Bangor: Paolo Ammassari interview.

In the summer of 2011, a fascinating bit of home movie footage appeared on YouTube. It shows the Beatles in the kitchen/dining room of their accomodation at Bangor, during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 1967 which, o' course, culminated in the news of Brian Epstein's demise.
As both the film and the above still reveal, Paolo Ammassari, from Italy, was there too, witness to a key moment in the story. T'internet being what it is, our paths crossed the other day, and Paolo was kind enough to answer a few questions...

KENWOODLENNON: Please introduce yourself! What's your background?

PAOLO AMMASSARI: Long story. Degree in Engineering. Once CEO in one of the Costa Smeralda Companies (the most important touristic European development). Town Planner & Architectural Engineering. At that time (1967) I was 29.

KL: Why were you in Bangor that August weekend in 1967?

PA: I came from Denmark, driving a German car, with other two friends: Ulla and Fabio Posada, with the purpose to join Maharishi in Bangor for a course in meditation. I started TM in 1964 and in these times I followed Him in all His steps in Europe.

KL: I believe you were designated driver for Maharishi in Bangor. How did you get the “job”?

PA: I knew Him since 1964 when I started Meditation. Because of the joy of His lectures and the happiness He was radiating I followed Him all summers He spent in Europe. So I think I earned some trust from Him.

KL: Various photos/film show you as very much part of the "inner sanctum" that weekend (ie with the Beatles in the kitchen that they used as a base of operations, in the Maharishi's room etc). How did you meet them, and how did you gain such access to them?

PA: It was really by chance, not programmed. I drove the Maharishi's car, as I told you, and I don’t remember if on the same day (as the film), or the day before, I drove the car with Maharishi (on my right hand – the car was German, I suppose) and the Four all in the back. Fantastic ! I hoped some picture was taken of that car with all those folk inside but I didn’t find any. There was also one other occasion when I drove Maharishi. Once He arrived by airplane to Rome after midnight. I went to pick Him up at the Fiumicino airport, with my sports car, and I brought Him to the hotel, where He gave some lectures and press interviews. It was strange to see a sports car with open roof with a white dressed Maharishi’s long hair and beard in the wind, in a night of June !


KL: Can you remember any specific conversations with any of them from that time?

PA: During the meeting in the small dining room of the college, with John we spoke about two points: Nazca land drawings (strange isn’t it), and about the possibility of some degree of spirituality not linked to religions. Some years later I heard “Imagine” !!!!

KL: How did the other people there for the Maharishi's talks regard the presence of the Beatles?

PA: One word - enthusiasm. Maybe too much, and I was a little worried about it. During the lecture (there are pictures of it in b&w) the hall was crowded and a few people (I remember, among others, a young man with very sincere eyes) had some questions to forward in a very sympathetic, respectful and, I can say, in an unexpected sweet way. Maharishi spoke about the way in which Transcendental Meditation drives the familiarity of the meditator to states of Transcendental Consciousness and, with the regular practice of it, to an establishment of deep Cosmic Consciousness. The audience was absolutely fascinated by the Maharishi's speech.

KL: You've no doubt seen the footage of the lecture you're talking about:

The Beatles were, fairly obviously, on the stage. What part did they play in the lecture? Did they speak at any point? Were any questions directed towards them, and if so, what?

PA: Yes I saw that film. I was there but in the back row on the right side of Maharishi, and not found in the pictures. The Beatles didn't speak, they were just listening with pleasure and attention. The audience was focused on Maharishi's speech, but the presence of the Four was giving an exceptional atmosphere of charm and joy.

KL: Do you recall anything about the news of Brian's death?

PA: Yes, they were deeply concerned at the news. They went to Maharishi and the farewell was quiet and sad.

KL: Did you subsequently keep in contact with any of them?

PA: No.

KL: Do you have any photos relating to any of the above?

PA: Unfortunately not. As I told you, many pictures were taken during the short drive from the lecture hall and the college, but I haven’t seen any. I would be pleased if you are able to find some.

KL: Many thanks to Paolo, and if anyone has, or comes across, any pictures of those car journeys with Paolo in the driver's seat, then please get in touch.

Dartmoor: Newbridge.

