31 July 2001

A Spellbinding Tale
He was at Lord Lucan's home a week before his infamous disappearance and has catered for a wealth of celebrity clients, including Lauren Bacall and Mick Jagger. HUGH CHRISTOPHER meets Norman Myers, a children's party organiser with a tale to tell. One week before he made the most grandiose disappearance of all time, a vanishing act was taking place inside Lord Lucan's own home. Norman Myers, children's party organiser and friend to the stars, was performing a magic show for the Lucan children just seven days before the house nanny was murdered and Lord Lucan made an inexplicable and permanent exit from public view in 1974. Norman, affectionately known as Uncle Magic, claims that if any smoke and mirrors were involved in one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century, it certainly wasn't any of his doing.
"I have to speak to my lawyer. No comment," said Norman, of Etchingham Park Court, Finchley, laughing. "No, seriously, I had nothing to do with Lord Lucan's disappearance." Although he can now see events in a humorous light, at the time Norman was interviewed by the police about anything he may have known. The only thing that aroused his suspicions was the house's eerie atmosphere. "It was very dark, no light at all," he said. "Every time the door rang I had to run downstairs with a torch to let the children in. But Lucan was normal, just chatting away. I never thought anything was about to happen." He may not be able to shed any further light on the whereabouts of the undetectable aristocrat, but Norman's autobiography, Uncle Magic: The Life And Times Of Norman Myers, is filled to the brim with insightful stories about the rest of his rich and famous clientele. In over 50 years in the business, the traditional entertainer has performed Punch and Judy for Princes William and Harry, jested with a young Jemima Goldsmith and brought smiles to a large number of showbiz offspring, including those of Lauren Bacall and Mick Jagger. One of the more colourful characters he catered for was the now dead wildman drummer of The Who, Keith Moon. "Oh, Keith Moon was very nice, a lovely chap ... except that he used to go round smashing up cars," Norman states candidly. "He was smashing up Ferraris while I was there!" Another memorable encounter was with Paul McCartney at the height of Beatlemania in the Sixties. "We did a party at John Lennon's place at Tittinghurst in Ascot. I did all my games and magic for the children then Paul McCartney arrived late. He came up to me and said: 'Are you the accountant?'. I said: 'No I'm the entertainer!'." Now aged 80, and with a lifetime of celebrity anecdotes under his belt, Norman could be forgiven for wishing to pack it all in and spend his retirement in a sunny spot in Spain. Yet the simple pleasures of a puppet show or a game of musical statues is what keeps Norman going and what still keeps his A-list audiences cross-legged and eagle-eyed after all the years. In an age where Pokemon and PlayStation is all, isn't that refreshing to hear?

30 July 2001

Premiering next month at the Venice Film Festival will be an animated film by British director Geoff Dunbar called Tuesday. It features the voices of Dustin Hoffman and Sir Paul McCartney. Mr. Dunbar was also the director of Daumier's Law.

Harrison Joins Capaldi On New Single
Edited by Jonathan Cohen
While accounts vary in the U.K. media about the health of George Harrison, the ex-Beatle continues to turn up as a treasured guest on various recordings. Next up is an apperance on guitar on "Anna Julia," the forthcoming single by ex-Traffic member Jim Capaldi. The cut, to be released Aug. 13 in the U.K on the Steamhammer imprint via the German-based rock label SPV, has already enjoyed success in South America. In addition to Harrison, it features Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice and backing vocals by ex-Jam/Style Council leader Paul Weller. Capaldi, in addition to his work with Traffic, has scored two top-30 solo hits in the U.K., reaching No. 5 in 1975 with a version of the oft-covered "Love Hurts." His most successful U.S. single was "That's Love," a No. 28 entry in 1983. Last month, Capaldi appeared at the all-star London tribute to songwriting giants Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller at Hammersmith Apollo. Harrison, who has been reported as "close to death" in some quarters, is said to be recovering well from a recent brain tumor operation. The guitarist appears on Electric Light Orchestra's new Epic album "Zoom" and as a guest of former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman on his current set with the Rhythm Kings, "Double Bill" (on Papillon in the U.K., Roadrunner in Europe, and Koch Progressive in the U.S.).

thanks to Paul Sexton, London

29 July 2001 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

www.camh.org
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston
Family Day
Enjoy events and hands-on activities related to the exhibition led by Houston artists. Scheduled events include a Japanese tea ceremony. YOKO ONO Family Day is co-presented by the Asia Society of Houston.

29 July 2001

http://news.independent.co.uk
Heather Mills: All her troubles seem so far away

What is it about Paul McCartney's new fiancée that people find unsettling?

