JOHN LENNON AND MICK JAGGER'S "PRESS WAR"

What in particular was the relationship between the Lennons and the Jaggers? Well a few people might know that John Lennon's son Sean and Mick Jagger's daughter Lizzie once had a brief relationship in which everyone in the rock press was anticipating that it'll all end happily.But sadly,it wasn't,the dream of  a historic rock n' roll wedding wasn't to be when the couple broke up a few months later.

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones have known each other since the 1960s and the 'friendship' of its members have long been rumored by the press both in rock music and gossip columnists alike.Sparked by the bands' rivalry perhaps,both the fab four and the bad boys of rock shared a unique relationship with one another.

(photo left:Mick Jagger and John Lennon,1967)

John Lennon as we all know it,is the leader and founding member of the Beatles,it goes back with him forming a skiffle group called Quarry Men named after their school Quarry Bank.On the other hand,the Rolling Stones were often mistaken with Mick Jagger as its leader,with a few online bloggers but not really fans of the band often citing him as such.For the record,the Rolling Stones were founded by its leader Brian Jones,the multi-instrumentalist fellow who later had a feud with both Jagger and Richards which nearly caused the band to break up and resulted instead of him being booted out of the band.

[For my other article featuring Beatles and Rolling Stones friendships click here ]

While George Harrison and Brian Jones share an awesome brotherly friendship,I guess one can compare John Lennon and Mick Jagger's friendship to that of Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono.Paul had always cited Yoko as a not so good friend."We're friends-sort of" says Paul on one of his interviews.One can pinpoint the rivalry between the two groups combined with the rumors that endlessly kept on spreading which made a little pressure to the most prominent bands in the universe.

John Lennon and Mick Jagger at the Rolling Stones' Rock N' Roll Circus,1968

An angry John Lennon can be heard while being interviewed by Jann Wenner-the founder of Rolling Stone magazine in 1971.It was only a year after the Beatles had broken up,the hurt was still fresh and Lennon just couldn't stop swearin' as he spit all the poison out against his former bandmates.And as a reply to Mick Jagger's declining remarks about the Beatles,he managed to burst out what he has been bottling up for ages.

The following was taken from Jann Wenner's interview of John Lennon,Rolling Stone magazine,1971 showing the upset former Beatle  over Jagger's declining remarks about the Beatles.



What do you think of the Stones today?
I think it's a lot of hype. I like ``Honky Tonk Women,'' but I think Mick's a joke with all that fag dancing; I always did. I enjoy it; I'll probably go and see his films and all like everybody else, but really, I think it's a joke.

Do you see him much now?

No, I never do see him. We saw a bit of each other when Allen [Klein, Beatles' late-period manager] was first coming in - I think Mick got jealous. I was always very respectful of Mick and the Stones, but he said a lot of sort of tarty things about the Beatles, which I am hurt by because, you know, I can knock the Beatles, but don't let Mick Jagger knock them. I would like to just list what we did and what the Stones did two months after on every fuckin' album. Every fuckin' thing we did, Mick does exactly the same - he imitates us. And I would like one of you fuckin' underground people to point it out. You know, Satanic Majesties is Pepper; ``We Love You,'' it's the most fuckin' bullshit, that's ``All You Need Is Love.'' I resent the implication that the Stones are like revolutionaries and that the Beatles weren't. If the Stones were or are, the Beatles really were, too. But they are not in the same class, musicwise or powerwise, never were. I never said anything, I always admired them, because I like their funky music, and I like their style. I like rock & roll and the direction they took after they got over trying to imitate us. He's obviously so upset by how big the Beatles are compared with him, he never got over it. Now he's in his old age, and he is beginning to knock us, you know, and he keeps knocking. I resent it, because even his second fuckin' record, we wrote it for him. Mick said, ``Peace made money.'' We didn't make any money from peace.

 It was known that Jagger had  called the Beatles "Four headed monsters" even in the early days.Jagger even admitted this when he inducted the band to the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1988.Though taken as a joke by other members such as George Harrison and Paul McCartney,with George even joking to Jagger that he was nervous coz he just might said some bad things about them before the ceremonies.

