Rocky Horror Outtakes

 John and May (and Mal Evans) go to see Rocky Horror at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 1974. 

Up in the Air

 June 29, 1966 -- on their way to Tokyo

Ringo and Mal are the Blindmen

 June 1971

The crazy concert

 Here is another photo from the crazy San Francisco 1965 evening concert.   I am not sure why the photographer chose to circle Paul and John but it is a great shot!  

Sessons for How Do You Sleep

 May 22-24, 1971 

In the Inner Circle

 

A normal scene backstage before a Beatles concert

Photo taken by Paul McCartney 

 

T-shirts for Yoko's Birthday

 For Yoko's birthday in 1971, John took photographs of lots of people Yoko knew (or sort of knew) wearing a "Yoko Ono" t-shirt (including himself) and made her a special photo album of the photos.  Here are a few of the photos that were in the album. 

Try Some Buy Some

February 1971
 

It's Not Always Gonna be This Gray

 

Remembering Mal 50 years later

Photo taken by Paul McCartney 

 

I am glad that, since the Get Back Documentary, Mal Evans has been receiving more recognition among Beatles fans.  If you are a long-time follower of this site, then you will already know that I have been a big lover and supporter of Mal for a very long time.   I am glad that other people have finally discovered how interesting he was.   Sadly, Mal's life ended 50 years ago today.  If you or someone you love is having mental health issues, please seek help today. Take a lesson from Mal Evans, who ended his life way too soon.  Even if everything appears helpless in that moment -- there are always brighter days ahead.  

Here is how the news reported Mal's death 50 years ago:

Beatles' Aid Shot to Death by Cops

UPI

January 7, 1976

    Malcolm F Evans, the Beatles' longtime road manager and a personal friend of the singing group's members, was shot and killed when he allegedly pointed a rifle at two policemen, the police department said yesterday. 

    Evans, 40, was shot Sunday night at the home of Francis Hughes, where he had been living. Investigators said Miss Hughes, who was unemployed, told them she got into an argument with Evans, who was having business problems, and Evans went to an upstairs bedroom taking a jar of pills and a rifle with him. 

    She called the police, an officer, David D Krempa, 30, and Robedt E Brannon, 27, responded to a man with a gun suicide attempt call. The two officers went to the bedroom where they saw Evans sitting on the floor, allegedly pointing a rifle at them. 

    They fired six shots, killing Evans instantly, investigators said. Evans had been the Beatles' road manager since their earliest days in Liverpool, England, and joined Ringo Starr when the group broke up. Friends said he had been depressed recently because he was out of a job.

     Starr was reported to be "stunned by the death", and a spokesman for Paul McCartney said "Paul is very disturbed at the loss of a close friend."

Stolen Glasses

 

Paul's Here! (1967)

 

Suddenly the door bursts open and other photographers dash in.  Jane keeps her eye on our man, while Mum and Paul watch the others. 

And now, bearded Mal Evans spots the camera as Paul and Jane look at the cake. 

Birthday cake, followed by photographer Howell, is brought to the table. Note that Paul spots the camera

Present were other members of the Bristol Old Vic company, as well as Beatle road manager Mal Evans and Jane's mother Mrs. Margaret Asher. That's Jane's Mum at Pau's left. 
All photos taken by Duane Howell

Paul's Here! (DB's Exclusive Coverage of Paul McCartney's Secret Visit with Jane Asher!)

No writer listed

(Teen) Datebook

July 1967

    "It's Jane's show, and I don't want to steal any of her spotlight," Paul explained to us when he slipped in and out of the US for a secret five-day stay. 

    

    But Jane's 21st birthday party almost turned into a public spectacle when Denver photographers forced their way into the restaurant. Since the damage was already done, we contacted Denver Post photographer Duane Howell and arranged for exclusive use of the photos on these pages.

     Says Duane, "I found out the party was at the Quorum Restaurant and arranged for the owner to ask if a picture was okay. They said absolutely not! So I decided to wait by the kitchen. Nobody paid much attention to me, and as the waiter took the birthday cake into the private room, I followed and started shooting like mad.

     "A few other photographers had pushed their way in through the other door and came in as the cake was presented, and about a minute and a half, McCartney's bodyguard (editor: he means road manager, Mal Evans) escorted me out the front way, I might add.

    Besides celebrating Jane's birthday, Paul managed to get in some business conferences with his American agents, then he secretly took off for San Francisco, London, and the finishing touches on the new LP.

McCartney Attends Miss Asher's Party

By Del Carner

The Denver Post

April 6, 1967

    Are Beatle Paul McCartney and his girlfriend, actress Jane Asher, getting married soon?  That was a question Wednesday night in the wake of a 21st birthday party for the actress at the Quorum Restaurant. A party attended by McCartney, who flew to this country from London earlier this week to be with her.

     No one would talk for publication, least of all the two young principals. But a reliable source who attended the party said, "It wouldn't surprise me if they got married very shortly."

     The birthday party, hosted by the actress's mother, Mrs. Margaret Asher, was for the company and cast of the Bristol Old Vic Repertory Company, which opens a three-day engagement at the Auditorium Theater Thursday night. Miss Asher plays Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, which will be performed Sunday night. She also appeared in Measure by Measure on Friday night.

     McCartney, perhaps the best looking of the Beatles, flew into town Wednesday, apparently from Dallas, where Miss Asher had spent Tuesday. McCartney came to the party sporting a coal black mustache and a double-breasted sports coat with a large yellow and black striped tie. 

    During the dinner, he sat between Miss Asher and her mother, a strong-willed woman who left no doubt in anyone's mind as to who was in charge of things. She cautioned several people not to discuss with anyone outside the room the relationship of her daughter and McCartney. On more than one occasion, she made it clear that there were to be no photographers or reporters admitted to the banquet room. 