A while back, I was asked if I knew the location of the bridge that brought MMT to a halt. God, does it not, loves a visual metaphor, and thus the bus, together with attendant retinue, was famously stymied by a narrow crossway, with the whole shebang forced to reverse half a mile and try another route. (The stars in the above illustration represent expletives from les Fabs, who failed to see the funny side.)
Anyway, I was pleased to reply that I did not know the location, as to have that level of trivia at one's fingertips would represent a tragic waste of a life.
Appallingly, however, having since been unable to resist a rummage for the locale, the tragedy rumbles on: it turns out the offending arches belong to Newbridge on the edge of Dartmoor, a 15th century listed structure which is locally famous, being the subject of postcards and the like, as in this detail from one circa 1930s:


It even has its own Wikipedia entry, and though you'll find no mention of MMT, there is a link to the Coach Drivers' Handbook For The Dartmoor Area, which offers warnings of dire consequences to anyone in charge of a large (possibly multi-coloured) charabanc who doesn't carefully plan their route to avoid narrow medieval bridges.
(Readahs can now relive this episode in Beatles history from the comfort of their own hovels, via the medium of finding the bridge on Google Street view, then repeatedly pressing the reverse button whilst hurling profanity and fulmination at the screen.)

Kenwood: film number 9.

This is the ninth bit of film to emerge from Kenwood, by my reckoning (and lumping John's home movies in as one). The preamble outlines its origins. Obligatory "thens" have been inserted (somewhat roughly, but there we are). Much of it will be familiar to regulah readahs, though there are a few hitherto unseen nooks, not to mention crannies. All sounds are authentically Kenwood, too. I can say no more.
(Except: Happy New Year. Should be an interesting one for Beatling, as the first volume of Mark Lewisohn's enormous 3-part tome will appear; plus Lizzie Bravo's remarkable book of photos; and I remain hopeful that the 3D sunroom sees the light o' day sometime soon. One or two other things possibly on the horizon, and doubtless other "stuffs" will turn up through the year. In the meantime, enjoy this.)

Chrimbo: etc.

Nuff said.


Thanks to Ian Drummond for the seasonal shizzle.

Tara Browne: oot and aboot.

Tara Browne, so the story goes, and as you are no doubt aware, was the man who blew his etc. out in a etc. This slice o' milieu has just popped up on YouTube, and a remarkable little film it is too. Browne, looking uncannily like Peter Cook, buys "threads", attends clubs and "swings", hangs out at Robert Fraser's gallery whilst "birds" of a "dolly" persuasion examine art, chucks Beatles and Dylan albums around like the disposable commodities they once were (Oi! That's a hundred pound "piece" you muppet!)...and so it goes on.
This was very much the world les Fabs moved in at that time, and you half expect one or other of them to suddenly appear. Tara is also seen driving the car that killed him, and the whole thing, topped off by a close-up of the doomed youth, has an undeniable sense of impending etc., much like the song his demise is said to have inspired.
Many thanks to Julian Carr for sniffin' this oot.

Kenwood: more caravan.

And whither the caravan? Last seen rotting in the grounds of Tittenhurst, still no word on what ultimately became of it. But here it is, intact, in the summer of 1967 at Kennie.

Kenwood: August '67 re-ups.

Yo shorties etc. (I'm not going any further down that path.) Here a couple of pics that have been on before, but in the case of the above slightly cropped and lower res, and in the case of the below, in dreadful quality.
So this is it better, from the pages of odd French publication J2: John and Terry Doran (below, that is - the fellow above, whose photos these are, is now a politician I believe) caught on the step outside the dining room at Kenwood in August 1967, whilst one of the ubiquitous cats goes about its business. Plus a similar view from 2006:


Note how, amongst other things, a door has appeared where previously there was only a window. Now if only that internal sunroom shot, from the same day, would turn up in reasonable quality too.

Wapping Pier Head: more MDO.

More MDO reconstruction from Bert Kleersnijder, and further evidence of John "helping" with that pick-axe. Wot a helpful chap.
That's Don McCullin's army jacket, which saw active service in Vietnam:


George, you are spoiling us wis zees stripey trousers:


At one point, the people living in those blocks proffered items for signage, including a copy of Rubber Soul which duly turned up for auction a couple of years back, and sold for a squillion pounds (or something):


Many thanks again to Bert.

Degs and Jack: intercourse.

Kinfauns: please Go away.

George in 1967, apparently post-EMI session, looking more than a little displeased; his eccentrically punctuated plea first ignored, and then, no doubt, nicked. So it goes.
George was often pictured at this door, which served as de-facto front door, being closest to the entrance gate. It was actually the way in to the dining room:


Thanks to Joe Baiardi for this splendid snap (relatively hi-res too).

Cavendish Avenue: 'tachefest '67.

Paul and John talkin' the 'tache in Cavendish Avenue circa Sgt Pepper. Interesting for any number of reasons to those who may be interested, but the Night o' The Eyes always in mind (not literally).
Intereshtingly, John caught in almost the same position as Paul:


Cheers Tammy... Oh you.

Montagu Square: 34 by night.

