The Origins Of Paul (And John)'s Little War, Part One

When I researched the infamous butcher cover that kicked off the American Beatles' fans questioning the future of their fan loyalty to The Beatles, I found that Paul had insisted that the butcher cover be used for The Beatles' U.S. album, Yesterday and Today (see my May 29, 2010 post.)  Photographer Robert Whitaker took responsibility for the idea because--he said--The Beatles were bored with the same old straightforward photo sessions.

Whitaker's mea culpa would make sense except that I found clues in The Beatles' November 8-9, 1965 recording session that suggest otherwise and--instead--strongly hint at the war that our Paul and our John were preparing to unlease beginning March, 12, 1966.

Before going any further, remember that at the beginning of The Beatles there was a real John and a real Paul who were members of the group, at the beginning.  I believe they were removed from the group by . . . ??? [yet to be determined] when John made the famous statement at the Royal Variety Show on November 4, 1963 that people in the cheaper seats please clap and the "rest of you" just rattle your jewelry.  Royalty gasped. and real John and real Paul were O-U-T, spelled OUT..

They were replaced by our John and our Paul with nary an explanation or official change of names.

My research suggests that at sometime around the filming of Help, things started souring between our Paul and our John and whoever had the proverbial hook to pull them off the world stage into oblivion--or worse.

In my post of October 15, 2011, I mentioned an interview Paul and John had with Larry Kane, who at the time of the filming of Help was a Miami radio deejay. He interviewed them in February, 1965 in Nassau.  The interview is published in Kane's 2003 book, Ticket To Ride, and the excerpt is worth repeating because it revealed a tense, unsettled situation Paul and John were in the middle of:
     KANE:  How are you doing?
     LENNON:  Well, look, all I can say, Larry, is this thing's wide open.  Anything can happen, man.
     KANE:  Well.
     LENNON:  It's the new phrase--have you got it?
     KANE: What is this "everything can happen" business?
     McCARTNEY:  Listen--everything is wide open, anything can happen, man.  It's a new phrase which sums everything up.
Paul and John reemphasized the "new phrase" to send a message (or record for history) that their positions in the group were precarious.

After the filming of Help Paul and Jane Asher went on vacation to Portugal starting May 27, 1965.

While they were on vacation, it was announced that The Beatles were on Queen Elizabeth's "birthday list" to receive Member of The British Empire (MBE) medals.  Paul was called back a day early from his vacation--on June 11, 1965--by Brian Epstein.  (See photo of Paul holding up the London Daily Mail's front page.)

The next day--June 12th.-- the "everything is wide open, anything can happen" started happening because the television interviews of The Beatles discussing the MBE's featured a FAKE Paul.  (See the photos on the left of a Faul at the interview and our Paul immediately after getting the MBE--Clearly TWO DIFFERENT MEN.
I think our John (not a fake John) was interviewed.  But if it was our John, he looked well out of it, like he was on some heavy-duty drug. (See photo below on right.)