(photo:Mick Jagger and John Lennon,early 1970s)

Paul McCartney on the other hand,also mentioned Jagger calling them as such on one of his interviews but just shrugged his shoulders even pointing out that they all wear the same clothes, having the same hairstyle and that they were indeed the four headed monsters.Other quotes made by Jagger which Lennon had mentioned were unpublished and was probably heard  personally and by spread of mouth.Well other members of the Stones like Keith Richards for example had also said something against John Lennon and the Beatles on one interview made in 1973.Perhaps he was hurt by John Lennon's comment about the Stones two years earlier,though Richards' sincerity was questioned in that interview with both Beatles and Stones fans alike taking it as a joke coz both bands were indeed friends with one another.And for the fact that we all knew that the early seventies was the time when Richards is in the peak of his drug-ravaged lifestyle.Keith Richards was John Lennon's bass player in a supergroup called The Dirty Mac along with Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell.

Its quite amazing that with these interviews and remarks with one another,one would describe John Lennon and Mick Jagger's relationship as "Frenemies"--a term used to call a friend who is also an enemy.Well,we all do know that the Rolling Stones had their first hit in 1963 with a song called "I Wanna Be Your Man" written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.With the latter's awesome songwriting prowess,one would argue that the Beatles were indeed a lot better than the Stones.John and Paul had been writing songs since their teens while Mick and Keith was already past their first album of blues covers when asked by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham to write new material.To come up with something and make things out of nothing has indeed put the two of them in some kind of a pressure.

With the heavy competition among these bands in the 1960s I guess being intimidated by the Lennon and McCartney songwriting team is common and Mick Jagger is not an exception.I guess what John Lennon had said about Jagger was probably true that Mick indeed got jealous of the Beatles' extreme popularity.

Or perhaps the John Lennon-Mick Jagger headlines in the press was only a publicity stunt between the two of them to further "enhance" their respective band's fame.Who knows?

Comical enough,despite of what John Lennon had said about Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones and of claiming of not seeing him that much.The two were reportedly hanging around together along with Lennon's friends David Bowie and Harry Nilsson in the early up to mid seventies. Mick Jagger even made a few attempts to buy a unit at the Dakota to be as close to John Lennon as possible.But sadly,Yoko Ono blocked the applications made by Jagger,perhaps his much publicized womanizing has made her worry that he could be a further bad influence to her husband.

(photo:Mick Jagger,John Lennon and Yoko Ono,1972,)*

*-photo by Bob Gruen

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

THE MAYSLES BROTHERS:Reality TV Pioneers

The Beatles,being the greatest rock band in the planet has indeed revolutionized everything.Their music,prowess and charisma were definitely ahead of their time.They made music videos long before MTV was born and one would consider the film Let It Be as the first reality movie ever made with the band being filmed working,rehearsing and recording both in the studio and the Apple Building rooftop. It also highlights their life as a band(at least some parts of it) with both their good and bad sides seen.

One film in particular mirrors in what people call today as Reality TV in which a movie focuses on a day in the life of a person is "Whats Happening! The Beatles In The USA" which was later re-edited and named "The Beatles:The First US Visit". It was February 7,1964,the Beatles had just arrived at JFK Airport and America has never been the same.

The men who shot the event,Albert and David Maysles were both Boston natives and were known for their documentary type of filming long before the term "reality tv" was accepted by the public.Albert,who was six years older than David,graduated with a BA degree at Syracuse University and later finished his Masters degree at Boston University.The younger David however,died of a stroke in 1987 and Albert went on filming on his own years after his younger brother died.

The Maysles Brothers were quick enough to capture every moment of the Beatles'  stay in the United States during its first glimpse of what would be a long term full scale British Invasion.From the airport,to their hotel rooms,to press conferences and parties,even filming Murray the K who famously called himself the fifth Beatle.