http://www.observer.co.uk
He loves her yeah yeah yeah
The composer of 'When I'm 64' has always hankered after domestic bliss. With Linda he had it for 30 years. Now he has found it again. Veteran music writer Charles Shaar Murray looks at the man, his music and his fiancée
Paul McCartney has always been known for his broad, boyish smile, but the ear-splitting grin he sported last week while announcing his engagement to Heather Mills was something else entirely. This was the happiest we'd seen him since the death from cancer of Linda McCartney, his partner for more than 30 years, tore his world apart. McCartney and Mills met in the spring of 1999 at an awards ceremony celebrating courage - something Mills, according to McCartney, has in abundance. Born in Washington, just outside Newcastle, Mills's family had little money and she suffered at the hands of an abusive father. But Clever Heather - 'she's more clever than me', says McCartney - graduated from a teenage stint as a topless model to running her own modelling agency by the age of 18. She began to move in a rich and racy crowd, associating with the likes of the former arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Then came disaster - she lost her leg in a road accident in 1993. The resilience she demonstrated in living with this loss was the quality that drew in McCartney. His friends say they cannot imagine him being attracted to a woman who lacked crusading commitment. Linda, of course, was a passionate vegetarian, and Mills, since her accident, has thrown herself into helping others. Earlier this year she and McCartney visited Jaipur, India, to help children who had lost limbs in an earthquake. She also offers McCartney something else he has long prized - stability. Peter Brown, former head of the Beatles' record company, Apple, says: 'Linda kept him sane. She was his anchor. He's a man who needs one.' At 59 the improbably chestnut-haired Sir Paul is the Chairman of the Board of British Pop: his decades of achievement as both performer and composer place him at the summit of the British music industry's Rich List, ahead even of Elton John. His most recent recordings may not have troubled the charts overmuch, but his legacy remains undimmed. Thirty years after the break-up of the Beatles, their singles collection, 1, put them back at the top of the charts all over again; a follow-up, unsurprisingly entitled 2, is currently in the works. Wingspan - a further collection, celebrating McCartney's post-Beatles career with Wings, as a duo with Linda, and as a solo artist - has been less successful, but the last few years have been both prolific and eclectic for the ex-Beatle.
He has published a book of poetry, mounted an exhibition of his paintings, and expanded his musical agenda to compose a symphony and an oratorio. By contrast, the other ex-Beatles have been less productive and less ambitious: Ringo Starr is currently dragging the latest edition of his All-Starr band around the US nostalgia circuit, appearing at recently opened Mississippi casinos alongside the likes of Pat Benatar and Hall & Oates. George Harrison oversaw a deluxe reissue of his sole post-Beatles masterpiece, All Things Must Pass. Having recently survived two bouts of cancer and an assassination attempt in his own home, he is rumoured to be in seclusion in India, battling a potentially life-threatening brain tumour. And the Yoko-licensed ghost of John Lennon continues to stalk the media landscape, with his doodled self-portrait plastered to everything from a signature line of Gibson guitar strings to Liverpool's recently renamed John Lennon Airport. The weight of cultural history lies heavier on McCartney than on any of his former colleagues or, indeed, any of his contemporaries or successors. In addition to this somewhat abstract burden, he has recently had to face the loss of a wife from whom he was inseparable. She was companion, inspiration, friend and sometimes - despite the oft-noted disparity in their musical gifts - his collaborator. She was also a gifted artist in her own right, and her late Sixties photography contributed vastly to the documentation and iconography of the era. Unusually for their peer group and milieu, the McCartneys managed not only to stay together happily but to raise cheerful and gifted children, of whom fashion designer Stella is the most prominent. At his best, McCartney is a master of popular songcraft; at his laziest and most sentimental, he is its slave. His father was the leader of a local jazz band and the young Macca absorbed the theory and practice of pre-rock pop with his mother's milk. Whenever you hear the echoes of early twentieth-century music hall in the Beatles' work - songs like 'When I'm 64', 'Your Mother Should Know', 'Honey Pie' or 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' - you're hearing McCartney hankering for his childhood. Buttressing a prolific flair for melody and powered by an outgoing, sociable nature, this early education made him easily the best-rounded talent in the Beatles. He was also their most versatile and gifted instrumentalist: there is a wonderful, if possibly apocryphal, story that after Ringo Starr won a World's Best Drummer award in a Melody Maker poll Lennon was asked if he considered Ringo to be the best drummer in the world. 'He isn't,' Lennon allegedly replied, 'even the best drummer in the Beatles.' Lennon could also have pointed out that McCartney, despite playing bass in the Beatles, was also their best guitarist, having performed several celebrated solos - including those on 'Taxman' and 'Ticket To Ride' - often attributed to Harrison. He was also the band's most proficient keyboard player. And on his 'official' instrument - the bass guitar he inherited following the departure of original bassist Stu Sutcliffe - he is one of the half-dozen most influential players. No wonder that for his first post-Beatles solo album he ended up overdubbing most of the instruments by himself. Ian MacDonald, author of Revolution In The Head, says the music is the key to understanding the man. McCartney is, says MacDonald, a born entertainer, the only Beatle who could or would have written, 'you're such a lovely audience, we'd like to take you home'. 'His straight-from-the-shoulder emotional populism, that open-hearted and naïve interest in the world and the way other people are, informs all of his work and emerges in the generosity of his melodic gift,' says MacDonald. 'His tunes are so expansive, and his melodies rise and fall with a great deal of open-hearted emotional positivity. He really is a man of the common people in that he's a very strongly traditional artist. His instinct is for uplift and inclusion, whereas Lennon's view of the world was essentially critical.' After the bitter split with the Beatles in 1970, McCartney - first with Wings and then as plain Paul McCartney - kept on selling records, his work proving far more acceptable to a public who lapped up the likes of 'Mull Of Kintyre' than it did to earnest rock critics more in sympathy with Lennon's tormented-outsider stance. McCartney was never an outsider: nor did he want to be one or to present himself as one. Even when investigating the avant-garde likes of Stockhausen or Burroughs or adopting courageously radical public positions - such as funding the 1967 advertisement in The Times calling for the legalization of cannabis or releasing a single called 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' - he was always an unpretentious, one-of-us lad, often pictured with a beaming grin and a raised thumb. Unlike Lennon, he stayed in the UK and paid his taxes, sending his children to the local comprehensive rather than an expensive progressive private school. Despite having too often strung the tightrope of his brilliance across the abyss of his capacity for banality, McCartney has Done His Bit. He has survived, character more or less intact, a global hurricane of mass adulation and attention to which no-one of his background had ever previously been subjected, and the death of an adored wife. He now seems to have another chance of happiness, and it would take a real sour square indeed to refrain from wishing him - to borrow the title of his first post-Beatles greatest hits album - All The Best.

28 July 2001

A Scottish Cruise.
The Scottish press reports today that Sir Paul and Heather are about to set off on a cruise around Scotland aboard a luxury yacht which is currently moored off the coast of Clyde.

