Wednesday, February 19, 2025

By Steve Marinucci

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY (APPLE): It was a long time coming, but this five-disc set was certainly worth the wait. There's no doubt this is the best and most complete telling of the group's story we'll ever get by the group themselves.

The five DVDs contain all of the original Anthology video release (which was expanded from the original TV broadcast). Of course, what would a DVD set be without extras, and the extras here are historic: approximately an hour of unreleased footage from the jam session Ringo, George and Paul did during the making of the documentary. Not to mention the "Real Love" video that wasn't included in the original video release.

It also includes Paul, George, and Ringo at Abbey Road Studios with George Martin, playing back the multi-tracks of some of their recordings and discussing techniques used during the original sessions; Paul, George, Ringo and Jeff Lynne talking about recording FAAB and "Real Love"; Paul, George, Ringo and George Martin discuss how the three Anthology double albums were compiled; the making of the "Free as a Bird" video, plus the team behind the Anthology series discuss how it was made. All of this in 5.1 Dolby.

This is a must. (And it's cheaper than the video was!)

Review: PAUL McCARTNEY: BACK IN THE U.S. (CAPITOL) (DVD)

By Steve Marinucci

PAUL McCARTNEY: BACK IN THE U.S. (CAPITOL): Billed as a backstage look at Paul's wildly successful 2002 U.S. tour, "Back in the U.S." both succeeds and frustrates.

It's a fun film to watch, with a wealth of music, and some fun episodes with fans (many of whom have been chatting up their appearances in the movie on mailing lists and chat boards). But, lest we sound like a curmudgeon, why is the film cluttered with shots of busty young women showing off their assets?

It's the music that matters, though, and there's plenty of that. There are lots of extras, including a cyberspace-only performance. Most people will be quite pleased with this.

But next time, though, Paul, keep your mind on the stage.

Review: THE BEATLES -- A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (MIRAMAX COLLECTOR'S SERIES)

By Steve Marinucci

THE BEATLES -- A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (MIRAMAX COLLECTOR'S SERIES): The last few years have certainly been a hard day's night for DVD fans of the Beatles' first film, which has gone beyond a simple "day in the life" film to its status nowadays as a classic.

The previously available MPI version was taken out of print a couple of years back in advance of a scheduled theatrical re-release that ended up being delayed. (One can often find the MPI disc auctioned on eBay, often for inflated prices.)

When the film finally did make it in and out of theaters last year, no DVD release was announced and word was producers were still working on it. Finally, after too long a delay, to paraphrase the Fabs in the film, it's out, but not, it would seem, without complaints about various aspects of the set. Most of the problems can be traced to the fact that Apple, who surprisingly doesn't own the rights to the film, didn't cooperate with this project. Definitely, it's their loss, because this could have been even better had they done so.

It's absolutely mind-boggling that they would choose to ignore this reissue of one of the Beatles' most celebrated projects. (Notice how Paul McCartney is already touting the upcoming "Let It Be" project that they do own, but has said little about the AHDN DVD.)

But let's go through it step-by-step:

First, the packaging: It looks darn good, much better than the simple MPI version. The pictures inset on the front look quite nice. Opening the inside reveals a cool fold-out display. In short, it's a class act.

The DVD video image: It's a lot warmer looking than the MPI (and even last year's theatrical release) and looks the best it's ever been, especially in any home video version. And the aspect ratio has been corrected from the MPI version, another plus, though one should remember aspect ratios were different in '64 than they are today. But it's not the square version the MPI was.

The movie itself: It's noticeably missing the re-release trailer, but having first seen the movie in 1964, we always felt the trailer wasn't a big deal. In other words, we don't really miss it here.

The sound: The biggest grumbles about this set are in the sound mix, a 5.1 mono with bleedthrough that allows for somewhat of a surround sound effect. We really liked the stereo mix of the MPI and previous home video versions, but if the stereo wasn't available, what was the best alternative? Granted, not this one, but to our ears, this one's not awful, just unfortunate. With various adjustments on your stereo, one can tone down the bleedthrough and make it more palitable, but I doubt we'll even do that when we play it.

The extras: This set takes a different approach to a "behind the scenes" look at the film than the MPI version did. MPI's consisted of a shallow documentary, "The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night,' " in which the sole redeeming quality was the "lost" clip of "You Can't Do That." (The Phil Collins factor was nice, but really, no big deal. It certainly didn't merit his hosting the MPI documentary.) Otherwise, it was worthless. The Miramax set features interviews with everyone from actors to technicians, all discussing their roles in the creation of this classic. You can view two versions of the script. The Miramax release website is contained on the DVD. And there's even more pictures and interviews on a newly created (for this release) additional website. The set contains no alternate commentaries, either by director Dick Lester (more likely) or either of the two surviving Beatles (quite unlikely). This might be the biggest minus of the set, but there's enough background info on it to keep anyone interested in the historic aspects of ADHN pleased. Finally, we've seen some negative comments about the "outtake" of the Ringo tire scene that's actually a spoof with actor David Janson. We took it as a moment of fun, hardly anything to get hung about.

Navigation: Viewing it on a PC, we found the menus are hard to navigate and the click-in spots take some maneuvering. There are no such problems viewing it on a stand-alone player.

Conclusion: Overall, we're pretty happy with this disc. Maybe some of the extras don't hold up to repeat viewing, but it's the movie that counts. So buy this disc and enjoy the Beatles' best movie and one of the projects that will forever loom large in their legend. That's the key word: enjoy.That's what this movie was always all about: enjoyment.

An interview with Ruth Sowby, star of "Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney"

By Steve Marinucci

(5/5/2008) Thanks to Ruth Sowby (then Ruth Anson) for answering our questions. This interview is copyrighted and may not be reproduced elsewhere without our permission. “Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney” will have its Los Angeles debut at the 2008 Mockfest film festival at 5 p.m. May 18 at the Vine Theatre, 6321 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA. The comedy documentary is the story of Ruth Sowby (then Ruth Anson), who in 1965 was a teenage reporter for KABC-TV in Los Angeles. While doing an interview with The Beatles at Capitol Records, Ruth asked Paul McCartney if he had any plans for marriage. His on camera response was…“Only if you’ll marry me.” More than forty years later, now married, a mother and a college professor, the film is Ruth's contemplation of the question, “What if I had said, yes?”

Q: What was your career as a TV journalist like leading up to the meeting with Paul?

A: Originally, I was selected out of 3,000 teenagers to be a staff teenage reporter on Channel 7. I was supposed to cover just teenage-type stories. But the station only had 3 news units. When a story broke, the nearest news unit had to cover it. Often, that was my unit. I wound up covering everything--even the Watts riots in 1965.

Q: Describe the meeting with the Beatles and Paul in 1965 and your initial reaction to his "only if you'll marry me" statement?

A: You can imagine how excited I was when Paul asked me to marry him. I answered back, "I'd love to" and threw my free arm around him (The other was holding the mike.) Of course, I knew it was all in fun. But I've often asked myself, "What if?"

Q: What made you decide to do this kind of a project? From the sound of the press release and a look at the trailer, it almost sounds like a film that is not exactly complimentary to you. Why not, for example, write a book instead?

A: I did write an outline and sample chapters of a book which a senior editor at Doubleday considered years ago but ultimately turned down. The film was an opportunity to tell a similar story, with the emphasis on Paul. The writing process of a book is tough, tedious and isolating. It was much more fun to make a movie. I realize the film isn't exactly "complimentary," but it's the truth. And film can convey the truth more powerfully than any other medium. (Remember, in my other life I'm a university film professor.)

Q: Have you remained a Beatle fan all these years? Have you seen Paul in concert since 1965?

A: I'm still a Beatles fan. I've followed them in the news, on film, TV and books.

Q: Who's the "11th hour" friend who comes to your rescue in the movie?

A: Watch "Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney" to find out.

Q: When will the movie be released on DVD to the stores?

A: It now looks like the DVD will be released this fall.

A review of the Beach Boys' "The Pet Sounds Sessions"

by Steve Marinucci

Well, it's finally here. And even with the delay, The Beach Boys' "The Pet Sounds Sessions" boxed set was well worth the wait.

psbox

The jewel of this great set is the new stereo mix. There will be those who think this should never have been attempted. But listening to it gives the album a new depth. One can hear the interaction between the instruments more clearly than ever before. And the separation on the official stereo mix beats the "Leggo My Ego" bootleg version by miles.

Listening to the session outtakes makes the beauty of the album all the more apparent. If only more artists that have resisted releasing outtakes (such as the Rolling Stones) would get the hint that releasing tapes of creativity in progress does not mar the past, but only enchances it.

Besides making a tape of the stereo mix, we also made tapes of the instrumental-only and vocals-only mixes in album order. Listening to these alternative versions of the album, especially the vocals only, is fascinating. Although the vocals-only mixes were lined up in album form on the set, the instrumentals were not. (You can make one, but it takes a bit of programming in your CD player.) This was a mistake on the part of the set's designers, but that's a minor quibble in an otherwise perfect set.

During the long delay, the set was the subject of much speculation on the Internet as to whether it would ever appear. (A Washington Post story cited problems with the documentation and some of the mixes used.) Fans blamed everyone from Capitol Records to a certain Beach Boys lead singer. Indeed, a change from the advance copies when the set was first announced to the released version is the addition of comments by Mike Love in the small CD-sized booklet. If this is what held up the set for a year and a half, that's a shame, but if any fingers are to be pointed, point them at the reason his comments were left out of the set in the first place. Consider the fact that, outside of Love, the advance copies had comments by almost every studio musician who played on the sessions, plus every Beach Boy member, including the late Dennis Wilson! Love's comments about the album had a right to have been there in the first place since he was one of those who had a central role in its creation.

