Now and Then- 𝓂𝒸𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

"At long last, we were done wi' all o' our filmin' in the UK." says Paul, "And by this time, A Hard Day's Night, both the album and film had been released: both of which were smash-hits."

"Seems like another high for the Beatles, eh?" Michael asks with a grin.

"Oh, certainly." Paul nods, "Then, in August, we came back to the States and Canada to continue tourin'. It was a great ordeal: we were all very, very busy during this time."

"Are there any particular stories that stand out to you from that era of your life?"

"Ehm, yes." Paul glances up at the ceiling thoughtfully, smiling, "...yes, quite a few. I'll try to recall the details as best I can."

___________________________________________

The tour opened at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

This tour was more physically demanding than any job the boys had taken, prior. It required them to go without sleep for several shows, to have no private time other than driving or the mere few hours they were allotted to spend in their hotel rooms.

Some shows even proved to be hazardous for the boys' health. At the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, the altitude was far too great to comfortably breathe while performing. Because of this, the show lasted not much longer than a half an hour, ending on a poor note for both the boys and the crowd. (The boys did their best to remain optimistic, though: John, especially, having noticed that Paul's spirit had dulled during that lousy show, walked offstage with him afterward, muttering, "Oh, Paul, you look so cute tonight." Paul met John's little compliment with a dismissive, "Sod off, Lennon." Even so, John felt as though he'd succeeded: because even though Paul had shrugged him off, it was obvious that as he turned away from John, Paul was grinning madly from ear to ear.)

Oftentimes, even mere hours before a show began, the boys would do phone-in interviews from their hotel rooms. While the others would get increasingly bored of waiting by the phone and hearing questions that they'd already answered countless times, Paul was patient, and finished each interview even if the others had wandered off.

It was typical of a phone-interview to begin with all four of the boys huddled around the answering machine, trying to get a word in, until George and Ringo would disappear down the hall to the hotel cafe or bar. John, though, stayed with Paul, even if he wasn't being asked or answering any questions, and simply laid on the bed beside Paul, listening, watching; keeping him company.

Paul much appreciated that: one of many countless thoughtful gestures of John that reminded Paul of why he adored John as much as he did.

"You know," said the interviewer one evening. Paul was sitting straightly in a chair at the small hotel room table, with the answering machine done up to the highest volume, on the insistence of John, who was laying in bed. His arms were crossed behind his head, and he was staring up at the ceiling, listening absently to Paul's interview. "I don't go for these gossip-column type questions-"

"AB LIE HLINE!" yelled John, suddenly, madly: complete gibberish, simply trying to prove to the interviewer that he was there with Paul.

Paul giggled lightly, glancing over at John, briefly giving him eyes so that he might shut up for a moment. The interviewer continued, "...but I wanted to ask you one question. Since there's so many girls who do like the Beatles, uh... if you had to pick a wife, let's say: what type of things would you look for?"

"Uh," Paul smiled at the all-too-familiar question: probably his most frequently asked question, having been considered by most people as the "cute" Beatle, and thus being the one that the girls all desired so greatly.