McCartney gets back to matrimony as Mills clips his wings
www.smh.com.au

Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his fiancée Heather Mills leave their London home after the announcement to the media of their engagement, July 27, 2001. The couple met at a charity event in 1999. (Dan Chung/Reuters)

27 July 2001

www.hola.com
Paul McCarteney, de 59 años y su prometida, Heather Mills, de 33, han querido compartir públicamente el dulce momento que están viviendo. (...)

Sir Paul: How I proposed
news.bbc.co.uk

Paul McCartney & Heather Mills Engaged
www.ezuma.com

dailynews.yahoo.com
Paul McCartney Engaged

http://uk.news.yahoo.com
Sir Paul and Heather to marry

McCartney Engaged

http://news.independent.co.uk
McCartney: I will wed 'sometime next year'

photo: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his fiancée, former model Heather Mills, pose for photographers outside their north London home after announcing their engagement July 27, 2001. McCartney said they plan to marry sometime next year. (Dan Chung/Reuters)

photo: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney (L) and his fiancée, former model Heather Mills, pose for photographers outside their north London home after announcing their engagement, July 27, 2001. McCartney, 59, got down on one knee to propose to Mills, 33, during a short break in the Lake District on Monday, his publicist announced. REUTERS/Dan Chung

photo: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney (L) shows off his fiancée's engagement ring, as he and Heather Mills pose for photographers outside their north London home, July 27, 2001. McCartney, 59, got down on one knee to propose to Mills, 33, during a short break in the Lake District on Monday, his publicist announced. REUTERS/Dan Chung

photo: Heather Mills shows off her engagement ring as she posed (unseen) with former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney outside McCartney's London home Friday, July 27, 2001. McCartney and Mills announced their engagement Thursday.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

photo: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney with Heather Mills who announced their engagement Thursday pose for the media outside McCartney's London home Friday July 27, 2001. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

photo: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney with Heather Mills receive flowers as they meet the media outside McCartney's London home Friday, July 27, 2001. McCartney announced the couple's engagement Thursday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney with Heather Mills who Thursday announced their engagement, pose for the cameras outside McCartney's London home Friday July 27, 2001. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

http://europe.cnn.com
Peter Castro on McCartney's engagement

http://europe.cnn.com
Beatle Paul to remarry

Paul McCartney Tells Fans of Engagement Joy

http://www.telegraaf.nl
McCartney gaat trouwen

http://www.itn.co.uk
McCartney: Rock royalty remarries

26 July 2001

www.hola.com
Paul McCarteny contraerá matrimonio el próximo año. (...)

Sir Paul McCartney: Rock royalty
news.bbc.co.uk

Paul McCartney anuncia que vai se casar de novo
www.bbc.co.uk

http://www.msnbc.com
McCartney engaged to be married

McCartney engaged to Heather Mills

Former Beatle Paul McCartney Engaged

McCartney: 'I'm engaged to Heather'

UPDATE 1-Paul McCartney and girlfriend Heather Mills to marry

24 July 2001

Duet at the Lennon Airport.
At Liverpool's John Lennon Airport last Friday, a fan knocked on the window of Sir Paul's Jaguar in hopes of obtaining an autograph. As the window rolled down, he was treated to much more than that. Sir Paul and Heather were singing along to Back in the USSR which they had playing on their car stereo. "They were having a great time," reported a witness to this impromptu concert.

By ANDREW FLYNN Canadian Press
Former Beatle Ringo Starr revs up his All Starr tour
RAMA, Ont. -- Even at midday, the stars were out in this casino town north of Toronto. Make that the All Starrs, a group of musical relics banded together with a Beatle. Ringo Starr's All Starr tour, the seventh of the same name, got rolling Tuesday with a news conference at Casino Rama announcing the assemblage of musical greats ready for the road. "It's been lovely and quiet. The less there is to do the more we get down to business," Starr said of the choice to rehearse and begin the tour at the casino a two-hour drive north of Toronto. The casino opened its new entertainment complex July 18 with a concert by country's hottest new superstar, Faith Hill. "Casino Rama offered us the opening gig (of the tour) and the rehearsal space, and when you're setting up a tour you've got to plan it all out and this seemed perfect," Starr said. The launch was almost overshadowed by Beatles news of a different kind. On Monday, George Harrison dismissed a newspaper story that reported he is close to death from cancer, calling it untrue and insensitive. Starr said he was surprised by the media frenzy, and expected he would be informed if his friend was in serious danger. "Someone would call me if it's real." The tour, which kicks off Thursday at Rama before heading to Montreal on Friday and then the U.S., features the former Beatle drummer backed as usual by a host of rock legends -- including this time Sheila E.; Howard Jones; Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter; and Supertramp's Roger Hodgson. The band ran through snippets of the songs they'll play on the tour -- a collection of hits racked up by its members and a Beatles tune or two -- in front of reporters and about 100 casino patrons who were allowed a peek. "Assembling the band, it's an easy task, but I think everyone believes that every musician in the world is phoning saying 'Let me in, let me in,' but it's not really like that," the 61-year-old Starr said backstage. Howard Jones, writer of '80s hits Things Can Only Get Better and No One Is to Blame, said the recruiting process was simple: "I'll tell you the way it works. You get this call and it says 'Would you like to be in a band with Ringo, one of the Beatles?' There's only one answer to that question -- 'Yes, yes, when can we start?' " Sheila E., the multi-instrumentalist whose claim to fame was the hit The Glamorous Life, is the first woman to join Ringo's band. "I think the first time I saw the Beatles I was nine, on the Ed Sullivan Show," she said. "If someone told me I was going to be here I would have never in a million years imagined that. I am truly blessed." "For me it's not a man/woman thing, it's a musician thing," Starr said when asked why there had never been a woman in the 12-year history of the project.

