rain.  John arrived in the Rolls that is now all painted yellow with lots of flowers, and it's really beautiful!  George was with him.  Paul opened the front door to greet them.  Some girls rushed inside the gates, which infuriated Paul, who said, "Get out, come on!" with his right finger pointed at them.  He was really upset and called the cops.  John was wearing a red coat and pink corduroy trousers.  Paula went to EMI, and the doorman told her as a secret that they would be recording there on the 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Saturday June 3, 1967 -  Paula met me at Cavendish in the afternoon.  "Stick" told us to leave twice.  Millie (the housekeeper) told us Paul was home and had a bit of a cold.  A couple we had never seen got in the house.  A taxi stopped in front of the house, the gates opened, and Paul came out in the Aston.  It was about 9:30pm.  Jane had her hair tied back and a navy-blue dress, and she didn't sit beside Paul.  There were other people in the car.  Paul turned the car lights on and kept looking back.  We left, and I came back home and worked on my scrapbook on John. 

Sleepless Nights - Lizzie Bravo's diary (part 2)

 Sleepless Nights 

Lizzie Bravo

"With a Little Help From My Friends"

January 1985

Photo taken by Lizzie Bravo (3 months before this story takes place)

Thursday, June 1, 1967

Paula and I went back to Cavendish and spent the whole time running from the cops -- it was awful.  One of the girls told us Paul and Jane had taken Martha to Regent's Park.  We went there, but his car wasn't in the usual place.  We went back to Cavendish and spent hours walking around the block since the cops wouldn't leave us alone.  After a while, right through the gates, which Mr. Kelly had already opened.  We didn't see much, as the gates were immediately closed.  Paul got John's phone number from one of the girls, and she called from her hotel.  Cyn answered, and Paula asked her very politely if they were recording tonight.  Cyn was very nice and told her they would be, so Paula got a taxi and went straight to EMI.  They were not there, the recording was to be at another studio, and we couldn't find out which one it was.  Paula met me at Cavendish, where I had seen John arriving in the Mini.  We were there with two other girls who left shortly afterwards.

The phone rang inside Paul's, and we saw a shadow passing by his bedroom -- must have been him.  Somebody closed the windows.  A few minutes after that, we heard footsteps and a car door slamming.  John came to open the gate.  He had on a flowered jacket and a straw sombrero with a colourful ribbon on it, and dark trousers.  Paul was standing there and said something to John while Terry got the car out.  Then Paul closed the gates with his left foot.  John held the car door open for him, and he got in the back.  I tried taking a photo, but Paul said, "No, no, no....no, no, no...."  Paula wanted to talk to him, but I had warned her he doesn't always talk or sign autographs when we're outside his house -- it depends on his mood.  It's better to try at EMI.

Paula and I were talking in Portuguese, and John got curious and said, "What??" and I explained to him that I was talking to Paula.  They left. I think they went to the other place they had been recording at, that is not EMI.  I heard something about Olympic studios, but I am not sure. 

Granada Television memory

 Janice Finch remembers as a nine year old trying to meet the Beatles at Granada

I forgot to mention that I had of course actually breached the walls of Granada television in 1963 as a nine year old when the Beatles were supposed to be appearing live on their Friday night show. It was a summer holiday so it must have been August 1963 and I’d gone with a girl in the street who was supposed to be looking after my six year old sister and me that day. We decided the three of us were going to go to Granada to see if we could see the Beatles.

Of course every other young girl in Manchester had got the same idea so by the time we got outside Granada it was packed with screaming girls, just packed. Every time anyone went in to the front door they got mobbed by people asking for their autograph or “Have you seen the Beatles? Are they in there?” We would look up and you’d see in the windows of the office block there were people peering out looking at this mass of young girls in the street outside. Finally there was this shout, “They’re in there at the car park!” We all ran, there was a stampede. We ran down Quay Street to the Car Park Lodge entrance and we all started climbing over the wall. People would help you up and you’d get over the top.

My sister was with me and my friend was with me, and there were the Beatles in the car park setting up to do this live transmission of ‘Twist and Shout’. They were there in their black polo neck sweaters and suddenly they looked up and saw this horde of women running after them and had to run for it. The performance outdoors was abandoned and they had to do it inside in the studio.

