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Hey Trude

September 7, 2014, 5:46 pm
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Trudy Medcalf was the president of the Canadian branch of the Beatles fan club, which grew to become the biggest Beatles fan club in the world.  Trudy had a big responsibility and she did her job well.   The first time she had met the Beatles was at the New York Plaza hotel in February of 1964.  She and another fan club president worked on sorting fan mail while the Beatles were in the United States.



She was frequently featured in newspaper articles about the Beatles or the Beatles fan club.   She was always smiling and friendly and was a good representative for Beatle fans.    So it isn't shocking that in 1964, when the Beatles were in Toronto, that Trudy was there to meet them.



Our Beatle Club Biggest in World
Writer unknown
The Telegraph Toronto
September 8, 1964

Truday Medcalf met the Beatles  for the second time last night.

Unlike most other 15 year olds she didn't even think of tearing her hair, jumping, screaming or fainting.

She took it all in her stride, commented "it was very nice," and settled back to analyze why she was able to form the largest Beatle fan club in the world -- 54,000 strong.

"They're different.  They're different from anything else we've ever seen and they're different from each other.  They're talented, too -- don't let anybody tell you they're not," she insisted.  "Maybe it's them.  Maybe it's their music-- I don't know.  But whatever it is, it's what the kids want today."

The pretty, dark haired grade 11 student formed the Canadian Beatle fan club in September 1963.  Since then it has grown to be the largest in the world.

Because of this, she spent  a day helping the Beatles with their fan mail when they were in New York last Feb.  Yesterday, she was presented to them at a press conference.

"They're wonderful.  They really are," she says enthusiastically.

She thinks Ringo is more reserved than the rest with a "fabulous, but dry sense of humor."

Paul "just bounces along"' George is the friendliest, but John is her favorite.

"He's the nuttiest," Trudy explained.

She plans on going along wit the Beatles as long as they go along and she figured they'll go along forever.

One she graduates from Midland Ave. Secondary school, Trudy plans on returning to her native England to become a comedy script writer for television.

After all, you can't spend your entire life being president of a Beatle fan club


In the 1997 book by Brian Kendall "Our Hearts Went Boom,"  Trudy spoke more about meeting the Beatles

"Even after all these years, I can still remember my little speech," she says, 'On behalf of the largest Beatles fan club in Canada, I want to welcome you to the city.  We love you very much.' At that point Paul McCartney put his hand on my shoulder and joked, 'Oh, you don't do you?'  I was thrilled and completely flustered but somehow I managed to go on with my speech.  'We hope you remember your visit to Toronto very fondly.'"

Paul did a double take when he saw what Trudy was wearing.  "I had on a pair of culottes, you know, pants cut to look like a skirt." Trudy says, "Paul started playing with the fabric and said, 'Are these pants, luv?  I really like them.'  I alsmot died on the spot.  Can you imagine the thrill for a young girl of having Paul McCartney do something like that?"

She also spoke of when CHUM radio sent her to New York to help sort fan mail in New York City.  "When John Lennon found out that I was with the fan club, he got down on his knees and bowed to thank me.  The Beatles seemed so excited and amazed at their reception in New York.  They all had such youthful enthusiasm.  Ringo, I remember, was flinging elastic bands around the room."


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Beatles: A wonder Drug

September 7, 2014, 6:49 pm
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The Beatles with Michele Finney


Beatles:  A wonder Drug
By Michele Finney
Toronto Daily Star
September 8, 1964

There they were -- all four of the Beatles, live and in Toronto and it was marvelous.

It's the queerest feeling sitting there watching the boys perform.  You really don't quite know what to do with yourself.  A terribly happy feeling swelled up inside and I really had to hold on to myself to keep from jumping up and yelling myself silly.  It seemed that almost everybody else did.

Yet, I've never been so proud of Toronto teens.  They made a tremendous noise and shook the place with their foot-stomping; but they were the  best behaved audience the Beatles have had on their whole American tour

Two or three girls raced madly toward the stage at each of the two shows in a desperate attempt to be near their idols; but our efficient police (and they were everywhere you could look) moved in and carted off the weeping maidens before they made it.

What do the Beatles have that make the girls run up like that, fight widly with the police and pass out with hysteria?  The one word that seems to sum up their effect on teenagers is vibration.  It's almost as if all their shaking the gyrating sends out a message that hits you smack in the face.  There's a sort of numb feeling at first and then you feel a surge of energy.

This is beginning to sound like a doctor's report on the effect of a new drug.  Perhaps that's what the Beatles are.  A wonder pill for utter teenage fun.