The brothers' film project on the fabs which was first released in 1964,was strange and way ahead of its time.With no recorded music,except for a footage they took of the Beatles' concert in Washington Coliseum which was considered to be the very first concert the band ever held in America.The film  reviews  of "Whats Happening!.." was mixed and at the same time both Albert and David were praised for capturing the band on every single angle and thus was called the world's greatest cameramen.It was unfortunate though that they weren't able to film the Beatles while they performed on three of Ed Sullivan's shows as they weren't allowed to go inside the studio.But they were quick enough to mend the situation that they went to a house nearby and filmed a family instead watching the Beatles perform at Ed Sullivan's show on tv.This magic moment,filming a family watching the Beatles on television was included on the re-edited version of the movie and retitled as The Beatles:The First US Visit as a bonus feature on the DVD release along with the brothers' film footage of Brian Epstein.The film,was first re-edited and re-issued in 1991 where they included the Beatles' performances on the three Ed Sullivan shows held in New York and Miami.

(left:The original title and intro of the Maysles Brothers' film in 1964 which was later edited and released as The Beatles:The First US Visit,below right)

The Beatles had their very first number one record on the Billboard charts with "I Want To Hold Your Hand". They opened the doors for other British groups and boasts a record of 20 number one hits.Not to mention their astonishing performance on the US charts wherein all top five songs on the Hot 100 were all occupied by the Beatles.A feat that is still unbeaten up to this day.A band or artist today will have one or two singles on the charts and that is already a big accomplishment for them.But all five? Inconceivable now.

A person who would slip the DVD and see the movie for the first time will leave someone in awe as he travels back in time in the year 1964,that is,if you weren't born yet during the sixties and will make someone capture a glimpse of the cool decade.If you're 60 or something,it will bring back beautiful memories especially if you live in and around New York City.

The Beatles were at first reluctant of going to America with Paul saying in an interview that they're not going unless they had a number one hit in which they later did.George Harrison was heard saying back then that it wasn't necessary for the band to go to the US;"they already have everything there,what do they need us for?".In the late fifties,most of the pop music in Britain were covers of American standards as the Beatles had always refer to rockabilly and R&B as their prime influence to their music.Alas,the band suddenly found themselves facing the American press and audience.With a catchy question and answer portion on behalf of the fabs: "Will you sing us a song?" "No we need money first". And that fun moment when the Maysles brothers filmed when the Beatles were aboard the train from New York City en route to Washington,DC.

One would smile at the Beatles goofing around the train with John and George comparing notes on their cigarettes.Ringo clowning around and the rest of the press people laughing along with them.One would look at the Maysles brothers' footages as if you were in those scenes right there next to the band,playing along,laughing along and having fun.

 (photos: top:Beatles meet the press at JFK airport in New York City;bottom:The Beatles at Washington,DC all taken from the first US visit footages 1964)

So these footages of the Beatles' first visit to the United States has indeed made the Maysles Brothers a household name when it comes to  documentary films.The brothers also had a hit with one famous reality film in the sixties called "Salesman".The documentary focuses on four men who went off to sell Bibles door to door.The film was largely composed of that of Paul Brennan's,an Irish-American catholic who struggles to maintain his sales.The film was selected in 1992 by the Library Of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry being cited as culturally and historically significant.

(photo above:original theatrical poster of the Maysles Brothers documentary film "Salesman",1969)

The following are some selected scenes from "Salesman"

While both Albert and David were savoring the success of "Salesman",the brothers filmed that winter what would be the epitome of a rock n' roll nightmare.The Rolling Stones were considered to be the Beatles' biggest rival in the sixties and was often compared with one another.Though both bands were very good friends,the music press seemed to be intrigued on both of these biggest groups on earth and they just can't stop comparing them and would follow them off,finding out on what these bands were up to.

The Altamont concert was called by many as "Woodstock West". With the ever successful  Woodstock-a three day event of peace,love and music[not to mention communal nudity] was somewhat disrespected of its sacredness as copycat festivals were marred with riots,violence and rape.

Gimme Shelter was the title given to a film about the Altamont Free Festival given by the Stones during the last leg of their 1969 US tour that winter.Shot under extremely dangerous conditions,both Albert and David Maysles  captured the essence of being in a rock concert that all went wrong.

(photo:DVD and Blu Ray cover of Gimme Shelter,a documentary film by the Maysles Brothers)

Other films made by the Maysles Brothers include Grey Gardens which was a documentary film about two reclusive socialites.Released in 1976,it was among the brothers' films that were also selected for preservation to the United States National Film Registry being cited as culturally and historically significant.Meet Marlon Brando,released in 1965,showcases the actor being interviewed for his new film but instead turned into heavy larking when he was interviewed by one former Miss USA.