But the set is a tremendous accomplishment on many levels. It brings to the forefront the beauty of "Pet Sounds." Certainly, this was evident before, but the outtakes and the new stereo mix do even more to certify its place as one of the top rock albums of all time. The fact that the Beach Boys as a group and Capitol Records were able to buck the usual marketing strategy and put out such a narrowly focused set is a reason to thank both of them. As demonstrated by this set, the members of the Beach Boys especially ought to be quite proud of their individual roles in the album's creation.

The set's release also concretely certifies the legend of Brian Wilson. The fans who have disdained the oldies-filled nature of the group's concerts in the past few years can now point to this set and say, "This is what the Beach Boys are all about."

And they will be right.

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The Beatles' Carnival of Light: The history of the Fab Four's most mysterious unreleased track

"Carnival of Light"

The history of the Beatles'
most mysterious unreleased track

by Steve Marinucci

Published 1993 (?)

(This article is copyrighted b Steve Marinucci and may not be reprinted without permission of the author.)

The now famous Abbey Road studio tour in 1983 and the Anthology series that was finally realized in 1995 has allowed the public at large to hear unreleased Beatles studio material.

But there is an additional unreleased track that was given its world premiere during a two-day event -- when it could have been heard by anyone present -- and has not been heard since. It's the 1967 track, "Carnival of Light," perhaps the Beatles' most significant experiment in the avant-garde.y

The track was created for "The Carnival of Light Rave," an event held at the Roundhouse Theater Jan. 28 and Feb. 4, 1967, and promoted by underground designers Binder, Edwards and Vaughan, who had been hired by Paul McCartney to decorate one of his pianos (similar to the decorated piano seen on Paul's '89 tour).

The trio invited Paul to create a track for the event. Although John's avant-garde's work with Yoko is well-known, McCartney had experimented with avant-garde music also, and it was McCartney who instigated the recording session for the track.

It was recorded on Jan. 5, 1967 during a five-hour session that also included vocal overdubs for the then-unreleased "Penny Lane."

According to descriptions of the session from Record Collector magazine and by Mark Lewisohn, the four-track recording begins with track one as basic drums and organ rhythm backing and track two as sound effects and distorted guitar.

Track three consisted of John and Paul screaming like "demented old women", according to one account, with John crying "Barcelona!" while Paul screams, "Are you alright?," with added whistling and water gargling. Track four had more sound effects, tambourine shaking and tape echo. The track ended with Paul shouting, "Can we hear it back now?"

The 13-minute, 48-second track was mixed down to mono and a copy was given to Binder, Edwards and Vaughan. It was used for this one event and hasn't been heard in public since. Those attending reportedly thought it was an excellent piece of '60s avant-garde music, but Beatles producer George Martin felt it was a waste of time.

"This is ridiculous. We've got to get our teeth into something a little more constructive," Martin told Geoff Emerick during the recording session.

They did, and in very short order. The next day, they went back to work on "Penny Lane."

UPDATE: The August '96 issue of MOJO says that Paul McCartney is considering releasing "Carnival of Light" as the sound track to an experimental film he's making using images of the Beatles. The film would be similar to one he made about the Grateful Dead using Linda's photos.

UPDATE, April 2002: The Rockingvicar.com recently put up a short interview with Paul McCartney discussing this unreleased track. We reprint it here in its entirety by kind permission of The Rocking Vicar. Unique rock'n'roll stories emailed free every week. Autosubscribe at http://www.rockingvicar.com.

Update (3/16/04) Here's a very interesting email we received out of the blue. Just call it "another clue for you all." It was sent by Dudley Edwards:

To put the record straight...
I am the 'Edwards' of Binder Edwards & Vaughan who were responsible for staging 'The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave' otherwise known as the 'Carnival of Light' that you refer to.
The avant-garde track you refer to did not contain a version of 'Penny Lane' but Paul singing 'Fixing a Hole' on the piano. The tape was taken to America by one Ray Anderson (who was brought over from the States to assist us with the light show). I have no knowledge of what happened to it after that.
Paul's electronic experiments were played along with tapes from 'Unit Delta Plus' an offshoot of the BBCs Radiophonic workshop. Regards,
Dudley.

Update (4/8/2008) The Unit Delta Plus, who were involved with the event where "Carnival of Light" was premiered, have some information about the event on their page, along with other information.

Update (11/16/2008) A story by Vanessa Thorpe in Sunday's edition of the UK Guardian reports that Paul McCartney is eager to release the much-rumored "Carnival of Light," an avant-garde track that he and the other Beatles recorded in 1967.

On a BBC 4 radio show, Front Row, to air this week, McCartney told host John Wilson, "It does exist," he still has a master tape of the song and says "the time has come for it to get its moment."

"I like it because it's the Beatles free, going off piste," he says.

McCartney described how "Carnival" was developed in the recording studio. "We were set up in the studio and would just go in every day and record. I said to the guys, 'This is a bit indulgent but would you mind giving me 10 minutes? I've been asked to do this thing. All I want you to do is just wander round all of the stuff and bang it, shout, play it. It doesn't need to make any sense. Hit a drum, wander to the piano, hit a few notes ... and then we put a bit of echo on it. It's very free.' "

McCartney said it was inspired by the works of composers John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Track three consisted of John and Paul screaming like "demented old women", according to one account, with John crying "Barcelona!" while Paul screams, "Are you alright?," with added whistling and water gargling. Track four had more sound effects, tambourine shaking and tape echo. The track ended with Paul shouting, "Can we hear it back now?"

The 13-minute, 48-second track was mixed down to mono and a copy was given to Binder, Edwards and Vaughan. It was used for this one event and hasn't been heard in public since.

"Carnival" was considered and rejected for release on "The Beatles Anthology," he says. 'We were listening to everything we'd ever recorded. I said it would be great to put this on because it would show we were working with really avant-garde stuff ... But it was vetoed. The guys didn't like the idea, like 'this is rubbish'." George Harrison, he said, dismissed this type of experimentation with his typical humor by saying "avant-garde a clue".

Update (11/18/2008)

Geoff Emerick discussed "Carnival of Light" in his book "Here, There and Everywhere":

Midway through the recording of "Penny Lane," we spent the better part of an evening creating a tape of sound effects, under Paul's direction, for a live "happening" called the Carnival of Light. It was a bit of nonsense, really, but everyone had fun doing it. Whenever The Beatles tried something really outrageous, George Martin would roll his eyes and mutter a clipped "Oh my God" under his breath. Looking back, I guess that everyone was tripping his brains out that night, but we didn't know it then. When John started shouting "Barcelona" repeatedly in one of his Goon-like voices, Phil and I were doubled over in laughter. That line, and other bits and pieces from that night's sessions, were later used in the sound pastiche "Revolution 9" on the White Album.

In this 2006 interview with Ear Candy, Emerick goes into a little detail about how "Carnival of Light" and "Revolution #9" may have been related:

E.C.: You also mention "Carnival of Light" in your book. Was any of this used in Paul’s “Liverpool Sound Collage”? You also mention that parts of it were used in “Revolution 9”? Do you remember which parts? Do you think it was a good choice to leave it off of the Anthology? I mean, if you have John’s “What’s the New Mary Jane” dribble, why not some experimental Beatles?
Geoff: I’m not familiar with the “Liverpool Sound Collage,” so I don’t know if any of it was used there. The bits from the Carnival of Light session that were used in Revolution 9, as I recall, were of John saying the word “Barcelona,” and some other random sound effects. It was really just noise and cacophony, not a proper song.

In the interview in the front of "The Beatles Recording Sessions," Mark Lewisohn asked Paul McCartney about "Carnival of Light":

ML: In very early 1967, when you were doing "Penny Lane, you made a 14-minute, very bizarre recording of effects and noises for a "Carnival of Light" at the Roundhouse. Like "Revolution #9," but in 1966 rather than in 1968. You seemed to be the leader of that. Do you remember it?
PM: Yes, I was interested in that. I'm now becoming re-interested, in fact. There were millions of threads that we put down in the '60s that I never picked up again. George's Indian stuff and all of that. It was really just pushing frontiers, that's all we were doing. Everyone else was pushing frontiers, too, but perhaps we didn't necessarily like what, say, Berio was doing. There was only one Stockhausen song I liked actually! We used to get it in all interviews "Love Stockhausen!" There was only one "Gesang der junglinge (The Song of the Young)" - that was the only one I ever liked! I thought most of his other stuff was too fruity.
"The way I see it, I lived a very urbane life in London, I eventually got my own house there. So I had the metropolis at my fingertips with all this incredible stuff going on, the '60s, and John used to come in from Weybridge in his coloured outfits and we'd meet up. And I'd tell him what I'd been doing. "Last night I saw a Bertolucci film and I went down thet Open Space, they're doing a new play there" or "I had dinner with Jagger last night" and it was "My God! I'm jealous, man." Because I was doing a lot of avant-garde stuff -- it turned out later to be avant-garde. I though it was just "being different." Making little home movies, showing them to people like Antonini. It was very exciting, very creative. I do remember John coming in with his big chauffeur and Rolls-Royce and saying, "God, man, I really envy you." He was starting to feel like he was getting middle-aged and that he was out of it."

Later, in the book, Lewisohn discussed it in more detail:

"The Beatles had never made a recording quite like this before, although they were certainly to repeat the exercise again, culminating in 'Revolution 9' on the 1968 double-album The Beatles. This day's attempt lasted 13' 48", the longest uninterrupted Beatles recording to date, and it was the combination of a basic track and numerous overdubs. Track one of the tape was full of distorted, hypnotic drum and organ sounds; track two had a distorted lead guitar; track three had the sounds of a church organ, various effects the gargling with water was one) and voices; track four featured various indescribable sound effects with heaps of tape echo and manic tambourine.
But of all the frightening sounds it was the voices on track three which really set the scene, John and Paul screaming dementedly and bawling aloud random phrases like "Are you alright?" and "Barcelona!"
Paul terminated the proceedings after almost 14 minutes with one final shout up to the control room: "Can we hear it back now?" They did just that, a rough mono remix was made and Paul took away the tape to hand over to the 'Carnival of Light' organisers, doubtless pleased that the Beatles had produced for them such an avant garde recording. Geoff Emerick recalls this most unusual session. "When they had finished George Martin said to me 'This is ridiculous, we've got to get our teeth into something a little more constructive'." Twenty years on, George had obviously driven the session entirely from his mind, for when reminded of the sounds on the tape and asked whether he could recall it, he replied "No, and it sounds like I don't want to either!"