Years later I was working with Phil Taylor, who had those huge dark eyebrows, on a ‘Union World’ shoot somewhere in the middle of nowhere and we got talking about the Beatles and that particular day. He said, “Were you one of them? I was out there, we were trying to fix them up to do this performance and it was abandoned. All these bloody women!”

It was such a big deal, the Beatles being there. You did feel, you really did feel at the time that the North and the North West was on its way and Granada was all part of that.

*Much thank you to Farshad Arbabi and The Lennon Years Facebook Group for originally posting this story and photographs.

Sleepless Nights by Lizzie Bravo

 Beatle friends, I have a treat for you!  I know that most of you have been waiting for Lizzie Bravo's book to be published in English.   No word on when/if that is going to happen.  But I found a few of Lizzie's diary entries that she translated for "With A Little Help From My Friends" newsletter in 1985.  At that time, her book was titled "Sleepless Nights."   I will be adding one entry a day over the next week or so

. 

Enjoy!

Photo by Lizzie Bravo (I included it because it was the photograph from the article)

Wednesday, May 31, 1967 -  I went with my friend Paula to Cavendish.  She was very excited as she had never seen Paul or any of the others before.  We learned from the girls that Paul, Jane, John and Ringo left in John's black Mini just before we arrived.  "Stick" (Mr. Kelly, Paul's housekeeper) went out to walk Martha.  Anthony (John's chauffeur) arrived driving Cyn's caramel Porsche.  There was another man inside the car.  The police are chasing us all the time -- it's terrible.  Our feet hurt from walking around the block over and over again.  John and Paul arrived together in one car.  Ringo and Jane were not there.  The gates were closed very quickly and we had to rush to the other side of the road to try to see them going in the front door. Paul was wearing black trousers and his "joker" jacket (green and blue).  John had on red trousers and a short flowered jacket.  We went to EMI to see if they were recording tonight, and the answer is no.

When we went back to Cavendish the girls told us Jane and her mother had just arrived.  After a few minutes the gates were opened and we rushed to see who was coming out, but it was only Mrs. Asher.  We went to the corner of the street to see if all was "clear" (of cops, of course), and as we were returning we noticed the gates were open.  We rushed there.  The front door was open.  Paul came jumping down the steps and got into the car beside Terry Doran, who was driving.  John was already inside, in the back.  Terry had to get out of the car to close the gates, since Mr. Kelly was out.  The car windows are dark, and you can only see faint shadows through them.  We were trying to see them through the windows.  Paula rushed to Paul's side and was lucky enough that he had left the little side window open.  He had the end of a cigarette in his left hand resting on his thigh.  Paula was in shock -- it's the first time she's seen him so close.  One of the girls had the cheek to open Paul's door -- he grabbed the door and without looking at her said, "Come on..."  John did something really cute:  he knocked on the window so I knew where he was, and as I got closer to see him, he smiled through the dark glass.  He really melts my heart with these sweet little things he does.  The car finally left and I had to "assist" Paula, who was in the middle of the road, suffering from "total paralysis and amnesia"--a common thing for first-timers.  I know how she feels, for I can well remember the first time I saw John, only a few months ago.  We saw Jane upstairs in their bedroom, apparently making the bed.  Paula left for her hotel and I went home and slept really late.  

Paul at MPL

Photos by Tore Skaar and Anne Kristin Ekern

Paul at MPL

McCartney Observer

By Tore Skaar and Anne Kristin Ekern (Norway)

Summer 1980

 

After a lot of struggling, we managed to meet Paul and Wings for the first time on June 15, 1979 – the very last day of our visit to London.  It was merely an hour before our bus left for the airport!  Wings were being interviewed live on Capital Radio when “Back to the Egg” had just been released.  Ray Brown (at the Musique Boutique) had hinted that the group was to be interviewed live about 3 pm.  It was our last chance to see them, and we had to hurry.  Naturally, we were somewhat depressed this last day in London, after all the seeking that gave no result.  Well, Wings arrived, all of them in good spirits, and the dream of seeing Paul had come true.  He was very nice, joked and smiled, ever the diplomat!  We took some pictures and well, the end of the story is rather sad.  Somehow the film disappeared when it was sent for developing, and we’ve never seen anything of it since.

