Interview for The Plain Dealer

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On August 14, 1966, The Beatles performed one concert in Cleveland in front of 20,000 people. A press conference was apparently scheduled but didn’t happen, even if some journalists were able to spend time with The Beatles, like Jane Scott for the Plain Dealer. The interview was published on August 19.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — “What are they REALLY like? Wow!”

Teen Time has been peppered with questions since the Beatle interview Sunday.

Here’s the scoop. The fellows are friendly, warm, interesting and easy to talk to.

“Would you like a cigarette?” Ringo offered as I sat down beside him on the Parlor 51 couch in the Hotel Sheraton-Cleveland. (He smokes king-size filter-tipped Larks).

The shortest Beatle looked a little like a jockey in his gold silk shirt, faded blue jeans and canvas shoes.

And surprise! Only one ring on each hand.

How’s Zak, his 11-month old son?

“Oh, he’s leaping about,” Ringo said. He calls his wife Maureen three times a week while he’s on tour.

The moptop millionaires have more than six changes of suits for their tour. They wore the same dark green suits in Cleveland that they had worn in Chicago on Aug. 12. They wore light gray suits with pink-red shirts in Detroit.

“HOW DO we decide? It depends on which ones have creases.” Ringo explained.

They buy their suits at “Hung on you” in Chelsea, he said.

“Camaby Street? It’s fine but it’s too popular for us to go there,” he said.

Ringo, who rang out with the old Darktown Skiffle Group and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes years ago, wants to learn the piano someday. He expects it will take at least 20 years.

And don’t believe any yarns about his being conceited.

“THE GREATEST drummers in the world today are Americans,” he said.

Paul McCartney is the “personality Beatle.” He’s the most boyish, the most expressive. He uses his cigarette to make points when. he talks, occasionally rubs his chin. He wore a striped shirt, was the nattiest dresser of the four.

Paul was popping with opinions about British and American TV.

“I love American TV,” he said in answer to a question.

“They should make BBC more slick. They waste time on BBC. There’s too much light music of only one category,” he added.

THE BIG danger is that they could take off good plays from TV and we’d lose part of our culture, he feels.

Paul’s eyes twinkled when he talked about Jane Asher, his “steady” date for three years. They both want to be “perfectly sure” before they settle down to marry anyone.

Would marriage help or hurt him?

“It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference, I don’t think. It might help in lots of ways,” he said.

Incidentally, he once was blinded temporarily by a fan in England.

“I WAS got once by a cigarette lighter. In fact, it clouted me in the eye and closed my eye for the stay.“

In Chicago a purple and yellow stuffed animal, a redrubber ball and a jump rope were plopped up on the stage. Paul had to kick a carton of Winston cigarettes out of the way as he played. He saw a cigarette lighter flying past him in Detroit’s Olympia Stadium.

“It’s O.K. as long as they throw the light stuff,” Paul says. Like paper, for instance.

Lean, dark George Harrison with those hollow cheeks was in deep conversation about lyrics with WIXY-1260 disc jockey Al Gates. George’s yellow-ribbed shirt hung out over his brown corduroy pants.

“It doesn’t matter about prejudiced people,” George was saying.

John Lennon didn’t mind the “big question” (What about your Jesus statement?) and answered in a calm, unhurried manner. He was sorry that he said it, “the way it turned out.“

John, the first Beatle to be a bridegroom, seems the most mature. He’s known as the “best all-rounder,” being a composer, painter and writer as well.

Does he care if others record his music? “No, not if they do it well,” he said.

Is he writing another book? Not yet.

“I haven’t time. I want to think about the next one a long time,” he said.

THE LlVERPOOL limelighters should start their next film in January.

Yes, the Beatles’ bobs were a little longer than their recent pictures have indicated.

“Longer? I have no idea,” joked Paul. “I haven’t looked at it lately,” he said, ruffling up the back of his hair.

I might add that getting in to talk to the Beatles is almost as difficult as going along on the Luci and Pat Nugent honeymoon.

A plain clothes policeman even stopped Beatle manager Brian Epstein as he walked down the hotel corridor. Only persistent pleading by WIXY 1260 station manager Norman Wain broke down press manager Tony Barrow’s refusal. I became the only Cleveland gal at the tape session. W I X Y sponsored the Aug. 14 concert here.

This was not a regular press conference. Tony Barrow feels that it is sufficient for newspaper reporters to cover the concert and not necessary to meet the Beatles personally. Chicago, New York and Los Angeles will be the only exceptions. Even the powerful Associated Press was refused in Detroit.

Which Beatle would I take home. Surprise. John Lennon. Told you he was the most mature.

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