The home page for Delia Derbyshire, who participated in the Rave where "Carnival of Light" premiered.

Carnival of Light at the Beatles Bible.com.

Wikipedia entry on "Carnival of Light"

Sources: "The Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn
Record Collector magazine, June '93 issue
"Paul McCartney: From Liverpool to Let It Be" by Howard A. DeWitt

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An interview with Lon and Derrek Van Eaton

On Apple Records, working with the Beatles and their new album

by Steve Marinucci

(Thanks to Lon and Derrek for taking the time and Lon's wife, Constance, for helping arrange this interview. And thanks to Lon, Derrek and Constance for supplying the pictures with George Harrison and on tour. Be sure to visit the Van Eaton's website at http://www.imagineabetterworld.com/, which opens April 20.)

This text may not be reprinted on other web sites or in magazines without permission of the Webmaster.

George Harrison with Lon and Derrek Van Eaton. That's Klaus Voorman at far left and Joey Molland behind Derrek talking with the Apple Studios' architect. Geoff Emerick's hand is visible at just to the right of George. This picture is from the opening party for Apple Studios and was used as a promotional picture for Lon and Derrek's "Brother" album. (Picture courtesy of Lon, Derrek and Constance Van Eaton.)

Q: How did you get involved with Apple Records?

A: We were living in Trenton, New Jersey, and recorded a four-track demo tape in our house. We recorded our guitars and vocals and used the walls, tables and floors as drum sounds by slapping them with cassette tape boxes and books to get the sounds we wanted. Our manager, Robin Garb, sent copies of the demo to several labels and we received several label offers. Apple's offer was not the most lucrative but was the offer we chose because of the opportunity to work with the Beatles and because of what the Apple label stood for -- love, peace and creative art.

Q: What was it like recording an album for Apple?

A: Lon recollects: "Three Jersey boys on a plane, first time, land at Heathrow (1971). Klaus, who had visited us in New Jersey and Mr. Martino in a Benz speeding along to Ascot (John & Yoko's estate), then to Buckingham Palace (tourism), then to Henley On Thames and then into the catacombs (in the dungeons below George's Friar Park) where George whispers in my ear in the dark 'Lon??'. . . We lived in Ringo's flat in Hayes Mews, walking distance to Apple on Saville Row. Opening party, I think we were one of the first to record there. We only knew how to make drum tracks from hitting walls (bass drum), slapping tape on floorboards (snare), and using trays for cymbals. Quite a sight in the brand new studio when we dented the clean white walls. Impression of evolved people . . . Clear view of possible consciousness expansion and learning. Years later when I recorded at Bolshoi Hall in Moscow, I thought of these past times . . ."

More recollections are captured on our new CD on the cut "Coming Back To Where We Belong" which touches on our time at Apple and working with the Beatles over the years.

The cover of Lon and Derrek's Apple album, "Brother"

Q: George and Ringo were directly involved with the "Brother" album. George produced "Sweet Music," which Ringo played on. You've also done other session work with George and Ringo on their solo albums including George's "Dark Horse" and Ringo's "Rotogravure", "Ringo the 4th" and "Goodnight Vienna". How is it working with them?

A: Actually, Lon recorded on five of Ringo's albums: "Ringo," "Goodnight Vienna," "Rotogravure," "Ringo The Fourth," and "Bad Boy" as well as with George. At the end of recording the "Bad Boy"album in Vancouver, Ringo retired his old cymbal that had been with him since the early Beatle days. In fact, the last sound on that album is that cymbal crash! What can you say about a snare drum with a knife cut on the bottom skin, a wallet taped on top and such a pure fat tone!

Ringo has played on many Van Eaton tracks including: "Get Happy," "My World Is Empty Without You," "Hold On," and various tracks on their Apple Records "Brother" album.

How is it working with them? Well, how do you describe the opportunity of working with your "heroes" who happen to be very evolved people as well as being musically outstanding. George's reputation for his guitar playing speaks for itself and Ringo is one of the best drummers in the world. Ringo breathes life into every cut he plays. John was the master of imagination and of making his thoughts into social statements in the media. It was a wonderful time and they taught us so much. I am forever grateful.

It was difficult times for Apple during our tenure because of the personal differences surfacing among the Beatles themselves. Lon remembers a telegram from George addressed to Pete Bennett and Al Steckler which expressed George's frustration at the time: "What the ' !!!!! ' is the matter out there? "Sweet Music" is a No. 1 Hit!"

Left to right: Klaus Voorman, Derrek, unknown, Lon and Jim Keltner on tour in Japan. (Picture courtesy of Lon, Derrek and Constance Van Eaton.)

Q: "Brother" came with an insert to put on the record as it was on the turntable to create the effect of moving pictures. Whose idea was that and why was it done?

A: The turntable art insert was conceived of and art directed by our good friend, Klaus.

Q: You moved on to A&M Records after Apple. How were your experiences there?

A: Tough. With the changes at Apple, we all moved to Los Angeles. George wanted us to work with Bill Schnee and Bill was working with Richard Perry. George felt we just needed a good engineer. Richard and Bill both ended up producing but the "feel" was with Bill and the "biz" was Richard. We couldn't choose one or the other so we compromised. Big mistake.

Q: What have you been doing since A&M?

A: Getting to know and work with each of the Beatles at such a young age exposed the us to a rich resource of philosophies and strong work ethics. "Those guys, they taught us so much..." are lyrics from our new song "Coming Back To Where We Belong" included on this new album. John Lennon and George Harrison were particularly adept at using music, lyrics and the media to bring attention to what they thought was important. So, John's death was particularly impactful to the us. Derrek left the music business and Lon redirected his focus towards making music for a better world. After developing several non-profit youth oriented projects in Los Angeles, including KIDS Inc. and CHAMP, he moved to Colorado to be close to his family as Derrek and his new wife had settled in Colorado soon followed by their parents, Dale and Antoinette. Lon immediately formed his own production company, COMIN Inc., dba Music For A Better World, and Imagine A Better World, and began producing recordings, videos and events for non-profit corporations. The focus was to raise awareness and funding for such causes as Ronald McDonald House, The Leukemia Society of America, The American Soviet Youth Orchestra for President Reagan and Premier Gorbachev conducted by Zubin Mehta, Catherine Comet and Leonid Nikolayev, Pulse Of The Planet in conjunction with Turner Broadcasting (to fund 16 environmental organizations), Denver At the Apollo for Colorado's youth, etc.

For a capsule of the "Imagine A Better World Philosophy" -- we believe we create who we are and what comes true in our lives by where we focus our thoughts. Lyrics from the new album speak of personal responsibility as follows. "Think about what you do, it all comes true for me and for you ... That is all that life is of." We believe in producing good music with meaningful lyrics that will touch people's hearts and expand their way of thinking toward an enlightened world. We also donate proceeds and hands-on time to charitable endeavors.

We hope that ultimately what we have to say will make a difference in what people create in their lives and contribute to others. Quoting lyrics from this new album:

All we are saying,
What you think about will grow,
Imagine . . .A better . . .A better world . . .
In the moment we can feel compassion,
Now is the time to find a solution,
We can do it now!

Q: You're working on a new album, your first together as a team in many years. How did this come about, who plays on it and when will it be released?

A: Last summer, we were asked to contribute a cut to "Come And Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger," which was released in November. As they were all on the Apple label around the same time, they were delighted to contribute to the memory of old friends. They chose the Badfinger song "Apple of my Eye" written by Pete Hamm as a tribute to Apple. Beatlefan Magazine's review of Lon & Derrek's performance is quoted as follows: "...the album closes with a treat for Apple freaks: Lon and Derrek Van Eaton doing the poignant "Apple of My eye" with great vocals, multi-layered production and a false ending followed by some Harrisonesque guitar. Very nice indeed."

We had so much fun making music together again -- and received so many inquiries asking when they would release a new album together -- they decided it was time. This new album includes tracks with Ringo, Klaus Voormann and Denny Seiwell (Wings) and is a work of love for fans and friends, old and new. The songs address the passions and passages of life and love with tears and laughter.

Lon & Derrek's new album, "Black & White," featuring guest appearances by Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann and Denny Seiwell, will be released May 9. The CD includes 18 songs and an 8 page booklet with pictures, old and new. Copies will only be available by mail order. To order, send $15.98 + $4.50 shipping ($6.50 shipping outside the USA) by cash, check, money order or American Express payable to: Imagine A Better World, Black & White CD, P. O. Box 938, Castle Rock, CO 80104-0938 and/or visit their web site at http://www.imagineabetterworld.com.
For further information contact: Constance Van Eaton,
Imagine A Better World,
Angels Ranch Studios
P. O. Box 938
Castle Rock, CO 80104-0938
ConstiVE@aol.com

(Editor's note: Besides the new album, the Van Eatons' Apple album, "Brother," is planned for future release on CD. )

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An interview with Francie Schwartz

The author of "Body Count" talks about life with John, Yoko, Ringo, George and Paul

Although "Body Count" has a sexy reputation, there's a lot more to Francie Schwartz's story. She was present at the creation (and, in a few cases, contributed) to tracks that later ended up on "The White Album." In this interview, conducted via email over a couple of weeks, she talks about her life then and now and dispels some of the misconceptions surrounding her. She also talks about the reissue of her book, "Body Count," which will be available for a limited time through amazon.com or by snail mail (check or money order -- please, no cash -- for $22, which includes mailing anywhere in the world) to C.O.P.O. Ltd., 360 Jean St., Cambria, Ca. 93428-4459. (She apologizes for anyone who had money orders returned from selfpub.) Autographed copies are also available from LuckyFace Collectibles. We sincerely thank her for allowing us to talk to her. (Update 7/20/99) We're told the supply of books is close to running out.)

