Rishikesh: then unt now.

Hello everybody. Firstly, thank you to all who have written/commented over the last 3 years, and apologies for the lack of response. I remain extant. The blog was blown off course by what might be deemed "life shit" (or "shite"), and so it remains.
What have I been up to? I suppose the big news is that, ironically, one dreich morning during this hiatus, I finally got to visit Kenwood. By which I mean, I had an hour to wander through the house and round the grounds. More, and there could hardly be less, to follow. (Possibly.)
In the meantime, what better way to etc. than with our auld mate the "then unt now"?
Mark Lewisohn was in India recently, and took a number of photos at what's left of the Maharishi's Etc., including the one on the right above, the very spot where they initially White Albumed, at least partly.
Thanks to him, and to you.

Kenwood: September, 1967.

John's "lucky dips" into the mail bags at Kenwood would occasionally encourage him to actually respond, as in this example, post-stamped "Weybridge 6 Sep. 1967". The recipient got John's address via her employer, apparently, who was the florist contracted by Brian to supply his offices.
Clearly, John was still in full-on evangelical mode re. TM (Pete Shotton recounts an amusing tale in his book related to this).
Something else which may be of interest is a PDF of one of Maharishi's publications from 1967, which John would almost certainly have had a copy of. In the Q & A section, the answer to the question about Mantra is almost exactly the one that John gave to David Frost in 1968, post-India, on a theme of "vibrations".
You can get it HERE.

Bangor: August 25 - 27, 1967.

44 years ago this weekend, the Beatles plus entourage boarded the "Mystical Special" (actually the rather more prosaic 3.15 Stopping Train to Bangor). Thus, it seemed like a good idea at the time to have a look at some related "shizzle" which has arisen of late.
To begin with probably the most interesting: the above screen-cap from home movie footage of breakfast or lunch on what I think was probably the 27th (ie very shortly before they received the news of Brian's death). If you haven't seen it yet, you'll no doubt wish to do so immediately, and don't let me stop you. It can be seen HERE. (We'll return to this later.)
Now, you'd think it would be possible to impose some order on the many photos taken that weekend, via the medium o' fash... and this is what I've attempted to do (emphasis on attempted). So:
AUGUST 25th:
Having arrived and settled in at Normal College, the Beatles (plus all important entourage) head over to the John Phillips Hall for an introductory Mantra (or something). Jagger is made to sit with the WAGS:


The central pic above is the hall as it looks now. The Beatles took their place on stage beside Maharishi:


Following this, they went for a meal at the Senior Chinese Restaurant in town. (Not sure where that was.)
AUGUST 26th:
The Beatles and the Maharishi were housed in student halls known as Dyfrdwy - two almost identical buildings that faced each other then (and still do now). They are currently part of the Bangor Business Centre, and you can stay there for around 60 pounds a night - something I intend to do before too long, in order to get a more substantial shufti. But I digress.
The all important entourage was lodged in another building called Alun. Interestingly, it's in Alun that Paul took the call about Brian (or so it is said).
On the Saturday, the Beatles walked across to the Maharishi's room, and received a flower each for their trouble:


Inevitably, the press were waiting, and so captured them walking back across to their own rooms:


The same spot now:


AUGUST 27th:
Judging by the clobber, these pics were taken in Maharishi's room on the morning of the 27th:


Once more, they were photographed leaving the Maharishi, and crossing the short space to their own rooms:


It must have been around about then that the alarm was being raised in London re. Brian. Upon receiving the news, Paul seems to have left almost immediately (and the same spot now):


John, George and Ringo stayed on to issue a statement (and probably also to speak more with Maharishi):


Having done this, they returned to Weybridge/Esher. Here, the scene of the press conference these days:


AUGUST 28th:
On the Monday, a photo-call for remaining attendees (including Jagger, still there, and seated to Maharishi's right):


The Lips had been under the cosh from John all weekend (peace and love or no peace and love) for "jumping on the bandwagon" and "only being interested in sex"... which is fairly amusing. But I digress.
Back to the film: I think it's likely to be the 27th based, once again, upon the "gear". For example, compare Cynthia's shirt:


If so, and it's lunch (and not breakfast), the film records some of the final moments of the Beatles as a unified entity. The second John heard about Brian, he thought, famously (and presciently), "We've fuckin' had it".
But here, for another hour or so, they hadn't quite "had it" yet:

Kenwood: kitchen - breakfast terrace.

Master Nernie also sent me the above pic a while back, taken somewhere inside Kenwood in late 1968. I'm pretty sure it shows the breakfast terrace area of the split-level kitchen. The tiled floor suggests it, and the shape of the wall matches that corner on the Partridge plan just beyond the entrance hall door, which can also be seen in the pic.
Comparing this area to how it was in 2006 (no longer a part of the kitchen), the big window is evident, and there is indeed part of a windowsill in the black and white shot, exactly where you would expect it to be:


Presumably the photographer took a photo of this little table because he or she was amused to find, chez Lennon, a picture of Queen Victoria on display alongside a portrait of the Maharishi.
It's hard to see exactly, but that also looks like a pile of 45s to the right - which again fits with the kitchen idea, as John had a small jukebox there which he would listen to every morning (or more likely afternoon) when brewing tea. (And by tea, this time I literally mean tea and not "tea".)
So, another little corner of Lennon-era Kenwood uncovered. Chin-chin.

A weekend away: Bangor, 25 - 27 August, 1967.

One of the beginnings of the end. On August 25, 1967, John and Cyn were driven up from Kenwood to catch (or not catch, in Cyn's case) the train from Euston station to Bangor, where Maharishi was holding an induction into the mysteries of transcendental meditation at the amusingly titled Normal College. It all ended very badly, of course. Nevertheless, here are a few pics less often seen from that weekend.