Were you to take a shotgun, cock both hammers, invite it into my mouth and demand an answer to the hardy perrenial, "Choose one Beatles album, and one only. Which shall it be?", I'd be forced to answer "Plee tae i gu ou my mou. I canno enuniae wi a gu i my mou." And then I'd say, "the White Album".
34 Montagu Square was, of course, where John lived whilst contributing to the aforementioned opus, having opted out of Kenwood due to his new "thang" with Yoko. The walls therein witnessed an eventful few months, culminating in the drug bust of Rocktober '68 (of which more in a later post). And, for the third time, I managed to get in, on this occasion finally armed with a camera.
But enough o' my yakkin', where are the Then & Nows already?
Above, the recently unearthed shot of John returning to the flat in the early hours of a '68 morn, and the same location last night. Note the blue plaque. (And I'm going to need a hand getting that postbox into my boot.)(I know a running gag when I see one, db.)
Through the door and into the entrance hall:


The flat occupies two floors, ground and basement. The ground floor has two main rooms - on the left as you enter is the kitchen (as it is now):


Back in the day, the kitchen was downstairs. This room was a bedroom, and here is the very spot where the Two Virgins sleeve was shot:


The window is the same (though bars have been added on the outside) and the external view identical:


Oh look, they've even got the Times in it/on it/against it:


Above the "new" fitted cupboards (the flat was extensively renovated in the mid-90s), some original features remain:


In this corner, the titular bed once sat (and it was here that Pete Shotton decided he'd had enough of being John's "Piss Artist"):


Across the hall is a living room. As ye will no doubt know, before John and Yoko's tenure, Jimi Hendrix also resided here (with Ringo as landlord in both cases). Here they are, on either side of the fireplace (which, I reckon, still has its original surround, were one to strip off that white paint):


All that de-rigeur '60s wood long gone, though:


No pictures of John and Yoko in this room have surfaced thus far. It's quite possible that they didn't really use it, as it's the most exposed room in the flat, with windows opening on to the street.
Heading downstairs, there is another living room. Ringo and Maureen were pictured here in 1965, and John too in 1968 during his Rolling Stone interview with Jonathan Cott. The decor hadn't really changed in the intervening period; note those odd floor-shelves:


This room remains fairly close to its auld incarnation, the main differences being the fireplace, which has had a mantelpiece added, and the removal of the "shelving". But other elements are spottable:



The other main room downstairs used to be the kitchen. There are a few pics of Ringo and Maureen in here, but the best ones in terms of decor spotting feature our old friend Mr Jimi:


Again, the window endures, but nothing much else:


Over Jimi's shoulder, a door can be seen, and there's still one there now:


It leads to a small bathroom, and a mystery:


The question is where were these...:


...these...:


...and these taken?:


This room was John's "office", and it must (one would think) have been in the space now occupied by the above bathroom, and another bathroom on the other side of the wall:


Here's the other bathroom. The mirror wall divides the two, and a bit of wall tapping reveals that there was a door to the right of where the mirror now is:


But damned if I can see any relation between either (or both) rooms and the photos of John's office. I won't go into it at length at this juncture (you'll be relieved to hear), but the answer will no doubt appear if/when contemporary floor plans can be tracked down.
In the meantime, huge thanks to the flat's current owner Reynold D’Silva, and to top bloke Peter Compton for sorting out the shufti.

Wapping Pier Head: more Wapping.

More from Bert Kleersnijder's splendid MDO revisit. Of most interest, perhaps, are those Then & Nows from the non-public side of the garden (and note too the rarely aired uncropped version of this 'un):


So those buildings on the corner there are new. I'd also never seen a present day shot of this location, until now:


The dockside area of Wapping was subject to massive reconstruction in the '80s and '90s; note how the big colonial warehouses behind are all gone now (though some buildings on the other side of the Thames seem to have survived):


Getting all this reconstruction off to a flying start were John and Ringo...:


...who, ever helpful, booted things off via the medium of smashing things with pickaxes:


Many thanks to Bert for sharing these, and yet more to come too.

Kenwood: much attic.

Here's one of the hitherto unseen attic bedrooms in 2006. Which one (at that time there were three, including the former studio) is guessable thanks to Joe's video, which shows traces of the '06 decor still in place amid the renovation, including a tell-tale splash of red in the window alcove nearest the old studio room:


Compare the Lennon-era layout. Note that the wall dividing the windows (and rooms) had been demolished by the time Joe got there:


Inarreshtingly, the Beatles Book labelled the pic of John in the mirror as being from the room next to the studio; taking them at their word, that would mean (to state the numbingly obvious) this very location. And there does seem to be a fit: note the windowsill, and that angled "joist" (or whatever it is) - an exact match:


Outside, the view corresponds with a small bit of the other attic alcove, and the more substantial guest bedroom roof:


So another Kenwood location nailed. There he did squat. Try to contain yourself. Etc.
(Incidentally, this was also the location of the blue window (see posts passim), and that's not it in the mirror shot, which means it must have been installed post-June 29, 1967. Try further to contain yourself.)(AND FAIL, HUMAN.)