Playing poker with John Lennon

While living with my grandparents in Indianapolis, I really got into photography. What I could do with my plastic Kodak Brownie Hawkeye (which I still have, by the way) was pretty limimted, so Grandma Nina bought me my first really 35 mm camera, a Pentax Spotmatic, with two lenses.

My grandparents owned the Mecca Club, a private nightclub that also served dinners. One night I was introduced to the owner of WISH-FM radio station. Even though I had been shooting photos with my new camera for less than two months, Grandma Nina had told him what a fine photographer I had become.

Paul McCartney (left) and John Lennon
 at Detroit performance, Aug. 13, 1966.

One of the station's DJs was to be going to Chicago where he would meet the Beatles at the International Amphitheatre, adjacent to the Union Stockyards, where they were opening their third (and last) American tour. He paid me to fly there to photography this DJ with the band, but the DJ never showed.

The Beatles' manager told me that this was too bad, but then asked why didn't I just come with them for a few days and do photography of the Beatles performing. Who could turn down an offer like that?

Off to Detroit

I went with them from Chicago to Detroit (where the photo was taken, Aug. 13, 1966, at Redwing Stadium) and Cleveland, shooting 15 rolls of black-and-white and color slide film. I kept two rolls for myself and for what was an incredible amount of money for an 18 year old at the time, was paid $50 a roll for the 13 rolls I sold them.

It would have been incredible, had I ever seen the money.

Unfortunately, I was made another offer I couldn't refuse -- playing poker with John Lennon. I lost all of the money before I ever saw it. I said to John, "You do realize that you are a multi-millionaire, don't you, and really don't need my money."

With a smirking smile, he replied, "Of course, I know how much money I have. How do you think I got this way? By always gambling."

Because I was just really learning photography, very few of the photographs on the two rolls of film that I kept for myself were any good. This photo of Paul McCartney and John Lennon was from a color slide taken at one of the two Detroit performances on Aug. 13.

Controversies

The Beatles discovered they really didn't like touring all that much. They were dissatisfied with noise levels of screaming fans (despite having acquire more powerful amplifiers) and their own abilities to perform live. After these performances in 14 cities, they became a studio band, concentrating on record production.

The tour also was marred by controversy over a comment Lennon had made earlier in the year about the band being "more popular than Jesus." When a firecracker was thrown on the stage in Memphis (where the city council had attempted to ban the concert), the band members looked over at John, thinking someone may have shot him.

Also controversial was the album the band has issued in the U.S. in June.  "Yesterday and Today" was a compilation album for the U.S. market. Its cover portrayed the four dressed in butcher's overalls, with raw meat and mutilated plastic baby. Many albums ended up with a replacement cover pasted over the top of the original.

In several cities, including Chicago and Detroit, the band did two shows during the day. Concerts at this time lasted only about 40 minutes. Among the songs performed during this tour were "Day Tripper," "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," "Nowhere Man" and "Paperback Writer."

If you'd like a copy of this photo, go here.