One sports documentary made by the Maysles Brothers was Muhammad And Larry.The film was actually made in 1980 but wasn't released until 2009.It shows the highlights of the bout between Muhammad Ali whose been in the boxing business for nearly twenty years and was on the peak of retirement and the younger Larry Holmes."The fight that should've never happened"--as one publication had said shows the aging boxer Ali being beaten savagely by the younger Holmes.Though sports films is not really on their forte,the film only shows how versatile the brothers are in filming the lives of  people,famous or not.

Other numerous "projects"made by the brothers shows how they deserved to be called the World's Greatest Cameramen.

One would look at these reality shows today and would wonder how or why these programs even exists.When we look back we will all realize that these concepts wasn't really new,and with all these materials present,Im pretty sure the names Albert and David Maysles will not be ignored.


(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

THE LAST CONCERT

The Beatles played their last ever concert on August 29,1966 at Candlestick Park,San Francisco.Many had been wondering why the greatest rock band on earth had suddenly decided to stop playing live,the concerts that served to be as predecessors were proven to be dangerous and life threatening to the Beatles.

The Beatles went through a lot of problems regarding touring,and worst of all,things were not fun anymore for our beloved fab four. So why did the Beatles decided to stop touring? We can all go back to where it all started and pick up the pieces like a jigsaw puzzle so we can all understand the reason behind the Beatles' retirement.

Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment center located at Jamestown Avenue,San Francisco.Home of  the 49ers since 1971,it was also a home to the San Francisco Giants from 1960 until the team moved to AT&T Park in 2000.The venue has changed names several times wherein it was renamed 3com Park at Candlestick Point in 1995, it was renamed again as San Francisco Stadium At Candlestick Point in 2002,and it was renamed again as Monster Park in 2004.They returned the old name as Candlestick Park to avoid further confusions in 2008 and has remained since.Originally a baseball stadium,the arena was known to have windy conditions,damp air and dew from fog and was known for its chilly temperatures.Not to mention the location of the stadium at Candlestick Point, which is right next to the San Francisco Bay.

(photo:Candlestick Park,San Francisco,California)

Now going back to the Beatles' so-called retirement,it can all be traced back to the early days when the band was a quintet fresh from the ashes of the Quarry Men,originally a skiffle group John Lennon and a couple of school friends had formed.Skiffle groups were popular in Britain back in the mid-fifties and then slowly the skiffle group evolved into a rock band after Paul and George had joined in.The Beatles were a quintet from 1958 to 1960,a fifth member by the name of Stuart Sutcliffe was originally on bass and Paul McCartney at the time was a guitar player.The Beatles had reached the Reeperbahn where the then quintet has spent ages mastering their craft.As John Lennon had put it,"I was born in Liverpool but I grew up in Hamburg".The Beatles were introduced to amphetamines and other uppers to stay awake at night during their gigs,and of course as a bar band,riots and trouble took place often,with the loudest and rudest musician one would come across during that period of time-John Lennon.Though the Beatles were used to having riots taking place at some of their gigs most of the time,everything seemed to be ok--they were young,free and wouldn't care if they would get into fist fights often--as John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe certainly did.Sutcliffe,who had quit the band in 1961,died of a brain hemorrhage a year later with his illness pointing to several head blows he had when he was beaten up by thugs in which he sustained a fractured skull.John Lennon,who was his best friend in the band had often come to his aid.

(photo:The Beatles circa 1960:left to right:Pete Best,George Harrison,John Lennon,Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe)


When the Beatles became a quartet,Paul McCartney had switched from guitar to bass to fill in the vacancy Sutcliffe had left behind.With Pete Best on drums,the Beatles went ahead playing  gigs in various bars in both Liverpool and Hamburg.

Riots were common with rock bands performing and the Beatles were no exception.With the callous Lennon,the band had often faced several unfriendly encounters as the Beatles were becoming more popular.

