Massive Crowd

 

England to Austria

 

A Lift Home

 

Furs and Tuxes

 

Two Special Companions

 George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Richard and Maureen Starkey, Cynthia and John (with Brian Epstein) at Heathrow Airport in London before boarding a flight to Austria to film their second movie, Help!, on March 13, 1965.

Meditation Education

Pattie and George Harrison during their India trip in late 1966

The India phase started with George and Pattie Harrison... I suppose filming Help! where Indian musicians played while trying to cut off Ringo Starr's finger in order to get the sacrificial red ring that attracted George in the first place. Then in late 1966 (while John was filming How I Won the War), George and Pattie took a trip there... oh yes, earlier that year The Beatles did pass through India while on tour. Needless to say, George and Pattie were in love and brought that love of style into their home. Soon, they got John, Paul, and Ringo, including Cynthia, Maureen, and Jane into the influence... well, maybe not completely but it was something new, something exciting, and definitely better than drugs and infidelities. 

"I suppose it was the establishment of the hippy trail, though we didn't realize that at the time, I was the first in our circle to start meditating. I guess I just knew that there had to be a more spiritual aspect to life, and I saw a little ad for meditation classes in the back of The Times. That's how it started. To me, it's about plugging into my essence, and calming myself down. We need it even more these days, with email and text anxiety and all of these things we have to keep up that are supposed to make our lives easier. And then India was a real third-eye-opener. It was the opposite to England at the time, a real spiritual society." 

Pattie Boyd, 2006

“I was always interested in Eastern philosophies and wanted find out about meditation, I went to some lectures and became initiated into transcendental meditation. When the Maharishi came to England, George said he wanted to meet him and became passionate about his teachings.” 

Pattie Boyd, 2004

“...That’s why we all went and listened to his lecture, and he was obviously very happy when he heard that they were in the audience, and he wanted to meet them. When he did he suggested that we all go to Wales for a few days to learn more about meditation: he wanted to initiate them. It was really awful because while we were up there, their manager Brian Epstein died. It was just awful. One can think how extraordinary that the one person who had been guiding them throughout their career, from the beginning of their career, died, just as this spiritual leader is taking over.” 

Pattie Boyd, 2011

Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Mike McCartney, John, Cynthia, Pattie George Harrison at the Hilton Hotel to hear the lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on August 24, 1967. Yoko Ono was also there. 

"Among those present for this great occasion were Cynthia Lennon; an assortment of Beatles; Mick Jagger and his girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull; my wife, Beth, and myself...and Yoko Ono, to whom I was now introduced for the first time."

Pete Shotton, 1983

"Although I was trying to close my mind to it I suppose our marriage was already under 

threat at this stage. It wasn't other women that were driving us apart, it was drugs. John by now had become a heavy user of LSD. He wanted to be a genius, he wanted to travel outside his body, he wanted to prove to the world that he had a unique gift. Acid stimulated his creativity and opened up his mind to previously undreamed-of wonders, he believed. I kept saying to him: 'John, something terrible's going to happen to you if you keep on like this.' But he wouldn't believe me. I couldn't convince him. 'I've cracked it, Cyn,' he'd reassure me over and over again. 'I can handle it. I've taken acid today and I'm fine. I'm normal.' But he wasn't normal. I'd look at his long matted hair, his face obscured by eccentric granny glasses, his outrageous clothes and I despaired. He thought this was normal. He'd lost touch with reality. Perversely, the music was fantastic. The brilliant Sergeant Pepper album was conceived at this stage and it was wonderful. I couldn't deny that. But what had happened to the down-to-earth, witty young man I used to know? The man who laughed at pomposity and could spot a phoney at a hundred paces? At home things went from bad to worse. I used to dread it when John went out at night. I'd lie awake waiting for his return just knowing what was in store. Sure enough, about four in the morning a string of cars would pull up into the drive and decant 15 to 20 people all high on acid, pot and whatever else they could lay their hands on, ready to party. I'd get up at breakfast time to find the place littered with drugged bodies and Julian, little soul that he was, couldn't understand what was going on. That's what upset me more than anything else. I thought okay, you can do what you like with your own body but don't influence the innocents. Julian would step over the bodies looking for his daddy and these strangers would start talking to him in weird, spaced-out terms that he couldn't comprehend. There I was, trying to cook breakfast and get him off to school, trying to be normal, while outside the kitchen door the house was strewn with zombies, one of whom was his father. Julian was utterly bewildered. It was a nightmare period. I didn't want to lose John and I feared for his health but I was desperately worried about Julian. I didn't know how to handle it. My mother, who'd moved to London by this time, and often came to stay, saw what was going on and was appalled. But both of us felt helpless. So when George's wife, Pattie, and some other friends went to a lecture in London on meditation given by this Indian guru called the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and came back raving about it, it seemed like a straw to clutch at. 'It's absolutely fantastic,' they told John. 'You don't need drugs. You can get the same effect with meditation. You've got to go.' I must admit I was skeptical at first. I didn't quite see how meditation could produce a mind-blowing effect like LSD, the effect John seemed to crave. But John was so enthusiastic. He thought I'd be pleased. And I had to admit that I knew nothing about meditation. "'Cyn, it's without drugs. I'll be off drugs. No more drugs, I promise,' he insisted. I think perhaps deep down he sensed that he was on the rocky road and was looking for another way. Anyway, as far as I could see it sounded harmless and if it really meant he'd give up drugs, I'd willingly go along with it. I'd do anything to get him off this horrible LSD and get my old John back. I agreed to give it a try. As it happened the Maharishi was taking over Bangor college for a series of lectures that very August of 1967 and we arranged to go. The idea was that we'd stay for the weekend and learn the basic principles of meditation for which John had such high hopes."

