Kenny Everett's contemporary account of the fabled housewarming/Pepper launch party at Kingsley Hill is laced with fascinating detail, not to mention sly references to "joss sticks". It also throws up (and I use the term advisedly) a couple of questions. The schwing-ding is famous in Beatle-watching circles for (at least) 2 reasons - Cynthia's nightmarish acid meltdown, culminating in an aborted suicidal leap from a top floor window, and Paul's non-appearance, causing Brian to drape himself over a piano (or some such), declaiming melodramatically,"That he didn't come, on this day of all days." Palpable nonsense.
Actually, at least one of these may in fact have been palpable, as I say, etc.. The party has hitherto been dated Sunday 28th May, thus explaining Paul's absence: on that date he had to pick Jane up from London airport, returning as she was from her State-side theatre run.
Now, Kenny (and let's not forget this was written shortly after the event) explicitly contradicts this: he not only dates it to Saturday 27th, but also places Paul very much at the party, clad in "wild ascot tie" amongst other things.
Explanation?
I dunno - maybe there was another party that Paul didn't attend, and memories of the two have somehow become conflated over the years. Maybe Paul really didn't appear, and his absence was covered up (ie someone asked Ken to pretend that Paul had been there (which seems far-fetched)). Or maybe someone mis-remembered Paul's absence, and this is another example of a "fact" that never was.
It should be noted that, with it being a Beatle party in the summer of 1967, almost everyone was toasted on Owsley, amongst other things; it's amazing that anyone can remember anything whatsoever about goings on, so perhaps the last explanation makes most sense.
Kenny later went into rather more explicit detail regarding events, including the, frankly, excessive quantities of puke involved. Lovely stuff indeed.
It's also "innaresting" to note the references to "Cynth", who not only displays an "acres-of-teeth" smile, but also manages to make chit-chat about ongoing renovation at Kenwood (which needn't, of course, contradict her account of events). At one point, too, it's John who appears at a top floor window. Palpable etc.
From the pages of quarterly publication Teen Datebook, published November 1967. As usual, scanned in hi-res, so download and zoom to read.