When Pete Best was sacked and Ringo Starr replaced him on drums,the Beatles had a few problems at first with their audience particularly anti-Ringo sentiments at the height of Best's firing.

The band secured a recording contract with Parlophone and Beatlemania was born.No one in the band has expected that this rock group from Liverpool will become such a phenomenon and that they will all be into extreme levels of fame.Not even Paul McCartney himself even thought that kind of life they will all soon be leading.The Beatles were now stars and theres no more privacy--going out alone and touring wasn't fun anymore.Beatlemania at this point had reached the US and the Beatles is at the top of the world.

 Though the sixties were soon followed by other rock bands on both sides of the Atlantic,one will admit that the Beatles alone were on the mountain top of fame on this planet.Actually it was Ringo Starr who first talked about having fears of going out alone and being mobbed by a bunch of what he describes as lunatics who show extreme love for the band.

It took for the worst when somebody told the music press that George Harrison was fond of jelly babies and that on their next US gig they were pelted with these hard rock candies being thrown by their audiences as they were performing onstage.Ringo once again expressed his sentiments in 1969 of not being bombarded with these hard stuff ifsoever the band would ever go out there and tour again.Sadly,a thing that has never happened and will never happen again.

Come to think of it,its pretty dangerous to go out when you're so popular and you might get mobbed by your fans who love you so much and might get hurt from it.But what more if these people hated you?

On the second American tour,the other Beatles were showing signs of in very deep water,sick of touring management and pressure.Though Paul McCartney kept telling John,George and Ringo that touring is good and will keep them sharp.The Beatles were reportedly exhausted and have worked to their deaths,touring non-stop around the world and at the same time writing new songs and making new albums in between tours.

Things turned out for the worst in 1966 when Melody Maker published an interview of Maureen Cleave with John Lennon wherein he stated that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.

"We're popular than Jesus now;I dont know what will go first,Rock N' Roll or Christianity"

This statement of John Lennon's has caused a furor among Christian sects around the world particularly America's Bible belt.Isn't the "South" the birthplace of rock n' roll? Well many were amazed on how Elvis broke barriers and became popular in such a conservative and at the time apartheid place.There were public burnings of Beatles records in Memphis and other parts of the US where Christian faith dominates.Beatles records were also burned as far as South Africa.The band was also reportedly having problems in the 1960s era United States wherein they refused to play on segregated audiences and threatened they wont play at all unless the racial segregation is lifted.Concert promoters and local authorities finally kowtowed to the fabs-the segregation was lifted and the Beatles went ahead and performed before thousands of people.

(photo left: John Lennon in the Beatles' early days Hamburg,Germany)

John Lennon defended his statement at first saying that he was merely misunderstood on what he has just said,even pointing out to other people who doesn't believe or even know who Jesus was--like the Buddhist for instance but at the same time were huge fans of the Beatles.Then he was forced to make an apology in which it was clear has put a strain on him a bit.

Amid all the misunderstandings both religiously and politically,the Beatles were still loved by millions of fans but the wary parents of these Beatlemaniacs were obviously distressed on how their kids will believe in everything they say.

So the Beatles were considered "jerks" by elders and religious charismatics on destroying their beliefs and trying to manipulate the kids' minds into believing in something else in which many quite dont understand-- perhaps a world that is infinitely cooler than our own.And the so-called rebellion flourished with these youngsters annoying their elders with a thing called rock music.Lets face it,Beatles music is for everyone and if you'll look at those Beatles concerts,the audience was filled not only with young men and women but also middle aged women who were crazy about them.

While we're on the subject,these "traditions" and "beliefs"other people were accusing the Beatles of breaking has also caused problems to the band during their Japanese tour in the summer of 1966.

(photo:The Budokan in Tokyo,Japan where the Beatles held three shows from June 30 to July 2,1966)

The Beatles' concert in Japan were also faced with protests and riots as the Budokan will be used for the first time as a concert venue for a rock n' roll band.Before the Beatles went to Japan,the Budokan  was considered to be a sacred  place by other Japanese,as the venue was used in both judo and karate tournaments only.The Japanese protests were also filled with anger towards the band on some believe how they would be a bad example to the Japanese youth.

