Beatles Travel
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Beatles Travel
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Beatles Travel Links Liverpool Liverpool International Beatles Week Liverpool Productions Magical Mystery Tour to England From Me to You on Mathew Street
London Beatles Coffee Shop - Abbey Road
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4 NYC Walking Tour
of Beatles' sites in New York City
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From January 18th through the 26th, my girlfriend, Wendy and I took a long driving vacation to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. We visited: NASA/Cape Canaveral, Boca Raton, Key Largo, Miami, The Everglades (we actually were chased by a hungry alligator!), Tarpon Springs, St Augustine and Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach in Florida; Savannah, Georgia (an absolutely otherworldly town, unbelievably atmospheric - totally unlike ANY city I've ever been to!); and a few stops in South and North Carolina as well. It was quite a trip. We covered over 3000 miles total! But here's the part of the trip that will interest Beatles fans. . . Before the trip, I did a little Beatle research ahead of time, and I booked a musically historic room in a musically historic hotel: We stayed one night in the Deauville Hotel in Miami. As you'll recall, The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 16, 1964 live from the Deauville Hotel in Miami. Their stay was chronicled in the documentary "The Beatles First Visit" filmed by the Maysles Brothers.
The Deauville is a beautiful, grand hotel in North Miami, away from all the hustle and nuttiness of Sout Beach. The lobby is HUGE. I made sure we had a reservation for a particular room - Rm 1112: This was the very room Paul and Ringo shared, while staying in Miami in February 1964, during the Beatles' first visit to the US (as seen in the famous "suitcase" scene in the documentary).
And they played their 2nd Ed Sullivan appearance downstairs, on the stage in the hotel's giant Napoleon Ballroom, which was televised to over 70 million people (I even got a bellboy to sneak me into the Napoleon Room, and I got up on that stage for a quick photo!).
Getting back to the room: I had studied footage of Paul, Ringo and George, joking around in Rm 1112, which is available on the DVDs "The First US Visit" and "Anthology", and the room hadn't changed much, except for some of the decor. The connecting door to John and Cynthia's room was still there, too!
And the familiar balcony still looked out onto the brilliant blue-green Atlantic, and the beach below. Wendy even wrote my name in the sand, as per the fans below that same room's balcony back in 1964! Attached is a photo of Wendy's foot-artwork! As the Fabs did to the fans on the beach, I shouted down to Wendy, "Who are YOU, which one are YOU?", ha ha. It really was a kick, though. Quite a place. -------- Jan Owen is a
singer/songwriter who does a great Beatles one-man show! If
you attended the last two Daytrippin' Fan Club parties in
New York City you were able to experience Jan's highly
acclaimed one-man 'Fab Fouray' show including songs that
would be challenge enough for a four-piece band, let alone a
solo guitarist. Jan performed 8 shows at the Cavern Club
(and 3 other venues), for International Beatle Week 2004 and
he'll be playing at the Australian Beatles Festival in
Adelaide in June 2005, and has been invited back to play
Beatle Week 2005 next August as well!
My birthday was on May 23rd, a Monday this year (2005). A few weeks prior to that, "my better half" Wendy had mysteriously told me that, instead of celebrating the birthday the weekend before (May 21 & 22), she wanted me to "keep the Memorial Day weekend (May 28-30th) open - don't book any gigs, OK? I'm going to take you on a little Magical Mystery Birthday Trip!" I couldn't guess what it was and where it was going to be, but eventually Wendy had accidentally dropped a few hints, and I guessed it right: As my BIG birthday gift, she secretly booked us a very, very special room at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for that Memorial Day weekend: the very same room where John Lennon and Yoko Ono had their most famous "Bed-In" (26 years ago, to the week) - where "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded and filmed!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I mean, earlier in the year, we stayed in the same room in Miami's Deauville Hotel that was occupied by Paul and Ringo, in February of '64 when The Beatles played the Sullivan show there, (Read:Tracing the Beatles Footsteps in Miami ), and now…this! Waayyyy cool! And if the above wasn't enough: before our trip, on my actual Birthday, she gave me 1) expensive white pajamas like the ones John wore during the bed-in, 2) the DVD John and Yoko's Year of Peace (which has all the Montreal footage, even with that A-hole Al Crapp, er, um, I mean, Al Capp, in it), and 3) a CD called "John Lennon: Bedism", which has a lot of their press interviews from that week in 1969. So, we hadn't even started on our trip, and I was already in "Beatles Heaven".