There is no doubt that they have their fair share of sex appeal, especially Paul (for me, anyway).  But that isn't all.  They also make you feel overjoyed to be young.

Between the two shows, I got to meet the Beatles in person. First at a big jumbled up press conference where the boys posed for pictures and answered questions in their funny way.  Then later, in their dressing room, just before they went on to do their second show.

At the press conference the boys were very patient.  Ringo was the first to tire and at one pint whispered to me and asked me how many more people and questions there were to go.

I think the first thing that struck me about the Beatles was how normal they seemed.  Up close, there's nothing outstandingly glamorous or extremely attractive about them.  They were just four ordinary, rather pale, slightly built young men, who seemed happy and friendly.

Even though they smiled and appeared gay they still showed, evident signs of stress.  John, Paul, George, and Ringo all looked like they needed a good helping of sun and relaxation.

But it didn't affect their good humor.  When I asked about stories in the papers saying that they appealed to the mother instinct in their largely girl audience, John laughed, "It's a dirty lie," he said.

Which did they prefer, England or American girls?  Paul said, "We like them all.  We're all stuck on girls.  But we prefer it here in America, there are more of them."

When I met them later in their dressing room, they were all intently watching TV.   Some battle scene was on.  And the Beatles were wide eyed over it.  But they still chatted easily.

They were all smoking.  Ringo had his feet up, and at one point let out a huge moaning bellow, for no apparent reason at all.  John was chewing on cough pills.

What did they feel was their stronger audience appeal, their music or themselves, I asked them.  John said, "It's definitely the music."

Why does everybody go gaga over them?  "People are always looking for idols," explained George, "in this age, it just happens to be us."

If the trend were to change would they change too?  "It would depend on the trend," John answered.  "If it stays basically the same, sure we'll change."

How did they feel as boys coming form working-class families hobnobbing it with duchesses and such like?  "We don't care," said George.  "They're all the same anyway, aren't they.  The only difference is a little money and education."

How did they feel about having so little formal education?  "Happy," said George.  "I mean if I'd had a formal education, i wouldn't have had this would I?  And this has been a great education for me."

Why are their fans so dedicated?  "I can't think of a any reason at all,"  John said.  "Really, it surprises me.  I've thought of it sometimes, but I've never been able to figure it out."

Were they worried lest the Beatles craze die out?  "No," said Paul.  "We used to worry a lot about money for security.  but we have that now.  We could quit right now and do anything we want.  So, we're not worried any more."




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Quips spark Press Meet

September 7, 2014, 7:50 pm
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Quips Spark press Meet
By Barbie Hale
The Telegram (Toronto)
September 8, 1964


Between the two Beatle concerts in the Gardens yesterday there occurred a few moment of relative calm, though not necessarily relative sanity.

These were occupied by the Beatles press conference, marked by the largest attendance of newsmen so far on this tour.  The conference was conducted by Derek Taylor, the Beatle press officer, in such a way that there were no complaints, and as little confusion as possible.

Taylor opened the conference by reading two telegrams, one from a man in Chicago who wanted the Beatles' tonsils when they were removed, another from a man in Saskatchewan who wanted their bathwater.

The Beatles arrived a minute later, wearing fresh clothes, smiling amiably as the news corps applauded, in disappear for several minutes in a knot of still photographers.

As is custom several "special" shots were taken with disc jockeys, Beauty Queens (Miss Canada), fan club presidents, and the like.  But when Taylor announced the end of the photo session, especially the "specials", the Beatles suddenly stopped posing.

One gentleman still persisted in trying to get a shot with THEM.  He stood in the middle of them, so they dress apart into pairs and left him in limbo.  He moved over to stand with John and Ringo.  Ringo moved over to stand with Paul and George and John moved to stand in the middle again Stalemate -- no special picture.

They accepted some gifts, and began to accept some questions from reporters.  They sat behind four microphones which had been set on the stage of the Gardens after the girls had been whisked away following the first concert.

In the position, they were elevated, looking down on the assembled newsmen, and they sat relaxed, with a fine ironic sense that this arrangement was fit and proper.

And then the questions.  The same questions they have been answered since the tour began.

"How much money do you make collectively?"  John: "A lot."

"Will you leave show business when you have made enough to leave?"  John:  "We've made enough to leave now, but we're not going to."  George:  "We're greedy."

"What time do you get up in the morning?"  John:  "Two o'clock in the afternoon."

"Do you feel you're setting a good example by smoking?"  George:  "We don't set examples."  Paul:  "Why should we?"  Ringo:  "We even drink."