By ANDREW FLYNN Canadian Press
Ringo says Harrison's "spirits are high"

RAMA, Ont. -- Ringo Starr dismissed reports that former Beatles bandmate George Harrison is close to death, saying he expects he would be told if it were true. "I saw him three weeks ago and he's doing great," Starr said Tuesday at a news conference at Casino Rama, an entertainment complex where he's introducing his new All Starr band this week. "He has had an operation, we can't deny that. He's recouping and his spirits were high. That's all I have to say on it, that's the end of it really." On Monday, Harrison, 58, issued a statement saying that a London newspaper's report on the weekend about his impending demise was untrue and insensitive. Starr said he was surprised by the media frenzy, and expected he would be informed if his friend was in serious danger. "We've been around long enough to wait to let's see what it's about," Starr said in an interview backstage at the casino, about 200 kilometres north of Toronto. "I have to wait until it's a reality. I'm watching the TV like everyone else. I wasn't on the phone saying, 'oh yeah what?' Someone would call me if it's real," Starr said. "It (the report) didn't look good to me really. It was a slow day, wasn't it, Sunday?" Harrison, who was treated for a brain tumour recently at a clinic in Switzerland, said he was "disappointed and disgusted" by the reports. Comments in the story, carried by various news outlets, were attributed to Sir George Martin, the former Beatles producer. Martin denied giving an interview on the subject of Harrison's health to any newspaper. "As you know, it's been retracted in England now," Starr said at the news conference. "George Martin came out and said he didn't actually say it. "That's the problem sometimes with the media, they take some craziness -- it's not their fault -- and they blow it up." Harrison had a cancerous lump removed from his neck in 1997 and reported that he was fine after his treatment at the Swiss clinic. Starr's tour is the seventh of the same name to assemble a collection of musical greats and hit the road. It visits Montreal on Friday. The former Beatles drummer is backed as usual by a host of rock legends, including this time Sheila E., Howard Jones, Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Greg Lake, Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter and Supertramp's Roger Hodgson.

Another Beatles hits album under discussion - Starr
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An album of more Fab Four hits is being considered by the surviving members of The Beatles following the worldwide success of their ``1'' compilation album, drummer Ringo Starr said Tuesday. Starr told ``Access Hollywood'' in an interview that he, Paul McCartney and George Harrison expect to discuss a ``2'' album later this year. ``There's a couple of projects in the works. Nothing will be out until next year and we're all going to meet up again in October and finalize what it will be. I mean, everybody wants the number twos,'' Starr told the syndicated TV show. The ``1'' album of 27 old Beatles hits has topped the music charts in more than 34 countries since its release last December. Some 7.5 million copies have been sold in the United States alone. McCartney earlier this year described the album as ``a big healing, a big Band-Aid'', saying it brought back great memories of the warm friendship between The Beatles before their acrimonious split in 1970. Starr also commented on doom-laden media reports about Harrison's health, which have been denied by Harrison himself. Harrison, 58, underwent surgery for lung cancer earlier this year and has also recently completed radiation therapy reportedly for a brain tumor. ``I did see George three weeks ago and he was fine. If it had been bad, he would have told me. And all these years we've been around, you have to watch what's in the press,'' Starr said. Harrison issued a statement in London on Monday saying that he was ``active and feeling very well'', adding that he was ''disappointed and disgusted'' at media reports suggesting he is at death's door.
Reuters/Variety REUTERS

23 July 2001

www.telegraaf.nl
George Harrison ligt op sterven

22 July 2001

http://www.reuters.com
George Harrison 'Knows He Will Die Soon' From Cancer

thanks to Alison McNamara

uk.news.yahoo.com
Ex-Beatle Harrison "knows he will die soon"

www.sundaymirror.co.uk
GEORGE: I'M DYING
Brave Harrison reveals he's losing battle against cancer
GEORGE Harrison is close to death from cancer, it was revealed last night. The 58-year-old former Beatle, being treated for a brain tumour in Switzerland, admits he is losing his battle. It is the third time he has been struck down with cancer. In 1997 he was treated for a lump in his neck and earlier this year he had an operation for lung cancer. The brain tumour is said to be secondary to the lung cancer. Last night George's close friend and former Beatles producer Sir George Martin said: "He is taking it easy and still hoping that the thing will go away. He has an indomitable spirit but he knows that he is going to die soon and he is accepting of that." Harrison is being treated by Switzerland's leading cancer specialists at a clinic near Geneva. His second wife Olivia is at his side. George Martin added: "George is very philosophical, he has been near death many times and he's been rescued many times as well." Only two years ago George was nearly killed by a crazed fan who broke into his 120-room mansion and stabbed him several times with a knife. He was saved by Olivia, who managed to fight off the attacker with a brass poker.

20 July 2001

uk.news.yahoo.com
Paul McCartney honours punk pioneer

www.ananova.com
'Wrong-righter' honoured by song-writer McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to the work of human rights group Amnesty International during a visit to his old grammar school. Sir Paul was helping to promote the book Like Water On Stone - The Story of Amnesty International, which was written by his former schoolmate Jonathan Power. The ex-Beatle, who was head boy at the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, had befriended new boy Power by buying him an ice lolly and inviting him to join him for an illicit cigarette. After the school closed, McCartney paid for the grand building to be transformed into the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, which opened in 1996. Speaking to a small gathering of Mr Power's family and Amnesty colleagues, Sir Paul thanked the organisation for its 40 years of campaigning. He said: "I would really like to thank Amnesty for being there for us all. There are so many injustices that would go un-noticed but by putting the spotlight on them, they are brought to the attention of the world and the people are released. When we were growing up Nelson Mandela was in prison and now he is a free man who was president of his country. To see things like that is very moving and I would like to thank everyone involved." Jonathan Power said: "Between us we have had 40 years of righting wrongs and 40 years of writing songs. Today I think the world is a better place for them both." Sir Paul later attended the graduation ceremony for 200 LIPA students and bestowed honorary degrees on punk guru Malcolm McClaren, singer Joan Armatrading and writer Benny Gallagher.

Archer's court case
Archer photo
Article in Dutch newspaper Het Parool (July 20th 2001) about Archer's court case was printed with this photo of Archer with The Beatles on June 12th 1963.

