A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEATLES

1961--The Beatles perform at the Top Ten Club, Reeperbahn, Hamburg, West Germany.

1962--The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

1963--The Beatles take a well-earned vacation. Paul,George and Ringo all leave for a 12-day holiday in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. John and Brian Epstein fly to Spain. John decides he’d rather have this holiday than return to his wife Cynthia and their newborn son, Julian. 

This trip cements the relationship between The Beatles manager and John, the undoubted power source of the group; but it also leads to rumors of John and Brian having a homosexual affair, which begin to spread as soon as the two return to Liverpool. To his dying day, John publicly denied these rumors, although he told close friends,among them Pete Shotton,that he did indeed have sex with Epstein. 

At most, John would later only admit to there being some flirtation between himself and the openly gay Epstein. Various Beatles insiders claim that Brian revealed all about the affair when he returned, but it is clear that whatever went on between John and Brian on that mysterious holiday ended unhappily. And John appeared to remain clearly heterosexual thereafter.
 

 


1964-Taping of The Beatles' television special "Around the Beatles." The Beatles perform lip-sync to the songs they recorded on April 19. They also act, costumed in hilarious outfits, in a humorous spoof of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." John is the beauteous lady "Thisbe," Paul is "Pyramus," George is "Moonshine," and Ringo is "Lion." John, Paul, and George fake a trumpet fanfare at the beginning, followed by Ringo hoisting a flag and setting off a cannon. Finally, as a group, The Beatles introduce singer P.J. Proby. Broadcast on May 6 and again on June 8. Brian Epstein will sell the film to the US ABC-TV network, which broadcasts it on November 15, 1964.
 
1965--Filming continues at Twickenham Film Studios for the movie "Help!"
 
1966--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording of the double string quartet instrumental track for Eleanor Rigby (14 takes). Take 15 is created by combining the four tracks of string instruments, to provide open tracks for the overdubbing of Paul's lead vocal, and John and George's harmony vocals. The Beatles Anthology 2 includes the strings-only track for Eleanor Rigby.
 
 
1972-US (only) release of David Peel and the Lower East Side Band's LP, The Pope Smokes Dope. John and Yoko Ono were producers for the album and also sang on several tracks. One of the highlights of the album is the song The Ballad of New York City: John Lennon / Yoko Ono, which would later be peformed by John, Yoko and Peel on "The Dick Cavett Show."
1974-John appears briefly with Harry Nilsson at a March of Dimes benefit concert in New York’s Central Park. John ad libs his own March of Dimes song, dances a bit, and signs autographs for the crowd (taking time to hold a baby). John’s appearance goes mostly unnoticed by the local TV news and newspapers. Meanwhile, John and May Pang have taken up residence at the luxurious Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue.

1975--Ringo appears on the US television program "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," singing No No Song with his hosts.

1975 John and his lawyer, Leon Wilders, are interviewed by Tom Snyder on US television, on NBC-TV's "Tomorrow Show." This was John’s last major television interview. The interview is re-broadcast on December 9,1980, in the early morning hours following John's murder.

1979-While in Monte Carlo, Ringo again becomes seriously ill with peritonitis, an illness he suffered as a child. He is taken to the Princess Grace Hospital, where he undergoes life-threatening internal surgery for an intestinal blockage. During the operation, several feet of intestines are removed from his body.

1989 The home video “John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band Live: Rock and Roll Revival” is released in the UK. The video is comprised of footage from John and Yoko’s performance at the September 13, 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival concert. In the US, the 1988 film “John Lennon: Imagine” is released on home video.