Update: 3/17/99: Francie tells us the next issue of Beatlefan will include the Mining Company interview (linked below) and a review of "Body Count."

Notice: Absolutely no part of this interview may be reprinted anywhere...on newsgroups, in magazines, websites or mailing lists...without our express permission.

Q: With the exception of your postings on Victor Munoz's web site, we haven't heard anything from you since "Body Count" was first published. Was the E! special ("Beatles Wives: The E! True Hollywood Story," which airs 8 p.m. ET/PT Feb. 14 and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET/PT Feb. 15) the reason for your reappearance, or is there another reason?

Francie Schwartz...now
(Courtesy Francie Schwartz)

A: You haven't heard anything from me as the "Body Count" girl, but I've published a bunch of articles on non-Beatle subjects over the years, for Larry Flynt's CHIC, PLAYGIRL, GALLERY, ROLLING STONE and others. The E! Special wasn't the reason for my resurfacing in BeatleWorld, but it sure helped. Ever since I got wired up to the WWW, Victor Munoz has kindly screened inquiries from prospective publishers and other curious types. E! TV was the first contact I accepted.

There's another much larger reason for the timing. For 25 years (arrggh!) hardly anybody seemed to be much interested in what I knew about the Fabs, Paul, Apple Corps Ltd. When I submitted book proposals in the 70's I usually sent along a first edition "Body Count," hoping for a reprint deal along with publication of a new book. Being a real writer means 99% rejection, but what made it worse for me was the fact that each and every publishing house claimed to have "lost" the "Body Count" I'd sent. Liars, all. Not to mention the word-for-word ripoffs of the Paul chapter by many writers.

Fast forward to 1980. After John Lennon's assassination, official culture vulture historians began to rewrite history... and Paul McCartney started rewriting John's official biography every chance he got. I slowly smouldered and built up to a blazing rage by the early 90's. Vanity Fair misrepresented me in 1990 in an article about Linda during which she made the oft-repeated assertion that people gave John credit for things that Paul actually wrote. The writer of the piece retold the myth about Jane breaking up with Paul when she found us in bed together, and even misspelled my name (probably deliberately).

1997 brought the "Beatles Anthology" video (you can catch me at the start of Volume 8, in Abbey Road Studio with Paul during the recording of "Blackbird") and although it seemed impossible for me to be angrier, I was made crazy by Paul's distortions of the situation in 1968, vis-a-vis Yoko's effect on the group's studio performance and creative process.

Finally, just a few weeks ago, through a series of accidental miracles, I met the publisher who is producing the commemorative edition of "Body Count" and a deal was made. The book is supposed to be available through http://www.selfpub.com/bookstore/books/bodycount/bodycount.htm only, by February 15th, but there are still some technical glitches. Obviously, my moment to speak out, correct the myths and lies, and maybe even earn some money from "Body Count" has arrived. Thanks to assists from Victor Munoz and E! TV, not to mention the Big Boy Up There. I'm ready to rumble, and so is the 27 year old book I call my firstborn.

The cover
of "Body Count"
(Courtesy of
Francie Schwartz,
selfpub.com)

Q: Your impressions of Ringo, John and George?

A: You mean my impressions of them circa 1968? Or since? George is the only one I saw after I left London, it was just a couple years later, and I don't think he'd changed.

In order of your question: Ringo -- salt of the earth type. My heart went out to him the night he came over to Paul's house (with his now deceased first wife Maureen, aka "Mo") and told Paul "I don't want to drum any more... it's not fun." I made a very vague reference to that incident in "Body Count". In the studio he rarely spoke or chatted between takes. He was always polite to me, but "we" were a clique within the extended group (Paul & I, John & Yoko) and Ringo was sort of the outsider. When I see him on TV nowadays, I think he's basically an older, wiser version of his young self. Steady as a rock, he is. What you need in a drummer.

John. Funny, sarcastic, emotionally accessible, artistically and musically brilliant, cute, deeply sexy, and smaller in stature than I'd imagined. An aura of mystery and unpredictability. Remember, the night I attended the second session of the "White Album," and met the Other Three, Yoko was there. So in my mind's eye, I never see them separately. It was John who inspired me to become a full-time writer, because so many times I heard him say that his work (as an artist, writer, composer) was his only justification for living -- or words to that effect. He talked the talk and walked the walk. I liked him very very much. He was a great house mate (J&Y lived with us for almost a month). Loved his Kellogg's corn flakes.

George. Adorable, funny, spiritual, kind, and full of the "love thing", the brotherly love associated with pot-smoking children of the 60's. George was very empathetic around me. When Paul's "evil twin" was running things in the studio, or just being cold to me in front of the others, George would emotionally rescue me. We connected that first night at EMI. Later he gave me a mantra, told me how to meditate in one easy lesson, hypnotized me with his love and sympathy. Favorite moments with George include the night he let me into the "box" where he laid down the tracks for "Not Guilty" (the rock version - a slow version was released on one of his solo albums). Right before the first take; he was standing in front of me, I was sitting Indian style on the floor; he said, "Wanna see me do my Elvis impression?" He gave so much of himself away, so easily. If he hadn't been married I would have made a major move toward him. He turned me on!

Francie Schwartz and Paul
(CourtesyFrancie Schwartz)

Q: How about Paul?

A: Yeah, how about Paul. I was too close for too long to remember my first impression of him, except of course what I put into "Body Count". I thought he was a wonderful Elvis impressionist, and liked his rock-scream voice best ("Oh Darling"). The balladeer voice ("Mother Nature's Son") was too sweet for my tastes. He's a decent drummer. Is there any way of describing his highly evolved folky acoustic guitar playing that hasn't already been done by professional music critics?? We (J,Y,P & F) used to have a running joke about "Best Bass in Britain." This was during the early "Clapton is God" phase in London. Again, I saw how insecure he was about not being able to write his own charts, (being so totally dependent on George Martin) when we played Linda's gift LP's, especially the debut Randy Newman LP. Paul's first reaction was "This guy can really write music!" I was shocked. I didn't say it because it seemed to me to be too obvious: "What do you think you are, chopped liver?" was what I was thinking.

Q: Unlike most books that discuss John and Yoko, you seem to have a positive impression of her. What do you think attracted John to her?

A: I was awed by Yoko the first night. She seemed to be in a world of her own, off in a corner during the session, while I plunged right in. I found her to be quite beautiful, with that tiny body all in white, and the thick curtain of black hair. When I began to know her as a person, through our talks in Paul's house, I was blown away by her feminine wisdom, her humor, and most of all by her complete focus on her work, which she never lost, even though she and John were completely in love. I admired that and it too had a major influence on my life for many years after. What do I think attracted John to Yoko? Well, he used to say it was the word "yes" written on the ceiling of the gallery where she was showing in 1967. She was positive and strong in her art and her womanhood during a time when John was surrounded by negativity and conventional Beatle wives like Cyn and Mo. I believe he was attracted to her because they were two halves of a cosmic whole. She was the prophet of unlimited possibility in his life. And he in hers.

Q: You attended some Beatle recording sessions. What songs did you witness recorded and which ones did you participate in?

A: First the latter: I sang backing with George on Revolution ("Take 2", the slow version on the "White Album") and they spent more than a week on the rhythm-and-vocal tracks. I was there almost every night at the beginning. I sang na-na's on "Hey Jude", which were first laid down at Trident the same night the brass was recorded, live, a large group. The video was done after I left, but I can still hear my own voice on the remixed backing track and remember how close I was to the mike. I played clip-clops for "Don't Pass Me By" but that track wasn't used in the final mix.

I watched them record "Blackbird" (see video anthology question), "Good Night", "Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except For Me and My Monkey)" and parts of "Helter Skelter". I was present at the remix of "Revolution No. 9" which was just John and Yoko, and played a duet on piano with Paul that evolved into "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" -- plus "Not Guilty" as I mentioned above.

Q: There is the persistent story that Jane Asher caught you and Paul together, leading to their breakup. True or false?

A: False. They were on the verge of breaking up when I arrived in London. Right after I met Paul he went to his farm in Scotland, and I believe Jane was with him, and that they were trying to work it out, but failed, because he came on with me as soon as he got back to London. I detail the actual events in the E! TV interview. Bottom line: She did come to the house one morning and knock on the bedroom door... but that was well after she had announced that the engagement was off, on TV. I believe that the "sound bite" psychology is what contributed to the myth that persists even today. It's a simple explanation for a very complicated and hard to condense process that was ongoing.

Q: You're in the Anthology videos. Where?

A: About a minute into Volume 8. First George has a bit (contemporary filmed interview excerpt) where he talks about the difficulties of working together in the summer of '68 with Yoko present, but he doesn't say anything about me, or if he does, it was edited out by certain persons -- how typical, to give George less than his fair share of time to contribute his own point of view -- then it goes into "Blackbird" which Paul recorded live in a few takes at EMI -- the session was filmed by an Australian BBC crew for a documentary. If you blink, you'll miss me.

Q: How do you look back on your relationship with Paul and the Beatles?

A: With love, pride, regret (that I didn't stand up for myself and for Yoko more), awe, gratitude, nostalgia, and now, with middle-aged balance in the perspective, plain happiness.

Q: You described what you heard and saw in the studio. Is there something you heard or saw that should be released that hasn't?

A: Definitely. "Not Guilty" by George should have been included. It rocked. I would have put that in before even considering "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which is pointy, but too slow. The slow version of "NG" George released on his "Sometime in England" LP is nice, but too easy going when one knows how solid the rock version was. But I'm prejudiced; I really did love George's writing and his generous spirit and his humility. Paul could have taken a lesson from him, but that's troubled water under the bridge, isn't it.