So, therefore we set out with bigger hopes when we made our trip the second time around this year.  Having arrived in London on Saturday, July 5^th, we went up to St. John’s Wood on Sunday.  Paul was not living there this time either, so we walked to Abbey Road/EMI aftwerwards.  We didn’t really expect Paul to be there, and we were right.  Someone there said, when we asked where Paul was, “I think he’s in Scotland.” Now, that made us a little depressed again.  After all, it was July, the album (McCartney II) was out quite a while ago, and it wouldn’t really be strange if Paul was on holiday.  But we were determined not to give up.  Having gained quite a lot of experience from the first trip, we learned one thing:  Trust no one!  They all tell you different things!  Whether it’s Tony Brainsby, Sue at MPL, or someone at the EMI Abbey Road – well, it’s a shame, but you can’t really trust any of them.  One of them says Paul is out of the country on holiday; the other says he’s rehearsing at a secret place (far away from London, of course) or that he’s in Scotland, etc etc. so once again – here’s the advice that you all ought to go by: TRUST NO ONE!  THEY ALL TELL YOU DIFFERENT THINGS!

Soon already the next day, this statement proved to be true.  On our way to Oxford Street – we came from “Musique Boutique” – we decided we might as well drop by the MPL in Soho Square.  It was just after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and the door was locked.  However, a girl came out and was actually very friendly.  Answering the questions about where HE was, she said, “He’s upstairs.”  We couldn’t believe it, and we got so excited.  So, of course, we couldn’t leave the place now, and we started to wait for him to come down.  A Mexican boy called Enrique was also there.  And whom did we see when we had just crossed the street and looked toward the first floor, but Paul! It made us so happy, and we waved at him with a lot of gestures.  He smiled and waved back.  It looked as if he was happy to see us.  He was sitting in a chair, so we could only see his head.  He had a conversation going on with an unidentified person.  Apparently, it was a day of business meetings for Paul, and we were pretty lucky to be here this day, as he's very seldom at the MPL.  Later on, we also saw Linda and baby James on the 3^rd or 4^th floor.  We waved at them, too, and they waved back.  Linda helped every smiling James with his waving.  They all seemed happy that day. Well, Paul finally went out of the room and seemingly took the elevator to another floor, so we had to wait longer.  And, would you believe it, who came walking towards MPL just after we had arrived there – George Martin!  We didn’t get to speak with him when he arrived, but after an hour or so, he came out again, so we ran to him and said “hello” and “thank you for all the great records that you produced.”  He was very nice, wrote autographs and posed for us.

And we waited for Paul.  After two hours of waiting, he finally came down with James on his arm.  Linda also came.  As we started for the front door, Paul suddenly opened the door and waved us towards him!  “What the hell, is he going to invite us in?” we thought.  He didn’t do that, but he asked us if we were going to take photos, and we said yes, and he just said, “OK.  Well, just wait and few minutes, and we’ll come out.”  We could hardly believe it.  It was so nice of him!  It just goes to prove that he cares about his fans.

There were some people inside, and they chatted for a couple of minutes.  Then they came out, and Paul started posing at one, and then Linda too.  We clicked away with our cameras, and we managed to get some good photos of the event.  Paul then said that they had to leave, and they went into their Rolls.  We ran out into the street to take as many photos as possible.  Paul rolled down his window, and James sat on Linda’s knees.  Linda smiled – so did Paul – and we all said goodbye to each other.  Then they drove away. 

It was Monday, July 7, 1980, at 6 pm, and a day we’ll never forget. 

A London Adventure

Photo from July 29, 1969

Tonight I share a fan story from the fan club newsletter called "Luv 'n' Stuff," which in 1969 was the newsletter for the Paul McCartney fan club.   The story appeared in the November 1969 issue and was continued in the December 1969 issue, but I have combined them both to make the story. 

The last paragraph of the story says some not-nice things about George Harrison and how he was acting.  I have decided not to publish that last paragraph here.  If you want to read it, you can join "Meet The Beatles...For Real 2.0" on Pateron where I will have the full story posted.   

https://www.patreon.com/meetthebeatlesforreal

 A London Adventure

By Eileen Mullaly

Luv n Stuff

November 1969 & December 1969

 

Pat and I went to England on July 13^th and stayed for three weeks.  We’d been there in ’67 traveling by rail all over the country and had a great time, but saw neither hide nor hair of The Beatles.  We DID meet Brian Jones and Eric Burdon at Kennedy Airport on their way back to the Monterey Pop Festival.  They came back on the same plane, only first class.  This year we confined our rambles to Lancashire and London, braving British traffic in a rented mini.  (I got a parking ticket in London and kept it as a souvenir).

