A Grandmother's Notes on a Night with the Beatles (Toronto 1966)

 A Grandmother's Notes on a Night with the Beatles

By Maggie Grant

The Gazette 

September 17, 1966

The Canadian's Maggie Grant, a grandmother, spends an evening with the Beatles and reports on one of the true wonders of our times.

     Set out to observe Beatle phenomenon, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, August 17. Temperature 85 degrees. Hair combed à la Ringo. Arrived early with firm grip on press conference pass ticket. Found area a swarm with little people. Several more years apiece to grow. Explains puzzling term "teeny boppers." Array of rament, quenched hope, astonishing styles shown in magazines would be unmarketable. 

    One belle, "I love Paul", stenciled across seat of bell bottoms, was telling world at large, "I got all the way up to their floor in the hotel, all the way to the eighth floor, and then the stinking cops caught me!" 

    "The eighth floor should be declared a national shrine," said a lass in black mesh stockings, no shoes.     Two tots wearing granny dresses, unrealistically blonde hair, sprawled in alleyways, sobbing like disaster victims. Police had barred entry to Beadle's dressing room. 

    Stirring of anti-copism in own breast upon officers' brush off of press credentials was passed from entrance to entrance back again. Three circuits of building maintained iron control despite foot moans, sweat bath. Police regained esteem by averting trampling by flying wedges of maidens. Had fancied they spotted Beatles in far distance. Incident lent courage to Pengate Guardian to Turnstile asked, "Do I look like a teeny bopper?" Guardian conceded did not, was passed into sacred premises. 

    Conference heavily attended by Veterans of Fourth Estate, conducted with solemnity. Accord senior statesmen, Beatles resplendent in pastel suits, settled vexing world problems to satisfaction of all retired, began searching for press box. 

    Several false leads furnished by distraught ushers.  Located it hanging from roof beams. Temperature at that altitude: 95 degrees. View liked peering into Grand Canyon. Stage size of postage stamp. 16,000 ticket holders, bits of color, shifting kaleidoscope, overtaken by dizziness, set back closed eyes, jarred to chair edge by uproar greeting first preliminary act, group name of the Remains.  Guitarist lept about like orangutans, presumably also twanged instruments. Couldn't hear above audience. Thunderous work of drummer. Kleenex stuffed in ears. Prayed for survival.

     Other prelims equally clangorous, fortified self with hot dog. Hung on. Beatles' hour approach. Further, police march to battle stations. Then the magic moment: terrible sound decibels forth from 16,000 throats. Prelim reception like cathedral hush in comparison. Cannot describe marathon mating cry of Beatlemania. Cannot describe assault on eyeballs of 16,000 exploding flashbulbs; the combination could petrify brain tissue. Finished came senses reeled on stood more or less direct. Sought first aid station overflowing with stretcher cases, withering in religious ecstasy, all subteens.  Decided not to offer self-retreatment. Groped out of building and home. Will confine Beatle devotion to record in future.

Gripweed's Friends and Fans.

 September 14, 1966

What a crowd!

Photo taken by Bran Epstein 

 

There is so much to see in this photo!  The Beatles are all there --- but look who is waiting to greet them!  I spot photographers, reporters (one actively interviewing someone), a full brass band, Beatles fans and just other onlookers.  Do you spot anything different?

A Familar statue

 

Ringo or Robin Creations

 September 14, 1971

Did you ever own any of these items?

Ringo's furniture reception

 

Birthday Party for Stella

 September 13, 2011 

The birth of Stella and the name "Wings"

 September 13, 1971 

Melody Maker Awards

 September 13, 1966 

Beatles' Junior Press Conference was Fantastic (1966)

Beatles Junior Press Conference Was Fantastic

By Sylvie Reice

The Spokesman-Review

September 11, 1966

    The girls were screaming and squealing inside the hotel room where the Beatles were holding their first press conference for teens. The national press reporters and cameramen were waiting in an adjoining room to hear the conference over loudspeakers. I left them and stationed myself unobtrusively outside the door of the conference room.

