They sat tight for several hours, scared to go to the lavatory in case they got mobbed. They had no idea what had happened to their luggage. No one seemed to have any money. They wondered what Maharishi would tell them. John said perhaps he might just turn out to be another version of what they already knew, but on a different label. ‘You know, like some are on EMI and some on Decca.’
Very seriously, George said he didn’t think so. He was sure this was going to be it. Mick Jagger sat very quiet and serious. John said he hoped it would save him having to go on working as a Beatle, if the Maharishi told him to go off and sit in a cave in India for the rest of his life. ‘But he won’t, I bet. He’ll just say go away and write “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”.’
In another compartment, the Maharishi was sitting cross-legged on a white sheet laid out on the seat by his followers. He bounced up and down when he laughed, which was most of the time. He admitted he’d never heard any Beatle music in his life. He had been told they were very famous, and so was Mick Jagger, but he got very confused about him being a Rolling Stone. He didn’t know what that meant.
The Beatles eventually went into his compartment. He laughed a great deal as he chatted with them. He illustrated his talk by taking a flower in his hand and saying it was really all sap. The petals on their own were an illusion, just like the physical life.
He said that transcendental meditation, which he would indoctrinate them into at Bangor, was simply a method of quickly and easily reaching a spiritual state. His meditations, once learned, need only be practised for half an hour every morning. That would be enough for the day. He said it was like a bank. You didn’t need to carry money around with you if you had a bank, you just needed to pop in now and again to get what you wanted.
‘What if you’re greedy,’ said John, ‘and have another half hour’s meditation after lunch, then slip in another half hour after tea?’
Everybody laughed. The Maharishi nearly bounced his head against the ceiling this time. The Beatles adjourned for tea while the girls and Mick Jagger had a turn with the Maharishi. The attendant roped off part of the dining room for them, but a few people managed to break through for autographs.
‘What you going to Bangor for?’ asked two teenage boys, unable to believe that anyone would want to go to Bangor, least of all the Beatles. ‘Are you playing there?’
‘That’s right,’ said Ringo. ‘On the Pier Head at 8.30, Second House. See you.’
At Flint Station Ringo said that Flint had been the furthest he’d ever cycled on his bike from the Dingle.
Bangor was pandemonium. The Beatles considered going on to the next station, then getting a taxi back. But Maharishi said if they stayed beside him, they’d be all right.
On the platform, rather lost and bemused amongst all the screaming kids, was a handful of Maharishi’s followers, waiting to welcome him to the conference. They were each clutching a flower, ready to hand to him. They were bowled aside by the crowds, screaming at the Beatles.
Bangor is a small seaside town on the north coast of Wales. It has a large training college, which was where the conference was being held. Over 300 meditators were already in residence, all unaware of the Beatles’ arrival.
Maharishi himself seemed to be enjoying all the commotion and excitement. He was very kind and considerate to all the press and TV men. He very smartly agreed with them to have a press conference, after he’d spoken privately to the conference members.
Maharishi’s philosophy, very simply, is that life consists of spiritual as well as materialistic values. He is not in favour of becoming a spiritual recluse, cutting oneself off from the world. But he says that without spiritual consciousness, it is impossible to lead a full life, or to fully enjoy materialism. In a way, it is a simple blend of Eastern mysticism and Western materialism. You don’t have to give up money or even the pleasures of the flesh, within reason, to become one of his followers, but you have to learn his methods of spiritual realization. This helps you to transcend yourself, although still continuing to live an ordinary life.
At his private meeting he asked his 300 followers how they were getting on in their meditations. One man asked if it was possible still to hear motorcars during meditation.
The press conference, afterwards, was confused and unsatisfactory. The press, mainly local stringers of national papers, had little idea what was going on. They thought the Beatles must be involved in some publicity stunt. They couldn’t believe they were serious about Maharishi, whoever he was. They were belligerent in their questions, almost as if they expected the Beatles to admit they were just doing it all for a laugh. The Beatles were cheered loudly by the congregation when they made it clear, at the expense of the press’s ignorance, that they were very serious indeed.
John found a reporter’s notes afterwards in one of the college’s telephone booths. It had the heading ‘Paul, George, Ringo, John Lennon and Jagger’ plus details of what each had been wearing. ‘You’ve taken over from me,’ said John to Mick Jagger, pointing out to him how the reporter had named each of them. ‘I just used be called Lennon when I was wicked. Now I’m John Lennon. I haven’t yet reached the next stage of just being John. You’re still Jagger.’
By midday on the Sunday they all had been indoctrinated. They were all resting, after their mental efforts, when the news about Brian Epstein’s death came through. Maharishi saw them all again, to help and comfort them, to cheer them up and explain how little death meant. Then they all went back to London by car, missing the rest of the conference.
They were due, originally, to go out to India to be with the Maharishi in September 1967, but it was put back to February 1968 for various reasons, such as The Magical Mystery Tour.
They and NEMS were a bit perturbed by the way various organizations suddenly sprouted up and tried to get them to give a press conference. They were even talking about selling press and TV rights to cover the Beatles’ trip to India, and setting up an official press office, long before the Beatles had made up their minds when to go. Maharishi’s public relations people were very keen on this.
An Indian official arrived, sent by the Indian government, and went to NEMS saying he had organized visits for them to six Indian states, and that he was going to arrange for them to meet Mrs Gandhi, the prime minister of India. Any sort of publicity for their religion or anything else is the last thing the Beatles ever want, although no one will ever believe this.
There has always been a certain element, very often even governments, who try to turn the Beatles’ presence or interest to their own advantage. The same sort of thing happened with Greece, around the same time in 1967. They were thinking of buying a Greek island. They’d seen it during a cruising holiday, and had even got the money organized. This was very difficult at the time because of the currency restrictions. But the Treasury gave them special dispensation to help them to take the money out of the country.
It was agreed that, as they’d brought so many millions into the country, they should be allowed to buy an island refuge. The price was agreed. They didn’t care about the military regime that had just taken over in Greece. On one trip they were asked by an official if they would be kind enough to look at a very quiet little village. When they got there, they found hordes of press and TV people. It had been organized by the tourist people to use the Beatles as propaganda. They decided to forget about Greece.
It might seem far-fetched that governments should wish to court four members of a beat group. Many said the Labour government did, by giving them an MBE. But it has always happened, since the beginning, from people trying to get them to go to embassy parties to state visits. Most governments see the Beatles as a way of keeping in with the young voters.