George Harrison posing on a Triumph motorcycle in 1972.
 
Beatle George Harrison was a profoundly fascinating cat and a mass of contradictions. Despite being known as the “quiet Beatle,” Harrison could prove to be anything but. A deeply spiritual man, Harrison believed he had led a previous life. He brought his Beatle bandmates to Northern India to become better acquainted with transcendental meditation in 1968. Later that same year, gentle George invited members of the Hells Angels to the offices of Apple after meeting a few of them getting high on Haight Street in San Francisco.

Rolling Stone founding editor David Dalton wrote about the entire affair. When Harrison met two Angels, Bill “Sweet Willie Tumbleweed” Fritch, the leader of the SF Hells Angels in the mid-60s, and Frisco Pete (Pete Knell), he extended an invitation for them to visit him in London, and attend a Christmas party at Apple Corps headquarters. Since you can’t ride a chopper all the way to London from San Francisco, the Angels’ spiritual advisor (yep), Peter “Monk” Zimmels (formerly a Buddhist monk on the run after deserting his gig with the U.S. Navy), went to concert promoter Bill Graham for travel cash.

Graham was already in deep with the Hells Angels and had received four death threats (noted in the book The Zapple Diaries: The Rise and Fall of the Last Beatles Label) including bullets fired into his office at the SF Fillmore by the infamous motorcycle gang. So when Peter the Monk arrived at the Fillmore to talk to Graham, his negotiation tactics revolved around the promise to “remove” the bullets in exchange for a $1,000 bucks so the Angels could go party with the Beatles in London. Graham coughed up the cash quickly, and a bunch of Hells Angels and two of their motorcycles would soon be on their way to see their pal, George. In anticipation of their visit, Harrison sent out a memo on December 4th to Apple Corps, letting them know a dozen members of the Hells Angels would be guests at Apple Corps’ Savile Row offices:
 

 

Now the notion Harrison was concerned about the Hells Angels visit is pretty apparent, as he ominously reminds Apple staff to not allow the bikers to “take control” of Savile Row—to say nothing of their plans for Czechoslovakia, which is over 800 miles away from London. Once they arrived, only two of the Angels actually made it through customs, Frisco Pete and Tumbleweed, along with an assorted group of hangers-on. When they arrived at the party, they were expecting to hook up with George, who would later whisk them away to his massive mansion. Once Harrison showed up, he gave the motley group a tour of Apple and then vanished, leaving the staff at Apple to deal with his guests. At the party, John and Yoko were dressed as Ma and Pa Christmas while a giant 43-pound turkey took its time cooking. All the while, Hells Angels, being Hells Angels, along with their jet-lagged entourage, consumed tons of booze and smoked hash. A completely blotto Frisco Pete, blind from drink and suddenly hungry, lurched into the main party room and screamed at John Lennon, “What the FUCK is going on in this place? We wanna eat!”

Pete’s announcement sucked all the air out of the room as everyone waited to see what was going to happen next. This is the part of the story when fists start flying. Because it ain’t the holidays until someone gets punched.

According to The Zapple Diaries, journalist Alan Smith responded to Pete’s demand for grub, politely asking the biker to “have a little consideration.” This got Smith punched in the face by the angry, drunk, high and hungry biker, sending him across the room where he crumbled into a pile on the floor. Now Pete turned to Santa Lennon and screamed the following:

“You got more fucking food in that kitchen than there are people, and it’s all locked up, and those two fucking broads upstairs tell me I’ve gotta wait until 7:00 just like everybody else! There’s a forty-three-pound turkey in that kitchen, and I want some of it now!!!”

 

A photo of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Apple artist Mary Hopkin at the Apple Corps Christmas Party in 1968.
 
After Lennon told Pete it wasn’t “cool” to be hungry, Peter Coyote (Frisco Pete’s multi-talented actor/director/friend, who had spent the flight from California to London injecting himself with methamphetamine and B12 to help “cure” his hepatitis), intervened telling Lennon to take a seat. It was now time for Apple’s administrative director Peter Brown to materialize and deliver this soliloquy (via The Zapple Diaries) to Frisco Pete in an effort to chill out the volatile situation:

“Now listen, Pete, we have every intention of feeding you, and I apologize for the delay, but I was hoping you could appreciate the kitchen staff have been working since 9:00 am, and they’ve been under considerable pressure. We’re waiting for the caterers to finish laying the tables, and it shouldn’t take more than another ten minutes, and then we can all go downstairs and gorge ourselves to death, but please, I beg you, be patient.”