"It's been said that you appeal to the maternal instinct in these girls."  John grinning, "That's a dirty lie."

"What do you think of press conferences?"  John:  "They're great fun, aren't they?"

"Has this tour been wearing you down?"  George:  "It's been wearing us up."  John:  "It's nearly killed our road manager."

"Mr. McCartney, what do you think of American girls?"  Paul blinking innocently:  "Why me?  Oh, I love 'em.  They're the same as girls anywhere else."

"Is it true that you named Hamilton Mountain Beatle Mountain?" John:  "Yes, but I don't know if it's a joke or not.  We did it by phone."

"What is responsible for your widespread popularity, your music or you?"  Paul: "Oh, it was the music first, I think."

"Why don't you record all the songs that you write?"  Paul:  "It's just not good policy to flood the market with records like they did in America.  Naughty them."

"If the music trend changes, will you follow it?"  John:  "If it's basically the same, I guess we will."

"How long do you think you'll last?"  John:  "Longer than you."

"What do you miss most about England?"  John:  "Our homes."  George:  "hot tea."

"What do you think of the Queen?"  George:  "She's all right.  She's doing a good job."

"When will you be knighted?"  George:  "Next week."

"How are you going to vote?"  Paul:  "We don't know enough about politics to vote."

"What do you think of Barry Goldwater?"   George:  "Well, he's not very much fun, is he?"

"Ringo are you still teaching your face how to smile?"  Ringo:  "Oh, you've not been paying much attention, have you?  See?  (flashes smile, then looked distractedly away)  I smile quite a lot.

"George, is the story about you throwing a drink at a photographer in Los angeles true? "  George:  "Well, we were invited by the own of The Wiskey a Go-go for a quiet drink.  The news photographers were asked to leave, but they wouldn't.  There was one who kept on flashing away in my face so I blessed him with what was in my glass.  They retouched the photo to make it look like there was more stuff in it."

"How has the press coverage been?"  George and John:  "Very good."  Paul:  "Very fair."

"Are you ever afraid for your lives on these tours?"  John, "No."

"Will you be going out of town after your Gardens concert tonight?"  Ringo:  "I don't think we'll go out tonight."

With such a tight security guard around them, it is clear that if the Beatles didn't want to give press conferences, no pressure on earth brought to hear by mere adult males could compel them to.

But they do, and they respond to the endless waste of identical questions with good humor, charm, and a great determination not to be bugged.  Paul appears to be the most nearly earnest of the lot, John and George don't so much answer questions as deflect them, and Ringo simply sits and views the world through king-size cigarette smoke, speaking only when spoken to, directly.

After all, he knows, as does everyone in the room, that all those aging adults asking questions aren't going to be among those who have paid five dollars to scream their adoration.




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Photo ops

September 7, 2014, 7:55 pm
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photo by Bob Bonis

photo by Bob Bonis

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Maple Garden concert memories

September 7, 2014, 8:12 pm
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I was at the first show, in the afternoon. I was 9 years old. My seats were up in nose bleed area, way up at the top. I found the experience unforgettable. The constant flash of brownie cameras going off coupled with pandemonium and hysteria was a bit frightening. We couldn’t hear the music at all. Just a wall of shrieking from beginning to end. Never will forget it. –Fred H.

I was 12 and went with my best friend.. We had seats on Paul’s side, in the very last row at the top of the Grey section. BEST Concert ever! – Sandy H.

I was at the first show, age 14, with a girlfriend. Everyone screamed so much the music was impossible to hear, but we didn’t care…we knew the music by heart….it was the joy and excitement of being there. Great experience. –Gale B.

I saw them at the Gardens with my sister. Dad, an editor at the Star, had gotten his hands on a pair of tickets as a surprise to us. He drove us down -- it was a zoo outside the Gardens -- and me -- at 12 -- had to 'protect' my sister through the crowds.
We were in the greens, the band came on, and that was the last you could hear of the music. Young girls screaming -- my god. Just like the videos of the day. Barely heard a few chords or the singing.
And there must have been a million flashbulbs go off through the course of the show. Naturally, those instamatics and their flashes got great photos of the back of the heads of those in the immediate 10 rows in front. And maybe a blip of light at the stage.
But it wasn't the pix -- this is a memory untarnished by time, strangely, and one very much cherished. I still have the torn ticket stubs from that night. Maybe ebay them someday. Maybe not.   – anonymous

I was there with my older sister. My dad had won the tickets from someone in a card game at his golf club (I have often wondered whose kids lost their chance to go to that concert). Unfortunately the seats were up in the greys and from the moment the Beatles took to the stage until long after they'd left all you could hear were girls screaming. Never once did we actually hear the Beatles sing. – Steve



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Another presentation by a happy fan

September 8, 2014, 7:01 pm
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Joy Koyama presents the Beatles with a telegram containing a welcome from 40,000 local teenagers.  (slightly upgraded photo than what has previous been posted on this blog)


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Canadian opening act

September 8, 2014, 7:10 pm
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For just this one performance, in Montreal, guitarist Nick Angelo, from Montreal and his band, the Four Frenchmen got to play as one of the opening acts for the Beatles.  They even got a photo taken with three of the fab 4 (where's George?). 

