It was June 1960 and was on the road, touring England as poet beat giving readings of poetry by a background of rock music. I called missile. I was in Liverpool to give a show and went to Jacaranda, a coffee bar, to try and some musicians to back to me. I got to talk about a guy with a jolt of long hair and a style matelot stripe t-shirt. His name was George, he said. When I told him that I was in Liverpool to execute my poem to music rock marched me off at 3 Gambier terrace.
And this is where I met John Lennon, as one of the bodies lying on the floor of a room where the lights were wrapped in red garza to give it a mysterious glow and towels and clothes partitioned room and beds. John, who weren't returned to long to play with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe Johnny Gentle shoulder his Scottish tour, was intrigued by the presence in his mat a genuine poet beatnik, who had been on television.
I stayed for a few days, sleeping on the floor with assorted guests at la terrazza Gambier flat, meeting friends of John and George best known, as Paul and Stuart. John and I talked a lot. He badgered me with questions about the world of pop music and the life that led us to London as if it was a different world. And it was. My performance poetry society at the University of Liverpool was part of "an afternoon of poetry" the Friday, June 24, 1960 with a further session of "A reading of poetry music Beat" for the next day. John, more than others, was thrilled with the idea of performing poetry to a background of music beat. Suggested that I should try it at Jacaranda while his group supported me.
Seemed to work well and we spent half the night then discussing excitedly as we could do together. I said that I would take John and his friends in London to appear on television with me. I asked John what was the name of his group. Told me. "Like magic?" I asked. "(B), And double, T, W, E, S," said surprise for my ignorance. It was then that I suggested that John must specify the name with an "a".
I reminded him that--as was going to play with me and I was a poet Beat writing a book on the scene Big Beat, and he was a musician beat and liked the beats of the USA--the Beatles would be a big spelling. They never got to London to back to me. John sent me a message saying that they had a reservation in Hamburg and I would love to go with them as a kind of poetry and presenter? I refused, why survivors: a former poet beat (who now live in Sri Lanka). There's more about it in my book, The Big Beat Scene, just republished fifty years after I gave the Beatles on their behalf.
By Royston Ellis
Royston Ellis, author of over 60 biographies, books and travel guides, now lives in Australia after leaving England, where he started as a poet beat, in 1961, age 20, travel for a living. His latest book, The Big Beat Scene, has just been published by music mentor books, in a new edition for the first time in 50 years with a preface and afterword about his association with the Beatles.
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