HOW I BEFRIENDED ONE OF JOHN LENNON'S

PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Part Two

By Steve Ludwig

Before I begin this second of two installments, may I mention a couple things? First, Paul Goresh never considered himself a "personal photographer" of John Lennon. That's how I  would think of him. Paul always considered himself simply a Beatles fan who was lucky enough to have taken pictures of John Lennon. Also, I want to thank Paul for allowing this Beatles fan to live vicariously through him.

Paul has many, many photos and memories of his times with John Lennon, and he's always been kind enough to share some of those with me. I'm forever grateful to him for that. Paul once told me he may eventually publish a book about those times. So out of respect for Paul and any future plans he may have in the literary field, I certainly don't want to tell any stories that he could surely tell better than I ever could.

Instead, I'll share with you a couple answers that Paul gave to me of questions I asked him. Then I'd like to relay an experience that still brings chills to my spine when I think of it.

So I ask you -- If you had the opportunity, what might you ask Paul Goresh about John?

One of the first questions I ever asked Paul was, How could a Beatles fan act normal around John Lennon?

Paul told me he never quite mastered it. In fact, early on, John used to catch him staring at him as he and Paul would walk the streets of New York near the Dakota Building. 

"You have to stop thinking of me as a Beatle," John told him. "I'm just a guy."

Uh, sure, John, just a guy who was one-half of the greatest songwriting team of the 20th Century! Just a guy who was in the Beatles!!!

Lennon went on to explain to Paul that he, John, found himself in awe of some of his musical idols, and that he understood. 

"But I'm not a Beatle anymore," Lennon would always insist.

While Paul never got the hang of thinking of John as "just a guy," he did learn to control it.

I asked Paul, almost reluctantly, what kind of a guy John was. I didn't want to hear that one of my heroes was a creep.

I'll never forget Paul's answer: "Even if John weren't a Beatle, I'd want him for a friend."

He said John was one of the nicest, kindest, most down-to-earth people he'd ever met. Whew, what a relief that was to hear, and so great to hear it!

He also told me that not once while John was in Paul's company, did John ever display any type of ego. He would never walk with a bodyguard, nor would he ever turn down a request from a fan on the street for an autograph. (Unfortunately, we know where that got poorJohn...)

Of course, I'd ask my share of dumb questions, the kind only Beatlemaniacs would want to know the answer to. One of them was, "What kind of handshake did John have?"

Paul described it as a "guy's handshake," firm, friendly.

October 16, 1992, found Goresh and me at Madison Square Garden attending the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert. In celebration of Super Bob's 30 years in music were some of the all-time greats of the music business: Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Tom Petty, The Band, Roger McGuinn, even Dylan himself...the list went on and on. But as great as all of them were, Paul and I were there for one performer -- George Harrison! Making a rare appearance in concert was the Quiet Beatle himself.

Before the show began, Paul was lining up shots and angles with his camera. Suddenly he grinned at me.

"You know what camera this is?"

I knew.

You'll recall from my last blog the picture of John Lennon on the front page of the NY Daily News, December 10, 1980. Well, this was the camera that took that picture!

Its historical significance, at least in Beatledom, is incalculable.

"Wow!" I took a few seconds before I asked, "Can I hold it?"

Paul smiled again, took the strap from around his neck, and handed me the camera.

I recall thinking, I shouldn't be holding this. This should be in some museum case somewhere. But George was coming onstage later, so Paul wanted to use his "Beatle camera." The very one I now held in my hands.

I carefully handed it back to Paul, convinced I was not worthy of holding it for more than just a few seconds.

I hope that Paul Goresh does get around to writing that book. If he does, take my word for it, you'll read some incredible stories and see some fantastic photos.

I have a radio show! It's fun and relaxed, and it's called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Thanks, everybody!

                                  

On next week's blog, I'll tell the story of how my book-reading went this coming Friday, April 27, at Gizzi's Cafe, 16 W. 8th St., NYC. WHAT BOOK, you might ask? If you enjoyed reading this blog, would you be so kind as to consider buying my first book, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY ?

You can find all the ordering info at CCUBOOK.COM.