Here is a brief story about Nick from 2010 for News Canada written by Kennedy Gordon (there are some errors in the story---Montreal was their LAST Canadian concert for the tour.  And really...in September 1964 he knew they were big, but didn't know how big?  Where had he been for the past 7 months?)

In 1964, guitarist Nick Angelo stepped onto the stage at the Montreal Forum and rocked the house, not really knowing that the band he was opening for was about to become the biggest in the history of rock 'n' roll.

Fifty years later, surrounded by guitars in his new Bethany music store, he remembers that fateful night.

We knew they were big," he said. But it would be a few weeks before we knew how big."

The band was the Beatles.

It was Sept. 8, 1964, and the Fab Four were playing their first Canadian concert.

Angelo's band, The Four Frenchmen, was the only Canadian group among the opening acts.
I guess we were getting to be pretty big around Montreal," said Angelo.

Back then, there was a band on every corner, but we had a good reputation."

The Four Frenchman went their separate ways a few years later and Angelo got into booking bands before launching his own studio and production facility in Toronto.


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Colored snap shots

September 8, 2014, 7:13 pm
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Thank you to whomever saved up money and bought colored film for the Beatles concert in Montreal.   It is greatly appreciated 50 years later!
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Bonjour Les Beatles!

September 8, 2014, 7:16 pm
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I love this shot! 




During the press conference a girl named Janette Bertrand asked the boys if they realized that 80% of their audience would be French speaking.   Derek just brushed the question aside and asked for the next question.  However, after the press conference, Janette felt a hand on her shoulder.  She turned around and saw John Lennon!  John asked her where they were, and she told them in Quebec.  John and the others didn't really realize exactly where they were in Canada.   She told John, "Itupsetmewasthat everything happensin English,as if wedid not exist."  They exchanged a few words in broken French and then Janette went on her way.   You can imagine the smile on her face when the guys came out on stage and welcomed the audience with a big "Bonjour!"

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2014/09/07/marquant-pour-plusieurs-vedettes
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Fans and memories of Montreal

September 8, 2014, 7:46 pm
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Concert Memories



I was at the Beatles concert, but being 12 at that time, my parents insisted I (and my girlfriend) attend the afternoon performance. I don't remember any opening acts, just the Beatles walking on stage and singing. We (being young pre-teenage girls) shrieked our little hearts out and barely heard any real music. But I do remember being at that concert - the only time they ever performed in Montreal.
 
I do have a memory of listening to the Dave Boxer radio show (what station? not sure) and in the days leading up to the concert, he was attempting to persuade the young potential attendees to "be a clapper, not a screamer." Don't think anybody paid any attention. – Wendy W. 



All I remember hearing was a lot of screaming.   I wasn’t screaming, but the girl next to me was not only shrieking, but was also pulling her hair out. It was pure pandemonium. What I also remember was the Beatles come marching out with their black suits. They just went through their set and did very little talking to the audience. But they didn’t hit a wrong note throughout. --  Barry L.


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Contest for Beatlemaniacs!

September 9, 2014, 5:51 pm
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Attention all Beatlemaniacs!    MTBFR is holding a contest for some "Beatlemania" era items.   Here is a photo of what you get if you are the lucky winner:




1. Issue of Feb 2014 Parade newspaper
2. Current issue of Missouri Life magazine with a story about the Beatles trip to the ranch (compliments of my friend, Michele Morrison!)
3.  8 x 10 of four photos of George with his sister, Louise from Feb 1964.  This was signed by Louise Harrison in September 2013.
4.   3 small photographs of Paul McCartney (one has Mal Evans in the background).  These were prints that one of the fan magazines sold in the 1970's.


To enter this contest, please answer the following two part question:   Which Beatle was not present during the 1964 press conference in Milwaukee?  Why was he absent?

Email you responses to me, Sara at Starshyne9@yahoo.com by 12:00pm (Central Standard time) on Sunday September 21, 2014.