Cynthia, 1994

Cynthia crying while being escorted by Peter Brown and Neil Aspinall after missing the train from London to Bangor at Euston Station on August 25, 1967.

"Cyn and I were thinking of going to Libya, until this came up. Libya or Bangor? Well, there was no choice, was there?"

John, 1967 

(quote originally appeared in another blog post, A Country with No Phones: Libya)

Originally, John and Cynthia were thinking about going to Libya, where Cynthia's brother Charlie lived. In retrospect, I would have preferred them going to Libya, instead of Bangor. Libya was a country with no phones at the time, and Cynthia wouldn't have missed that train. So much would have been so different. Well, that's speculation and it's obvious that John and Cynthia picked Bangor. Speaking of missing the train, I already posted about Cynthia missing the train to Wales as well as John's relationship with Yoko in it's early stages in Starting to Crumble. Yet here's an additional quote that provides a recap and be part of this story:

"As they left the hotel, John and Cynthia went to get into their car when, out of nowhere, Yoko appeared and hopped into the car, to sit between them. Someone had tipped her off about John's attendance at the lecture and she had arrived, to wait quietly in the lobby for this moment. Cynthia froze. All the months of strange mail, the cut-off phone calls, the waiting silently at the gate were encapsulated in this tiny, terrifying woman. She glanced questioningly at John. He shrugged, as if to say, 'I haven't a clue.' 'I'd like a lift home,' Yoko said. It wasn't a polite request; it was the order of an assured woman. Cynthia was seriously concerned when the car drove to Yoko's flat off Regent's Park, seeming to know the way without being told. The next day, Paul, George, and Ringo and their women, together with Mick and Marianne, arrived at Euston Station to catch the train to Bangor. Cynthia and John arrived at the station in his painted Rolls. The station was packed with holiday-makers and the press. As John and Cynthia fought their way through the melee, a flashbulb went off in Cyn's face, blinding her. By the time she could see, everyone had vanished and she didn't know which was the correct platform. She raced along, but the police didn't recognize her and thought she was another hysterical fan. Suddenly, all the Beatles stuck their heads out of the windows of the train, urging her to run faster. 'Run, Cyn, run!' John yelled. Those were the words Paul had used when chased by fans in their early touring days. As his car sped away, he'd put his head out of the window and called out, 'Run, girls, run!' and the girls would redouble their efforts. Cynthia stopped. It was no good; the train was going too fast. John hadn't come back for her, no one else bothered; it was as if she didn't exist. At that moment, she said, as she watched the train pull out, she saw how utterly irrelevant she was."

Tony Bramwell

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Pattie Harrison, Cynthia, and John attend an International Meditation Society meeting at Normal College in Bangor, Wales on August 26, 1967

John, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Cynthia, and Ringo Starr at Normal College in Bangor, Wales on August 27, 1967 around the time of receiving news on Brian Epstein's death.

Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Pattie Harrison, Mike McCartney, Ringo Starr, John, Maureen Starkey, and George Harrison listening to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Jemima Pitman's home in Kensington, London on August 31, 1967. Cynthia did not attend.

