She is touching the red velvet jacket

 

55 years of Hey Jude

 

September 4, 1968

Linda's photos of Paul during the DW

Photos by Linda (Eastman) McCartney 

 June 23-24, 1968 

Paul was having the best weekend ever

 

Beverly Hills

 

Hey Jude

 

My how you've grown

 

Paul's pole dancing days

Who's that girl?

Who would have guessed that the lady sitting next to Paul in the backseat of that car in Los Angeles 50 years ago today would have ended up being his wife and mother of four (counting Heather) of his children.? 

A day no one will ever forget

If you were a Beatle fan in Los Angeles on June 24, 1968 - it is a day that you will never forget.   I have posted many stories and photographs of what happened 50 years ago today on this blog, that I don't need to rehash it all.   However, I thought I would post a few and say thank you to the fans for sharing such amazing Paul photos over the years. 

Come sail away with me

both photos by Tony Bramwell 

I have only ever seen these photos in black and white.   In color, they look so vibrant!

Strumming on a boat

Photo by Tony Bramwell 

Those eyes---that jacket---

Red jacket and the L.A. sun

The beginning of a beautiful relationship

Who invited the kids?

Red velvet

Take my breath away.....

This has to be one of the most gorgeous photos of Paul McCartney I have seen in a very long time.   That red velvet jacket always gets me.

Paul McCartney in Hollywood

I am not quite sure where this story came from.   I got it in a bunch of newspaper clippings and it is a photocopy.  So it could be from anywhere, but most likely a teen magazine.  We have seen Robyn Flans before.  She worked for Modern Drummer magazine and met Ringo in the 1980's and 1990's.  Well here she is a total teenage fan girl over Paul McCartney in Los Angeles in 1968.   I feel like there must be more to this story.  How did these girls just happen to get to talk to Paul on the phone and get invited over to his Bungalow in the first place?   

Paul McCartney in Hollywood!

By Robyn Flans and Gerri Friedman

As he approached, it truly seemed like a dream – a flight from reality.  It had been a rough day.  At 7:30 we had boarded a bus.  Finally, at 9:00, once at the magic Beverly Hills Hotel, we reached Paul on the phone.  He spent a half hour talking to us, telling us his bungalow number and then that we’d be expected about 6:00 in the evening, which meant a day of nervous waiting!  We began our waiting by sleeping in the bathroom, which only wasted an hour.  That left us with five hours on our hands.  By 5:00 it became evident that the lobby was not the place for us to wait, becoming formal, so we, in our jeans, silently trotted out to the lawn to wait patiently for him.  When 6:00 rolled around and still Paul did not return, we began to doubt his word.

But, alas, at 7:12 our fate arrived, and luckily we were still alive to be rewarded by his presence.   As we walked up those bungalow steps, the echoes of knocking knees could be heard plainly.  Courageously we approached Paul’s roommate Tony, who was nice enough to bring us to Paul’s attention.  Once  we had that over with, the rest was easy.  As Paul emerged from his bungalow, our knocking knees were put at ease as he told us to relax and have a seat.  We sat down close to him, checking to make sure Paul would not slip from our grasp.  Hoping not to impose, we politely asked Paul if we could snap some pictures.  Obviously being used to them, he accepted with graciousness. 

Between sips of water, we asked Paul questions.  He told us why “Magical Mystery Tour” got a bad write up in England.  Seems that they’re very conservative over there.  And we’re not?!?!  But we always thought….Oh well, it doesn’t matter what we think.  It is what he thinks that counts.  We spoke of how some people are mean by giving the fans fake information to make themselves look big.  The thing that amazed us, was that he was so real (maybe because he is!?), and so unaffected.  Whenever there was a lull in the conversation,  Paul sang for us putting us at ease immediately.  Paul was also asked to explain, “How I won the War.”  He told us that people play more into it then there really is, and then he went on  to explain some of the confusing parts to us.  One of the other girls with us, Vicki, gave Paul a pair of beads as a small token of her love for him.   Being original in every way, he put them on his shoes – trying to start another fad, huh Paul?

The pictures were still being snapped and after every flash in our eyes, we were truly scared to open them in fear of waking up and finding our dream gone.

The climax of our visit occurred when Lesley went to give Paul her gift to him.  It was a common, ordinary everyday gift – an elephant bean.  You’re asking me what it is?  You’ve got to be kidding!  Actually, we soon found out, when the minute bean fell from Lesley’s nervous hands, coming apart as it touched bottom.  Lesley commenced to picking up the elephants – ivory elephants that is – to be exact twelve tiny ones.  While all this was going on, Paul felt he had to get into the act (the ham) so he began shouting verse of “Go Lesely!! Hurry Les! “ etc.   What a scene!  Lesley frantically began to retrieve them as Paul eagerly extended his hand for the elephants.  Paul was in the process of calculating nine from twelve, trying to see how many elephants he had lost in the accident, when all of a sudden, a lady popped out of the bushes.   Would you believe a maid walked around the corner?  We all laughed for a while about that.

Time was running short, so we all decided it best to record his face in our minds.  We could never forget the moment we had waited for for five long years.  Our reward sat there as we examined him from top to bottom.  He’s much more beautiful in person than in pictures, but the pictures we took captured much of his beauty.  His eyes, his most outstanding feature, are of hazel color.  They’re big and droopy and just by looking at them, one can tell Paul’s feelings.  His nose and mouth are perfectly shaped, but there is still a small scar form his motorbike accident.  Being nobodies, Paul didn’t really dress up for the occasion.   He wore brown and white herringbone pants and no top however, so we might not get the wrong idea, he put on a velvet maroon jacket. 

We felt we had taken up enough of Paul’s precious time, and we told him so.  Then the best moment of the forty he had spent with us happened.   All four of us received kisses, but for some wonderful reason, we two, received special ones – on the lips.  We were only ecstatic with happiness.  We thanked him for spending so much time with us and then we all stood up.

Dirty weekend fans

These photos were taken by Lucille Azzarito and Patti O'Neil.   I have been doing a bit of reading about Paul's L.A. trip in 1968.     He was extremely open and welcoming to the fans while he was there.