Amazingly, Brown’s very English entreaty didn’t get him whomped in the face; it instead, quite surprisingly, sent Frisco Pete back to his clan, who were still imbibing and salivating in the other room. As promised, ten minutes later, the downstairs boardroom opened, and because he was hungry and presumably all out of fucks to give, Frisco Pete grabbed a turkey leg and started eating it caveman-style. The rest of his entourage invaded the room and devoured the entire dinner, including the fancy wine it was served with. Then, since it ain’t really a party until somebody pukes, several of Harrison’s not-so-angelic guests barfed on the carpets due to overindulgence. The bikers would stick around Apple, sleeping wherever they wanted, including George’s office, until, a few days into their invasion, Harrison finally asked if they would be “moving all of their stuff” out tonight. The biker contingency was caught off guard, still thinking Harrison was their buddy, causing someone in the group to ask George if he “dug them or not.” Harrison’s very “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” response was allegedly as follows:

“Yin and yang, heads and tails, yes and no.”

Apple Corps president Neil Aspinall witnessed the showdown, recalling that Harrison’s quizzical comment left the bikers speechless. To illuminate what George was trying to say, he chimed in with, “You know, BUGGER OFF!” which wasn’t lost on Tumbleweed and Frisco Pete, and the group left without further incident.
 

 
The trailer for the 2017 documentary ‘The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels: Inside the Crazy World of Apple.’ Narrated by Peter Coyote.
 
With thanks to the wonderful Martin Schneider.

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
‘Little Malcolm’: George Harrison’s lost film starring John Hurt and David Warner
‘Wonderwall Music’: George Harrison’s little-known 1968 solo album
George Harrison’s 1966 selfies from India
We’ve been expecting you: George Harrison’s charming ‘Crackerbox Palace’ short directed by Eric Idle
‘My God, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ was so fruity’: George Harrison dishes Beatle dirt, 1977

An early photo of Earth taken in 1968. Image credit.
 

“Any band that calls itself Polka Tulk risks being doomed to obscurity.”

—author Chris Welch on Black Sabbath’s earliest incarnation Polka Tulk (or Polka Tulk Blues Band) in the 1982 book, Black Sabbath.

In the early days while still transitioning to the name Earth and then Black Sabbath, John Michael Osbourne, Anthony Frank Iommi, Terrance Michael Joseph Butler and William Thomas Ward frequented their future manager Jim Simpson‘s Birmingham club, Henry’s Blueshouse. In the late 60s, the venue played host to all kinds of musical acts, such as Locomotive and Jethro Tull. Regular patrons included Robert Plant, John Bonham, and members of Judas Priest.

During these early times Geezer Butler recalled the band practicing for months in his parent’s basement. At Henry’s, Simpson would expose the 20-somethings to his extensive collection of jazz and blues records. They would record a demo which contained a song composed in honor of Simpson called “A Song For Jim,” an undeniably jazz-influenced piece featuring an extended drum solo by Bill Ward, a devout fan of jazz drummer Gene Krupa since childhood. Other members of Sabbath were also big jazz fans; Tony Iommi considered Django Reinhardt one of his mentors. In 2005, Geezer Butler spoke about his desire to make a full-fledged jazz album and has referred to Sabbath’s sound while they were still called Earth as having a “jazz/blues influence.” Jazz influences are can be found throughout the band’s extensive catalog. On Sabbath’s debut, it’s heard loud and proud in “Wicked World.” On their follow up, Paranoid, “Electric Funeral” is an excellent example of “Jazz Sabbath.” On 1975’s Sabotage the last two minutes of “Symptom of the Universe” devolves into a jazzy blues-fueled jam. The band’s jazz vein is also pulsing hard on 1978’s Never Say Die, specifically the “Air Dance,” which Ward calls a “typical jazz song.” Additionally, (noted in Welch’s book), the author describes Tony Iommi’s style in “A Song For Jim” as being inspired by the highly influential guitarist Wes Montgomery, and jazz legend Joe Pass.
 

A membership card for Henry’s Blueshouse.
 
There was so much upheaval for the future members of Black Sabbath in 1968 that it’s not surprising Polka Tulk was destined to be called Polka Tulk for mere moments. Iommi had just left Mythology, another short-lived Birmingham band who, before breaking up sometime in the summer of ‘68, also included Bill Ward on drums. Iommi was still grappling with the loss of the tops of his ring and middle finger of his right hand (in the years following his accident in 1965, Iommi spent time crafting DIY covers for his fingers with molds he sculpted from melted plastic bottles, eventually covered with leather). Ozzy had just departed Rare Breed along with Geezer Butler. With the addition of slide-guitarist Jimmy Phillips (a pal of Ozzy’s) and sax player Alan “Aker” Clark, they would become a six-piece known as Music Machine (noted in the book Metal: The Definitive Guide by Gary Sharpe Young) which was even more short-lived than Polka Tulk. The first time Polka Tulk performed was on August 24th, 1968 at the County Ballroom in Carlisle. There would only be one more Polka Tulk show with both Phillips and Clark, at a youth club in Workington, England. They were dismissed from the band after that gig. By early September, Polka Tulk morphed into Earth. Tony Iommi abruptly left Earth to join Jethro Tull, which, like the various pre-Sabbath groupings we’ve discussed, lasted (thankfully) about a hot minute.

More after the jump…

Marlon Brando explaining to Swedish actress Ewa Aulin how strong his tongue is.
 