Q: You're planning on another book to focus more on Beatle material. What will that book have that "Body Count" doesn't?

A: Thirty years of experience and twenty years of writing and evolving in my craft, for starters. John's assassination marked a serious turning point in my spiritual and emotional life, and the misinformation that has been published since his death compels me to fill in many of the blanks in "Body Count". I was too young and too green as an author to insist I be given adequate time to put it all down on paper. In addition, my publisher in 1972 asked virtually no questions about John & Yoko. He ignored all the information I would have gladly shared, about working for Apple (I worked with James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, and the late great Derek Taylor was my boss), living with John & Yoko, and watching the breakup of the greatest rock group of all time.

Nevertheless, he may have done me a favor, because I didn't have the skills I have now, and I was still quite worried about breaking the unwritten, unspoken vow of silence, in case it would upset Paul! The Beatles "inside world" was and is sort of like a Cosa Nostra. I'm the only woman who talked.

The new book is almost finished. But since "Body Count" is going to be published before the new book, I find myself adding more and more to the Beatle section. This sort of rounds it out rather nicely, since the book is my second memoir, and contains mostly non-Beatle experiences with other "household names" including Barbra Streisand, Rupert Holmes, Louis Gossett, Jr. and G. Gordon Liddy. I feel I have come full circle as a woman and as a writer. I'm a very lucky lady.

Q: After the second book comes out, what plans do you have for your career?

I've given up trying to plan my own career. Probably I'll recede back into my wonderful new private life and only "come out" through the Internet. I've always wondered if I could give away one free Beatle question to everybody, then sign people up to subscribe to a CGI-scripted service. Only trouble is, I really get tired when I spend a lot of time recalling the intensity of all the '68 emotions, thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams... on top of the reality, which one never completely absorbs.

Rob Fontenot's Mining Company interview with Francie.

Lynn Harvey's Q&A with Francie

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The Abbeyrd Pete Best interview

The Pete Best interview

By Steve Marinucci

(This interview was conducted by telephone on July 12, 2003, done in conjunction with a local newspaper to publicize upcoming concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area. The text has been edited slightly for continuity. © Abbeyrd Beatles Page and may not be used anywhere without our permission.)

The Pete Best Band: From left, Dave Deevey, Chris Cavanagh, Mark Hay, Pete Best, Roag Best and Phil Melia.

