Rock and Roll; Interview with Derek Taylor [Part 2 of 4]

Well what was it. What was what was it what was it about them that made people feel good. Well. It still applies. I think people still are glad people of goodwill are glad when they hear the ex-Beatle. Quote getting back together very house of friends. I'm not bro I'm not ill. And so what they were I was. They seemed to people to be a was healthy and wealthy and wise and happy and young. Never shorter I answer Oh if they didn't know the answer and say I don't know. And it's all right but you know next. So there's just always this kind of group of people who could take care of business for take on lines of saying I need an hour and a half dimes and you know I was in good shape in 63 64.

So they were dead on time by one time. And they were never allowed courses. This was part of the problem later to be last an honor for us this was the birth and was that I had to always to be up and about and on and happening together and successful. This was a. Demanding switch topping person but then again they asked for it I've watched tv successful George will say I never want to be famous and I accept that. But these are prices which they didn't know none of us knew about them we were all bankers are. Crazy. It may not answer the question oh yes once yes. There she said Oh yes well.

America was where everything that they were not everything but where only. Where the music was from where those people were from where Johnny Ray was from the movies. Elvis was from America and Barry and the whole world. I mean you could list how. Kind of answer I have. Rock n rollers and R&B and. Motown it was. It was eight years and that's President. It is now the only superpower and the idea that. You can be number one in America and. Get a 10 archive that at Kennedy Airport. I don't know that I understood this. I mean I'm so much older now and so I I don't think are quite rare at the time. Just how unusual it was to

penetrate the American consciousness so fast and so deeply. It's easy to have reasonable success and to have a say there's a certain strata of society stratum of society. But to. Wipe them out just inside a few days so that all those events to anyone it was right away. Washington accounts of the snowstorms of the Southern Kennedy. Airport. Funny answers Hard Day's Night and all that stuff and it takes quite some doing. And they went through like a knot through butter powering their way through. Just. So I think I made sense. So how did they do it in America. The answer to that I

mean there's all kinds of it's at large sometimes because it's a large success to a large country. Complicated business. The time was right of course because of Kennedy's death and there was a huge vacuum like that and a country I don't think either we saw how much the country must have been in mourning as he was after on a bender he died. Kennedy died and this is only January February 7th and so that's three months and it was also that it was also they were interesting looking nice looking chaps and it was a very big record. And I think good progress to campaign which I had nothing to do with as I was with them. And they were just again just so that the right time. But the sheer force of personality and. John can the collective charm wasn't as something

for him in a sense also that they were. Right for the American psyche whatever that is and the pathetic Americans have always been very good data nine years ago and I have beaten time and they're still well prized by those of us who are. Interested in detail as well as not just the dollar. It's a fact that an American a good American baseball fan is something to reckon with. Because they brought every other kind of angle to bitterness whatever any of this made I don't know what it means or how it will sound but the American factor was crucial. Otherwise I would remain very interesting and they would have done well. With that. American input was very very good. Well it was the Americans have.

And you know again I'm talking to an American. The Americans have these. Aspects this is there's this innocence of your life as a kind of willingness to tell me about it and teach me some things about this. There's also that American well innocent Americans are seeing a lot of them have been bombarded with plenty. Many Americans I mean so. It was that an interesting combination of a willingness to to take the Beatles on and to say what have you got to offer us. And there was also good and I can now to reforge American television show at the Sullivan show the nays ing success story how that my strange love could put that little show together with puppets and comedians and Beatrice and have everyone glued to the set on Sunday and I guess you know the 70 million people of. That enormous power in that.

They were not found wanting. Because they were absolutely fearless they would on that show. Not some dead with their sorrows. And it could have been a very. Could have been a lot. The thought never occurred to them I don't think and the fact that it wasn't a still to me a remarkable achievement and they sustained it. They did two more silence in that period and then they did the Washington concert on closed circuit television. By now because they were you know the laws are bad. But it's easy to fail. It's easy to bomb. I couldn't do it. I. I've been around on a stage when they have nowhere to go on if you're selling and I've had a reader's audience plunder there for some quick fix because I had to keep the crowd quiet or something but I was I was aware.

You know this was the power was there and I would have no value on that. I just sort of take this crowd myself and start it off and warm it up. They were such a war that if a Nazi dictator had them. Behind him. He could have done terrible things. It's as well that they were politically in the mode of goodness themselves too. So. We were spared an evil genius. Injuries are so strange this time 60 65 inches just the same time they tell us. Well the reason they were able to convey intelligence are these aren't a simple song it was that they were intelligent in these simple songs. Subtle constructions

which were I mean they were not they may be an incentive but there. They have together properly and the critics and the Times critic much joked about it was able to read into the songs proper structures that he could recognize and write about. This is Scott through I mean this is what happens with great actors and great performers great musicians people then this wonderful thing that members of the public have when they get into a collective they can this thing comes across them. People who are great actors who can act with our backs and do things and this is this is the alpha people there are Marlon Brando's and the Cary Grant's and the I don't know Jimmy Stewart Hora. Even if you like Mickey Rooney these are people who want to have a Tarzan Timothy Leary would tell you now. But there are people who got it.