In the chandelier-lit foyer, the first thing our eyes set upon was a beautifully framed photo of a bearded, 28-year old Beatle, John Lennon. He sat, in white pajamas, upon the mattress that lay on this suite's living room floor 26 years ago this week. His knees were up and hugged tight to his chest. He looked at once as wise as the proverbial "old man in the mountain" and as vulnerable as an orphaned child (that in a certain way, he indeed once was). It was a hard-to-describe moment for us, but wonderful nonetheless. There was a warmth and presence to the entire suite. The foyer was the hub connecting the complex of rooms. As we walked in from the corridor, to our left was the bathroom, all black marble (with his-and-hers bathrobes inside!). To our right was a good-sized kitchenette. The bedroom and living room were separated from the foyer by their own French (what else?) doors. The bedroom had a magnificent mahogany framed king-sized bed, and a huge TV. (BTW: this was a corner suite, so the bedroom looked out onto one boulevard, while the living room looked out onto that as well as the boulevard crossing it &endash; quite a view). The entire suite was in a "modern-traditional" style (for lack of a better term &endash; hey, what do I know?) -- elegance from floor to ceiling! Very classy (I'm not going to tell you how much Wendy laid out for this one-day/night stay, but let's put it this way……I don't deserve her!).
And now, the "piéce de résistance": over the couch, on the living room wall hung a huge (maybe 5'x4'), framed, glass-enclosed and tastefully designed display, commemorating the events of both the Bed-in and "GpaC" recording/filming. On a red felt backing, was a sweet color photo of John and Yoko lounging on the mattress they had moved from their bed to the living room floor. John gives the "peace" sign with both his fingers and his upraised feet, put together in a "V". The photo was parenthesized by gold "GpaC" singles, and below that were the lyrics to the song. Below the lyrics was a small, engraved plaque, describing those musically historic events. Quite a centerpiece to the room, and to the suite itself. This room also had a huge couch, 3 or 4 luxurious chairs, a writing table and chair and it's own giant-screened TV. We, of course, documented about every inch of each room (including close-up shots of each framed photograph), and filmed all our activities (well, not all of them, actually) on about 5 rolls of film (B & W and color), a digital camera and a camcorder. We didn't miss a beat. The service at the Queen Elizabeth was lighting-quick, and the entire staff was very friendly, and they waited on us hand and foot - - this is the first time in our lives that Wendy and I felt like royalty! Within no more than 20 minutes of our being in the room, the doorbell rang (the suite even had a doorbell, can you believe it?!), and a bellman brought us champagne in a bucket of ice, and a basket of exotic fruits (mango, kiwi, papaya, bananas, etc). Wendy laughed when I said I thought they were plastic!
I looked around the suite and thought, "Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?" Of course! Wendy and I could tell, from the print-outs of the John & Yoko Bed-in photos we had brought along for reference, that they had slept not in their bedroom, but on a mattress moved into the living room, by the radiator and big picture window. Well, can you guess what happens next? That's right - - After a gentle bout of begging and pleading with Wendy (she didn't really mind, and warmed up to the idea quickly, actually - always an adventurer at heart, like me). I asked 2 bellmen (thanks Jacques, and especially Patrick &endash; you rule, dude!) to come up to the suite, take our very big and heavy mattress off our bed, drag it into the living room and drop it on the floor by the radiator and huge picture window, which they did with devilish glee. They put that mattress down onto the exact spot where John and Yoko slept (etc, etc), entertained reporters and guests (and suffered fools like Al Capp), and, of course, sang and filmed the monumentally important and historic "Give Peace a Chance"!! And we soon realized that the other reason why John and Yoko probably moved the mattress there (I forget what the first one was, ha ha) was that it afforded them (and us, 26 years later) a birds-eye view of the beautiful city of Montreal: the bright lights of the le Boulevard Rene Levesque, and the green basilicas of the old Roman Catholic Church below. We even witnessed the taking of the post-wedding photos of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's son and his lovely bride, complete with a white Rolls Limo, and Royal Canadian Mounties with swords raised high, as an "archway" for the bride and groom to descend the outside church steps. Pretty cool, unexpected "icing" on this already wonderful "cake", eh?
