We all sat in front of a load of reporters, microphones in front of us. This was probably the worst part of being a Beatle: daft reporters
( Read more... )
I watched the interviewer and the others. Sitting beside Ringo I was on the end of the line and sitting with my hands kept to myself. I kept glancing at the others then to the reporter.
"About five eleven."
I laughed with the others and tried to stop looking like such a git.
We hadn't even been sitting here long and I already wanted this to be over with. Of course press conferences were something we had to do but I still didn't like them. Doing them over and over again was so tiring. The questions they asked sometimes were so stupid you couldn't help but make a joke. Someone had to liven it up didn't they?
I grinned when I heard everyone else start to laugh.
Ringo was the next to pipe up. "It comes from that door over there." I laughed, and John continues.
""Oh, you mean the Army. We all miss it. and if we didn't, we'd all hide in the south of Ireland." The next question came shortly after.
"How closely was your script of the movie, 'A Hard Day's Night' scripted? How much of it did you fellas ad-lib or wing?" I looked around to the others, knowing full well it was all mostly scripted. There was a pause and I decided to give an intelligent answer.
"Land Of Hope and Glory was one of my favorites." I said with a chuckle. I was almost too sarcastic with these reporters sometimes.
"Who decides who's going to sing the lead of a particular song you may do?"
"It depends on alot of things. If I write.... If we write 'em together, he sings higher than me so basically I normally sing lead and he sings harmony. If I can't make it he sings on-tone." I said as I notioned towards Paul.
The questions kept coming, directed at John and Paul and I started looking around the room a bit. Simply just taking in the surroundings of yet another crowded conference room, god.
"Do you write a lot of the songs in the hotel room?" Came one and I looked at the others. Well where else did we have time to write them? Or rather...did John and Paul have to write them.
John answered with a quick "Well, yeah." The next came at Ringo. I found myself only to happy to be able to stare at him openly and not worry. "Ringo?"
"Yes?"
"It's rumored that you have written some things for symphony orchestras." We all had a laugh and Ringo, smiling and shaking his head a little chuckled. "I don't even write letters."
He was always such a laugh. I was barely listening, staring at him too hard I think, when a reporter piped up. "As you're confined to your room all day, what do you do?"
Honestly. What can you do in a hotel room?
"Oh! Tennis and water polo." I spoke with a laugh.
"Hide from security, things like that." I added in.
"Does it get boring?"
Of course it did. Why were they even asking that? Everyone knew we were always stuck in the hotel rooms. We couldn't go anywhere because of the fans.
"No." Ringo answered quickly.
"No, its great." I said seriously before I felt a smile creep onto my face. This conference wasn't going so bad after all.
"If you could just walk down the street without anyone recognizing you, what would you like to do?"
I paused before answering. "Well, we used to do that with no money in our pockets, so there's no point in it. It's a dead loss." I laughed before I glanced at the others.
"Fellas, what's your opinion of the Animals, the group with the big song?"
Oh, I loved The Animals! I was surprised when in almost perfect unison we answered, "Great!" Paul went on and I watched him talk "Very good group. They're nice fellas, too," as opposed to what? Naughty boys? I snickered softly and rubbed my nose.
"Have you seen them before? Have you seen them perform?"
"Yeah, in England," I answered and Paul and Ringo kept going with the other bit. I didn't get it, I didn't think John did either. But then it's possible it wasn't a bit and they were just blowing smoke.
"God save the queens." I said with a smirk before another question popped up.
"John? Have you written a book?"
"Yeah?" I grinned a little before the others started to laugh.
"Who IS she?" Ringo chuckled.
I nodded. "Yes, I have."
"What is it called?" Why were they asking that? If they knew I had a book then they should have known the title. Reporters really were clueless sometimes. I paused before answering.
"So he's gotta be deep. Something deep coming up any minute," Paul quipped and I grinned. It was rubbish really, but it was funny rubbish.
"What's it about?"
"Rubbish!" John threw that in and I really started grinning now. "You should buy it. That's the least you can do after saying that."
Yeah they'd love that. "Why don't you send me an autographed copy?"
What a dick. I really hated these interviews.
"I can't be bothered." 'atta boy Johnny.
"Do you fellas have a favorite American singing group?" Finally, a good question!
John and Paul started going right at it, so I had to wait for a second to even get in a word.
"Favorites." "We've got so many." "American colored groups."
"The Detroit sound. All of the people from Detroit we like." Finally. There now at least I'd gotten a sentence in, but of course John ended the round with "Nearly all of them."
I sighed inwardly and squirmed slightly in my seat.
"What do you think of our American group called the Beach Boys?"
"Great," George answered quickly. I looked over at him for a moment. He hasn't said much, has he? Though he never really did.
"I like them very much, yeah. Very good harmonies."
"We've never seen any of them Live, but they all make good records," John added right after me. I glanced at George again before looking back to the reporters.
I laughed. "No, I'm exaggerating!" I smiled and rolled my eyes as the rest laughed. "A three-foot cake, you know? We give it to a charity or hospital or something." I tried to redeem myself.
"Paul, what was your reaction to the movie after you had seen it yourself?"
"Umm," I started, trying to think of how to answer, "I don't know, you know. With us being in it, I just watched us all the time. So the first time I just didn't think anything. But after a bit I just thought we weren't very good, but that the director was very good." I started to ramble. "I think he's a very good director, but we weren't much good." Really, the movie seemed like just a joke to me.
"About five eleven."
I laughed with the others and tried to stop looking like such a git.
Reply
I grinned when I heard everyone else start to laugh.
Reply
""Oh, you mean the Army. We all miss it. and if we didn't, we'd all hide in the south of Ireland." The next question came shortly after.