As far as movies go, 1968 flick Candy has it all. A star-studded cast comprised of Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, John Huston (playing the head doctor of a mental institution), Walter Matthau, John Astin (best known for his role as Gomez Addams on TV’s The Addams Family), Ringo Starr (as Emmanuel the Mexican gardener) and striking Swedish actress and beauty queen Ewa Aulin. Add a killer soundtrack composed by Dave Grusin which includes The Byrds and Steppenwolf and you have the perfect flick. What else could you possibly need? While I’d venture to say that would be enough for most movie fans to give Candy a whirl, there is so much more to this cult classic than just the Oscar-winning actors in the cast and the movie’s outrageously hot, 23-year-old blonde starlet.

Based on the scandalous 1958 book by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg, Candy is a film centering around Ewa Aulin’s character of Candy Christian—a high school student pursued by pretty much every male who comes into contact with her. In fewer than ten minutes into the movie we meet alcoholic poet MacPhisto, Richard Burton’s character whose prose and persona are so seductive that he causes his female fans to faint. MacPhisto’s dramatic entrance is enhanced by invisible fans that blow his wild hair, long scarf, and cape (!) as he recites a fictional poem Forests of Flesh while a bevy of teenage girls swoon and scream. A few even bend to kiss the stairs that MacPhisto walked on as he exited the lecture hall. At this point, Candy has been rolling for about fifteen minutes, and unless you don’t have a pulse, you’re impossibly hooked and can’t wait to see what happens next. Especially since the sly MacPhisto has managed to make the first pass at Candy by passing her a note requesting her presence in his Mercedes where things get weirder than weird—and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

As the film rolls on, the rest the cast is introduced, like James Coburn who digs into his role as Dr. A.B. Krankheit (a spider monkey specialist and brain surgeon) while John Astin regales us with a constant stream of one-liners from his dual characters of T.M. Christian /Jack Christian, Candy’s father and uncle. The non-stop barrage of bizarre incidents involving Candy and the film’s cast of characters culminates in her meeting spiritual leader Grindl played by Marlon Brando whose “temple” resides in the trailer of a moving truck. Although Brando/Grindl and Candy seem to have a pretty good time, according to the actor (as seen in the 2015 documentary Listen to Me Marlon), Candy was the worst movie he ever made in his life. In an ironic twist, Brando was Candy‘s money-man and he personally helped secure financing for the film as a favor to director Christian Marquand—a close personal friend of his who Brando named his son in honor of. (Marquand was also briefly married to wild child actress Tina Aumont). If you still need to be somehow convinced of Candy‘s many merits, it also contains a nutty scene between 60’s “It Girl” Anita Pallenberg (as Nurse Bullock) and Ewa Aulin that involves a bit of hair pulling. Meow.

I’ve posted some great stills, posters and lobby cards from Candy for you to check out as well as the bonkers trailer for the film which was beautifully restored and released on Blu-ray in 2016 by New York-based film distribution company Kino Lorber.
 

A publicity photo of Marlon Brando and Ewa Aulin for ‘Candy.’
 

 
More eye candy from ‘Candy’ after the jump…

One of the 217 vibrant covers of pioneering Spanish horror magazine, Dossier Negro.
 
Dossier Negro made its debut in 1968, earning it the distinction of being the first-ever Spanish horror magazine. Staff illustrators were plucked from the young and vibrant local artistic community including Leopoldo Sánchez who at the time was just twenty. Sánchez would go on provide artwork for several influential magazines, including Vampirella and Eerie, and for Marvel Comics.

During its 217 issue run work by other prominent artists would appear in Dossier Negro, such as José Ortiz (Spain), Ernesto “Ernie” Chan (aka Ernie Chua), Frank Frazetta, comic hero Bernie Wrightson (a long-time collaborator of author Stephen King) and comic master Enrique Torres-Prat/Enrich. Initially put out by Ibero Mundial de Ediciones (issues 1-124), the publishing house engaged the services of a fixture of the Spanish comic scene, Josep Toutain Vila (or José Toutain). Toutain would quickly make a connection with Jim Warren of Warren Publishing to license Warren-owned content for use by Dossier Negro as well as other comics from Italy and the UK. Later on, three different publishing houses would continue to provide a home for the wildly popular magazine. Noted in the 2012 book, Spanish Horror Film by Antonio Lazaro-Rebol, Dossier Negro remained a favorite in Spain throughout its twenty-year run which concluded in 1988.

I’ve posted 24 images of cover artwork from Dossier Negro that I know you will dig below. Some are slightly NSFW.
 

 

 

 
More after the jump…

 
Rare color footage of The Doors performing on September 7,1968 during their two night stand at London’s Roundhouse.

Other than when and where it was shot, I can’t find any information about this video. I know it’s not from the Roundhouse footage (‘Doors Are Open’) which was broadcast on Granada TV. I know that the sound source is not the mixing board and may have been synched after the fact. And I know as a Doors fan I dig it.

If anyone knows more about the history of this footage, please share.