    However, photographers from the Denver Post, Associated Press, and a London newspaper gained admittance just as Miss Asher's large birthday cake was served. The company booed and hissed the newsmen (good-naturedly, it seemed).  McCartney's unidentified bodyguard got up from the table and firmly escorted Post photographer for Duane Howell from the room.

     Miss Asher didn't appear to be upset, nor did McCartney. Both seemed to forget all about the incident once the newsman had left. Throughout the dinner, which consisted of a French vin rose wine, (Remy Dupont 1964) and chicken served in burgundy wine with wild rice.

    McCartney said very little. His conversation was low-key and centered on Miss Asher, whose long red tresses complemented her jet black cocktail dress. Among the presents Miss Asher received at the party were a large black pocketbook with a horn-rimmed handle, a brightly colored parasol, and a small single record phonograph player. 

    She also was given a large, oversized birthday card signed by the cast. The cake, decorated with 21 candles, simply said, 'Happy birthday, Dear Jane.' She also received a congratulatory telegram from Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, and Peter Asher, her brother, who is half of the Peter and Gordon rock-and-roll duo. 

    After the dinner party, the guests, led by Miss Asher and McCartney, danced in the Quorum Senate Lounge. Slight speculation in the Post on Wednesday that McCartney was in town, and rumors, which were rife throughout the day, less than a dozen teenage fans turned up at the Quorum to get a glimpse of the famed Beatle. Where McCartney is staying in Denver isn't known, but he and Miss Asher were scheduled to take a skiing trip to the mountains on Thursday.

A Day in the Studio

 

When the Beatles perform, it's like a three-ring circus (San Francisco 1965)

 When the Beatles perform, it’s like a three-ring circus

By C.O. Williams

Merced Sun-Star

September 2, 1965

The following report is a Merced boy's reaction to the Beatles situation as he witnessed it in San Francisco Tuesday.

 Only in the United States could the national anthem be played in a boss rendition by a Negro and an Italian band using guitar, saxophone, and a drum. This was the unique opening of one of the greatest demonstrations of American idolatry ever shown, the second Beatles concert in San Francisco on Tuesday.

It was interesting how the crowd's expectation of the performance provided a look at one segment of the American way of life today, and I seriously wonder what a foreigner's impression would be. The program started with a bang and a bouncy theme. Immediately after the anthem, a group of discotheque Go-Go dancers were introduced, giving the audience a sample of nightlife in hundreds of clubs throughout America.

After that shaky performance, a group called Cannibal and the Headhunters performed. They danced for the most part, once in a while, singing a few shrill notes into the mic and asking the audience to yell louder.

The third artist was a female vocalist who cooed into the microphone for several more minutes and again finished by asking the audience to sing, yell, and clap longer and louder with her.

The last group gave a wonderful selection of slapstick humor by bringing back the antics of the Keystone Cops and the Three Stooges. These six talented young men called Sounds Incorporated merely played their instruments with no singing, but the whole stage was needed to contain their running, jumping, and cartwheeling.

 By this time, the stage was set, and the last and greatest act of the circus was near. For a moment, things were quiet, but for the loud cries of the popcorn soda and hot dog vendors.

Suddenly, the curtains parted, revealing the Beatles, and the crowd broke loose, expelling the pent-up emotions for this long-awaited spectacular. For the next 45 minutes, you could not hear yourself. Girls were crying, screaming, yelling, and waving madly. Two girls, upset and possessed, rushed the stage and made it to their idols, John and Paul. For several seconds, as they wrapped their arms around their idols' necks, security guards tugged at their feet and pried them apart. But for the girls, it was worth it—a small fete.

 An agile teenage boy scaled the six-foot fence behind the stage and ran to John. With the flick of his wrist, he snatched John's hat from his head and dove into the crowd with a priceless souvenir. Just as nimbly as the young lad snatched John's hat, John grabbed a nearby policeman's cap, placed it sitting atop his well-groomed curly locks, and continued strumming his guitar.

 A very tiny and obviously heartbroken girl standing next to me pleaded with me as tears streamed down her face to lift her up so that she could see above the crowd and gaze at her idols for a few seconds.

 In many ways, the Beatles' performance resembled a circus at times, with so many things happening simultaneously. One could not keep track. Besides the Beatles singing act, other demonstrations were going on, just as equally, attention-grabbing.

 Security guards defending the foursome were practicing judo, karate, and any means of self-defense against the helpless teenage girls who were madly rushing the stage. The crowd constantly gave its typical show of emotion, the crying, screaming, jumping, running, and waving young souls were hard to resist watching.

Another hilarious area of entertainment was the vendors. In their patented manner, they tried to sell souvenir books, Coke, hot dogs, and popcorn, giving me, and I'm sure others, a real good show.

The final and perhaps greatest act was put on by the valiant Cow Palace repairmen. The rickety fence holding back part of the crowd was coming loose at the base, and the repairmen battled with the screaming teenagers to do their duties and stop the hole in the dike.

 During the whole Beatles performance, there was a constant rain of litter, jellybeans, and popcorn on the stage. Ringo bore the brunt of the attack, perched high in his drum nest; he was an easy target for love trash.

 With the same swiftness that marked their entrance, the Beatles fled, and the great show of emotion halted as 1000s of happy but rumpled and exhausted teenagers filed out of the palace to return to their respective and somewhat more normal way of life.

Mal asks John if he wants any toast

 

Mal's haircut

 

Ringo meets Hank Snow

 August 3, 1969

Waving on a balcony

 June 30, 1965 - Nice, France