Magical Mystery Tours by Tony Bramwell

Author:Tony Bramwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910232163
Publisher: Pavilion Books Company Limited
Published: 2014-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

PART IV

1967–1970

20

Because Stigwood and Shaw hadn’t come up with the half-million pounds before Brian’s death, the offer was considered withdrawn by NEMS’s lawyers. The two Australians lost the boardroom battle to take over NEMS and were paid off with twenty-five thousand pounds plus clients like the Bee Gees that Stiggie had brought in. His severance from the Beatles complete, he went off to set up the highly successful Robert Stigwood Organization, and eventually produced Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

One by one, the Beatles drifted into the offices after Brian’s death to make plans. I think only Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans were in evidence as we gathered in the usual office the Beatles always used. I think they felt the strangeness of being there for the first time without Brian around. Despite their firm intentions to be sensible and grown up and talk it through properly, the Beatles were confused, especially John, who voiced the opinion that without Brian, “They’d had it!”

They all knew that Stigwood had been a director of NEMS, but none of them had any idea of how involved he had been. When they learned for the first time about the proposed deal between Brian and Stigwood to sell NEMS, they were stunned, unable to believe that Brian had even contemplated it.

John was the most outraged and upset. “He was going to sell us down the river for a crap half million?” he said. “Was he out of his mind?”

The answer of course was that yes, Brian was deranged—but no one wanted to say it. Besides, Stiggie was out of the picture and they had to move on.

George said, “Without Brian, we’re dead.”

Paul said, “No, we’re not. We just have to get on with it. We’ll have to delegate.”

They were under the microscope now, with the world looking to see what would happen next. George said, “Maybe we need some space. Let’s go to India.”

Before Brian’s death, following their induction by the Maharishi at the level-one boot camp in Wales, it had been their intention to fly almost immediately to the ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas, to immerse themselves for at least six months in meditation at level two while the lessons the Maharishi had taught them were still fresh in their minds. But Paul questioned whether this activity would now appear a little flaky to the rest of the world. They would be gone for months at an exceptionally crucial time, just when they needed to get a grip on reality.

George thought it would do them good to get away and meditate. He said there was nothing flaky about it. He was convinced that the Maharishi was misunderstood. George and Pattie had already been to India, where George had done some recording of Indian music, and had gotten to know the people and the country. “Their culture is different from ours,” he said. “They’re deeper and know things on a different philosophical level.” Enthusiastically, he exaggerated. The yogis were practically magic! They could fly! They could read your mind! Learning all this would surely help them enormously in business.

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