14 July 2001, 2:30 p.m.www.camh.org
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston
Lecture Event by Yoko Ono
Brown Auditorium, The Museum of Fine Arts This event is co-sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Admission is free however, tickets are required. Call 713-284-8257 for tickets.

13 July 2001

Sir Paul has accompanied Heather Mills to Hampshire where she appeared as the guest speaker at the Institute of Directors annual dinner held at Winchester Guildhall. The topic was young entrepreneurship and according to chairman Mike Pawley, "Heather talked for three quarters of an hour and held us all spellbound" as she spoke of how she transformed her own personal tragedy into triumph. Earlier in the day, Sir Paul and Heather went shopping in Elliotts boutique in Lymington where Heather bought herself a pair of trendy Rebecca Sanver sandals. The shop's staff, surprised and delighted by the visit, reported: "They were only here for a short while but they were really pleasant people to talk to. They were both very polite and very down to earth, and after buying the shoes they just went on their way."

12 July 2001

www.billboard.com
Ringo Lines Up All Starr Band Itinerary
Ringo Starr's 2001 All Starr Band tour will kick off July 26 in Rama, Ontario, and play nearly 30 dates before closing Sept. 2 in San Diego. As previously reported, the seventh edition of Starr's band features Sheila E., Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter, Greg Lake from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Supertramp's Roger Hodgson, and Howard Jones. The annual rock ritual has featured performances of such Starr and Beatles standards as "Photograph" and "Yellow Submarine." "I've no fear of letting other people shine," Starr told Billboard editor in chief Timothy White in an exclusive interview in May. "I love to play with people who shine -- that's what it's always been about for me. We're all playing together, and the fact you're singing the song is a bonus." To coincide with the start of the tour, Koch Records will on July 24 release "The Anthology ... So Far: Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band," a three-CD live collection. The set will contain the former Beatle's own classics from his last six annual summer treks, plus the hits of guest band members Dr. John, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Dave Edmunds, Levon Helm, Clarence Clemons, Todd Rundgren, Eric Carmen, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, and many more.

www.thescotsman.co.uk
by PAUL COCKBURN
Delia Derbyshire
Delia Derbyshire, composer and arranger
Born: 5 May, 1937, in Coventry Died: 3 July, 2001, aged 64
BEST known for her work on the Dr Who theme, there is little doubt that Delia Derbyshire, who recently died of renal failure, is one of the most important figures in the development of "electronic" music in the UK. Although never a household name, her genuinely ground-breaking and pioneering work both within and outside of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop always attracted the attention of music’s more radical exponents. During the sixties, these included Paul McCartney, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pink Floyd, Yoko Ono and Brian Jones. Over 30 years later, she was being cited, credited and covered by bands ranging from Add n to (x) and Sonic Boom to Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers. For many, however, Delia’s single most important contribution to public recognition of electronic music was her "realisation" of the Dr Who theme. Literally constructed from oscillator swoops and magnetic tape splices (synthesisers having yet to be invented in 1963) the music that sent generations scuttling behind the sofa remains one of the most innovative and recognisable television themes ever devised. When the composer Ron Grainer first heard it, he was "tickled pink" and said Delia deserved at least half of the royalties. The BBC, however, did not work in that way; indeed, the only credit given onscreen was to the anonymous "BBC Radiophonic Workshop". Delia was born and grew up in Coventry, a fairly happy childhood soundtracked by the wail of air-raid alerts, falling bombs and all-clear sirens. While she studied piano to performer level outside of her time at Coventry Grammar School, she was possibly most proud of a working-class girl like her being accepted to read Mathematics and Music at Girton College, Cambridge. The close links between music and mathematics would proof to be the basis of all her work, and combined with her "deep-rooted physical passion" to make abstract sounds. Joining the BBC as a trainee studio manager in 1960, Delia soon saw in the still-fledgling Radiophonic Workshop an opportunity to combine her interests in the manipulation of sound and the creation of music from electronic sources. She subsequently remained "temporarily attached" to the workshop for years, producing some of the department’s most remarkable music as well as regularly deputising for its head, Desmond Briscoe. Delia was increasingly called upon to provide sound and music for drama and documentary programmes where a standard orchestra was felt to be out of place. Science, arts and educational programmes also increasingly benefited from her abstract style. While attached to the Workshop, Delia also collaborated with composers including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Roberto Gerhard (on his 1965 Prix Italia winning Anger of Achilles), as well as the poet and dramatist Barry Bermange. Delia’s passion "to make original, abstract electronic sounds and organise them in a very appealing, acceptable way" was nevertheless increasingly frustrated by the Corporation's committee mindset and the continued limitations imposed by the Workshop's day-to-day role as a service provider for other BBC departments. On being told that her music was "too sophisticated" for television audiences, Delia left the Radiophonic Workshop in 1973 and continued to work in fields where the directors were less inhibited, such as film, theatre, "happenings" and original electronic music events. She encouraged the establishment of Unit Delta Plus, Kaleidophon and Electrophon - private electronic music studios where she worked with the composer and inventor Peter Zinovieff, David Vorhaus and fellow Workshoper Brian Hodgson. Among her work are soundtracks for the Brighton Festival, the City of London Festival, Yoko Ono's Wrapping Event, the award-winning Circle of Light, music for Peter Hall’s first film, Work is a 4 Letter Word, special sound and music for plays at the RSC Stratford, Greenwich Theatre and Hampstead Theatre. She was also involved in several of the earliest electronic music events in England, including shows at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse (with Paul McCartney) and The Royal Festival Hall. By the mid-Seventies, despite the developments of increasingly sophisticated electronic synthesisers, Delia became disillusioned by the apparent future of electronic music and withdrew from the medium, working instead in a bookshop, an art gallery and a museum. By the mid-Nineties, however, she not only came to realise that a younger generation of musicians respected and admired her work, she was sufficiently inspired once again to collaborate with them. Recently, she said: "Working with people like Sonic Boom on pure electronic music has re-invigorated me. He is from a later generation, but has always had an affinity with the music of the Sixties. One of our first points of contact - the visionary work of Peter Zinovieff - has touched us both, and has been an inspiration. Now without the constraints of doing "applied music", my mind can fly free and pick-up where I left off."

