The Beatle Who Vanished by Berkenstadt Jim

Author:Berkenstadt, Jim [Berkenstadt, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rock And Roll Detective Publishing
Published: 2013-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

June 15, 1964, End of the Line

The next morning, June 15 at 8:00 a.m., Jimmie Nicol and Brian Epstein slipped out of the hotel and drove to the airport. Nicol never got to say goodbye to the other Beatles. He says, “They were still asleep and I didn’t think I ought to wake them up.”55 The Beatles’ late-night party had ended only a few hours earlier. Not wanting to disturb them, Nicol left with his suitcase, carry-on bag and some souvenirs.

While Epstein chatted with the concert promoter, Jimmie Nicol sat, waiting for his plane, all alone in the airport terminal and deep in thought. Another iconic photo shows Jimmie with legs crossed sitting alone in the airport, with nothing but empty rows of seats surrounding him. It is a stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands of fans whom, as recently as yesterday, had screamed just to be near him. He is seen, pensive and serious, possibly wondering: what could have been, what just happened, and what the future might hold? The photo reflects many emotions - sadness, loneliness, shock, despair, defeat, and depression. It is the single most powerful photograph ever taken of Jimmie Nicol, of a moment in time that would continue to resonate throughout his life. Reflecting on that moment, Nicol cryptically reveals, “Oh that’s a beautiful photograph. Oh yes, lonely. That was meant to be. Well, if you look at that photograph, and you can see into the photograph, then you can learn a lot; with the odd man out. Just tie that photograph with the feeling you get from it and there’s your answer about how I felt.”56

One last TV reporter catches up with Jimmie at the airport. Nicol is smiling proudly. He relishes the chance to be interviewed all alone. It is a brief exchange and his last interview as a Beatle.

Nicol: “…Seeing all these marvelous places and things and actually seeing all these things that are in the paper like the refugees and seeing the conditions they’re living in. They still look happy though they are living in bad conditions, so…”

Q: “Have the crowds been surprising?”

Nicol: “Oh yes.”

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