It's what makes us wonderful of us humans that we can spot this stuff. But I know what it is we can just feel it and give it and take it that the problem of that is that it's all too much in there and it always goes wrong because we take too much. Takes too much out of us. Is that a lot is there a CD and I know who've heard. So purdy. Oh please do it. I have my. Do you know when they met. Well you know although I didn't yeah I didn't

before they before they met Bob Bennett and. Well they knew about Bob Dylan. There was any of that in his knew what was going on that they had got his freewheeling album John. I think she had to tell George about it this is how I understand. Joe George half of this and and and. Paul was always an arty kind of a bloke and he was interested in people like Dylan nothing that wasn't a crime and so they were a very if you like the word into Bob and picked up of this was an extraordinary kindred spirit although in a different field really. So they were. Very impressed by the idea of Bob Dylan being on the air that's around the same time I was. Probably a singer raised here.

Tell us your thoughts. I believe yes well I think there are some. Sometimes people meet by accident I think after people get to a certain position and not have it is academia whatever they are it's show business. They would arrange to meet each other. Someone make sure that you know you guys should meet. And sometimes it works and. It's always of interest and importance sometimes it doesn't work but it was when they met Bob Bell and. Brought together by. I can't say who made the most of whatever I think Al Aronowitz certainly came to the hotel with him. I'm back to my modus. Both are still friends. It was right and proper and fitting and I think it was probably a very good night. I was in the next suite along down Monica holding back a large numbers of

not quite so famous but extremely nice people who should be nervous. But we couldn't get any and I mean I sort of knew that there was a special meeting on but couldn't say. And so I had to before this country drags a stranger was the horse he jokes. Oh whatever I had to have a secondary cause they were in there. I think getting high in one way or another you know that or maybe this is illegal. These are still. Banned substances. What substances your house never does match the substances substances they met

again every time and need again. I read some quote of his that he was driving on the highway and he had. Some some how whatever. Francis George and Doug will bring. Us. TWO OF A KIND to look around. Well then all that after. Yes yes I remember saying to Neil Aspinall in a studio why is John saying it's to do with Bob Dylan. Of course a fancy each other. Do you go electric here in London the trouble. These are

interesting times when you get food from. So this is a good or bad thing to be good perhaps but that anyone should care whether people were that interested in these developments. When a man would stop being a folk singer and he's not a folk singer I'm not going to be put in a box anymore and they were pop stars over some other kind of. SINGER So all these things were these were interesting stages and changes the people going through that and to produce the kind of amorphous and credible freedom we got today. Whatever that means. But there were times when people were very into detail and popular music. Previously it's just a kind of. Junk became quite central to millions of lives and the game kept a lot of people off the streets. Always a good thing I had to travel. As a drummer.

All right it's all John. Yes well I'll spare you gotta go to the prize. And if our society is different to the looking tough that's the way he sees it. Why would two men from the provinces when they who got involved with Metropolitan Life in a big way and. High somehow. I've always seen George and Bob as if you like the couple but of course John and Bob. And poem about. These are all. You know I mean you know as a Bob Dylan fan. I miss anybody I have Pfaff lay. On For all I know who are.

Now that's what I want always had an understanding of. Bitterness and that was all. So I found this very encouraging because I sometimes thought I was going mad I was I thought to join I've got some children and I want to get involved with a popular music as I would later in the day for a neighbor then I was reassured by all these other people who are so similar age are also picking this thing up so. You were never alone with the Beatles. By that time this is the thing. You were a stepson and B and he was telling the world these people are going to be very helpless. He was often pushing closed doors by the time I got involved all the doors are open. And as a result I've always been open ever since. So. I mean I made a move which was such a no. No you.

See this. Yes you. Did. Say the producers stay at home and look at the trouble sooner or later and 9 Do you have this specialized cross-fertilize as well if you want to go to the other bases and it's something that I'm not really.

It's not for. To you is it is too large and this is what you are doing. I guess with regard to the ice and the love of Bob Dylan and on the Beatles Now Bob I can't say what happened to Bob some years ago after he met them. One may or may not have his music as a result of his meeting that I would like to help with the question. Now because I'm not just a student I've got all eyes out and a huge. Fan of his. He always to be had enormous mystery and power. When he can't do that there was an electrifying thing and what was getting us here was like Christ is somewhere probably. And the sunset motel. You know. What effect they had on the Beatles. I can't say that either but the music did 70 take off and all kinds of directions

and 65. Just far yeah. And I mean the respite is history. I can only think the End Times is going to go but they were very quick on entrances and after all the black music had been. Up. And so I mean there were some new seven John died on Sunday and TIME magazine whoever that is John was able to pick up our people. People picked up on and they were always fast to pick up from going to pick up on a good suit for me let's all go and get one of them. That was a good bill somehow stances Yes no. So they were very quick to pick up I mean whatever they talked they made it to them. It's been different around so that you know some people think those jackets like colors were silly they were not that silly on them at the time.

I don't know.