11 July 2001

www.ezuma.com
Paul McCartney & Fianc- Go Shopping

10 July 2001

www.geocities.com/abbeyrdwebmaster
Unconfirmed rumors say Paul and Heather are engaged. It was apparently mentioned in passing on ABC's "The View" on Monday. Meanwhile, Paul and Heather gave a big Indian-themed party at Paul's house in St. John's Woods over the weekend, reported People News . Pictures of several guests going into the party, including Alistair Donald and wife Mary (McCartney), are there.

www.mirror.co.uk
HARRISON RESTS AT HIDEAWAY
BEATLE George Harrison has secretly flown to his hideaway home in Hawaii to recuperate in his latest cancer battle. Harrison, 58, who has been treated for a brain tumour at a world-renowned Swiss clinic, is with wife Olivia at their luxury mansion on Maui. The guitarist, who has not been cured, yesterday tried to reassure fans that he was okay. Harrison, battling cancer for the third time, said: "I am feeling fine and I am really sorry for the unnecessary worry caused. Please do not worry." A friend said he now sought the tranquillity of his beachfront home set in 64 acres. He said: "Hawaii is a perfect place for George to recover. "The climate is ideal and he loves the fresh sea air. It is away from everybody so he and Olivia can have time to be together. The tumour is still there but we all hope it has responded to treatment." Harrison had two months of radiotherapy to try and shrink the growth.

Beatles, Wilson & Springsteen Are Stars In The Sky, Too

http://dailynews.yahoo.com
Ex-Beatle Harrison Treated For Brain Tumor

9 July 2001

By Paul Majendie (Reuters)
Ex-Beatle Harrison Says 'I Feel Fine'
LONDON - Former Beatle George Harrison told his fans on Monday "I am feeling fine" after successfully undergoing radiotherapy at a Swiss cancer clinic. A statement from his London lawyer disclosed that the 58-year-old guitarist and singer underwent treatment at the hospital in Bellinzona over a month ago. It said Harrison had a course of radiotherapy. Doctors do not see any need for further treatment. In a message to fans, Harrison said: "I am feeling fine and I am really sorry for the unnecessary worry which has been caused by the reports appearing in today's press. Please do not worry." Swiss cancer specialist Franco Cavalli confirmed that he had recently treated Harrison. "Mr. Harrison successfully completed this course more than a month ago and we foresee no need for further treatment here," he said. His statement did not spell out the nature of Harrison's illness but radiotherapy is normally used in cancer treatment. According to Sonntagszeitung, Harrison was in Bellinzona in the Italian-speaking south of Switzerland during May and June for radiotherapy. Harrison, the youngest of the Beatles who has a history of cancer, had rented a house in Luino in Italy, a 40-minute drive from Bellinzona, during the cobalt radiation treatment. At the beginning of May he had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in the United States to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs.
WIFE HIT ATTACKER
Harrison overcame throat cancer in 1998, which he blamed on smoking. He was given the all-clear after radiation therapy. "I gave up cigarettes many years ago but had started again for a while and stopped in 1997," he said at the time. "Luckily for me, they found that this nodule was more of a warning than anything else." Just over 18 months ago, Harrison survived a life-and-death struggle of a very different kind -- with a knife-wielding intruder who stabbed him in the chest. The former Beatle was almost killed in the attack at his home near London in late 1999. Only the actions of his wife Olivia, who hit the attacker on the head with a poker and table lamp, saved him.
Harrison was known as the "quiet Beatle" during the "Fab Four's" heyday in the 1960s. "I guess if you've got to be in a rock group it might as well be the Beatles," he once quipped. He was rated as a major musician in his own right only after the breakup of the Beatles. His main claim to fame during their reign as the kings of pop music was his devotion to Oriental mysticism. He persuaded the other Beatles to travel to India to sit at the feet of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He learned to play the sitar, and incorporated the instrument into a number of their songs.
The reserved Liverpudlian lived for many years in the shadow of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and was liberated by the band's breakup in 1970. He soon released a triple album "All Things Must Pass" which proved his worth as both a guitarist and songwriter, and enjoyed a worldwide smash hit with "My Sweet Lord."

8 July 2001

de telegraaf
George Harrison aan hersentumor behandeld
BELLINZONA - In een kliniek in het Zwitserse Bellinzona is ex-Beatle George Harrison behandeld aan een hersentumor. Hij heeft zich door een specialist van een gerenommeerd kankerinstituut laten bestralen, zo meldt de Zwitserse Sonntagszeiting. De arts ontkent het bericht niet, maar wil verder geen bijzonderheden kwijt. Volgens de krant heeft Harrison tijdens zijn behandeling een huis gehuurd in het Italiaanse Luino, vlak over de grens. De ex-Beatle kreeg in 1997 kanker en is daarvoor al eerder behandeld. Hij zou inmiddels Zwitserland hebben verlaten.

