The Beatles (161 page)

“
In fact, we discovered Gene Vincent
”: Author interview with Eric Griffiths, 7/16/98.

“
They once came and played
”: Author interview with Mike Rice, 7/27/98.

By John’s own admission
:
“John used to say how much an audience meant to him; it made him feel like this wasn’t just a lark.” Author interview with Eric Griffiths, 7/16/98.

contest
/“no pay
”: “We entered all the contests where you never got paid.” Author interview with Johnny Byrne, 10/8/97.

“
People actually preferred the theater
”: Author interview with Bill Harry, 8/4/97.

“
They had a coach
”: Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
This is an unusual situation
”: Author interview with Bill Harry, 8/4/97.

“
We were robbed
”: Author interview with Colin Hanton, 10/6/97.

“
We got a lesson in showmanship
”: Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
I was just drifting
”: John Lennon, 1965 interview, in
Anthology,
p. 12.

“
who was crazy for jazz
”: “It was owned by Alan Sytner, who was crazy for jazz.” Author interview with Ray Ennis, 10/1/97.

Called the Cavern
: Harry,
Encyclopedia of Beatles People,
p. 310.

Since its official launch
: Lewisohn,
Chronicle,
p. 14.

“
sophisticated skiffle
”: “We played what one guy called sophisticated stiffle, which was traditional jazz and blues with a jazzy rhythm section.” Author interview with Ray Ennis, 10/1/97.

“
Can you bring them down
”: Author interview with Nigel Walley, 3/7/98.

“
as though we were playing the Palladium
”: Author interview with Pete Shotton, 1/19/98.

“
a slight tension
”: Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
John was very witty
”: Author interview with Nigel Walley, 3/7/98.

a Quarry Bank school dance
: “The Quarry Men played for at least one school dance. People would be doing quick-steps to the George Edwards Band, but they would jive in the intervals.” Author interview with Rod Davis, 7/22/98.

“
the jungle
”: Wenner,
Lennon Remembers,
p. 100.

His legwork eventually led
: Author interview with Pete Shotton, 7/11/98.

“
[Mike] said he’s got this record
”: Goldman,
Lives of John Lennon,
p. 63.

“
some things just didn’t click
”: “I’m not even sure that John was as much of an Elvis fan as everyone makes him out to be.” Author interview with Eric Griffiths, 7/16/98.

“
We started doing even more numbers
”: “John was quite taken with Elvis. For a while, it was all he was interested in.” Author interview with Colin Hanton, 10/6/97.

“
would-be intellectual” clientele
: Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
Rock and roll is a monstrous threat
”:
Melody Maker,
5/5/56.

“
By this time, John thought
”: Author interview with Pete Shotton, 1/19/98.

“
What do you think you’re doing?
”: Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
Cut out the bloody rock
”: This has been reported in almost every version of the Beatles’ story and was confirmed in author interviews with Rod Davis, Colin Hanton, and Pete Shotton.

“
The sound of it got to me
”: Author interview with Pete Shotton, 1/19/98.

Jet plane travel idled
: Author interview with Robin Morgan, 6/18/97.

“
Indeed, let us be frank
”:
The Times
(London), 7/21/57.

“
slave to fate
”: Donne, Holy Sonnets, no. 10, 1.9 (1612).

“
There was neither an affiliation
”: Author interview with Quentin Hughes, 10/3/97.

“
one of nature’s true gentlemen
”: M. McCartney,
Thank U Very Much
(unnumbered).

terrace house at 3 Solva
:
Kelly’s Directories,
1905–39.

the Margaret Street Baths
: Author interview with Joan Murray, 1/6/99.

“
a place to aspire to
”: Author interview with Marie Crawford, 1/5/99.

“
a suburb of which Liverpool
”: Picton,
Architectural History of Liverpool,
p. 59.

“
a healthy place to live
”: Liverpool Housing Authority.

“
never really excelled
”: Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/11/98.

“
Joe put all his faith
”:
Ibid.

“
the donkey work”—running along
: Author interview with William Newton, 10/31/97.

Joe loved opera
: M. McCartney,
Thank U Very Much
(unnumbered).

He had a brittle, choppy style
: Author interview with Shelagh Johnson, 10/29/97.

“
My father learned his music
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 23.

“
the swingman of Solva Street
”: M. McCartney,
Thank U Very Much;
confirmed by author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/11/98.

“
rakish” black facecloths
: Salewicz,
McCartney,
p. 10.

“
Eloise
”: Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/12/98.

“
a born salesman
”: Author interview with William Newton, 10/31/97.

she spoke “posh
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
pp. 6, 10.

she enrolled in a three-year general program
: Author interview with Myfanwy Butler, 12/18/98.

“
Mary was so career-conscious
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/98.

“
We were so immersed
”: “We simply loved our careers. No one had time to consider families.” Author interview with Myfanwy Butler, 12/18/98.

“
wasn’t at all musical
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/98.

“
utterly charming and uncomplicated
”: Ibid.

Rose was a witch
: Author interview with John Mohin, 12/12/98.

“
Mary went to nursing school
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/98.

the Royal Cotton Commission
: Author interview with William Newton, 10/31/97.

“
Medical personnel were being recruited
”: Author interview with Quentin Hughes, 10/3/97.

It was the “austere side
”: “Uncle Jim had two sides to him… a pretending-to-be-austere side, and then winking at you, as if [to say], ‘I don’t really mean it.’ ” Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/11/98.

Ungrudgingly, Jim labored there
: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/98.

at Town Hall on April 8, 1941
: City of Liverpool, Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages, Personnel and Administrative Directorate.

On June 18, 1942
: Ibid.