But above it all,the Beatles' three day shows in Tokyo were equally successful.

The Beatles-being the first rock group to ever play in the Budokan seemed to have made the place a little lighter that other artists have followed their footsteps and played at the same venue,among them were Eric Clapton,the Who and Ozzy Osbourne.

The horror of Manila,on the other hand,was different from what the Beatles have encountered on their previous tours and it was said that the tour of the Philippines was the one thing that had prompted the band to put an end to their career as "touring" musicians.

(photo left:Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila,Philippines where the Beatles held their concert on July 4,1966)

What happened in the Philippines was far different from what the band had experienced in the US and Japan.The Beatles' experience in Manila nearly caused them their very own lives as they unintentionally snubbed a dinner party held by then first lady Imelda Marcos,who was the wife of Ferdinand Marcos by then was gearing up to be a dictator.The band was roughed up at the airport,with their entourage heavily beaten and the money they earned was taken away from them.

[For my article about the Beatles' experience in the Philippines click here]

It was alleged that the Beatles told their manager Brian Epstein that they had enough with touring after they came back from the Philippines.But Epstein had already committed on touring the States after the disastrous Manila concert.And sadly,that's the last time the band would ever do.

Meanwhile,back in the United States,a concert in Memphis was known to have been marred with protests as a member of the Ku Klux Klan made a statement that they will stop the concert in all terror that they can.Still pissed with Lennon's statement regarding Jesus,the Klans men didn't stop the concert but instead organized an anti-Beatle rally not far from the venue.It was also in Memphis,however,where the infamous 'cherry bomb' explosion occured.

(photo:Ku Klux Klan,courtesy of the Ku Klux Klan site)

 The Beatles played 13 dates in the US and one in Canada the following month of August.And sadly,the San Francisco gig had finally nailed the touring coffin for all of them.

The San Francisco concert,being the last gig went fine so far and was considered to be successful.The band performed 11 songs,some of which were similar to the set list they played in other countries (the Manila gig set list was the same as that of San Francisco's):Rock And Roll Music,She's A Woman,If I Needed Someone,Day Tripper,Baby's In Black,I Feel Fine,Yesterday,I Wanna Be Your Man,Nowhere Man,Paperback Writer, and Long Tall Sally.With the only difference that the band had used Long Tall Sally as an encore in Manila and not on the SF gig.

 (photo left:original poster of the last concert ever made by the Beatles;Candlestick Park,San Francisco)

Paul McCartney had Tony Barrow record the entire concert in audio,standing in the middle of the field holding his mic,both of them knew it was going to be the last live performance and so they're obviously saving all the best for last.At the end of the concert,all four of them took photos of the adoring crowd and of themselves at arm's length.

(photo:John and Paul at Candlestick Park)

And the rest,as they say it,is history,the Beatles retired from doing live performances when they went back to Britain from San Francisco.The band concentrated instead on the studio making their finest albums of the late sixties and early seventies with most of them going to number one on both sides of the Atlantic.A few attempts were made to convince them to go back on touring but none was successful.One album,originally titled "Get Back" was an attempt for the band to retrace their live roots,with suggestions by Paul McCartney that the band would go on tour on bars and starting all over again and gradually doing major tours.The idea was nixed by the other three,perhaps the wounds of the past ill-fated tour was still fresh both in their minds and hearts so the band went on to record in the studio while being filmed at the same time.The album was later renamed Let It Be perhaps a more appropriate title from McCartney's song of reflection and surrender.And one would consider the roof top performance made by the Beatles as the last ever public performance made by the four of them.Though not really considered as a "concert" many were wondering why the Beatles doing a set of songs on the main roof top of the Apple Building as their last concert--without a real venue,touring posters and concert tickets.The Beatles had split in acrimony in April 1970,a month before Let It Be was released.

The Beatles played approximately 1,280 concert dates so far dating as far back as 1961 when Pete Best was still in the group and not counting their gigs as the Quarry Men and the Silver Beatles.They've been to almost every country around the world in four continents: Europe,North America,Asia and Australia.

The band has indeed revolutionized everything,from music to fashion and the way people think.One cannot imagine what music will be like today without a rock band from Liverpool called THE BEATLES.