I often wonder about the machinations of the Beatles tours, when there was just the boys and Neil and Mal, who done the washing for the guys?, think of the number of gigs played in just 1963, did they dry clean the suits every couple of days?, times everything by four, like each night four dirty shirts to be washed, then pressed. But Neil and Mal were travelling at breakneck speed with the boys, with little time for these minor chores. I know it sounds trivial, but it’s these little questions that facinate me.
The same reason is said to be largely responsible for Buddy Holly’s ill fated flight. Saving time by flying would have allowed time to launder clothes on overbooked tour.
I’m sure Brian had everything taken care of.
Neil looked after it during the early pary of 1963. in fact there’s some dialogue about their clothes arrangements during the One After 909 session at Abbey Road on March 5, 1963
Sorry – typo – the early part of 1963
have them cleaned and burned…
(Mike Nesmith…from Head)
I was under the impression they got sent to NEMS to be taken care of. I don’t know why I’ve always imagined that.
It’s amazing to me how these trivial things get taken care of on a tour. I read a story in a Las Vegas paper about how Paul’s dry cleaning gets done on his tour this past summer. Apparently, his personal assistant, John, took only one of Paul’s shirts to a local dry cleaner to see if it would done correctly. When it was, he brought about 6 hand-made, beautifully crafted shirts — it was only then that the dry cleaning folks put together who’s shirts they were dry cleaning. You’d think these tasks would magically taken care of, but someone actually has to drive to a dry cleaner they don’t know to try out their services first.
Hi Susan…
I was wondering if Pearblossom Hwy was on the way to Vegas…
(non-Beatle comment 805,213,818,661)
I know it sounds nutty, but these things facinate me, especially around the Fabs, and the frenzied pace they kept, two shows a day, that’s eight sweaty shirts, eight sweaty suits .. not to mention the state of the undies, Neil and Mal were flat out with them, to clean and dry those things takes hours .. really, these sorts of machinations facinates me, and confuses me. I know Paul has wardrobe people on the road with him now, where that is their sole job, the care of the clothes (apart from John caring for his special clothes) but i would love to one day read a book on the workings of the Beatle tours, i mean in real detail.
@Tammy…
(agreed)
we needed to hear more from those two…
(talk about loyal)
Such a shame that Mal’s manuscripts were lost. While I doubt he got into any big detail as in who did the laundry, I bet there were a lot of interesting bits in there that he told.
Did Mal really write for Beatly Monthly?
Here’s a video of Eric Clapton doing his own wash..
I’d kinda flip out if I saw the Slow Hand at the fluff & fold!!
http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/02/eric-clapton-laundromat-video-footage-washing-machine-clothes/#.TsrfmYDrvpU
Yes, Kwai, Pearblossom Hwy is probably just a stone’s throw from your lovely garden!
Mal did write for Beatles Monthly, Kwai, in the later stages. Some of his prose might have been ghost edited but as we know he kept a diary so he was writing/reporting at the same time. Neil wrote tour diaries too – for the NME I think in 1965/66 and also his writings appeared in Beatles Monthly in 1966. That’s where the legend of “The Void” (the working title for “Tomorrow Never Knows) enanated.
Thanks, Car.
I was just thinking that he didn’t have the time to write…
so maybe a mini-coversation transcripted and signed…
(go, Frida!!!)