SM: I wanted to start first about the book. I'm really really impressed with how beautiful the book looked and how it was done. Did you guys do that? The layout is just gorgeous.
PB: Yeah, well, basically what it was when the publishing company, finally we finally made a deal with the publishing company, we turned around and said we had ideas on how we wanted the book done, and you know, the photographs, the memorabilia that needed to be displayed, we all sat 'round the table, and we turned around and said we don't want it to be just another book, you know, we wanted something that people would look at, the photographs have got to be beautiful, the anecdotes and the layouts, so we basically worked on it alongside the publishers, but a lot of the input came from us. They were the ideas we had for it, you see.
SM: Did most of the pictures come from you?
PB: Yeah, 90 percent of them, 95 percent of them are basically ours because they come from our own archives and photography and the memorabilia, that's still ours, and the internal photographs of the Casbah, they're exclusive, they've never been photographed before, the first time that anyone's seen the interior of the Casbah since it closed back in '62. So you can basically turn around and say 95 percent of the photography in that and content in it was basically ours. All the memorabilia is ours.
SM: That was my other question...is all that memorabilia yours? There's some tremendous stuff in there. You look at it and go, "God, I didn't even know that stuff existed."
PB: Oh yeah, that's the tip of the iceberg. There was only so much we could put in the book. So it was one of the ones...what are pieces people wouldn't expect to find memorabilia-wise. A lot of people have seen paper, a lot of people have seen prints and all the other bits and pieces, but the memorabilia we've got, making the choice of it, when we explained to people what it was, and the history behind it, it was just a case of, "Oh, my goodness, we've got to use that." We laugh and joke about it, because we know the memorabilia content we've got that isn't in the book, so even though there's a lot of memorabilia in the book, it's just the tip of the iceberg.
SM: Are we gonna see more of it eventually?
PB: Memorabilia? Well, hopefully there will be another book out. We're looking at a prequel and a conclusion. When they come to fruitition, depending on the circumstances, the way we go about it, there will be some memorabilia content in there as well. What we're looking at is basically that the Casbah will open next year.
SM: There will be at least another book and possibly two.
PB: We're looking at two. But first of all, the way we've done it, we've done the middle section, "The Beatles: The True Beginnings." Then we'll do ... it's a little bit like "Star Wars," in a way ... then we'll do the prequel to that. And we basically said the conclusion, to me it's never ending. So it'll be, like, whenever we conclude it. Whenever we write that third one, that will be the conclusion at that point in time, if you understand what I mean.
SM: Most people would think would think what's in the first book would be the prequel. What would be in the prequel that's not in this book now?
PB: Well, what we've found from people who have read the book, have turned around and said they would like to know more about my mother, more about the involvement before the Casbah, because she was such an incredible woman. So we're looking at that. It's a good story. And it's an intricate story. I mean this is one of the beauties of it. It's a story that's got that much intricacy in it. We can fulfil a lot more because there's a limited amount of text in that. We actually took some out because it was making it too big for the ideas we had. So a lot of it could be moved into the prequel. And it would center on her. She's an unsung hero. But it's a very intricate story. And that's the reason why people who have actually read it say, "Oh yea, we can see it from here, but we'd love to know more about what happened before that particular date.
SM: Do you have a time as to when this is gonna happen?
PB: It'll depend basically when the publishers feel that it's right. That's the way we're looking at it. We're leaving in the publisher's hands. Because they would have to come to us. We have time constraints and everything.
SM: When would you like it to happen?
PB: When would I like it to happen?
SM: Yeah.
PB: Most probably at the end of next year. That would give this book enough time to be out because what we've got to look at is that it's released in America and it's released in other parts of the world as well.
SM: Are there still other places it has yet to come out?
PB: Oh no, that's why I'm turning 'round and saying it's coming out in different places in the world. It's coming out in a different time scale. We've basically gone for the UK and the American markets at the present moment. Consequently, we have to go to the other markets in the world and that depends on the publisher. So we're still basically in the infancy. That why I'm saying we're leaving it in the publisher's hands. We need to know basically because we won't start writing and preparing it - there's three brothers involved in it - and we won't actually get down on tape and script it till we find that we've actually got a timeframe for it.
SM: Who's in the band now?
PB: At the present moment, it's myself and my younger brother Roag. We have double drummers in the band, twin drummers onstage at the time. Phil Melia is one lead guitarist.
SM: I have pictures of you guys, but I don't know who everybody is.
PB: Well, Phil should be holding the Rickenbacker. Then you've got Dave Deevey, the bass player.
SM: He's the one, dare I say it, that looks kinda like Paul.
PB: Yeah. The other lead guitarist, because they're both lead guitarists in their own right when they take their turns, but totally different styles, that is Mark Hay.
SM: And which guitar does he play?
PB: I think he's got the Epiphone. Then you've got Chris Cavanagh, who's the singer, even though we all sing.
SM: How long has the band been together?
PB: This particular band, close on six years.
SM: And have this band been on any of the CDs you've released in the last couple of years?
PB: A couple of them would have been on "The Casbah Story."
SM: But not the whole band?
PB: But not the whole band. The lineup changed quite considerably with the musicians we used and that was simply because people stop touring, families didn't want to be involved with the music business.
SM: You know that well.
PB: Oh yea. It's great now. This particular lineup has been together about six years which speaks volumes.
SM: OK, let's go back to the Beatles. How were the Beatles different when you were with them compared to what Americans saw later on during Beatlemania?
PB: I suppose you could turn around and say we were more powerhouse, more charismatic?
SM: You think so? Why is that?
PB: I think it was just the appearance, because initially if you look at the Beatles, there's three stages as regards to images. When we first went out to Germany, before we were into leathers, it was stage jackets, black pants, black shirts. Then you got us into the leather syndrome, which you know, is a great period for them. Then you got, you know, just before my eclipse with the band, you got Epstein changing us into suits. And what the world saw after that was the evolution of the suited Beatles.
SM: Things were still coming together in that pre-leather stage.
PB: That was basically the infancy of it. We were still wearing that when we first went out in Germany because of the long hours we were playing out there. We were playing six to seven nights a week, six-seven hours a night. We found that the stage jackets basically just disintegrated along with the rest of the stage clothes. Leather was a commodity which we liked and we liked that image and we found that leather was a cheap commodity, we could afford it, it was something we could utilize onstage and live in it offstage as well. It served a dual purpose, if you could put it that way.
SM: You lived in those things offstage, too?
PB: Yes.
SM: Wow. How was the weather in Hamburg? Was it cold all year 'round?
PB: Well, we got four seasons. We were there during the winter, we were there during the summer, we were there during the spring, we were there during the autumn. They were something we could wear or not wear.
SM: I'm sure you've heard the Hamburg tapes that were released for a while. Even though you're not on that tape ...
PB: This is the Christmas show '62, isn't it?
SM: Yes. You're not on that.
PB: No, I was out of the band then. On some of the sleeve notes it says I was playing there, but I wasn't.
SM: Was that pretty close to how things were live back then when you were there?
PB: Yeah, I could say so. The quality of that doesn't capture a lot, but it does give you a flavor of the type of material we were playing at the time.
SM: I understand there's a couple of live recordings with you on it. There's supposed to be one from, I think, 1961, that Paul owns. PB: I've heard something about this, you know, I was unaware of it, but you know, we're not always aware of what people have recorded.
SM: You've never heard the tape.
PB: No, not at all.
SM: Are there any videos that you know of, any film taken back then?
PB: No, that's the same thing again. We were unaware of it.
SM: You don't have anything?
PB: No, no. I've got photographs, but no videos, no pre-recorded tapes, nothing.
SM: Getting back to the Beatles again, who were you closest to?
PB: John.
SM: What was your friendship with John like?
PB: It was good. I was close to John simply because I liked him as a person. He liked me as a person. We spent a lot of times at one another's houses back in Liverpool. We spent a lot of time together in Germany.
SM: Can you describe each of the guys, give a short little description of each one?
PB: Yeah, I think you can basically turn around and say John was very much what the people saw, the acidic human person, which the world saw, but there was another side of John that I had the privilege of seeing and that's why I basically saw him as a total person, not just what the world saw, a very tender and a very loving person as well. The underlying factor in all this is that they were all great musicians, so I'm not gonna go down that road. That's just taken for granted. Paul, very much at the early stage, a public relations man and I think he still is, you know. Very much (unintelligible) with what happens, very p.r., major part of his life. George was very much into his music, the quiet member of the band. He spent most of his time trying to improve his guitar technique. He certainly did.
SM: It was interesting after George passed away just how many people turned onto his music or made it known they'd always loved his music and how much more recognition he got after.
PB: Yeah, but I think that's the sad thing about it. You have to pass away to get recognition. It's happened in so many circumstances. People are loving Stu Sutcliffe's art now. Now they're starting to recognize what a brilliant artist he was and George, what a brilliant musician he was. John, what a brilliant charter he was in total, but unfortunately, they're no longer with us. That's the tragic thing of it.
SM: How about Stu? You didn't mention what Stu was like?
PB: Stu was very much, again, a quiet guy. Smallest in the band stature-wise, but we all knew deep down he was very much into art, even though he loved the Beatles 200 percent then, he was a brilliant artist, and I think when he fell in love with Astrid, he realized he was gonna go back and resume his art career and that was a foregone conclusion, really.
SM: I met Astrid a couple of years ago. She's a very interesting woman, extremely interesting woman. Have you seen Astrid in recent years?
PB: Oh yeah, yeah. She always was and always will be a very interesting and very lovely lady.
SM: What do you remember about the Decca sessions?
PB: I remember that we'd celebrated the night before, because it was New Year's Eve. ... And we got to the recording session late, which Brian wasn't too happy about. A major record audition with the biggest company in England at that time. But we got there. We were fortunate because Mike Smith, who was gonna be the A&R man, he'd been celebrating as well, so he landed up late. So that sort of placated the session a little bit, you know, but everyone calmed down and we buffed it up about 15 numbers. We didn't spend too much time on it because we were only there for most part of the day and, you know, really that was it. The choice of music, the choice of stuff that we did on that particular session was, I suppose you could turn around and say, chosen by Brian Epstein, you know, because he felt the music, the audition gave a cross section of what the Beatles talent was. It involved country, it involved harmonies, it involved comedy, and also original material and out-and-out rockers as well.
SM: I hadn't even considered it was ... I figured it was you guys that had chosen those. Has everything come out now?
PB: Everything's out as far as I can remember concerning that session. Don't take that as 100 percent because a lot of water's gone under the bridge. I suppose looking at the first bootleg of it, the bootleg Decca Audition Tapes, which was the first. To my knowledge, that was the master tape.
SM: There were some idea among collectors that the original tapes were at the wrong speed. Was that correct? When the album came out that you were involved with, were those at the correct speed as you remember them?
PB: To be quite honest, I can't remember. We played 'em fast and we played 'em furiously in those days. There was basically what happened behind the desk, whether we recorded 'em too fast or they needed slowing down or ..
SM: Well, no, they were tapes saying the tapes as they were mastered on those recordings were mastered too quickly, were master too fast and the voices were higher than what they should have been. Do they sound speeded up to you?
PB: You got me there because I wasn't in the studio to realize what was going on. All our memories are was basically, as far as we're concerned, if that was the Decca audition tapes, whether they transferred them or whatever they did in the studio, we were unaware of it.
SM: Is it possible that maybe whoever had the tapes later, the bootleggers, messed with them?
PB: I have no idea. I couldn't answer that question and wouldn't even dare answer that question.
SM: How about the movie "Backbeat"? What'd you think of "Backbeat"?
PB: I thought it was a good movie. If I wanted to be very cynical about it like a lot of people in Beatle lore and Beatle folklore, I could dig holes in it. But at the end of the day, entertainment-wise, it entertained the people. I think the publicity was wrong. The media was publicizing the story of the five lads in Hamburg, but everyone knows it was just the love story, the wonderful love story of Astrid Kirchherr and Stu Sutcliffe and we were there while this was just going on. But I thought the saving factor was the soundtrack was excellent. I think they worked very hard to capture the sound, the energy we had in those days. But overall, entertainment-wise, yes.
SM: Yeah, I thought the soundtrack was really good, too. What songs did you sing with the Beatles and will you be singing them again?
PB: (Laughs) What songs did I sing with the Beatles? "Matchbox," "Peppermint Twist," "Rose Grows Wild in the Country."
SM: "Rose Grows Wild in the Country"?
PB: Yeah. That was about it. That's all they could persuade me to sing at that time. And I suppose I will turn around and sing them sometime but I'm not gonna turn around and tell you when.
SM: No time maybe on the 23rd maybe?
PB: Well, you never know, you never know.
SM: Getting back to the Casbah. The Cavern generally gets credit for the birth of the Beatles, but the idea of the book is that the Casbah should. Why do you think the Casbah should?
PB: Because it was the catalyst for the Mersey Beat sound long before the Cavern. The Casbah was the birthplace of the Beatles, the birthplace for many of the bands in Liverpool. It became the catalyst for the Mersey Beat sound that later conquered the world, and every major band in Liverpool played there, as well as the major bands playing there. The well-known bands, the Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Searchers, the Blue Jeans, the Beatles ... I could go on onwards and onwards. It was also a launch pad, because, again, my mother wanted to give everyone a chance, so it was a good breeding ground for young bands to come in and try and establish themselves and if didn't seem right for that particular occasion, they were told to go away and practice and come back again when they were good enough, which is the sensible way of looking at things. This was evolving while the Cavern was still a jazz cellar. It was only when the Casbah basically closed its doors that the Cavern gradually transported itself from jazz t o jazz and rock 'n' roll, then rock 'n' roll at the Cavern as the world knows it today. So the Casbah should really achieve and hold the ... that was the music center for Liverpool way before the Cavern.
SM: I know you've been asked this many times. How did you learn you were out of the Beatles?
PB: I don't need to answer that. It's been well chronicled. I was called into Brian Epstein's office. We'd played the Cavern the night before. I was told Brian was very agitated. After talking around the subject for a while, I could tell he was very disgruntled and agitated, edgy. Then he turned around to me and said, "Pete, I don't really know how to turn 'round and tell you this. You're out of the band on Saturday. That's as fast as it happened. There was no forewarning. It was done. It was already committed to stone. The boys weren't there so I could discuss it and find out what their views were. But that was it. One day I was a Beatle and next day, I was out.
SM: Do you think there was one person more responsible for getting you out?
PB: I don't know to be quite honest. I'm not privy to that information. Over the years, or a short while after it happened, I tried to find out. It hasn't been very forthcoming. As we turn around and say it's still very gray and very murky.
SM: A lot of Americans remember you from "I've Got a Secret." What do you remember about that?
PB: (Laughs) "I've Got a Secret." I remember someone turning around and saying I should get a haircut. But it was something. They wanted me to go on the program. It was good promotion for me because I was still in the music industry. It was quite humorous. I wasn't ashamed of turning around and telling who I was, or what I had been.
SM: Are you getting any money from the video that's out?
PB: Not that I'm aware of, no.
SM: The Casbah will reopen next year?
PB: The Casbah will reopen next year, early part of next year.
SM: And one of the pictures in the book shows John's name scratched on the wall. Is that still there?
PB: That's still there. It's part of the Casbah history.
SM: Is a new record coming out soon?
PB; We're working on it. We're looking at the early part of next year. But that depends on schedules and how much time we get in the studio, because, at the present moment, we're very busy touring and documentaries and the other projects, so we'll have to take a little bit of a backwards step. So I basically have to say that's a potential date, but it basically depends on when we get into the studio to see what we want to do.
SM: You mentioned documentaries. Is there a video coming, too?
PB: We're working on it. There's one that should be in the pipeline, but that's all I'm allowed to say at the present.
SM: Have you been in touch with any of the Beatles or Sir George in recent years?
PB: No, if you'd have asked me that 15 years ago, I'd probably turned around and said no, but as you can see from the book, you know Paul was involved, he supported it, you know, the quote he makes at the beginning of the book, which basically says, the world knows about the Cavern, but it's about time the world knows about the Casbah, because this was our club. It's a magnanimous quotation from him. But I think because of that quotation, he realizes how important the Casbah was, how significant the roots were, for the Beatles and the musical legacy of Liverpool. And as far as I'm concerned, the door's always been open. But I hope that one of these days we will meet up. It'd be nice to meet up again after all this time.
SM: You never talked to George or Sir George in recent years?
PB: No, unfortunately not.
SM: That's it, Pete.
PB: OK
SM: Thanks very very much. Good luck to you.
PB: Gotta go, gotta run.
SM: All right, bye bye.
PB: Bye bye.

San Jose Mercury News: Beatle at the Beginning (Note: This is the version of this interview that we wrote for a local newspaper.)