www.sonntagszeitung
VON PETER HOSSLI UND THOMAS ISLER
Franco Cavalli behandelt Ex-Beatle
George Harrison lässt im Institut des renommierten Tessiner Krebsspezialisten einen Hirntumor bestrahlen
BELLINZONA - Die Krankenschwester auf der Onkologie-Abteilung im Ospedale San Giovanni zögert keinen Moment: «George Harrison? Da müssen Sie in der Radiologie-Abteilung im zweiten Untergeschoss nachsehen.»
Der krebskranke Ex-Beatles-Gitarrist lässt seinen Tumor im renommierten Krebsinstitut des Spitals in Bellinzona behandeln. Der Leiter des Instituts, SP-Nationalrat und Fraktionschef Franco Cavalli, dementiert entsprechende Ge- rüchte nicht, will aber «wegen des Arztgeheimnisses keine weiteren Angaben» machen. Sicher ist: Der 58-jährige George Harrison hielt sich Ende Mai und auch im Juni regelmässig im Tessin auf. Als Ende Mai in Bellinzona die Beatles-Days stattfanden und auf verschiedenen Plätzen der Stadt Beatles-Covers zum Besten gegeben wurden, befand er sich im Spital. Für die Zeit der Behandlung in Bellinzona hat sich Harrison angeblich ein Haus im italienischen Luino gemietet, nur 40 Autominuten von Bellinzona entfernt. Für die Fahrt soll er laut Angaben aus sicherer Quelle Autos und Chauffeure wiederholt gewechselt haben. Zur Tarnung seien die Wagen mal mit italienischen, mal mit britischen, dann wieder mit schweizerischen Nummernschildern bestückt gewesen. Weder Harrisons Anwalt in Hawaii noch dessen Pressesprecherin wollten zur Behandlung im Tessin Stellung nehmen.
Im Mai wurde Harrison in den USA ein krebsartiges Geschwür entfernt
Wie aus dem Umfeld des Spitalpersonals verlautete, soll der Ex-Beatle in Bellinzona wegen eines Hirntumors mit Kobalt bestrahlt worden sein. Was auf eine dramatische Verschlechterung seines Gesundheitszustandes hinweisen könnte. «Hat der Patient ein Krebsleiden, das Ableger bildet, wie etwa im Hirn, muss man davon ausgehen, dass die Lebenserwartung deutlich verringert ist», sagt Daniel Zwahlen, Assistenzarzt an der Klinik für Radio-Onkologie des Universitätsspitals in Zürich. Die Lage wäre praktisch hoffnungslos. George Harrison liess sich anfangs Mai dieses Jahres an der Mayo Klinik in Rochester im US-Bundesstaat Minnesota ein krebsartiges Geschwür aus der Lunge entfernen. Die Operation sei erfolgreich verlaufen, liess damals der britische Anwalt des Ex-Beatle, Nicholas Valner, verlauten. Danach habe sich Harrison zusammen mit seiner Gattin Olivia Arias in die Toscana zur Erholung zurückgezogen. «Ich habe keine Pläne zu sterben», witzelte Harrison. Laut der britischen Zeitung «Daily Mail» hat er bei der Operation «beinahe die Hälfte einer Lunge» verloren. Nach dem Eingriff sei er im Privatflugzeug von Schauspieler Jim Carrey («The Truman Show») nach Mailand geflogen worden. Ob der Gitarrist nach wie vor im Krebszentrum von Bellinzona behandelt wird, ist unklar. Ein Arzt sagt, Harrison besuche das Bestrahlungszentrum regelmässig, liege aber nicht permanent im Spital. Andere Quellen dagegen vermuten, Harrison sei inzwischen abgereist, nach Hawaii, wo er seit Jahren ein Haus besitzt.
Das Krebsleiden von Harrison hatte bereits 1997 begonnen. Im Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor liess er sich wegen eines Krebsgeschwürs im Kehlkopf behandeln, das angeblich im Frühstadium wegoperiert worden ist. Am Royal Marsden Hospital in London setzte er sich danach zweimal einer Bestrahlungsbehandlung aus. «Ich hab den Krebs bestimmt von den Zigaretten», sagte Harrison damals. «Vor Jahren hörte ich mit dem Rauchen auf, dann fing ich wieder an.» Ende 1999 hat George Harrison überdies knapp ein Attentat überlebt. Der damals 33-jährige Fan Michael Abram brach ins Haus des Gitarristen in Oxfordshire ausserhalb von London ein. Harrison versuchte ihn zu überrumpeln.
Beim Handgemenge stach ihn Abram in den Lungenflügel. George Harrison hat sich nie ganz von dieser Verwundung erholt. Ein Gericht befand den Attentäter später für geisteskrank und demnach nicht schuldig.
Auf eine mögliche Verschlimmerung von Harrisons Krankheit deutet eine weitere Entwicklung in Hawaii. Überraschend legte der Musiker am 19. Juni einen langjährigen Zwist mit seinen Nachbarn bei. Über das Grundstück von Harrison auf Maui verläuft ein Pfad zum pazifischen Ozean. Zu Beginn der Neunzigerjahre fing der Ex-Beatle an, die Benützung des Weges zu verbieten. Seine Privatsphäre werde verletzt. In Hawaii ist der Privatbesitz von Meerzugängen aber unerlaubt. Ein Gericht gab den Nachbarn von Harrison 1993 schliesslich recht. Doch Harrison zog den Fall weiter - bis zur aussergerichtlichen Einigung. Künftig ist der Pfad gesperrt. Harrison habe dafür bezahlt. Die Details der Einigung seien geheim, sagte Harrisons Anwalt Paul Alston dem «Herald News Service». Der Vertreter der Nachbarn, Kyle Coffman, sagte den Medien: «Schaut man den Gesundheitszustand von Harrison an, überrascht es nicht, dass er den Streit so plötzlich beenden wollte.»

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills attended the Wimbledon ladies finale between American Venus Williams and Belgian Justine Hene (won by Venus Williams).

