London’s National Portrait Gallery has recently put a set of photographs taken by Paul McCartney during the early years of The Beatles on display. McCartney had a chat with CBS News about the exhibit and commented on George Harrison living ‘the life’ while talking about the band’s pictures in Miami.
Looking at his former bandmate’s photo with an anonymous woman in a yellow bathing suit, the singer said:
“In that picture, yeah. I don’t think I was trying to protect her identity. I love her bathing costume. [It’s] so great, and you know, there’s George, like I keep saying, living the life. He’s got a drink, which is probably a scotch and coke. He’s got tan, girl in the yellow bikini. For a lad from Liverpool, that was exceptionally wonderful.”
McCartney also shared a bit about another picture of the members wearing terrycloth jackets. He explained:
“The hotel supplied them. You know, you normally get like a robe, but this place – because it was Miami – had these little cool short things and hats. We lived in them for days. Even Brian [Epstein], our manager. We thought they were really cool items of clothing.”
The photographs in the exhibit were taken during the band’s 1963-1964 era when they went out on tour in America. So, when the former Beatles bassist recounted their backstories in an excerpt on The Guardian, he wrote:
“It was a period of – what else can you call it? – pandemonium. We four guys from Liverpool couldn’t possibly realize then the implications of what we were doing.”
His words went on:
“By the end of February 1964, after our visit to America and three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, we finally had to admit that we would not, as we had originally feared, just fizzle out as many groups do. We were in the vanguard of something more momentous, a revolution in the culture.”
In the video below, you can listen to Paul McCartney’s words about his personal collection.