Here are the offical rules of this contest:

1.  Anyone from anywhere (except for one person who's name is that of a flower or a pizza topping) may enter this contest.    It does not matter what country you live in.

2.  Only one entry per person please.

3.  One you have entered the contest, I will email you a number.    Please do not lose your number.  I will not be keeping track of them.   I will use a random online number generator to pick the winner of the contest. 

4.  The winner number has 48 hours to email me with the original email that I send him/her to declare that he or she is the winner.   If I do not hear from a winner within 48 hours, I will pick another number.

5.  I will announce the winning number the evening of September 21, 2014.


Please note---if you are the winner, I will mail your prize out to you USPS.   At times I work late and am not able to get to the post office.  I will get your prize to you eventually.  I am not going to rip you off or anything....it just might take me a week or two.  

Best of luck to all of you Beatlemaniacs out there!

Peace and Love,
Sara S.
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Exhausted

September 9, 2014, 7:59 pm
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I am not sure when during the Beatles 1964 tour this photo was taken.  I like to think that it was taken from the flight leaving Montreal to Key West, Florida where the Beatles were taking an unexpected side-trip due to Hurricane Dora hitting the area where they were originally intended to land.    Poor Derek would have been exhausted by this point in the tour and in need of a break while you spot Paul and John in the background chatting with someone.  

photo by Curt Gunther

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I'm Just here to pick up the chicks

September 9, 2014, 9:21 pm
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I could have sworn that I had typed up this story and posted it on the blog before, but I could not find it on here anywhere.  And so I typed it all up to post tonight.  My apologies if I  did post it earlier.   I guess I need to work on  better tagging to find things on here. 

This is an interesting story....a lot of information here about the guys during their break in Key West, Florida.   It is also a look into the gage of America in 1964 as well as how cultural differences can make communication  difficult at times. 


State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/98608
Photo taken by Robert Knowles 

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/98608
photo by Robert Knowles


I’m Just here to pick up the chicks!
By John M. Trusy
Beatleology Magazine  Nov/Dec 2006

I had just walked into the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago in August of 2003 during the Fest for Beatles Fans, when I heard Larry Kane, who was on the stage discussing his book, Ticket to Ride say, “Brian Epstein asked me, ‘Larry, you’re from Florida, is there any place the Beatles can go, relax and wait out the hurricane before we go to Jacksonville?”  Larry told him “Key West.”  I rushed to get into the question line and thank the man who was responsible for one of the most memorable times in my life.

When I approached the stage I told Larry that I had partied with the Beatles in Key West and I recounted for Larry and the audience a brief summary of that night in Key West.  It was quite well received.  His reply was, “Where the heck were you when I wrote the book?”  “Larry, there’s always book two!” I said.

I am very pleased to say that Larry credited me for contributions I made in his second book Lennon Revealedwhere you will find my name in the acknowledgment section.  The following is an amplified version of that night at the Key Wester motel with the Beatles

The word was all over the chow hall at the noon meal.  The Beatles had come to Key West before breakfast and the bikini clad woman that came from all over south Florida to get a glimpse of the mop-topped rockers should have given it away.  I was aware of their music and I had recently seen “A Hard Day’s Night” but to be honest about it, I was more interested in domestic offerings, like Budweiser and the Florida gals than the British imports.

The Beatles flew into KWest at 4am in a Lockheed Electra.  The plane was a very large 4-engine turbo prop which made quite a lot of noise with its distinctive propeller whine which woke a lot of people up as it landed.  It looked gigantic as it sat parked on the runway compared to the normal traffic that landed there, almost like a 727 vs. a Learjet sizewise.  The wingspan of the American Flyers charter was 99 feet across and the runway in KWest is only 100 feet wide and 5,000 feet long.  I thought the pilot had to be really good to drop that baby in there without any problems.

According to Larry Kane in his book Ticket to Ride, it was a very rough flight inbounds to KWest because of the close proximity to hurricane Dora’s outer winds.  By this time, Dora was headed north in the Gulf of Mexico and would leave damage in the millions in her wake.  Everyone aboard was glad they finally landed safely after the very bumpy flight.

The Beatles stayed at the Key Wester motel which was adjacent to the airport and less than one mile around the bend from the Naval Hospital on Roosevelt Blvd.   I was a Corpsman stationed at the Naval Hospital from January 1964 until June 1967 and I was about to experience one of the more memorable times in my life.