Now, you know that, as both a singer/guitarist and Beatles/Lennon freak, I just couldn't pass up this opportunity: to play and sing "Give Peace a Chance" in that very room, in bed on that very spot! So, I magic-markered some peace slogans on small 16"x12" construction paper, and scotch-taped them to the big window above the radiator behind our "bed-on-the-floor". I also (as John had done, unbeknownst to most) wrote out the lyrics to "GPAC" onto a big piece of oak tag, and taped it to the front of the living room TV, so I could see the words from the bed (just as John had done - I always thought he had the words memorized). We set the camcorder on a table, Wendy assumed the lotus position next to me on the bed, and I whipped out my...guitar (get yer thoughts out of the gutter!). Of course, you know what's
next, re the singing of the song, but there was a cool
little back-story twist to this. Initially, I was planning
to round up strangers from other rooms, the elevator, lobby,
etc, to come to our suite and sing along for our own little
videotaped "happening". But there were two problems with
that: first, unfortunately, the high pollen count in Canada
at the time played nasty on Wendy's throat, making it hard
to eat or drink. She was in considerable discomfort for most
of the time (I felt so sorry for her. She, of all people,
should have been able to enjoy every second of this trip!
Soooo unfair!), and didn't know if she was getting a cold or
maybe strep throat. So I really didn't want to drag a bunch
of people into the room. Also, as she had pointed out to me,
if all the folks we found didn't know "Give Peace a Chance"
by heart (or weren't Beatles fans), the "event" could have
turned into a train wreck. So she suggested this: "Why don't
you bring the CD player [the hotel provided for our
room] over beside the bed, play the CD of the original
song [which, being the good little Beatlles fan, I
brought along on our trip, to play in the car], and you
play along live with your guitar and sing &endash; this way
it'll be like you're singing with John, Yoko and their
friends." Perfect - we did just that! Wendy, of course,
couldn't sing because of her throat, so she mimed along and
swayed with me to the primordial beat of the song. I pressed
Play on the CD, and we sang our hearts out, accompanying the
voices of 26 years ago - in the same city, hotel, room and
upon a mattress on the exact same spot as John & Yoko
& Co. Ah, what a wonderful thing to experience, a great,
happy, positive vibe!! We had a wonderful dinner that Saturday night in the hotel's restaurant, then checked out its shops (and a bit of the underground mall, where Wendy bought me a cool Rubber Soul-looking brown suede jacket, to go with the Liverpool-made brown suede Beatle Boots she surprised me with at the NJ Beatlefest in April! &endash; did I mention that I am a very lucky guy, and I don't deserve her?). Up in the mammoth hotel lobby, we tracked down a bellman that was working there back in '69, when John and Yoko stayed there. His name is Andre, a delightful gentleman, a veritable human wellspring of stories and anecdotes (much like someone else, ha ha). Although he never had direct interaction with J & Y, he told some interesting tales of some of the other visitors to the Queen Elizabeth: like the Queen Mother herself, Tony Bennett, Charlton Heston and even Marlon Brando! And Patrick (my happy co-conspirator in "The Case of the Moved Mattress" from earlier in the day) secretly handed me the very last (a handful of about 10) of an extremely limited stock of the special commemorative "John & Yoko Bed-in Anniversary" post cards the hotel had specially printed. As I said, the people who work in the Queen Elizabeth are a cool and very special breed &endash; this is such honored and special job, that most of them make a lifetime career of it, if they can. Later that night, as we prepared for bed, we turned on the TV in the living room, and were treated to a funny surprise. On TV, totally by coincidence, the local station was showing, of all things, A Hard Days Night &endash; but spoken in French [La Nuit D'un Jour Dur], which was a kick to watch and listen to (Paul, re his grandfather: "Il est très proper."). The songs were sung in English, though. We had, as George said, in AHDN, "a giggle". The next morning a waiter rolled a white-cloth-covered table into the room and served us the absolute, most sumptuous, breakfast either of us has ever had in our lives! Everything on that table was THE freshest and finest looking/tasting thing a person could ever hope to eat: crepes, sausages, poached eggs, ham, croissants, muffins, bacon, fresh fruits, inch-thick-but-airy-and-light wheat toast (like in that Little Rascals episode with Spanky, Scotty Moore, the jar of jelly and the inch-thick bread), imported jellies, soft whipped butter, fresh-squeezed juices, coffee, tea - - we absolutely felt like Royalty! Funnily enough, that breakfast remains on both Wendy's and my "Top Three" of the list of the 10 best things we loved about our stay in Montreal, ha ha. But, damn, the breakfast was simply that amazingly good! Soon it was time to check out, and, to be honest, it was quite a depressing feeling for us (like what Cinderella felt, when her horse-drawn coach turned back into a pumpkin at midnight). I mean, we both wished we were millionaires and could stay in that suite of rooms forever! Wendy and I never did this before, but we actually (and pathetically, ha) waved a sad goodbye to the room, before closing the door with the silver "John Lennon" plaque on it, behind us. (The words to the chorus of Ringo's song, "Photograph" come to mind at the moment). But in our hearts and minds, a part of us will always be there - as we knew a part of John somehow was still there the very moment we first stepped foot in that marvelous suite (and at the moment I toppled from that chair!). And I think he always will be. Thanks eternally, Wendy, for the inspiringly memorable "Magical Montreal Mystery Tour" you gave me for my birthday!! -------- Jan Owen is a
singer/songwriter who does a great Beatles one-man show! If
you attended the last two Daytrippin' Fan Club parties in
New York City you were able to experience Jan's highly
acclaimed one-man 'Fab Fouray' show including songs that
would be challenge enough for a four-piece band, let alone a
solo guitarist. Jan performed 8 shows at the Cavern Club
(and 3 other venues), for International Beatle Week 2004 and
has been invited back to play Beatle Week 2005 this
August! |
Daytrippin' is an independent fan club and is not officially associated with The Beatles, Apple Records or Capitol Records.
