The 60’s and 70’s. Do you remember that golden era? The world was craving for a change. This was the time of the biggest musical revolution. Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley had done their part and it was the dawn of some new musical sensations like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley. All these musicians will always be remembered for their unique contribution to the musical industry. But despite their music, these iconoclastic musicians were always surrounded by numerous controversies.
Some came into headlines for making bold and inexplicable statements while some tarnished their persona for being involved in drug addiction and sexual assaults. For instance, John Lennon once said during their US tour that in America, The Beatles are even more popular than Jesus. After this statement, The Fab Four had to face a humungous outburst and criticism from all over the world and eventually John had to apologize and retract his statement.
However, in all these controversies, there’s one thing in common i.e the drug-addiction. Who doesn’t want to be famous? Fame is something that millions of people are dying for. But remember what Jim Morrison said, “There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors.” And according to what I believe, these are the doors that can lead an ordinary man to something extraordinary. But fame comes at its own cost. Behind these doors is a whole new world and there’s also a dark side of it. And through this blog post, I’ll try n’ introduce you to that dark side of the music.
The Beatles
Nobody ever imagined that four lads from Liverpool who never saw the limelight are gonna shake the whole world through the greatest Rock n’ Roll band of all time, The Beatles. Changing its name from The Quarry Men to The Beetles and finally The Beatles, it turned out to be the biggest band in the genre of Rock and Pop music. And it led John, Paul, George and Ringo to become the most influential musicians of all time. With back to back hits like Love Me Do, She Loves You, Rock And Roll Music, Yesterday and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, their music became contagious and it caused a unique type of fever throughout the world that was said to be, “Beatlemania.”
But as I already told you, fame lets you do all the dirty stuff too. It happens with everyone. And The Beatles were no exception. In March 1965, they first admitted taking drugs, although by mistake as they said.
But as the years passed, the addiction grew and they were said to be suffering from a severe drug-addiction by the year 1967. That’s when they met an Indian Saint, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who was the founder and promoter of Transcendental Meditation. This was the time when the Fab Four were going through a lot of stress and the death of their manager only made it worse. They needed an escape from this stressful life and so they planned to visit the Maharishi Ashram in Rishikesh, India to learn and practice Transcendental Meditation.
While learning meditation was the main purpose of their Indian visit, some people believe that this wasn’t the only reason why they came to India. In Feb 1968 when the Beatles visited India, hippie culture was at its pinnacle. And this was the time when drugs like heroine and cocaine were legally available in India. And some people believe apart from practicing meditation, they also consumed weed and drugs to help relax themselves.
Well whatever be the reason, but the Fab Four were greatly influenced by the Indian culture. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote several songs here which were later released in their White Album. Ringo wrote his first song while George stayed here for six weeks and learned Sitar from the famous Indian Sitar player, Ravi Shankar.
So, this was about The Beatles. But even after the splitting of the band in 1969, the fab four were surrounded by such controversies and they all have been arrested for the consumption of drugs as well. Let’s have a look at their criminal record.
John Lennon
In October 1968, John Lennon was arrested for marijuana possession alongside his wife, Yoko Ono, and the charge nearly cost him his U.S. citizenship.
Paul McCartney
In 1960, Paul and then drummer, Pete Best were arrested on suspicion of Arson.
In August 1972, McCartney and his wife Linda were arrested for the possession of Sinsemilla in Sweden. However, instead of serving a jail time, he paid a fine of $2000.
After dropping about two grand for a few dime bags in Sweden, Paul and Linda took up horticulture on their farm in Scotland -- where they were cultivating more than a vegetarian lifestyle. The police found a few cannabis plants that took root and grew like, weeds on his property. Eventually, he had to pay a fine of $175.
Again in March 1975, the couple for arrested for the possession of fall in L.A. for which they had to pay yet another fine.
On Jan. 16, 1980, he was busted at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport for trying to bring a half-pound of marijuana into the country.
Four years later, the couple were arrested in Barbados for the possession of another drug and were fined heavily.
George Harrison
In March 1969, cops raided Harrison’s house and hashish was found in one of his shoes. It was the same day when Paul McCartney got married and Harrison couldn’t attend the wedding due to the arrest.
Ringo Starr
Ringo however, has never been arrested for the possession of drugs but that doesn’t mean he has a clean record. In 1995, he was arrested in Texas over a restaurant bill. Ringo became argumentative when asked to sign the bill - he claimed that he'd been given alcoholic drinks instead of the fruit drink he'd ordered.
So, this was all about the dark side of The Beatles. Strange isn’t it? How these big artists too have had such precarious history associated with them. You must have been stunned seeing Paul’s criminal record and how many times he had been arrested for the possession of drugs. But that’s how it is. You can’t change the reality.
Well, it was just about The Fab Four, The Beatles. Don’t forget to read my next blog to know about the dark side of Bob Marley and the most notorious of all, The Lizard King, Jim Morrison.
--- Anirudh Bhardwaj
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