     Girls were still coming in, nervously showing their credentials to the policeman at the door. One girl got hysterical when the officer questioned her pass, "But it's just like that, girls'!" She cried and burst into tears before they could even assure her that it was okay. The screaming continued just before they closed the door. 

    Another reporter and I begged and cajoled, and finally were allowed to slip into the back of the room. When I entered, I was amazed to realize that despite the screams, the Beatles hadn't even arrived! There were 150 girls present and about three boys. 50% of them were members of the Beatles USA fan club. The other 50% had been selected randomly by WYCA deejay Gary Stevens who had greeted the girls, (12,000 teens had written in for these passes.) 

    "Now this is an honor, girls," Tony Barrow, the Beatles' press representative, was saying, "And we know you're going to prove you can be well behaved." He was perspiring. He looked nervous, as did all the adults in the room wondering what the girls would do when the Beatles appeared. Beside me, a policeman whispered, "Boy, oh boy, this is nuts."

     When the boys finally came out, there was a rush of screams, camera flashes, girls stood up on their chairs. "If you don't quiet down," Mr. Barrow said, "we'll have to stop." Pandemonium continued, but then the Beatles themselves spoke. "Keep quiet," said John. "Why don't you quiet down?" said Paul. "Thank you for keeping quiet," said George, and suddenly they kept quiet. In fact, they behaved wonderfully the rest of the session, expressing their unique love in many marvelous ways. 

    One girl didn't take her eyes off a set of binoculars, though she was only 30 feet away from the Beatles!  Another had tears running quietly down her face the whole time. Two girls in front of me were all dressed up with little white fur capes. When the mike roved among the girls, one said, "I want to welcome you back to America." She said it so formally and sweetly; it was touching. Another asked Paul, "How is your tooth?" He smiled. "It's fine, thank you." "Are you going to marry Jane Asher, Paul?" Screams at the sound of her name. "Probably," he said. Happy congratulatory applause followed.

     These girls really do love the boys. "Do you like the Beatles cartoon?" Answer: "Not really, but it's fun." "John, are you writing a new book?" Answer: "I have about 20 pages." Small applause. 

    "Do you like English girls better than American girl?" Answer: "No, girls are the same everywhere." "Who decides which of you will take the lead in a song?" John: "Whoever knows the words." The Beatles are smiling now and loosening up. "Do you know a girl named Patricia Slater?" Paul muses.    "S-u-r-e."  Everyone knows he's kidding. They laugh.

     "Don't you ever find your real self getting lost in the Beatles group self?" Answer: "No, we don't really work at a Beatles image." Girl:  "I want to wish John a happy anniversary." John smiles, "Thank you," and everybody applauds. 

    There's love in the room coming from these girls. You can feel the goodwill and the sweetness. The Beatles feel it too. They're smiling, and they joke around more than they did with the professional press. "John, who cut your hair?" Answer: "George."  "Did you buy a 12-string guitar in Hoboken?" Answer: "Where's that?" Mr. Barrow interrupts to say, "There's time for only one more question". Anguish sounds through the room, and the wells as the boys disappear through a side door in the stage.

     The girls mill around, smiling, talking, flushed happily. "It was fantastic," a girl said to me. "Fantastic." Her eyes shone. "Were they like you expected or different?" I asked Robin Burkowitz of Brooklyn. "It's amazing. They were exactly the same. I mean, you expect them to wear wild clothes, and they did, and to act friendly, and they did. I mean, it was even better than what I expected."

A group of girls, all presidents of Beatles fan clubs in Queens Village, Long Island, gathered around me:

Barbara Fox and Martha Cohen, and Susan Mullery and Elaine Stileman, "I still don't believe it happened," Robin said. The Beatles were more mature than she expected. The girls too. "The girls acted marvelous. I was so pleased."

    

     Elaine didn't want to leave. "Don't you want to ask us more?" she said, but the policeman was trying to disperse the crowd. As I left, they were still staying, saying "It was fantastic. I can't believe it."