The Key Wester consisted of three separate areas.  The first and nearest to the boulevard was the villas – there were seven total, three on each side of the office located in the middle villa.  The Beatles stayed in the first villa on the right of the office.  The next area directly behind the villas was the main 2-storey motel area.  The last structures from left to right were the cabana, pool, Carousel lounge, a larger bar and then the restaurant.  The airport runway was adjacent to the motel property.  The Key Wester motel was torn down a few years ago and replaced by the Hyatt Windward Point.  I have not seen it but there is supposed to be a “Beatles hut” left there to commemorate the villa where the Beatles stayed in 1964.

It was between paydays and I was finally able to scrounge enough money from some of the guys in the barracks for drinks.  By then it was late in the evening when I and another Corpsman walked the three-quarters of a mile around the curve and saw a spectacular and wonderful sight unfolding before our eyes.  There were girls in bikinis everywhere and the cops were doing their best to control them.  The police tried to keep the girls out of the cordoned off area around the villas.  It was like trying to keep a colony of ants from getting to a sugar cube.  This was no easy job and early on I bet the cops might have enjoyed putting their arms around some of those gals, I know I would have.  We went to the back of the property and approached the entrance to the restaurant, where security stopped us rather quickly.  After showing our ID cards, we were recognized by someone from the motel as Corpsmen from the Naval Hospital and since we were frequent guests at the motel, we were patted down and they let us in.  The jam session was already going on in the lounge.  Security gave us one very emphatic warning:  “NO CAMERA and NO PICTURES.”  To this day I still cringe when I hear those words because of what happened later that night.

The lounge was packed with people as I threaded my way to the bar to get a drink.  When I turned around the very first Beatle I saw that night was Paul.  We literally bumped into each other, nearly spilling our drinks. Paul gave me that patented wink of his (but no thumbs up) as if to say, ‘There are more than enough women here tonight for the both of us.”  Paul could really work the room as it were and I had to admire his technique.  He was magnificent in action as he went around chatting up one girl after another looking for that right combination of looks, willingness and response.
The small stage (one riser, if that) the band played on was in the cramped corner of the lounge near the sliding doors to the pool area.  The music lasted until the police shut the bar down because of the 4am curfew.  I did not see Paul play but the guys who were playing were great musicians.  The Bill Black Combo was there; they were also one of the acts on the 1964 American tour.  I recently found out that Reggie Young was there and jammed that night (He helped found the Bill Black Combo and also was in a band for some guy named Elvis.  He has since played with everyone in Nashville.)  A local musician, Coffee Butler, from the Bamboo Room sat in.  I can’t remember what they played but the house was rocking all night.

I was told by someone in the lounge during the night that Jackie DeShannon was out by the pool.  She looked like the type of blonde I was into back in those days and I didn’t waste any time getting outside.  Jackie was not by the pool but if I hadn’t been looking for her, I would not have seen Ringo.  After a number of dives into the pool, Ringo certainly gave credence to the moniker of “Mop Top” and his skin was so bleached white he looked almost fluorescent.  I didn’t see him play although I understand he did later that night.  What I did see was Ringo having a great time in the pool, just him and a female black vocal group, the Exciters  I am telling you the sight was very avant-garde given race relations in the U.S. and Florida in 1964.  I came from the Midwest (a northern man like the Beatles) but I had never seen a black woman in a bathing suit in my life, let alone three of them in the same pool.  Here, in the segregated South, this was even more shocking.  They were sitting near the diving board dangling their feet in the water while Ringo repeatedly dove off the board to everyone’s delight.  Ringo would waddle down the diving board like Charlie Chaplin and then dive in.  He was acting as crazy as he did in the movie, “A hard Day’s Night.”  Looked back on that night the scene was very surreal to me, given the racial climate of America at the time.  The Beatles were way ahead of the curve as it pertained to integration.  In fact, it is well documented that their next concert in Jacksonville was almost cancelled because the Beatles refused to play in front of a segregated audience.  That issue was cleared up before they left KWest.