                                        

Until next time, thanks for everything,

Steve Ludwig

HOW I BEFRIENDED

ONE OF JOHN LENNON'S

PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Steve Ludwig

On December 10, 1980, two days after John Lennon's shocking murder, the New York Daily News ran this photo on its front page:

It was a picture of John signing a Double Fantasy album cover, at around 5:00 PM on December 8, for the murderous piece of garbage who would shoot him dead five hours later.

As I looked at the picture that morning of December 10, 1980, I noticed the name of the guy who took this picture: Paul Goresh. I remember thinking, "Wow! What a picture!" A disturbing picture, for sure, but nonetheless, incredible.

Skip ahead to 1983. I was a teacher by day, but at that time I also worked nights at Video Shack in Paramus, NJ. In addition to renting and selling videotapes, Video Shack also sold two-foot-high statues of movie stars, as well as some singing stars. One of the biggest sellers was the Beatles set of four statues; we were forever reordering Beatles statues. 

One night while working the late shift, I took a call from a man who wanted to buy a set of the Beatles statues. We had one set left, so I told him I'd put that set aside for him. I asked him his name, and he said "Paul Goresh."

My mind immediately went back to that Daily News picture.

Knowing the answer, I still asked the question: "Aren't you the Lennon photographer?"

Goresh sounded genuinely surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

I told him that I always thought the picture was unbelievable, and that I was a Beatles fan since their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. He said he was a Beatlemaniac, too, and that he'd be at the store in about an hour to pick up his statues.

Needless to say, we hit it off right away. It was tough to spend too much time talking to him that night, as the store was quite busy for a weeknight. So we made plans to meet for lunch soon.

We became fast friends; the Beatles, of course, were our common ground. I had a million questions for him about John Lennon, and he answered every one.

Of course, one of the first questions I asked him was about the night of the photograph. Paul said that since 1979, he had hung around the Dakota building, on West 72 St., NYC, where John and Yoko lived (and where Yoko still lives to this day), in the hope of seeing John come out of the building. He did, quite often, and slowly but surely, Paul began taking pictures of John.

One day, Lennon stopped and asked Paul if he could see some of his pictures. Paul made up a bunch, gave them to John as he left the Dakota one day, and from then on, they became friendly.

As Paul often told me, "We weren't what you would call close friends...", but John and Paul would take short walks together.

Goresh told me that a fellow photographer friend of his once told him, "Just snap away and take pictures of anything, even if it seems inconsequential." 

That's just how Paul happened to take the picture of John signing the album cover. He simply took, what he thought, was just another picture.

Only until later that night, when Goresh heard the terrible news of John's assassination, and the news reports ran descriptions of his killer, did Paul realize he may have taken a picture of the murderer. He quickly had the picture developed. When he was sure that it was indeed Lennon's killer in the picture with John, Paul contacted the local police. They said they weren't interested; Paul then contacted the Daily News, and they were interested.

Over the years, Paul has been extremely kind enough to give me copies of some of his personal Lennon photos. 

Here's one he took of John and Yoko leaving the Dakota to go to a recording session:

You can imagine how honored Paul felt (that's the word he used to me to describe his feelings) when, less than four months after John's death, Yoko asked Paul is if she could use the photo for the single record release of "Watching the Wheels." It was the first posthumous John record:

On a segment about Paul and his relationship with John on the TV show, The Story Behind the Story, Paul said how proud he was to have his name on the back of the single sleeve:

.

Well, as I mentioned earlier in this blog, I had a million questions for Paul Goresh about John; questions that die-hard Beatles fans would want to know the answers to. Next week, in Part 2, I'll share more than a few of those questions and answers with you. Plus: I get to hold THE camera.

ON APRIL 18, DURING THE 8:40-9:00pm (EST) SLOT, I'LL BE INTERVIEWED ON EVAN GINZBURG'S INTERNET RADIO SHOW LEGENDS RADIO, AT legendsradio.net, ABOUT MY BOOK, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY. EVAN'S GREAT SHOW IS ARCHIVED, SO YOU CAN LISTEN ANYTIME AFTER APRIL 18, ALSO.

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT CCUBOOK.COM, AS WELL AS barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, etc., AND SELECTED REAL LIVE BOOK STORES.

