July 5, 2001
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Sunday, July 5, 2026
Beatles are Jeered in Scuffle (1966)
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July 5, 1966 -- Beatles leave Manila. George and Paul look very concerned as they wait to leave.
Beatles are Jeered in Scuffle
No author Listed
Birmingham Evening Mail
July 5, 1966
(From Manila) The Beatles were booed and jeered in an airport scene here today as they received the coldest sendoff of their careers. At one point, an airport worker pushed a member of the group's seven-man entourage.
About 50 passengers, reporters, airport workers, and others crowded in, shouting questions and insults as the Beatles filled in exit forms as they walked to their plane. About 500 people lined the airport observation platform, shouting, "Go to hell, Beatles! Go home, Beatles!" The Beatles were even subjected to the indignity of walking up to the second floor with their own baggage. The airport manager, Mr. Gilliromo Jurado, had turned off the power for the escalator.
The Beatles and their party were finally allowed to leave after their tour promoters settled a tax case that had threatened to disrupt their travel plans. But unlike the roaring welcome they received on their arrival on Sunday from 1000s of fans, which included massive security, the Beatles were a sad sight on their departure today.
They had to go through all the ordinary procedures instead of being given the VIP treatment through customs, and one of their party, Alf Bicknell, fell after being kicked in the leg. The Beatles' manager, Mr. Brian Epstein, was pushed to the ground during a brief scuffle, and one witness said he was kicked. Another witness said that someone tried to punch Ringo Starr.
Even after they were on board the plane, their troubles were not over. Mr. Epstein had to disembark and sign a letter concerning the Beatles' tax payments in the Philippines. The Internal Revenue claimed that the Beatles owed the equivalent of £ 6,600.
The crowd's reaction was apparently in reply to an alleged snub by the Beatles when they failed yesterday to show up for the luncheon at the Presidential Palace. A group of young girls crying at the airport kept shouting to the crowd, "It was not the Beatles' fault!"
The British Embassy issued the following statement. "The Embassy were not consulted at any stage whatever about the Beatles' visit to Manila. The Embassy deeply regrets any offense which might unfortunately have been caused. The Embassy have been assured by the Beatles that no discourtesy of any kind was intended."
President and Mrs. Marcos issued a statement late this afternoon, saying they regret the incident at the airport. The statement said there was no intention on the part of the Beatles to slight the First Lady or the government of the Republic of the Philippines. President Marcos called the incident a "breach of hospitality."
Paul at MPL (guest blogger post)
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| Paul outside MPL in 2022. Photo taken by Louise Guthrie |
I have a special treat for you all tonight! A rare treat at that! I rarely have guest writers on this site simply because no one ever asks. But I received a lovely email from Louise Guthrie offering to share her story of seeing Paul outside MPL on this site, and how could I turn down a great Paul sighting story? That is what this site is all about! So please enjoy Louise's story and take some time to read the longer version on his site: Just click here. -- Sara S.
You have to be incredibly lucky to see Paul McCartney step out of his MPL Communications offices on Soho Square right on cue.
I witnessed the almost cruel irony of this unwritten rule firsthand last summer. A friend and I had arranged to meet at the Radha Krishna Temple, which happens to be just around the corner from MPL. Thanks to a quiet insider tip from a local Beatles tour guide, we knew that Sir Paul himself was in residence that afternoon. So we waited outside for a while, quietly chanting on our Hare Krishna beads and chatting. While we stood there, a vibrant, Spanish-speaking tour group arrived with their dedicated Beatles guide. Jubilant and filled with infectious energy, they waved, postured, and posed delightedly for each other's cameras. These Latinos were determined to stay. It was a once-in-a-lifetime scenario for them.
We knew what they didn’t know—that Paul was not only in there, but about to leave—because my friend and I had recognised his chauffeur-driven car (the Macca-mobile!) as it pulled up to the kerb. But "The Big Man" (as they reportedly call him inside) wasn’t going to come out while a large crowd was actively gathered at the doorstep; he was probably in a rush to get to Liverpool, where he would join Bruce Springsteen on stage the very next day. Eventually, the Spanish-speaking group walked away (although the last one practically had to be dragged!). Seconds later, the doors opened, and out stepped Mr McCartney himself, larger than life. The irony was heartbreaking. Those tourists had likely travelled halfway round the world, perhaps from South America, and gone on a Beatles tour, only to miss him by a matter of seconds. We were the lucky ones that day.
Another crossroads moment: Back in 2022, I noticed lying on the pavement directly in front of Sir Paul's office a brand-new copy of the Bhagavad-gita that must have come from the Hare Krishna Temple—an odd place for someone to have left it! As I picked it up, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman in a Beatles T-shirt standing nearby. He had actually moved to England from Austria purely because of his love for the Beatles, and he had been regularly waiting outside MPL for five long years without catching so much as a glimpse of Sir Paul. I remarked that he looked quite a bit like Sean Lennon. The man smiled and confirmed that his mother was Japanese. I told him he was likely going to be in luck today, as the strategically-placed Gita had to be a good sign.
