![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
It's the Rashomon mystery of Beatlelore - what exactly happened in India? Not least because people still come up with new versions, as evidenced by the recent publication of Christopher Isherwoods 60s diaries which contains yet another explanation of the Beatles & the Maharishi incident provided by none other than Mick Jagger (who might or might not have just messed with Isherwood's mind). More about this later. So, why exactly is the India question of such interest? Well, for starters because this was the big transition period from "shaken by Brian Epstein's death but still on excellent terms with each other" - as evidenced by the recording of Hey Bulldog which they did just before leaving for India, with everyone still in great spirits and having fun - to the tension, tension, TENSION filled atmosphere of the White Album recordings which started after their return from India. To quote Geoff Emerick's account of the Beatles back for the first day post-India in the Abbey Road studios:
Our first night back in the studio began, as usual, with small talk and catching up. “So how was India?” I asked.
“India was okay, I guess. . . apart from that nasty little Maharishi,” John replied, venomously. Harrison looked deflated, as if it were a conversation they’d had many times before. With a deep sigh, he tried to calm his agitated bandmate.
“Oh come on, he wasn’t that bad,” he interjected, earning a withering glance. Lennon’s bitterness and anger seemed almost palpable.
Ringo tried deflecting things with a little humor. “It reminded me of a Butlins holiday camp, only the bloody food wasn’t as good,” he said with a wink.
I glanced in Paul’s direction. He was staring straight ahead, expressionless and weary. He didn’t have much to say about India that day, or any other.
I sensed at that moment that something fundamental in them had changed (. . .) The rage that was bubbling inside John was the most obvious sign that something was seriously wrong. There was new tension between John and Paul (. . .) The undercurrents between the four Beatles were so complex at that point, it gave me a headache just thinking about it.
So, in true Agatha Christie mystery fashion, let's hear what the various witnesses have to say for themselves. The background: ever since being given a sitar on the set of Help!, George Harrison had developed an ever greater interest in Indian music, philosophy and history. He befriended Ravi Shankar, and indeed remained committed to Hinduism for the rest of his life. In the summer of 1967, his wife Pattie discovered the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi via a lecture on Transcendental Meditation. George becomes intrigued and takes the other three to another lecture in London. The Maharishi then departs for Wales; the Beatles, plus Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, are interested enough to visit him in Bangor. (Cynthia Lennon was also supposed to come along but literally missed the train since the police took her for a fan and wouldn't let her pass; the symbolism was obvious to her and every subsequent biographer.) Which is where they were when the news of Brian Epstein's death reached them, and this turned out to be crucial. George would have adapted the Maharishi as a guru in any case, but it was the shock of Brian's death that made John go from interested to adopting the Maharishi as his next idol and parent figure, to fully and completely believe the Maharishi would give him the answer to all the big questions. John being John, you can see the inevitable disaster looming right there. As for Paul and Ringo, they seem to have been game in the interest of group unity, plus Paul liked meditation after having been introduced to it and found it very useful; also, there was a sense that it was George's turn in the sun. This was the one period where he unquestioningly took the lead and the other three followed; the formerly (and future) Quiet Beatle happily gave interviews left, right and center about his beliefs and the Maharishi's philosophy. Some of the Beatles' wider circle were less than convinced; Barry Miles pointed out that the Maharishi had some ties to right-wing Indian politicians and was critisized by other Indian sages for making philosophy commercial for the West, leading to John's riposte: "So what if he's commercial? We're the most commercial group on the planet!" Paul's girlfriend Jane Asher also was on the sceptical side whereas Cynthia Lennon was very enthusiastic about the Maharishi because for starters, he forbade the use of LSD and John actually listened. (At that point, John's LSD use had increased to sometimes three times a week, and she hardly could talk to him anymore.) Studying together with the Maharishi in India sounded like an ideal way to repair her marriage. (What she didn't know whas that John had already become emotionally involved with Yoko though the relationship hadn't turned sexual yet; at one point he was considering taking her and Cynthia along to India, but even John realized this really wasn't a good idea, and Cynthia remained unaware of the impending marital implosion for a few more weeks.) In February 1968, the Beatles, their four significant others plus roadies Mal and Neil left for Rishikesh in India.
( And that's where accounts start to differ. )
Our first night back in the studio began, as usual, with small talk and catching up. “So how was India?” I asked.
“India was okay, I guess. . . apart from that nasty little Maharishi,” John replied, venomously. Harrison looked deflated, as if it were a conversation they’d had many times before. With a deep sigh, he tried to calm his agitated bandmate.
“Oh come on, he wasn’t that bad,” he interjected, earning a withering glance. Lennon’s bitterness and anger seemed almost palpable.
Ringo tried deflecting things with a little humor. “It reminded me of a Butlins holiday camp, only the bloody food wasn’t as good,” he said with a wink.
I glanced in Paul’s direction. He was staring straight ahead, expressionless and weary. He didn’t have much to say about India that day, or any other.
I sensed at that moment that something fundamental in them had changed (. . .) The rage that was bubbling inside John was the most obvious sign that something was seriously wrong. There was new tension between John and Paul (. . .) The undercurrents between the four Beatles were so complex at that point, it gave me a headache just thinking about it.
So, in true Agatha Christie mystery fashion, let's hear what the various witnesses have to say for themselves. The background: ever since being given a sitar on the set of Help!, George Harrison had developed an ever greater interest in Indian music, philosophy and history. He befriended Ravi Shankar, and indeed remained committed to Hinduism for the rest of his life. In the summer of 1967, his wife Pattie discovered the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi via a lecture on Transcendental Meditation. George becomes intrigued and takes the other three to another lecture in London. The Maharishi then departs for Wales; the Beatles, plus Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, are interested enough to visit him in Bangor. (Cynthia Lennon was also supposed to come along but literally missed the train since the police took her for a fan and wouldn't let her pass; the symbolism was obvious to her and every subsequent biographer.) Which is where they were when the news of Brian Epstein's death reached them, and this turned out to be crucial. George would have adapted the Maharishi as a guru in any case, but it was the shock of Brian's death that made John go from interested to adopting the Maharishi as his next idol and parent figure, to fully and completely believe the Maharishi would give him the answer to all the big questions. John being John, you can see the inevitable disaster looming right there. As for Paul and Ringo, they seem to have been game in the interest of group unity, plus Paul liked meditation after having been introduced to it and found it very useful; also, there was a sense that it was George's turn in the sun. This was the one period where he unquestioningly took the lead and the other three followed; the formerly (and future) Quiet Beatle happily gave interviews left, right and center about his beliefs and the Maharishi's philosophy. Some of the Beatles' wider circle were less than convinced; Barry Miles pointed out that the Maharishi had some ties to right-wing Indian politicians and was critisized by other Indian sages for making philosophy commercial for the West, leading to John's riposte: "So what if he's commercial? We're the most commercial group on the planet!" Paul's girlfriend Jane Asher also was on the sceptical side whereas Cynthia Lennon was very enthusiastic about the Maharishi because for starters, he forbade the use of LSD and John actually listened. (At that point, John's LSD use had increased to sometimes three times a week, and she hardly could talk to him anymore.) Studying together with the Maharishi in India sounded like an ideal way to repair her marriage. (What she didn't know whas that John had already become emotionally involved with Yoko though the relationship hadn't turned sexual yet; at one point he was considering taking her and Cynthia along to India, but even John realized this really wasn't a good idea, and Cynthia remained unaware of the impending marital implosion for a few more weeks.) In February 1968, the Beatles, their four significant others plus roadies Mal and Neil left for Rishikesh in India.
( And that's where accounts start to differ. )