I did not see John play but I had an amazing exchange with him that to this day makes me say “What was I thinking?!”  John and I seemed to gravitate to the bar at the same time and as I recall he was wearing jeans and white long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up.  At 6’2” and 195 lbs. I towered over John and I was thinking his was an unusual style of dress here in the Keys.   The customary clothes everyone wore at the time were madras plaid shorts and some sort of t-shirt.  Our clothing was only one of the many disparaging differences between the two of us.  I looked at his hair and jokingly wanted to say to him, “Get a haircut” but I didn’t.  For some strange reason, I kept my mouth shut.  John probably thought I looked like a “mod” from Liverpool.  We were so out of touch with each other and from vastly different worlds; we were opposites in many visible ways.
We began to check each other out as we approached the bar, just like two guys when they are about to use the urinal at a sports event.  We nodded at each other, then stood shoulder to shoulder and looked toward the mirror in the back bar.  It was at this time I started to stare at his hands because I was fascinated with what I saw.  In one hand he was holding a lit, very long filter cigarette (Lark’s I think) with the burning end palm side.  When he took a drag, he turned his hand over as he brought the cigarette to his mouth to inhale.  I had just witnessed the European style of smoking, “very, very strange” to me indeed.  In John’s other hand was a very large glass of Scotch and Coke, a combination favored by the Beatles while on the 1964 tour.  This was no ordinary bar glass he was holding.  Just as I was amazed at the size of the drink, I want to tell you, he didn’t just politely sip it either.  I thought how could this guy, who is a lot smaller than I am, be a big hitter with booze than I was.  For the uninformed a Scotch and Coke is a fairly terrible drink, you really have to acquire a taste for it.  I still have a penchant for Scotch (without the Coke) to this day, thanks to John and a local Key West girl who became very compliant after she drank what John and the rest of the Beatles did.

Lennon could not help but notice my staring at his hands and to his credit he tried to be cordial and break the ice.  He turned to me and said, “Would you like a fag?”  I was totally unprepared for the question.  In this country especially in Key West, even back then, to me there was only one meaning.  In the U.K. it meant, “Would you like a cigarette?”  Not a world traveler, I was numbed and confused by the meaning of the offer.  I responded with a very lame, “No thanks man, I’m just here to pick up the chicks!” John, who was much more cosmopolitan and very quick to understand my interpretation, replied with a very terse, “Well, good luck to you then, man!”  He picked up his Scotch, Coke and fags and turned away to circulate.  Forty-two years later I still wonder what direction my life may  have taken if I just had said, “sure.”

Too many drinks later, just before curfew, the last Beatle I remember seeing was Paul as the night ended rather abruptly.  The Corpsman I was with reached down in his sock and pulled out one of those Kodak 126 Instamatic cameras and took a picture of Paul standing next to me.  I heard the words, “say cheese!” the flash barely went off and we were grabbed.  The camera was smashed and we were booted out of the lounge by security.  Sad to report, that memorable night was a bust because not only did we get tossed out but we never got lucky with the chicks either.

In retrospect we all second guess the things we do and I have at times wished for a better outcome on that night.  Maybe I could have blazed up with the Beatles or gotten that into to Jackie DeShannon I thought I needed, who knows.  One thing I can say is this.  Here I stood shoulder to shoulder with an absolute musical genius to whom I could not connect.  I, like so many people can recall specific images in their life linked to the Beatles or their songs.  The lyrics to Nowhere Man seem to sum up my lost opportunity.


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Meeting fans at the Key Wester

September 9, 2014, 9:31 pm
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I am not totally sure what all went on when the Beatles were in Key West, Florida.   Apparently there was a little meet and greet for some people?   They were sitting outside of the villas on lawn chairs and the Beatles signed autographs for them.    I am not too sure all about this, but there are two photos from this as well as a first hand account.

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/98608
photo by Robert Knowles 

photo belongs to Suzy Robeson
Here is what Suzy Robeson says about the above photo:
“We arrived and were seated in chairs to wait for them to come out of their room,” recalls the Boynton Beach resident. “In the picture you can see my friend Jeanne seated to the right and I am to the left. My father is the one on the right speaking to Ringo Starr. George Harrison was signing a picture book they had for us.”


Here are a few other fan memories that I located online (the Beatles Bible and the comments section of a blog about Key West), although it doesn't really explain these photos.

I was almost 9 years old when the Beatles stayed at the Key Wester. Some friends and I snuck as close to the hotel as we could and tried to see the Beatles. I remember one of them (from the distance we thought it was Paul) played peek-a-boo from behind a palm tree with us! The thrill of our lifetimes! Thanks for the memories!  -Linda E.

I was stationed at Boca Chica in 1964; when we got word that the Beatles were coming to Key West, my wife and I waited by the curved driveway of the KeyWester. As the Beatles were leaving; Paul gave my wife a wave. She will never forget that morning. -  Al



I was six years old at the time and I remember I was among a large crowd that gathered in front of the old Key Wester Hotel. I walked up to their hotel room and knocked on the door and asked for an autograph. The manager politely said they were out. I was and still continue to be a big fan. I have my Beatle Charm Braclet and Lunch Box to this day. Roberta M.