Meanwhile, with great cosmic timing, Jayadev John Richardson, a senior Hare Krishna devotee, had arrived at the Soho Street Temple ready to command a very rousing street kirtan. The air filled with the rhythmic pulse of drums and the soaring, hypnotic cadence of the Hare Krishna mantra as the devotees all sang and danced with Jayadev. As if on cue, the heavy doors of MPL swung open. Stepping out into the London daylight was Paul McCartney. He gave us the famous "Macca thumbs-up" before going on his way.
Fast-forwarding to May 2026, we romped into Soho Square with Jayadev on Harinam, our procession filling the air with the sound of the drums and the cymbals. Right on cue, the doors of MPL swung open, and Paul stepped out. He quickly entered his waiting car. But he didn't rush his departure. Intrigued by the sound, Paul wound down his car window to listen to the music. Seizing the incredible moment, one of the devotees stepped forward toward the open window, offered him a mantra flyer, and shook his hand. Paul accepted it with that easy-going warmth, giving a gracious nod before the car slowly coasted away.
One of the devotees, completely overwhelmed by the sheer proximity of the moment, turned to me with wide eyes and remarked, "I have seen Paul McCartney, I can die now."
Call it absolute coincidence (or madness), but for me, these on-point encounters have arguably shown that it is the power of the Maha Mantra itself that brings Sir Paul out. It witnesses the beautiful, enduring overlap between the history of Western pop royalty and the timeless lineage of Eastern spirituality. Decades after the Beatles first sat in meditation in Rishikesh, that same spiritual current is still flowing. In fact, these synchronous events run parallel to the extraordinary journey of Jayadev John Richardson himself. As the founder and former drummer of the 70s glam-rock band The Rubettes, Jayadev walked away from selling 30 million records to embrace Eastern mysticism and pioneer his global 'Mantra Choir' movement—bringing the very spiritual music Paul smiled upon in Soho into mainstream Western spaces today.
Meeting Paul McCartney wasn't just a stroke of immense luck. It was a real-life reminder that the music, the mantra, and the magic of that era are still very much alive, echoing through the streets of London and continuing to come full circle.
Beatles in Palace Lunch Muddle (1966)
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| John and Paul look tired and concerned, but the gentleman looking at the camera sure is happy. |
Beatles in Palace Lunch Muddle
New Agency
The London Evening Standard
July 4, 1966
The Beatles failed to keep an appointment with the wife of President Marcos of the Philippines at the Presidential Palace in Manila today because of a misunderstanding. Messages from the Palace and the British Embassy failed to produce the pop group.
Mrs. Marcos waited with her three children and 200 other youngsters for more than an hour before she told reporters, "We have no more time to receive them. We are also busy people." She added just before leaving the Palace music room that her children "Really like the Rolling Stones better than the Beatles."
Paul McCartney today apologized in a radio interview on behalf of the Beatles for not turning up. "If she's listening now, you know, we're very sorry it happened," he said, "but it wasn't our fault."
The Beatles press spokesman, Tony Barrow, said later that the group "Knew nothing about the appointment with Mrs. Marcos." He said that just after noon (local time), a call came from the Palace saying they were supposed to be there for lunch. "This was just impossible, because three of the Beatles were in bed at the time," said Barrow. President Marcos was to have lunched with the Beatles at the Palace.
About 40,000 screaming and cheering fans watched the first of two performances by the Beatles in Manila today. Fire engines and ambulances stood by, but there were no incidents.
Friday, July 3, 2026
Thursday, July 2, 2026
10,000 Beatles Fans Foiled in Manila (1966)
10,000 Beatles Fans Foiled in Manila
Associated Press
July 4, 1966
The Marines, a helicopter, 25 motorcycle police, an armored car, and an airline pilot combined to avoid 10,000 Beatles fans at Manila Airport yesterday. The fans, many carrying pictures of their heroes, waited for several hours in the broiling sun for the group to arrive from Hong Kong, but when the Cathay Pacific Jet landed, it stopped at the end of the 1000-foot runway, almost a mile from the terminal.
Then cars took the Beatles along the runway, escorted by motorcycle police, with sirens screaming and red lights flashing, and followed by two ambulances and an armored car. The armored car stood by in case the Beatles were mobbed and needed rescuing. The ambulances were there in case fans were injured. A helicopter directed the convoy to the gate which had the fewest fans. Tearful girls hurled themselves at the cars in the hope of stopping the convoy, but no one was hurt.
The convoy sped to the Philippine Navy headquarters on Manila Bay foreshore, where Marines stood guard. A seven foot launch took the Beatles out into the Bay. "It's safer for the Beatles out there than on shore," said Mr. Vic Lewis, a Beatles representative.
The Beatles are to give two performances at the 100,000 seat open-air Rizal Football Stadium tonight. President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, and their three young children were reported to be flying from the island of Leyte to see the show .
Tomorrow, the Beatles are to take a KLM flight back to London. Before leaving Hong Kong, the Beatles said they considered their Japan tour a success, despite some anti-Beatles movement. "There was always some opposition," said Paul McCartney.
In Tokyo, the Beatles had been taken by car from their hotel to the aircraft steps. About 80 car loads of fans followed until police stopped them at the airport entrance. From midnight until the group left yesterday morning, the 1,000 police on duty turned away more than 2,000 teenagers under elaborate police guard.
The group saw little of Japan. They said they enjoyed working before Japanese audiences, although they were "less responsive and more polite" than those in most other countries.
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