Shea
Stadium closing
I
couldn't believe it. I'd finally found out where Paul
McCartney was recording. There it was in black and white.
I was looking through a rock and roll magazine, waiting
for my girlfriend to get off work at a deli that summer
night of 1974. I knew Paul McCartney and family were in
Nashville vacationing and recording. In the random notes
section of the magazine it said: "Paul McCartney, while
vacationing in Nashville, is also doing some recording at
Sound Shop recording studio."
Needless
to say, we were hanging around the studio parking lot the
next day. Around noon, a white rental car pulled up with
Paul driving. Linda was sitting next to him like a couple
out on a date. They were very friendly, posing for
pictures and talking to us before they went in the
studio. I remember being struck by how beautiful Linda
was in person, not just nice, but very pretty.
I
have fond memories of pressing my ear against the wall to
hear Wings recording "Junior's Farm," (named after Tree
Publishing writer Curly Putnam's farm where Wings
stayed). It took forever. I'll bet I heard that intro
lick a hundred times. They were having fun and in no
hurry. My fondest memory of all is of one afternoon, when
I had my friend's camera and Paul stopped to pose for me.
There was no one else around. I was looking through the
view finder at Paul striking muscle-man poses and cutting
up and I'm thinking, "I can't believe Paul McCartney is
doing all this for just one fan . . . me." Unfortunately,
the negatives disappeared from the college darkroom, but
that moment was and will always be special to
me.
Note:
The photo of Paul and Linda is by Skip Comer. This was
probably taken just after they had arrived at the studio
one day. Notice their white rental car in the background.
The picture outside Sound Shop Studio is of Cris Moore,
taken February of 2005 by Lou Moore. This is the area,
outside the front lobby, where fans would hang out while
Wings was recording in 1974. The building has been added
onto since the days when Paul used it. The large two
story addition in the back houses publishing offices.
There has been an additional studio room added also. In
the 70s, not only did top country acts record there, but
also top rock acts like Wings, Grand Funk, and Neil
Young. In the last few years, top acts like Brooks and
Dunn, Amy Grant and Lonestar have recorded platinum
albums in the studio. Cris Moore, the author of this
article, even got to work in the studio in the late 90s
with country/blues artist, Lee Roy Parnell. I couldn't
help imagining Paul working right where we were working.
I know the "vibes" made for a better
recording!
Needless
to say, Wendy and I had an AMAZING time in Montreal!! On
Saturday, May 28th, at 1pm, we arrived at the luxurious
Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, on le Boulevard Rene
Levesque. We took the elevator to the 17th floor, and
approached Room 1742, named "The John Lennon Suite", at the
end of a corridor. Just below the room # on the door, there
was an elegant 6"x4" silver plaque, on which were the
embossed words, "John Lennon". We slowly opened the door
with anticipation. And feeling like Dorothy, as she opened
the door to find a Technicolor Oz, our jaws practically
dropped to the floor in awe: what a gorgeous suite, way
beyond our expectations.
The
walls of every room were lined with beautiful, lovingly
framed and matted original photos - each one personally
signed and numbered by the two photographers who were there
26 years ago - of John and Yoko, together in bed, being
interviewed, lounging, and ones taken during the filming of
"Give Peace a Chance", with Tommy Smothers, a tripped-out
Timothy Leary, and others. Yoko had handpicked these photos
personally for this suite only! 
During
our stay, we did what J & Y did: we never ventured out
to explore Montreal, we stayed in the hotel the whole time,
mostly in our white PJ's, reading newspapers, eating fruit,
talking ("in our beds for a week" - well, one day,
actually), watching some TV and doing other things, of
course. 