Our first encounter came on the morning of July 29^th as Pat and I were heading south from Oxford Street toward Apple Headquarters to take pictures.  Being the more fleetfooted sibling, I was well in advance of Pat as we passed a taxi waiting outside a photography shop.  Just as she passed the taxi Pat felt a breeze on her back, and the taxi door slammed.  She heard a familiar voice say, “That’s right, luv, same place.”  She turned in time to see the golden-brown shagging hair, the brilliant white attire, the sharp nose, and spectacle glasses that confirmed the famous Mr. Lennon (formerly of Surrey).  He saw Pat looking and retreated down into the seat sheepishly as the taxi whisked him to Apple.  I, barging ahead on my merry way to Apple, was unaware of all this until Pat, white-faced, hair standing on end, caught up with me and gasped, “Guess what?”  I could have croaked.  Funny thing, though, mainly on Lennonites.  Yet when she met the man eyeball to eyeball, she ducked in embarrassment and ran the other way.  Later that evening, Mal Evans heading southbound in a station wagon.  We figured we had a pretty full day and congratulated ourselves on a good trip, unaware of what was to come.

The next evening found us in St. John’s Wood in front of Paul’s gate.  In ’67 we had hunted the entire area until we were weary in hoof and spirit, but since we didn’t know the address, we never even found the street.  (The first Datebook we opened when we returned to the U.S.A. told the tale of a Beatle fan who had gained entrance into Paul’s lair on 7 Cavendish Ave!)  You can imagine the feeling.  This time, since a parking place in London is as rare as a sunlamp in the Sahara, we decided to leave the car in the suburbs right across from Paul’s front gate (knowing that was one address we’d remember).  This particular evening, we had come to check on the car and get pics of the famous gate, and we met a girl from Wales (her grandmother was lurking in the distance) who was trying to get Linda to open the gate.  (You ring the bell and peak into a hidden mike in the gate).  And accept some things she made for the expected new arrival.  She told us Linda wanted her to drop them in the letter box in the gate, but they were too large.  She said Linda had thanked her in person earlier for a pair of booties.  “She’s not in a good mood today,” the girl informed us gravely.  “She doesn’t like people hanging around the house.  She tells them to go to the studio.”  “What’s happening at the studio?” We asked.  “The boys are recording.  They arrive at about 2 in the afternoon and leave about 10.” 

Nightfall naturally found us lurking outside the Abbey Road Studio with about 50 other fans.  It was like a small United Nations – the German, French, English, and especially the American contingents were well represented.  We found out George and Ringo had left early, but our two favorites were still inside.  We mixed readily into the happy, noisy throng – there was laughing and singing and Beatlechat flying, photo albums spilled forth treasured shots.  Then, suddenly, about 10:30, there was a general gasp, a rush to the fence, and an awed hush fell over the crowd.  Paul McCartney stood facing us casually in the courtyard.  The respectful silence continued as he and Linda climbed into their little green mini and started out the gate.  Then we all lunged for the car and a last look at the celebrated couple.  One girl put her camera right up against the window, and just as Paul was turning to check the traffic, let it flash.  Though he must have been blind as a bat, he somehow managed to pull out into Abbey Road and cut a straight line toward home, but after that first night, Mal didn’t allow any more pictures after dark.  Good thing. 

About 10 minutes later, John and Yoko appeared, he in the usual white, she hanging at his side like a timid handbag.  The fans again kept a respectful silence as the famous couple climbed into a spacious chauffer driven Rolls, but it was promptly mobbed as it started out the gate.  John’s white sneakered feet were hanging over the front seat, and he waved little acknowledgments to his admirers.  Pat, though she doesn’t know the Viet Cong from King Kong, had the presence of mind to flash him a “V” for peace, and when John returned it she was thrilled (A British lad explained to us later that if the “V” is made with the back of the hand forward, it means something quite different – the equivalent of a one finger gesture in the States.  Pat can’t remember if she gave the sign palm-forward or if he did either).

That was the first of several such encounters, and since I can’t describe them all, I’ll try to summarize the overall impressions I got over the next 3 days during those long waits and frantic, scurrying, camera-snapping arrivals and departures of the lads.

(to read the last paragraph of this story, please join "Meet The Beatles...For Real 2.0")

 https://www.patreon.com/meetthebeatlesforreal