Paul McCartney & Jane Asher Interview (March 26, 1968)

Upon their return from Rishikesh, India, Paul McCartney, accompanied by Jane Asher and Neil Aspinall, arrived at London Airport on the morning of March 27, 1968. They had spent over a month studying meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. McCartney and Asher briefly engaged with reporters, shedding light on their transformative experience:

Reporter: "Well, you look very happy. Do you feel better after five weeks of meditation?"

Paul McCartney: "Yes, yes, I feel a lot better, except for the flight, you know. That’s quite long. I’m a bit shattered, but the meditation is great! You sit down, you relax, and then you repeat a sound to yourself. It sounds daft, but it’s just a system of relaxation, and that’s all it is. There’s nothing more to it. We meditated for about five hours a day in all. Two hours in the morning and maybe three hours in the evening, and then, for the rest of the time, we slept, ate, sunbathed and had fun."

Reporter: "One Indian MP accused the camp where you stayed as being an espionage centre, and you, in fact, as being a spy for the West."

Paul McCartney: "Yes, it’s true. Yes, we are spies. The four of us are spies. Actually, I’m a reporter and I joined The Beatles for that very reason. The story is out next week in a paper which shall be nameless."

Reporter: "Jane, did you go for a holiday or did you go to meditate as well?"

Jane Asher: "Oh, to meditate."

Reporter: "And what effect did it have on you? This, I presume, is your first big meditation experience?"

Jane Asher: "Yes. I think it calms you down. It’s hard to tell because it was so different, you know, the life out there. It’d be easy to tell now that I’m back, or when we’re doing ordinary things, to see just what it does."

Reporter: "We’ve heard about the extreme poverty that exists in India. Presumably you saw some of that?"

Paul McCartney: "Yes, oh yes. I don’t equate it, you know, because it’s nothing to do with it, you know. The idea is to stop poverty at its root. You see, if we just give handouts to people, it’ll just stop the problems for a day, or a week, you know. But, in India, there’s so many people, you really need all of America’s money to pour into India to solve it, you know. So, you’ve got to get to the cause of it and persuade all the Indians to start working and, you know, start doing things. Their religions, it’s very fatalistic, and they just sit down and think, ‘God said, this is it, so it’s too bad to do anything about it.’ The Maharishi’s trying to persuade them that they can do something about it."

McCartney and Asher's insightful reflections offered glimpses into the profound impact of their meditation experience and the broader societal issues they encountered during their time in India.

The Beatles at Allerton Golf Course & Sefton Park - Dezo Hoffmann Color Home Movie (March 25, 1963)

On March 25, 1963, The Beatles took a break from their busy schedule on the Montez/Roe tour to spend a day in Liverpool. It wasn't exactly a day off, as they were accompanied by photographer Dezo Hoffmann, capturing moments throughout the day.

They kicked off the day at the iconic Cavern Club, likely reminiscing about their early days performing there. Afterwards, they visited Horne Brothers hairdressers on Lord Street, where they all got haircuts and Ringo had his hair styled into the famous Beatle cut.

Next, they piled into Paul's Ford Consul 315 and headed to Allerton Golf Course, where they filmed some footage with Dezo's movie camera, capturing playful moments of them leaping into the air.

The day concluded at Paul McCartney's family home at 20 Forthlin Road, where they likely relaxed and spent time together.

Interestingly, the chairs from the barbershop they visited that day were later auctioned by Bonhams in June 2009, a testament to the enduring fascination with all things related to The Beatles.