“
teardrop eyes, high forehead
”: Author interview with Shelagh Johnson, 10/29/97.

lime from nearby mass graves
: Salewicz,
McCartney,
p. 14.

“
Everton… was a place to leave
”: Author interview with Shelagh Johnson, 10/29/97.

“
drab part
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/98.

The building… [was] decent enough
: Ibid.

“
much like the parish priest
”: Author interview with Shelagh Johnson, 10/29/97.

a deadly cigarette habit
: “Both my parents smoked.” Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 35.

Fairway Street
: Author interview with Shelagh Johnson, 10/29/97.

“
The rot had set in
”: Author interview with William Newton, 10/31/97.

here
Jim’s salary: “If Jim could take home £6 at the end of a hard week’s work, he was doing well.” Salewicz,
McCartney,
p. 19; higher figure as a result of research conducted at Liverpool Cotton Association, 10/30/97.

They’d “never be wealthy
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/97.

“
asked [her bosses] for a move
”: Ibid.

“
a new model town
”: Author interview with Mark Julius, Liverpool Corporation, Housing Services, 11/4/97.

Speke functioned as a one-class
: Author interview with Quentin Hughes, 10/3/97.

“
we were always on the edge
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 5.

“
Oh, I’ve been poorly
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/97.

“
duly bashed
”: M. McCartney,
Thank U Very Much
(unnumbered).

“
Jim and Mary never smacked the boys
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/97.

“
The McCartney boys were like a circus
”: Author interview with John Mohin, 12/12/97.

“
followed him like a puppy
”:
Ibid.

“
charm the skin off a snake
”: Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/12/98.

In photographs
: M. McCartney,
Thank U Very Much
(unnumbered).

“
quiet diplomacy
”: Davies,
Beatles,
p. 24.

“
super spy
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 10.

“
This is where my love
”: Ibid.

“
He was a great conversationalist
”: Author interview with John Mohin, 12/12/97.

“
He was very into crosswords
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 12.

“
Mary was very keen
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/97.

model curriculum
: Salewicz,
McCartney,
p. 25.

In Paul’s class
: Joseph Williams Primary School records.

“
It was too big a cutoff
”: Author interview with Paul McCartney, 3/21/97.

Founded… in 1825
: Liverpool Institute handbook, 1958.

“
a gentleman’s school
”: Author interview with Colin Manley, 10/3/97.

twenty of the fifty-two faculty members
: Ibid.

school motto
: Liverpool Institute archives.

On Monday, September 8
: Ibid.

Liverpool Institute uniform
: Description confirmed by Colin Manley, 10/3/97.

Nearly a thousand boys
: Author interview with Don Andrew, 10/4/97.

“
We were
eleven
”: Author interview with Colin Manley, 10/3/97.

“
The first year, I was pretty lost
”: Author interview with Paul McCartney, 3/21/97.

“
He had a real talent
”: Author interview with Don Andrew, 10/4/97.

“
I always [made] my own Christmas cards
”: Author interview with Paul McCartney, 3/21/97.

“
work on these massive, great canvases
”: Ibid.

students never “stayed with art
”: Author interview with Don Andrew, 10/4/97.

“
that
they
paint and
we
don’t
”: Author interview with Paul McCartney, 3/21/97.

“
I remember walking along the art room
”: Author interview with Don Andrew, 10/4/97.

“
reasonably academic
”: Author interview with Paul McCartney, 3/21/97.

“
had a lot of music in him
”: Ibid.

“
sing-along stuff
”: “My main roots are in sing-along stuff, like ‘When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-bob-bobbin’ Along’ and ‘Carolina Moon.’ ” Leigh,
Speaking Words of Wisdom,
p. 6.

“
Greensleeves” and “Let Me Go Lover
”: BBC archives.

“
very northern
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 24.

“
We made the mistake
”: Davies,
Beatles,
p. 29.

Paul considered it “a revelation
”: Paul McCartney in
Anthology,
p. 22.

Zenith guitar
:
Anthology
(video), part 1.

“
The minute he got that guitar
”: Davies,
Beatles,
p. 31.

“
have a little go
”: “My mom, Bett, who is left-handed and played guitar, used to babysit [Paul]. She had a ukulele and would say, ‘Come on, have a little go.’ ” Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/11/98.

“
all rather inexact
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 21.

“
Physically, she wasn’t able
”: Author interview with Dill Mohin, 12/16/97.

“
I always thought of the area
”: Author interview with Dot Rhone Becker, 11/19/98.

“
there was blood on the sheets
”: Miles,
Paul McCartney,
p. 20.

“
The big shock in my teenage years
”: Paul McCartney in
Anthology,
p. 19.

“
I was determined not to let it affect
”: Ibid.

“
There was no one better suited
”: Author interview with Kate Robbins, 1/11/98.

The boys were understandably ecstatic
: “We were quite proud to be involved. We were the only skiffle band, and it was the first time one was featured.” Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.

“
the biggest social event
”: “Half the village took part in it, and the other half went to watch.” Author interview with Colin Hanton, 10/16/97.

The band clambered onto a flatbed truck
: St. Peter’s Garden Fete program, 1957; descriptions also from author interviews with Rod Davis, Eric Griffiths, Nigel Walley, Colin Hanton, Pete Shotton.

Sally Wright/Susan Dixon
: Liverpool
Echo,
7/7/57;
Liverpool Weekly News,
7/10/57.

“
John packed it in
”: Author interview with Colin Hanton, 10/16/97.

literally dozens of such stalls
: O’Donnell,
Day John Met Paul,
p. 87; and “You could throw hoops over things, there would be cake stalls, lemonade.” Author interview with Rod Davis, 9/30/97.