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John Lennon
singing in the studio |
"One
of my greatest pleasures was giving John Lennon a smack over the
mouth. This was about 1963 or 4. The Orange Lodge had services on
St John鈥檚 plateau and I was a uniformed Inspector there. The whole
of the plateau was full of Orange Lodge bands and such like. The
whole of the pavements all around were crowded with onlookers, spectators.
I was
there with about a couple of Sergeants and about a dozen men, because
you always anticipated trouble. They were holding this service.
Over the front of the Empire Theatre is a glass canopy and I looked
round and there was this fellow on the glass canopy dancing up and
down. I thought you stupid s*d!
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John
Lennon performing with the Beatles on Saturday Club |
So
I dived to the other side of the road and went up the little back
street in Lime Street that leads to the rear of the Empire. I went
into the Empire, shot up the stairs and there were about a dozen
people and cameramen and all the rest of it in this room which was
the other side of the canopy.
I
shot right through this room. There was an open window and there
was this fellow dancing up and down and waving to the crowd below.
I shouted to him, "Come in you stupid s*d!" And he turned around
and said, "You can eff off". I completely lost my rag. I stepped
out onto the glass canopy, got him and smacked him right across
the mouth. I dragged him into the room.
Then
it suddenly hit me, it was John Lennon. The Beatles were giving
a press interview. I think he thought that that crowd there were
there for the Beatles and he was trying to draw their attention.
They were a big name then. I never heard another word about it."
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