"How closely was your script of the movie, 'A Hard Day's Night' scripted? How much of it did you fellas ad-lib or wing?" I looked around to the others, knowing full well it was all mostly scripted. There was a pause and I decided to give an intelligent answer.
"Uhhh..."
Reply
"Well, most of it was script. You can tell the script bits. They're all sort of semi-Irish, Welsh things. Most of it was script. Alot was ad-libbed."
Onto the next question. They never wasted anytime asking. They always moved right along.
"I'd like to direct this question to John and Paul. Out of all the compositions that you've written, which do you..."
I cut him off. "We don't know.." I said as I glanced back over at Paul, waiting for him to say something.
Reply
"Which is what?"
"Which is your favourite," John answered.
"Which is the best?" The reporter corrected.
Reply
"Land Of Hope and Glory was one of my favorites." I said with a chuckle. I was almost too sarcastic with these reporters sometimes.
"Who decides who's going to sing the lead of a particular song you may do?"
"It depends on alot of things. If I write.... If we write 'em together, he sings higher than me so basically I normally sing lead and he sings harmony. If I can't make it he sings on-tone." I said as I notioned towards Paul.
Reply
"Do you write a lot of the songs in the hotel room?" Came one and I looked at the others. Well where else did we have time to write them? Or rather...did John and Paul have to write them.
John answered with a quick "Well, yeah." The next came at Ringo. I found myself only to happy to be able to stare at him openly and not worry.
"Ringo?"
"Yes?"
"It's rumored that you have written some things for symphony orchestras." We all had a laugh and Ringo, smiling and shaking his head a little chuckled. "I don't even write letters."
He was always such a laugh. I was barely listening, staring at him too hard I think, when a reporter piped up. "As you're confined to your room all day, what do you do?"
Honestly. What can you do in a hotel room?
"Oh! Tennis and water polo." I spoke with a laugh.
Reply
"Football, cricket," I continued. Ringo decided to answer honestly.
"We just sit around."
"Sit around, read, tell jokes," I added, "play Monopoly.
"Watch television." I grinned, and decided to add another.
"Smoke." I couldn't help the grin and the knowing glance I sent to the others.
Reply
"Hide from security, things like that." I added in.
"Does it get boring?"
Of course it did. Why were they even asking that? Everyone knew we were always stuck in the hotel rooms. We couldn't go anywhere because of the fans.
"No." Ringo answered quickly.
"No, its great." I said seriously before I felt a smile creep onto my face. This conference wasn't going so bad after all.
"If you could just walk down the street without anyone recognizing you, what would you like to do?"
I paused before answering. "Well, we used to do that with no money in our pockets, so there's no point in it. It's a dead loss." I laughed before I glanced at the others.
Reply
Oh, I loved The Animals! I was surprised when in almost perfect unison we answered, "Great!" Paul went on and I watched him talk "Very good group. They're nice fellas, too," as opposed to what? Naughty boys? I snickered softly and rubbed my nose.
"Have you seen them before? Have you seen them perform?"
"Yeah, in England," I answered and Paul and Ringo kept going with the other bit. I didn't get it, I didn't think John did either. But then it's possible it wasn't a bit and they were just blowing smoke.
"They're nice fellas from Newcastle, you know."
"Good lads," Ringo added on.
Reply
"Alright," I answered.
"Great." John with a bit of sarcasm.
"Get out!" I couldn't hold back the laughter at Ringo, only because I knew he wasn't really joking.
"What's your favourite? Goldwater or Dowdy?"
John answered. "MacMillan."
Reply
"John? Have you written a book?"
"Yeah?" I grinned a little before the others started to laugh.
"Who IS she?" Ringo chuckled.
I nodded. "Yes, I have."
"What is it called?" Why were they asking that? If they knew I had a book then they should have known the title. Reporters really were clueless sometimes. I paused before answering.
"Uhh, 'In His Own Write,' you see."
Reply
"So he's gotta be deep. Something deep coming up any minute," Paul quipped and I grinned. It was rubbish really, but it was funny rubbish.
"What's it about?"
"Rubbish!" John threw that in and I really started grinning now. "You should buy it. That's the least you can do after saying that."
Yeah they'd love that. "Why don't you send me an autographed copy?"
What a dick. I really hated these interviews.
"I can't be bothered." 'atta boy Johnny.
"Do you fellas have a favorite American singing group?" Finally, a good question!
John and Paul started going right at it, so I had to wait for a second to even get in a word.
"Favorites." "We've got so many." "American colored groups."
"The Detroit sound. All of the people from Detroit we like." Finally. There now at least I'd gotten a sentence in, but of course John ended the round with "Nearly all of them."
I sighed inwardly and squirmed slightly in my seat.
Reply
"Great," George answered quickly. I looked over at him for a moment. He hasn't said much, has he? Though he never really did.
"I like them very much, yeah. Very good harmonies."
"We've never seen any of them Live, but they all make good records," John added right after me. I glanced at George again before looking back to the reporters.
Reply
"What presents?" I questioned, holding back a laugh.
"We ship most off them back to England." Ringo added in.
"Well, any of the ones that we can't keep, or the ones that are impractical, like a fifty-foot cake that we could never eat."
Paul said.
I turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"We never had a fifty-foot cake!"
Reply
"Paul, what was your reaction to the movie after you had seen it yourself?"
"Umm," I started, trying to think of how to answer, "I don't know, you know. With us being in it, I just watched us all the time. So the first time I just didn't think anything. But after a bit I just thought we weren't very good, but that the director was very good." I started to ramble. "I think he's a very good director, but we weren't much good." Really, the movie seemed like just a joke to me.
Reply
Leave a comment