7 July 2001

www.kostar.com
By HILLEL ITALIE - Associated Press Writer
Microsoft's new college dictionary teaches odd lessons
NEW YORK -- All U.S. presidents since the Civil War qualify as statesmen, except Richard Nixon. Robert Kennedy was a politician, but Newt Gingrich is a "political leader." And former FBI head J. Edgar Hoover is just a lawyer. The new Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary is being promoted as a revolutionary addition to the competitive campus market, with its makers saying its more accessible style and extensive spelling guidance and usage notes make it the first such book truly suited to today's students. But however useful it proves for language skills, students also will receive some odd lessons in political and popular history in the book, available only in paper form. Definitions of some notable people are inconsistent, misleading or outright inaccurate (...). "Consistency is an obvious hallmark of a good reference book," said Ken Kister, author of the consumer guide Kister's Best Dictionaries. "Biographical entries are peripheral for most dictionary users, but anything that isn't right about a reference book casts doubt on the whole editorial process," Kister said. Long associated with encyclopedias, biographical entries are a relatively new feature for dictionaries. After World War II, publishers of dictionaries wanted to expand their appeal and began including references to politicians, artists and other historical figures, Kister said. Quirks in these entries aren't uncommon, and pop culture seems an especially tricky area. Webster's II New College Dictionary, for instance, defines Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as musicians and composers, but George Harrison as a "singer and songwriter." The American Heritage College Dictionary, meanwhile, labels Lennon a "musician and composer who wrote many of the Beatles' songs." McCartney, his prolific songwriting partner, is simply a "musician and composer who was a member of the Beatles." Harrison, again, is a "singer and songwriter." In the Microsoft version, Lennon is listed as a "singer, songwriter, and musician." McCartney, the band's most versatile instrumentalist, is just a "singer and songwriter." Harrison, who wrote and sang lead on the classics "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun," is a "musician." Starr is labeled both drummer and musician and is the only one identified as a Beatle. (...)

6 July 2001

www.geocities.com/abbeyrdwebmaster
The UK Sun won a judge's ruling overturning an injunction issued earlier in the week by a British judge over a news item Heather Mills fought to prevent being published in the UK Sun was overturned. The news item, says the Sun, concerned the purchase of a home by Mills. The paper reported Wednesday that Mills, who may appeal the judgment, was hit with court and legal costs.

5 July 2001

Paul McCartney's latest album, 'Wingspan: Hits and History,' has earned the British rock icon his 21st gold disc in the United States. McCartney, shown at an autograph session for the album in Berlin May 7, shares the record for the recording artist with the highest number of gold discs with fellow British rocker Eric Clapton. (Michael Brexendorff/Reuters)

5 July 2001

Ananova
Yoko backs domestic violence charity
Yoko Ono has donated £100,000 to the domestic violence charity Refuge. She made the donation after being moved to tears by a book she read on the issue. She said she wanted to try and ease the lives of those touched by domestic abuse. She added that she had known women who had suffered at the hands of violent husbands. Ono said it was after reading Sandra Horley's book The Charm Syndrome - Why Charming Men Make Dangerous Lovers, that she became involved in the issue of domestic abuse. She said the book made her weep and added: "I was reading about so many women I know, so many of my own friends, so many strong women whose lives had been controlled by those who were meant to love them. "I wanted to help make sure that the lives of women and their children were made easier through access to Refuge." Sandra Horley, the author of the book and the chief executive of Refuge, said: "It is an ongoing struggle to keep this service going and thousands of women and children depend on us. Domestic violence is a matter of life and death - it is wonderful that Ono has realised this too."Refuge first opened its doors in Chiswick in London in 1971 and now provides a 24-hour helpline providing advice and support to women and children suffering domestic violence.

4 July 2001

uk.news.yahoo.com
McCartney joins Clapton in rock record books

news.bbc.co.uk
McCartney and Clapton strike gold

McCartney joins Clapton as gold disc record holder

uk.news.yahoo.com
British rock icon Paul McCartney talks to reporters at a book signing session in a New York City book store, June 11, 2001. McCartney and fellow British rocker Eric Clapton have earned 21 gold discs each in the US -- more than any other recording artist. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

3 July 2001

uk.news.yahoo.com
Yoko Ono's delight at unveiling John Lennon airport logo
Yoko Ono has said John Lennon would have been very proud of the decision to rename Liverpool Airport in his honour. The murdered Beatle's widow unveiled the new logo for Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the name which will be used from the spring of next year. The logo also carries a cartoon self-portrait of Lennon and the strapline "Above us Only Sky" - a line from his classic track Imagine. She said: "Thank you very, very much for remembering John and for loving John. I am delighted Liverpool has decided to honour John in this way. John always reminded us of the sense of fun in life. I hope the airport will send a great message to all corners of the world. As John said there is no hell below us, above us only sky." Unveiling the new logo, she said: "It is beautiful. John would have been very proud. Thank you." She was also presented with a scaled-down version of the 7ft 6in statue of Lennon which will be a focal point at the airport. The half-tonne statue shows a striding Lennon in a suit and T-shirt, wearing his trademark round glasses and with his hair slicked back. Neil Pakey, commercial director of the airport, said Paul McCartney's name had not been included in the rebranding because it was a celebration of a full lifetime.
He said: "Around the world airports named after individuals tend to be a celebration of their entire life."

>Sir Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Heather Mills appear together on CNN program Larry King Live, in Hollywood June12,2001.

Mills is a goodwill ambassador for Adopt-a-Minefield U K,aand activist group seeking to clear the world of residentual land mines.
REUTERS/Rose Prouser

28 June 2001

A McCartney -Blake Collaboration

11 June 2001

Paul McCartney poses with two New York City police officers at a book signing session in a New York book store, June 11, 2001. McCartney signed copies of his new book of poetry and lyrics, "Blackbird Singing". It was the first time that McCartney has ever staged an in store signing session in the United States. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

7 June 2001

Macca girl dismisses family rift claim

26 May 2001

www.geocities.com/abbeyrdwebmaster
In a somewhat confusing turn of events, Heather Mills has convinced a British judge to grant a restraining order against the British tabloid the Sun over what the paper calls a "happy" story about the love between Paul and Heather. In a story that doesn't go into much detail, the Sun said Heather took up the legal matter, which the paper said cost "thousands in legal costs" after hearing the paper was to run a story that showed how the couple’s love was "blooming." An injunction was issued at 10:42 p.m Thursday. The Sun's lawyer says it will fight the injunction.