And don't forget to check out my brother Bill's music blog at 360sounds.wordpress.com. 

Thanks for everything!

Steve Ludwig 

MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH PAUL McCARTNEY

Ok, so in the last couple of blogs I told you how I patted Ringo on the back and got shushed by George. 
This week, it's making eye contact with Paulie! Macca! Big Mac!
July 9, 1990 - Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ. It seems like only yesterday (OK, no more cheap Beatle song references). SECOND ROW from the stage, dead center. Yup, you read right...Second row. I couldn't believe it either. But my friend, Paul Goresh (who has a few friends in the music industry) was able to get these fabulous four seats - yeah, fab four seats. It was Paul & his girlfriend at the time, and my wife Sue, and I. There were six seats in the front of us, first row, that were empty when the show began. We figured maybe they would be taken by friends of the band, who may have been backstage during the pre-show. Paul's kids maybe? His brother Mike? Goresh and I knew what these people looked like; we were bonafide Beatle fans, after all. Yes, I understand how sad it is that I know what Mike McCartney looks like, but such is the life of a Beatlemaniac. Well, as it turned out, none of the above sat in the empty seats. As a matter of fact, the seats remained empty throughout the entire concert. That meant the first fans in Macca's line of sight were...US! OK, that put a lot of pressure on us as fans; we needed to make Paul feel wanted, loved. it was up to us. We'd have to carry the wei-- oops, almost let another cheap Beatle song title slip in. Unfortunately, I pretty much sat in a Beatle fan trance once the show started, what with being right in front of John Lennon's writing partner, so I wasn't much help in making Paul feel wanted and loved.
Fast forward to mid-concert -- Paul's singing the great Beatles tune, "Things we Said Today." 

I was happily, goofly singing along when Paul McCartney of the Beatles, ex-bandmate of George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon, looked right at me!! RIGHT AT ME!! I sang along as I had while listening to my Something New album as a ten-year-old back in 1964. You know how music takes you back? I was in the fifth grade again. Only this time, Paulie was looking at me sing.
After the song, I asked Sue, "Did you see him look at me?"
"He was looking at me," Sue insisted.
"He was not."
"Why would he look at you?" Sue asked. "He'd look at a girl, and that girl was me."
I told my smarty-pantsed wife why he'd look at me. "He's married. He doesn't have to look at girls anymore." I swear I was being logical, but as the years have gone on, I'm convinced I'm an idiot.
Paul Goresh waited for the next song, "Eleanor Rigby," to finish before he chimed in. "He wasn't looking at either of you, he was looking at me."
I started laughing, but Goresh was serious. "I ain't kidding."
Paul's girlfriend would have to be the tie-breaker. I asked her: "Who was Paul looking at?"
She said, "I don't know. I wasn't watching McCartney, I was looking at that guy." She pointed to Robbie MacIntosh, one of the guitarists. (No wonder my friend Paul eventually broke up with her...)
So I am here to tell you now, my dear readers, and to set the record straight.
If you ever ask Sue about it--- SHE'S WRONG!!!!
If you ever ask Goresh about it--- HE'S WRONG!!!!
If you ever ask Goresh's girlfriend about it, well, she was wrong anyway for not looking at McCartney.
I'M right! ME!!! Paul McCartney, one of the four lads from Liverpool, made eye contact with ME!!!!  
 ---Steve Ludwig

Next week's blog: "How I Befriended One of John Lennon's Personal Photographers."
(By the way, the blog I had originally scheduled for this week, "Steve Ludwig's Free How-To Guide to Laugh About Getting Older While Secretly Making Fun of People Younger Than You" will be postponed until I get older.)

Want to check out my radio show? It's called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Enjoy! Thanks...

                                             

So I wrote a book about my open-heart surgery...And ya know what? I thought the whole experience was pretty funny! Please check it out at www.ccubook.com. Thanks!

                              

This is not my ticket stub, but it's a stub from the  same show I was at.

Blog # 3 - BEING SHUSHED BY GEORGE HARRISON

My first Beatle LIVE! 

I was in seventh grade when the Beatles ceased touring as a group in 1966, so I never got to see the Fab Four together in person. 