"It was Pattie Boyd who introduced us to the Maharishi. George Harrison and Pattie had become interested in Indian spiritual beliefs and went to a lecture in London, held by the spiritual regeneration movement. Later that year – 1967 – its leader, the Maharishi, came over from India to hold a conference in Bangor, North Wales. John went to hear him speak in London beforehand, with George, Pattie, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher and Ringo Starr. 'It’s fantastic stuff, Cyn, the meditation’s so simple and it’s life-changing,' John told me. Like the others he had been bowled over by the Maharishi’s charisma and promises of nirvana. So off we went to the Bangor conference. George, Pattie, her sister Jenny and Paul were all going. Ringo decided at the last minute that he would come too, and so did Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. The Beatles had overdosed on everything that fame could bring. The Maharishi was anti drugs and had explained that through meditation you could reach a natural high as powerful as any drugs could induce. John loved this idea and was already talking about enlightenment, cosmic awareness and doing without drugs. So I was all for the Maharishi’s message: perhaps this was the change of direction John had been looking for. We were staying in dormitories at a large training college, along with a couple of hundred other followers. Our room was basic, with bunk beds and simple chests of drawers. Mick and Marianne sauntered in looking bewildered. 'Hey John, what’s happening? Where do we go from here?' 'Back to school,' John laughed. The introductory seminar was an incongruous mix of the Maharishi’s regular devotees joined by the psychedelically clad pop star elite, all sitting cross legged on the bare wooden floor. That afternoon the Beatles held a press conference renouncing the use of drugs, in keeping with the Maharishi’s teachings. Only a month earlier they, along with other pop stars, had taken a full-page ad in The Times stating that the law on marijuana was unworkable and immoral. Now all that was turned on its head. The press were wildly excited. But the story had barely hit the newsstands when it was overtaken. As we were heading back to our room, a reporter told us that Brian Epstein, who had steered the Beatles for the past six years, had been found dead. The disbelief and horror were overwhelming. Brian had been the Beatles’ mentor, their guide and best friend. The details were sketchy but it was a suspected overdose. This was horrific. And help came in the shape of the Maharishi. We were called into his quarters and walked in, heads bowed. He sat yoga-style in the centre and asked us to sit down on the floor and talked to us for the next few minutes about life’s journey, reincarnation, release from pain and this life being a stepping stone to the next. 

The Maharishi’s words helped us all to feel a little less bleak and as the weeks passed after we returned to London, John and I were brought closer by grief. John and George were also being drawn towards the Maharishi. It was as though, with Brian gone, the four needed someone new to give them direction and the Maharishi was in the right place at the right time. John and George agreed to go to the ashram in Rishikesh, at the foot of the Himalayas in India, to study meditation. Patti and I would go too. Paul, Jane, Ringo and his wife Maureen were less convinced about the joys of meditation but decided to join us. The trip was planned for February 1968."

Cynthia, 2008

Jane Asher, Paul McCartney, John, Cynthia, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Pattie Harrison, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Jenny Boyd in Bangor after receiving word that Brian Epstein had died on August 27, 1967.

Paul McCartney and Jane Asher leave Bangor first back to London after hearing about Brian Epstein's death on August 27, 1967

While everyone was in Bangor, the phone rang; Jane picked up and handed the phone to Paul. Brian Epstein was dead. He was supposed to join them in Bangor. They were devastated, and once the news settled in, lost. Brian was not only a manager who skyrocketed The Beatles to fame, he was a father figure and he took care of a lot things, personal and professional. After Brian's death news, Maharishi offered words of sympathy, comfort, wisdom, and invited them to go to India at his ashram in Rishikesh. It was set for February for two or three months. In the meantime, The Beatles had projects to do - particularly Magical Mystery Tour. 

Brian Epstein Memorial

Brian Epstein's last year of life hasn't been easy: his bread and butter (The Beatles) had quit touring and became a studio band, so his arrangements became less. His other acts (Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers) have either moved on or didn't meet the success as The Beatles and hardly went anywhere else. His personal life was rather in shambles with his homosexuality and the sign of the times not mixing well, and the death of his father. There's been mixed accounts on whether or not Brian was suicidal. I do believe Brian had hit some bumps, and he was suffering from depression, usually signs of suicide.... I really honestly don't know as I never met him, but I don't think Brian was going to give up on life like that. There's a sense of optimism, Brian did plan to meet up with The Beatles to see the Maharishi, he had plans. It may have been a misuse of medication, took extra too many, and lost his life in consequences. Either way, he died. The Beatles lost their manager and became vulnerable for business vipers wanting to get in on their magic, like Allan Klein who managed to sway John, George, and Ringo while Paul opted his in-laws (which wasn't a good look with favoritism and biased I'm sure John, George, and Ringo felt if they had settled on Lee and John Eastman). Their Apple business was also a mess... I'm sure if Brian had lived, Apple would've been better in organization. The Beatles were heartbroken, they were in Wales with the Maharishi, who pretty much used this opportunity to exploit Brian's death and use himself as the one to take care of a vulnerable band while offering his comfort words and wisdom. They returned to London and visited Brian's mother, Queenie, at his home in Chapel Street on August 29th.

