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| Paul Saltzman and Ringo mess around with Ringo's camera. The footage Paul S. shot with this camera appeared in the Anthology. |
So the other night I was watching a documentary on Netfix called "The Last White Knight." It was about a guy who was a member of the KKK and how he attacked a man who was in Mississippi in 1965 for helping Blacks register to vote. The film starts up and I realize that I "know" the guy who is making the film--- the guy who was attacked in 1965 during the Civil Right Movement. He doesn't know me, but I have spoken with him many times at Beatlefest. Paul Saltzman traveled to India in 1968 to mend a broken heart and hopefully gain some wisdom from a guru. While he had been a Beatle fan for many years, he did not realize that he would be in the Ashram in Rishikesh at the same time as John, Paul, George and Ringo. He was able to become friends with the guys and take some of the most beautiful and intimate photos of them in India. Having watched this documentary about his experience in the south of the United States in 1965, I wonder if he ever talked about this with the Beatles. They had traveled through the southern states and refused to play to a segregated audience. I just wonder if Paul ever brought up what happened to him and what the Beatles had to say about it. Just one aside: I noticed that Paul was wearing a Beatles cap during one of his interviews in the film. Great job representing the Beatles fandom!!
Here is a little bit about what Paul experienced in India:
Somewhat nervously, I walked over, 'May I join you?' I asked. 'Sure, mate,' said John, 'Pull up a chair.' Then Paul said, 'Come and sit here.' and pulled a chair over next to him. As soon as I sat down, to my surprise, I heard this voice in my head scream, 'Eek! It's the Beatles' Before I even had time to think, I was surprised by a second voice within me. This one was calm, deep and resonant, 'Hey Paul,' it said, 'They're just ordinary people like you. Everyone farts, and is afraid in the night.' And from that moment on, I never thought of them as the Beatles again, but rather, as four individual human beings.