But now it was 1974, four years after Fabs' demise, and George Harrison was embarking on a North American tour...and his December 20th show at Madison Square Garden in NYC was hopelessly sold out. 

I was 20 years old at the time and working in the warehouse at Medical Economics in Westwood, NJ; I went to college at night and worked during the day to try to help my parents pay MY tuition to Montclair State (at the time) College.

Because of the quick sellout, George had decided to perform an additional show at 4PM on his December 20th date at MSG. 

One of the ladies who worked in the offices at Medical Economics came into the warehouse to look for me. She knew I was a Beatle nut, and she said her son had one extra ticket, two rows from the stage, for the 4PM show; would I be interested?

Maybe money can't buy me love, but it can get me a ticket to that 4 o'clock show of Harrisongs! 

Yeah, yeah, yeah I told her. Her son would meet me at the concert at our seats.

December 20th seemed to take forever to get here. I finally found myself walking through the corridors of Madison Square Garden, looking for a concession stand. At this time in my life, I was not adverse to imbibing in a beer or two every now and then. Before I even got to my seat, I had downed two Beatle Beers. Here Come the Suds! I was ready for Georgie!!

"George Harrison" I kept repeating to myself as I walked to my seat. There it was --- two rows from the stage all right...behind the stage! I sat down next to my coworker's son (who himself was downing some Harrison Hops and Barley). He looked at me: "Good seats, huh?"

Still not sure how to answer, I just nodded my head and said, "George!"

As soon as George bounded onto the stage, I was convinced I had the best seats in the house. Georgie would often turn around and wave to our section behind him. To try to explain the thrill of seeing my first Beatle live is for another blog on another day. For this blog, it's about getting shushed by George! 

After about five songs, the great Harrison introduced his friend, Ravi Shankar, who along with other fine Indian musicians, would perform some songs for the audience. (It was Ravi who had taught George how to play the sitar. George, in turn, pretty much single-handedly introduced the sitar to popular Western music in the Sixties.) Admittedly, I wasn't anywhere near as appreciative of the intricacies and wonder of Indian music then as I am now, but as George left the stage to Ravi, I, along with the rest of the sold-out Garden crowd settled back to enjoy Shankar's set of Indian music.

OK, ya ready? Here comes the shush...

After about a couple of minutes, as Shankar was speaking to the audience, someone in our section yelled out, "It's George!" 

Sure enough, walking right past our section behind the stage, on his way to the dressing room, was George, along with Billy Preston and a couple of the other musicians from George's band .

The great George Harrison couldn't have been more than twenty feet away as he passed my seat. In no time, our whole section of about forty people were calling for George. "Hey, George! George! Hi! George! George!"

He realized what was happening...we were calling his name over Ravi's "hello" to the crowd.

George quickly put his finger to his lips and made a "shush" motion and pointed with both thumbs over his shoulders to the stage, as if to tell us, "Shhhh, you're interrupting Ravi!" While he did this, though, he had a big, appreciative smile on his face; both acknowledging our hellos, yet at the same time being mindful of the respect we should be giving the man on stage.

As George disappeared, a girl a few rows back joyfully announced, "Hey, George told us to be quiet!" I looked around and so many people in the section were either smiling or laughing. "Hey, yeah," a guy added, "we got shushed by a Beatle!"

We were like a bunch of schoolkids trying to stifle laughter so the teacher wouldn't yell. George had asked us to be quiet, but, hey, George had asked us to be quiet! Nobody else at this concert could say that.

We finally calmed down long enough to smell the incense sticks that Ravi had lighted and to listen to the genius sounds of Mr. Shankar.

As George returned to the stage after the Indian music section, I, and I'm sure everyone else in my section, felt an extra special bond with him for the rest of the show. And whenever he'd turn around and wave to us from there on in, it wasn't to shush us, but it was to thank us for loving him.

I swear we cheered the loudest of any section in the Garden.

Long Live George!

--Steve Ludwig


I host my own radio show called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Check out the archives anytime at all! Thanks...
                                  

If you enjoyed reading my blog, you may enjoy reading my first book, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY. It's more goofiness like you just read. It's available at my website: www.ccubook.com.

And if you DIDN'T enjoy my blog, you can still buy the book...