"Queenie was sitting in the drawing room and the Beatles came in and I think Cynthia went up and gave her a red rose."

Joanne Petersen, Brian's Personal Assistant

With chauffeur Les Anthony while attending Brian's Memorial

On the same day, earlier time, John and Cynthia attended the London Motor Show and bought a Iso Rivolta, later that evening they attended Brian's Memorial on October 17, 1967. Apparently, Yoko was after John to sponsor her art exhibitions, annoying John... So, to do some damage control, John took Cynthia out that day. I would say at this point in their marriage, it was a struggle. It was two lives living separately under the same roof. Yet neither were ready to throw in the towel. 

"Getting John to underwrite her show was a huge coup and there was no way on earth that Yoko was going to keep it to herself. Triumphantly, she instantly sent out a press release announcing that she and John were holding an art exhibition. The white catalogue stated, Half a Wind: by Yoko Ono and John Lennon. John was very annoyed. Had Robert Frasser not been in jail he would have said, 'I told you so.' All John could do to retaliate was to solicitiously escort Cynthia to Brian's memorial service on October 17 and then very quickly publicly hold her hand at the Earls' Court Motor Show a few days later."

Tony Bramwell

(a few days later? The Motor Show happened the same day at the memorial!) 

When Brian died on August 27, 1967, John and Cynthia clung together while grieving. Brian was everything for John and Cynthia: he was Best Man at their wedding - which Brian arranged! And Godfather of Julian. Brian loaned his apartment for them to begin their married life, and introduced the ways of high class society and fine dining. There was a funeral on August 29, 1967 in Liverpool, but The Beatles didn't attend as it was for family and limited friends only. The Memorial was arranged for everyone to attend to remember Brian: The Beatles with Cynthia, Maureen Starkey, and Pattie Boyd, including George's parents, Neil Aspinall, and Mal Evans, the members of The Fourmost, Gerry and Pauline Marsden, Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black and her husband Bobby Willis. The memorial was held at New London Synagogue near Abbey Road Studios. It started at 6 PMand officiated by Rabbi Louis Jacobs. Paul McCartney accompanied with John and Cynthia (Jane Asher did not attend) but left with George and Pattie afterwards. 

I don't know if there was a gathering afterwards, but I am sure there was. 

Most chronological books have the memorial on the 17th and the motor show the same day as How I Won the War premiere on the 18th, the following day. However, based on the clothes both John and Cynthia were wearing that day at both the motor show and the memorial were the same. I can't really see them wearing the exact same clothes the very next day unless they spent the night out and never changed until the premiere? That's the only logical conclusion but I very highly doubt it. 

Sitting In the Stand of the Sports Arena

Cynthia backstage with John at CBS Studios during The Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City, February of 1964.

This post is about the concerts Cynthia attended, mostly for The Beatles and with... Before I began, I want to acknowledge that I figure Cynthia has been to more concerts than I write here. I'm only using what's been written, heard, or said publicly. I don't know what first concert she went to, however by the time Cynthia started to date John she was clueless on Rock and Roll. She knew classical music, as she admitted in A Twist of Lennon. Cynthia definitely got an educated by sitting at John's side and listening to him play with Paul and George during lunch break from school... to have a better imagery, think Yoko Ono in the studio and replace her with Cynthia in a room at art college in the cafeteria. When John, Paul, and George (soon Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best) had their gigs, Cynthia would watch them play unless the neighborhood was too rough and dangerous that she'd be unable to attend. Obviously, The Casbah, The Cavern, and Jacaranda Club were it. 

"George and Paul both thought it was a great laugh that John was so keen on Cynthia, the lovely girl who used to go to art school with him. Even then, four years before they married, they were crazy over each other. Cyn used to travel thirty miles a night from her home in Hoylake just to sit by the stage of the Casbah, listening to John, playing with us."