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John's Cosmo shoot

September 9, 2014, 9:36 pm
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John Lennon wasn't just resting during the break in Key West, Florida.   He had a photo shoot for Cosmopolitian Magazine.    John got new clothes and posed for photos while the other boys apparently went out to a beach-like area.     The Cosmo magazine didn't come out until the December 1964 issue (if anyone is interested in reading the article I do have it scanned and can send you a copy).











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Paul and George's mad day out '64

September 9, 2014, 9:39 pm
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All photos by Curt Gunther 

John was doing that photo shoot and George and Paul were out near the water.   Where was Ringo?  Sleeping?  Swimming at the hotel?

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Striped shirt and shades

September 9, 2014, 9:44 pm
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If anyone out there has more details about what the Beatles did during this 2 day break, that would be great.   There are stories out there that the Beatles jammed until 4am, but I think from what we read in John Trusty's story, it was the Bill Black Combo that jammed and the Beatles were just hanging around the bar and hotel.   Ringo was swimming (I have read several reports about him swimming with the Exciters).  This is just one of those times in Beatles touring history that a whole lot isn't reported.   I will keep digging for information and hopefully will find out more facts.   If nothing else these photos (which I got years ago from Ken Wood on the Day by Day forum---thanks Ken!) are great!
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Book Review: The Beatles and me on Tour

September 10, 2014, 7:04 pm
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Ivor Davis and George Harrison during the 1964 North American tour    

                                           Photo:  Ron Joy-Belle Schwartz estate 


Ivor Davis, Al Sussman, Chuck Gunderson and Bruce Spizer talk about the Beatles in 1964 during the Fest for Beatle fans Chicago 2014.  Photo by Coral Schmidt 




If you want to read a book written by someone who not just met the Beatles, but traveled with them and got to know them personally, then Ivor Davis' book, The Beatles and me on Tour is a great book for you.

If the things you have been reading on this blog about the Beatles 1964 tour is of interest to you and you are just not sure where to start to learn more, I highly recommend this book.   Ivor was a journalist from England who moved over to California and reported on Hollywood for the British paper The Daily Express.    He was hired by the paper to not only be the ghost writer for the George Harrison column (yep...those newspaper articles written by George were actually written by Ivor!), but to travel with the Beatles during the entire 1964 tour and report back what happened.    Ivor has some amazing first hand accounts in this book as well as re-telling some other fun stories from books such as Larry Kane's Ticket to Ride as well as various other places.    I really enjoyed that you not only got Ivor's stories, but also side stories from these other sources in the same book.

While the book does not tell the story of the tour in chronological order, it does give you a great feeling of what it was like to travel with the Fab 4 during the amazing year of 1964.   While this isn't a "tell all" book, Ivor didn't hide the fact that the Beatles (especially Paul) were bringing ladies back to the hotel rooms or that pills were being taken by the guys.    Ivor tells it like it was and doesn't sugar coat the story the way that so many writers seem to think we want them to. 

The biggest shocker to me (spoiler alert----spoiler alert!!!!) was that according to Ivor, the Beatles smoked pot with Bob Dylan NOT at the Delmonico hotel on August 28, 1964, as has been published so many times.   Instead, Ivor says that the pot smoking took place after the Paramount charity benefit show at the Riveria Idlewild Hotel on September 20, 1964!    He goes on to say that the Beatles DID meet up with Dylan at the Delmonico and hung out, but there wasn't any pot smoking.  He was there and recalls the towels stuffed in the door crack and the smell from the room and how the Beatles were unable to participate in any last interviews before heading home because they were "sound asleep."    Ivor has some strong arguments in the change of the day and he has made me a believer!

I had the fortune of meeting Ivor in person last month at the Fest for Beatle fans in Chicago.   He is very good at telling his stories in person, and if you get a chance to hear him (I am pretty sure he is going to be at the Fest in L.A. next month), I highly recommend it.   He is a very nice fellow and extremelyl funny.

If you would like to purchase this book in print, it is recommended that you go to through amazon.com

If you are interested in the e-book version, I have a special deal just for you readers of MTBFR. 
Receive 25% on ebook purchase at:
www.ivordavisbeatles.com
Click Buy the Book - Then SPECIAL button
Use Password:   Ivor25%


You can't beat a great deal on a great book like this!!!    


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Helicopter boys

September 10, 2014, 7:08 pm
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Our guys and crew arrive by helicopter for the Forest Hills show....what a crazy tour!!! 
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Hello I love you

September 10, 2014, 7:11 pm
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A woman stops a fan from getting to George at the hotel in Toronto. (and once again...it is George who is grabbed by fans!)
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