The Abbeyrd Interview With May Pang

By Steve Marinucci

Published March, 2008

(Note: This interview is copyrighted by Abbeyrd's Beatles Page and may not be reprinted anywhere elsewhere without our permission.)
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for setting up the interview and for May Pang, author of Instamatic Karma: Photographs of John Lennon for taking the time to talk to us.)
Photo by Tyler Gaaee
SM: The book party got such incredible coverage in the media, everybody from the New York Times, even to the New Yorker. That must have felt awfully good to have Cynthia and everybody else there. How did that make you feel?
MP: It was absolutely terrific. It took me by surprise. I wasn't sure if Cynthia was going to make it at the end. She always used to say to me, “I'll be there when your book is released. If you need me for something, I'll be there.” Her husband had had some back problems. And I said traveling with that is not always a great thing. In the end, all of a sudden, a week before, she says, ‘Well, I'm coming. I'm just coming.’ And I was just so elated and over the moon. And she said, “Whatever you need, I'll be there." And she came on a couple of the interviews with me.
SM: I remember seeing some of the coverage ...
MP: She threw the party because she wanted me to have a party like I threw for her in New York for her book. And it was the best time I've had in ages and it was so good to see her. I even got at one point ... they had Julian Lennon's assistant coming over for this party as well.
SM: He didn't show up, as I recall?
MP: No, he didn't show up, but he did send me a message that he was here in spirit with us.
SM: I noticed in the newspaper pictures (that) Joyce DeWitt (of “Three’s Company”) was there. How do you know Joyce?
MP: It's kind of funny. She was working with Richard Barone on some things and just through all the friends and we got to be friends. It's really through all the friends that we've known each other through the last year.
SM: Because John Ritter was a huge Beatle fan.
MP: I was actually a friend of John Ritter's. I left him a message a couple of days before he died. So it really ... his death took me by surprise... I was really torn apart by that one.
SM: In the preface, Larry Kane quoted John as saying John’s time with you was one of the happiest times of his life. In reading through it, the book really bears this out. John usually has this real commanding type ... he really has this commanding, dominating look and he seems so much softer in the book. Do you agree with that?
MP: What you're seeing in those pictures was the John I knew. And so you see him through my eyes. This is how it was for us. It would be different, I guess, with each relationship. I don't know how he was or how people looked at him when he was with Yoko or with Cynthia. Each one is a different person. So what you're seeing is what it was like with me.
SM: I know you probably have to tell this story every time you get interviewed, but just for the record, can you give a brief on how you and John got together?
MP: Well, I worked for John for three years. At that point, both John and Yoko. The relationship between the two of them was hitting a rough patch. And Yoko came into my office to tell me they were thinking of separating and he was going to start seeing other people. And I had no idea why she was telling me because we all knew. Anybody who was working in the house knew. And then the next thing I hear is she said, "Oh, I think John needs to go out with somebody that's nice to him and everything and you'd be good for him. And I just looked at her and said, "Not me. I'm not interested.” (She said) "I know you're not after him, but you need a boyfriend." And I said, "But I'm not interested." So I let that pass because I thought this is one of those crazy moments, and I had hope her idea would pass. I managed to fend it off for a while and no one was saying anything so it was all good. I was thinking the next morning, somebody would come to their senses. The only reason I ended up being with John was because … John ended up pursuing me himself. One day he knew that his lawyer was going to L.A. and he was leaving that evening and he turned around and said, "I think we're going to be coming with you, too." And that's how we went off. So that's how it started. He also wanted us to get away to start a new relationship without any outside influences.
SM: One of the sections in the book that must have been crazy was when they were in the beach house with Keith Moon, Harry, Ringo, John and Paul. What was that like?
MP: Well, I'll tell you who was in the house. It was Ringo. It was Keith Moon. It was Klaus Voormann. It was Hilary Gerrard (sp). And let's see, who did I miss? I just have to think. Did I mention Harry? Ok, so it goes Klaus, Harry, Keith Moon, Ringo, and Hilary Gerrard and ourselves here. John and I had the master bedroom. And it was a crazy time, but the reason that John wanted the house for these people to live in was that we could get to the studio on time. And once the session started, we had visitors during the day because our sessions were at night. And we had the McCartneys as guests over a couple of times. And Mal Evans. And the other musicians that were playing on the album would all drop by. So we had a handful of people all the time. And as crazy as it was, it was a good time because John and I would get up early and take in the sun. Klaus got up early to go swimming, John and I got up early and the others sort of filtered down whenever. That "whenever" could be whenever. It could have been minutes before studio time. It was just any old time. And Keith was a lovely lovely guy. He would be telling us stories and John and I would be looking at each other going, "Wow! These are crazy stories.” Keith would tell us about his famous car stories, one being driven into the pool and one into the lobby of a motel.. It never got that crazy for John, so it was interesting. And for me, even though I was probably one of the youngest ones in the house, I was like, I guess, the den mother in that place, keeping everybody intact and making sure everybody got to the studio on time, made sure there was food on the table. Whatever it was, I was the organizer. But I loved Keith. He was so sweet to me. He was very nice. For me it was great to have Ringo around. For John it was like the old days. It was nice to have a family, in a sense. Everybody was just relaxed. They would play pool, they would play poker or just sitting around. And of course, during the day, we had the Macs coming over with their kids. At that time, it was Mary and Stella.
SM: Well, that kind of leads me to my next question. You talked a lot about Moon. The Baron Von Moon picture. You can't help but notice that picture in the book. And that brings the question to my mind was Keith in character like that 24 hours a day?
MP: I would say he probably was. I used to get nervous if he took too many drugs. He loved his qualuudes cause that just came in. And like being the den mother, I felt I was responsible for everything to go smoothly. I was just watching everybody and I'm saying, "Is everybody OK?" It was quite interesting for me cause it was all happening at once. Keith in that outfit ... if I pulled the camera back a bit more, you would see that he's wearing no trousers, either. So he would come down in his leather coat every morning ... and because the rest of us would be out there ... John and I and maybe Klaus or somebody would be just there sunning themselves ... and he would come down and he was wearing the jacket as you can see, that real long leather coat ... and he was carrying a briefcase. He's got his binoculars. He's got the scarf around the neck. And he's got his ankle boots on, but no trousers. ... It started to be a habit after John acknowledged him one morning. "Ah, the baron's up." He goes, "Baron Von Moon. Good morning." He says, "Good morning, 'morning." He says, "Ah, he's up, he's up." And the next thing we'd know, he'd go back upstairs and we wouldn't see him for a while until he came back down for some food. I know it was just crazy. As quickly as he came down, he left just as fast. It was wild.
SM: You said the Macs were guests at the house. How was the relationship between the two of them at that time?
MP: Oh, it was like nothing happened. Whatever the business problems that they had they did not bring it into the house or had conversations about it. That was left up to their respective lawyers to work out.. They acted like brothers that hadn't seen each other in a while.. Everybody's hanging around. Everybody's talking and in that photo, you see it's just the two of them hanging out in casual conversation. Nothing more than what they were doing musically. and where they were at. And that's how it worked.
SM: What do you recall about that jam session ... the one ...
MP: Yes, I know which one you're talking about .. it was done on the first night of the "Pussycats" session. The session had already finished. The three drummers, Jim Keltner, Ringo and Moonie -- had gone home. And a couple of other people and Klaus. They went home. And John was sitting behind the board to hear the newly laid down track. Harry was there, Jesse Ed and a few other people. And all of a sudden I looked up and I happened to spot (Paul and Linda) walking through the door into the studio. "Oh my God, what are they doing here?" And they were quite surprised the session had finished. And what a lot of people don't know is that when John worked, he was working. He's not looking for anybody to do any recreational anything. He wants to get the job finished. And then if you want to smoke or drink, you can do it afterwards, but not before. So, by the time Paul had come in, everybody was just starting to relax after the session. Paul was going into the studio and said. "Ah, Linda, let's have a jam, whatever." He gets up on the drum kit. And all of a sudden, we have a drummer. We have guitar players, John joined in by that point as well as Jesse Ed Davis and Harry. We had Stevie Wonder walking in from somewhere. Then Linda going behind the Hammond organ. Then Mal Evans and myself ended up on tambourines. But we didn't have a bass player, so somebody from another session had heard we were looking for a bass player just for a jam. He threw his session over for a once in a lifetime jam with John and Paul. But it was not meant to go out to the public. It was meant just for the group there to have fun.
SM: So, from what you were saying, it was Paul who initiated it, not John?
MP: I think they were getting ready. It was like everybody was still in the studio hanging around. You know. Let's talk, let's jam. But Paul went behind the drums. It's like ..
SM: So he kind of made the first move?
MP: I think he was kind of getting there. I know Jesse Ed was already in the studio hanging out. There was always somebody with a guitar in hand just hanging around. (Long pause.) Hard to distinguish.
SM: How did anything get done on the "Pussycats" session with John and Harry?
MP: See that's the thing. It wasn't John going out to get drunk. Harry used to be out there all the time. We stayed home except for an occasion or two that we would go out. On the whole, during the session, Harry would go out and get acupuncture done in the morning and then when the session finished, he'd leave and go out and party when John and I went home. When John was in the middle of something, he didn't really like to go out. He wanted to get the session finished. And at the end, he realized that Harry was losing his voice and didn't tell us and he was hemorrhaging in his throat. And John just said, “Let's just go back to New York. I can't work here. ” And that's why the studio ... the rest of it and the overdubs and the other stuff ended up coming back to New York to be finished.
SM: During Phil Spector's trial, a lot of attention was paid to his looks the way he looked in the courtroom every day. Is there a different Phil than the public saw in court?
MP: No. I think he's the same. He's just as ... I don't even know what to say ... he's just as eccentric or just ... he's just Phil. He's in the studio and one day he's screaming. “All these people coming in and out. I'm gonna swallow the key. Gimme the key. Lock the door. ” What are you gonna do? So the persona .. it's just the same, what you see is what you get.
SM: I was really struck by the "Walls and Bridges" pictures. They're just so much of the way we remember John. Is that the one that hits you hardest?
MP: Absolutely. I spent the most time on it. The photos were taken our home balcony. It reflects on an album that was John's only No. 1 with the No. 1 single in his lifetime. And I got a chance to sing on one of the songs, “Number 9 Dream,” and it's also my voice doing the whispering of his name.
SM: I love that song, too.
MP: Thank you. And John let me have some input into that song. Orchestrally what I was feeling, did I like it? Were there enough instruments going on? It was also the album he wrote a song for me “Surprise Surprise”. To know that this album went to number 1 was amazing. In the end when it hit gold, John gave me a gold record to go with it. Can't beat that.
SM: Another thing that I saw in the book that knocked me out was the "Listen To This" campaign. And I don't recall hearing before that he was the one who came up with that.
MP: Oh yeah.
SM: That was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. What led to him coming up with that?
MP: It was a combination of talking to the people that was doing the stuff at Capitol. And he designed a t-shirt also that went with it which was black with the armband. If you remember seeing the t-shirt. It had the look of his eyes right across his chest. It was very interesting. He worked with the art director there. He loved the idea that it was the “Listen To” campaign. That was always him, you know. Listen to this, listen to that. And they worked off of that. It was great.
SM: I've seen all sorts of items that have been obviously have been put put out by that weren't specifically related to the campaign. Like Listen to This Button.
MP: That was a Capitol thing. Listen to this Button was one. Listen to This Matchbook. I still have some of those matches. You know, now we don't give out matches. In those days, you had a bit of everything. But the T-shirt was great. Listen To This T-Shirt.
SM: I saw the billboard, Listen To This Billboard.
MP: So when you see something like that, it's great. The campaign worked so well. He was on air all the time. He would go out and play DJ to promote the album.
SM: I've heard some of those. They're fun to listen to.
MP: Absolutely. He was doing them all across the country wherever they said, “Do you want to do this? He was very accessible at that point.
SM: The one I remember hearing the most was WNEW.
MP: Dennis Elsas. I knew Dennis and he asked if it was possible to have John on his show. I said, “Yeah, I'll set it up.” So I did. I think it was a Saturday. I knew a lot of DJs beforehand. If they called me, I tried to work it out. He enjoyed it. John enjoyed doing this.
SM: It sounded like he had an awful lot of fun.
MP: And he helped a lot of artists, as well, playing DJ and when a DJ ask him what do you like to listen to, they'd play a song that John would like for the people to hear. Look what happened to “I Can't Stand the Rain” or “I Can Help” by Billy Swan. They were off the charts and they came back because of John’s promoting the song.
SM: The pictures in the book of John signing the Beatles' dissolution papers say an awful lot from looking at his face. At the time, none of them really said a whole lot. Is it safe to say he was a lot sadder about it than he let on publicly?
MP: He probably was, but he looked at it and probably knew that nobody could go on the way it was because nobody was happy the way they were. And they needed to break up so they could all go on to the next level of things. And, you know, he went over it (the contract), spoke with his lawyer. John knowing he started it.… this band. And if you think about it, he ended this band. He's the last signature on this document. That's really what ended up happening. He was the last one because all the others had already signed it the week before..
SM: This is a personal thing, but some of my favorite pictures in the book are the ones from Disneyland.
MP: There's two, right?
SM: Right. MP: I haven't been there in a while. SM: Oh, it has changed so much! It really has. But somebody told me there's a picture – and I was looking for it in the book and I wondered if maybe this story that somebody told me a while back is true or not. There's supposed to be a picture of him mugging around the cigar store Indian on Disneyland's Main Street?
MP: There's a possibility you might have seen him and someone had taken a photograph of him, but it's not in mine. There's always a possibility because we had gone to both places. And if people saw him, they would always ask if they can take a picture with him. He was very obliging back then. And taking Julian around was great. He always hoped for people not to notice because it would be a little more difficult to get around. And as you can tell by that one photo I took of him in the book from the back, nobody was noticing (him). They were trying to get to the next ride.
SM: You saw a lot of Julian in those years. He's made statements that have not been all that positive about John. How does that ... is that accurate? Things were different when Julian was younger, correct?
MP: What has happened to him later on was something that I had no control over. I wasn't part of that thing. But Julian enjoyed being around us a lot. And in fact, Julian sent me a note just saying (the book) brought back mostly good memories for him. Unfortunately, I wish there could have been a lot more good memories for him. But I was just fortunate enough to give him something. And I think it is great that he could see it now… to look at it and have it bring back a flood of good memories for him.
SM: I couldn't help but notice in the dedication the one to Yoko for “giving all of us a hole in the sky.”
MP: Which is one of her things.
SM: Right.
MP: I knew you were gonna ask if I heard anything from her. I can anticipate that one. No. Not at all.
SM: I did a couple of interviews with her. In the first one, she opened up a little bit. She talked about getting on the internet and going to the Yoko Ono sites. She was quite relaxed in this interview. It was really kind of interesting that she actually said that to me.
MP: Well, I can understand why she'd want to go on the Internet and if John were alive today, he' d be all over the Internet.
SM: She said that too, actually.
MP: He loved the idea of being ahead of the game, everything being easy and at your fingertips. That was always John. When you look at the picture on the front cover of “Instamatic Karma,” he's got a Polaroid SX-70. When it was first introduced, they test-marketed it down in Florida. And once he found out it was being sold there, he sent somebody down there to pick one up for him. When Sony finally put out a cassette… how old does that sound?? It was a cassette recorder. And it was new technology then to have this player with a recorder. Not just a playback machine, but an actual recorder. He thought it was the most terrific thing ever made. So he gave one to some of his musicians friends for Christmas in '73.
SM: He was a high-tech guy.
MP: He was a definite high tech guy. It's just something that he liked. He definitely is one that would have been a techie.
SM: It sounds like you've kind of mellowed towards Yoko a little bit because I know in the past you've been very critical of her.
MP: I don't think I've been critical of her. I think what I've stated has always been the facts.
SM: Your feelings haven't changed?
MP: She has her life and I have mine. But if you're gonna ask me for facts, then I'll give you the facts. It doesn't have to come along with anything else. But the book is not about her But I did a year and a half ago see her in, of all places, Reykjavik. In fact, I was the one who got up and went over to say hello to her. It was a year before the peace tower (in October, 2006). We happened to stay in the same hotel. How does fate play that one in, right? And it was on John's birthday. I said hello to her and I said, “I wish you a lot of luck,” and she said, “Fine,” and I just said “Thank you,” and I walked away.” And then it was only later that she came back again a couple of minutes later and started waving to me and said, “Hi, how are you?” A little strange, but after that I said, “I'm fine, thank you,” I then continued to have my breakfast, because I was getting ready to leave town. She didn't know what I was there for because it had nothing to do with what she was doing.
SM: And finally, did you hear about Neil? (Note: News had hit the wires a few hours earlier that Neil Aspinall had passed away.)
MP: Oh, God. I just felt so sad that he passed away. When I saw him last, we were sitting in London. He took me out to lunch.
SM: When was this?
MP: 2006? I'm trying to remember when I was in London. It was either 2005 or 2006. And he took me out to lunch to see what was happening and how I was doing. He was telling me about his wife, whom I'm very fond of ... Suzy. And I hadn't seen him since the “Concert For George” before that.
SM: You were there for that?
MP: And I went to Olivia's house the night before the concert. she had a Thanksgiving dinner for all the musicians that were playing in the concert….. a Traditional American Thanksgiving.. It was nice to see everyone.
SM: I think that's it. I really appreciate you talking to me. If there's anything I can do, please let me know. MP: Please let everyone know that they can find more info about Instamatic Karma and book signings from my website WWW.MAYPANG.COM. I'm also designing Feng Shui jewelry.
SM: Let's talk about that. You're designing jewelry.
MP: I'm doing that along with the furniture. Feng Shui is a way of living and to bring in good chi (energy.) I grew up with that all my life. And also I'm doing some gallery showings. I'm going to have nine prints this year that I'm going to sell from my collection. Fine art type prints from the book.. Everything's on the website…..www.maypang.com