Ken Brown

Cynthia continued to watch The Beatles played live, including during her visit in Hamburg, until she got pregnant and married John. Brian literally banned Cynthia to watch so that John being married wouldn't alienate fans, and to protect her from fans that could be confrontational and threatening. After she had Julian, obviously she still couldn't watch her husband perform except on television. I do think Cynthia did see the Beatles performing in Bournemouth in August of 1963 to celebrate her first anniversary with John. Another thing to note is her place at the venue: yes, Cynthia has had her fair share from the audience, however, once The Beatles succeeded to bigger clubs, venues, and TV appearances, Cynthia found a spot in the wings where it may have been safer from the mania. She attended the concerts at Carnegie Hall and Washington Coliseum during The Beatles first United States visit in February of 1964, including their The Ed Sullivan Show appearances. When John's sisters visited, Cynthia took Julia and Jackie to see The Beatles perform. To avoid them getting crushed and harmed by the fans rushing to the stage, John made sure they were pulled out to safety and watch the show from the wings. Afterwards, Cynthia took them home as they were too young for the after party. I think Cynthia also attended their last Liverpool concert at Liverpool Empire Theatre on December 5, 1965; it was mentioned that several family members (including Pattie Boyd) were there so there's probability that she was there. I don't know when or where Cynthia last saw The Beatles perform live as they retired from touring in August of 1966 and their final performance on the rooftop happened after their divorce.

Question: Has your wife ever seen one of your concerts?" (Interview 1965)

"Yeah, she used to see a lot of them. She hasn't seen us for quite a bit, though. She enjoys 'em, but it's so... She gets to see us when we stay somewhere in England and do a show" John

Question: Do you ever get any critiques from her on them?”

“Oh yeah. Well, she used to come ’round with us a lot and say, ‘You were lousy tonight,’ you know. ‘You’re pulling those faces’ …she doesn’t like me fooling around. Clowning, you know. She says ‘Why are you always pulling them stupid faces?’ On TV, you know, I usually pull some kind of face. She doesn’t like that. She wants me to be straight, you know.” John

"More or less. She is the quiet type and won't come around when there are screaming crowds and such has been the case for the past year."

John, 1964

Cynthia and John at the Richmond Jazz Festival at Richmond Athletic Grounds, Surrey, on August 8, 1965

"The Richmond Jazz Festival, we went along to see the Animals, 'cause they were doing something new. They were singing with a big band backing them. But we never got to see it, 'cause we got attacked. As usual you know, big crowds. We thought it was going to be jazz fans, and they wouldn't bother us. But they weren't all jazz fans there."

John, 1966

The Beatles with Cynthia and Mal Evans watching The Jimi Hendrix Experience perform on January 4, 1967 

Cynthia, John, and Ringo Starr with Brian Epstein's reflection on the car window while attending a Chuck Berry concert of February 19, 1967

George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Cynthia and John watching The Beach Boys perform.on behalf of UNICEF in Paris

Obviously, The Beatles aren't the only band Cynthia saw live; in the Cavern she saw Rory Storm & the Hurricanes and Gerry & the Pacemakers performed as well other local bands. I'm not sure on the exact date, however John and Cynthia, with George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, his girlfriend Veronica Johnson, Tony Carricker, his girlfriend, Paul McCartney, and his girlfriend Dot Rhone went to see Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, Joe Brown, Georgie Fame, The Tony Sheridan Trio & Billy Raymond at Empire Theatre in Liverpool during the dates of March 14-19, 1960. A little over a month later, on April 17th, Eddie Cochran died in a car accident. 

On August 8, 1965, John, Cynthia, George, and Pattie went to the Richmond Jazz Festival at Richmond Athletic Grounds, Surrey, with performances by Alex Welsh, Brian Auger & The Trinity, Chris Barber, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Johnny Parker, Ken Colyer's Jazz Band, Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, Long John Baldry, Ottilie Patterson, The Animals, and The Spencer Davis Group. I've heard that they went more so just to see The Animals perform, and maybe Spencer Davis. However, they were spotted by the crowd and left early. 

1967 seems like a big year for concerts: 

January 4 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience at Saville Theatre with Mal Evans

January 29 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Who at Saville Theatre

February 19 - Chuck Berry at Saville Theatre with Ringo Starr and Brian Epstein 

June 4 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience at Saville Theatre with Paul, Jane Asher, George, Pattie, Peter Asher, and Mick Jagger. This is believed to be when Jimi performed a cover of just released Sgt. Pepper within a few days. 

December 15 - UNICEF gala featuring The Beach Boys in Paris 

I am definitely certain that Cynthia saw her own son Julian in concert many times; most notably on August 3, 1989 at the Beacon Theatre with Sean and Yoko (already posted!). 

On January 14, 1990, Cynthia attended Paul McCartney's concert at the Wembley with his wife Linda on keyboards. 

Well, those are the concerts Cynthia attended to be known. As mentioned before, I believe Cynthia saw way more, like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Bee Gees, Lulu, Cilla Black, Elton John, maybe Queen, and so on. 

Feeling Like a Princess

The Beatles with Cynthia at the premiere of A Hard Day's Night at the Pavilion Theatre in London on July 6, 1964.