Blog Archive

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

A review of the Beach Boys' "The Pet Sounds Sessions"

"Carnival of Light"

The history of the Beatles'most mysterious unreleased track

by Steve Marinucci

(This article is copyrighted b Steve Marinucci and may not be reprinted without permission of the author.)

Sources: "The Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark LewisohnRecord Collector magazine, June '93 issue"Paul McCartney: From Liverpool to Let It Be" by Howard A. DeWitt

An interview with Lon and Derrek Van Eaton

On Apple Records, working with the Beatles and their new album

by Steve Marinucci

This text may not be reprinted on other web sites or in magazines without permission of the Webmaster.

The cover of Lon and Derrek's Apple album, "Brother"

Left to right: Klaus Voorman, Derrek, unknown, Lon and Jim Keltner on tour in Japan. (Picture courtesy of Lon, Derrek and Constance Van Eaton.)

An interview with Francie Schwartz

The author of "Body Count" talks about life with John, Yoko, Ringo, George and Paul

Update: 3/17/99: Francie tells us the next issue of Beatlefan will include the Mining Company interview (linked below) and a review of "Body Count."

Notice: Absolutely no part of this interview may be reprinted anywhere...on newsgroups, in magazines, websites or mailing lists...without our express permission.

Francie Schwartz...now(Courtesy Francie Schwartz)

The coverof "Body Count"(Courtesy ofFrancie Schwartz,selfpub.com)

Francie Schwartz and Paul(CourtesyFrancie Schwartz)

The Pete Best interview

(This interview was conducted by telephone on July 12, 2003, done in conjunction with a local newspaper to publicize upcoming concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area. The text has been edited slightly for continuity. © Abbeyrd Beatles Page and may not be used anywhere without our permission.)

(Note: This interview is copyrighted by Abbeyrd's Beatles Page and may not be reprinted anywhere elsewhere without our permission.)

The history of the Beatles'
most mysterious unreleased track

Sources: "The Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn
Record Collector magazine, June '93 issue
"Paul McCartney: From Liverpool to Let It Be" by Howard A. DeWitt

Francie Schwartz...now
(Courtesy Francie Schwartz)

The cover
of "Body Count"
(Courtesy of
Francie Schwartz,
selfpub.com)

Francie Schwartz and Paul
(CourtesyFrancie Schwartz)