Beatles in Manila 1966: The Depressing Arrival and the Press Conference You Didn’t Know
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| The Beatles newly arrived in Manila, circa 1966 |
As such, all hell breaks loose. The protection the band had was withdrawn, many hotel and airport attendants refused to service the band and their entourage. Violence broke out as the Beatles escaped to the airport, and even then, some of their entourage, particularly Brian Epstein and Mal Evans received physical injuries as the plane flew off from Manila, with the band promising never to return.
And that is the whole story - well, kind of. The incident particularly further encouraged the band to stop touring, but even before the infamous incident, the band’s arrival already foreshadowed the infamous story that will live in infamy for decades to come.
An Unwelcoming Arrival
“I hated the Philippines. We arrived there with thousands upon thousands of kids, with hundreds upon hundreds of policemen – and it was a little dodgy.” - Ringo Starr, Beatles Anthology
According to Ringo Starr, this was in response to the unwelcoming and uninviting scene when the Beatles first landed on Philippine soil. There were policemen everywhere, and the army was also there complete in guns and bulges of their crotches. The Beatles were forced to give their luggages to the authorities to be taken somewhere, which was very bad news. During this period in the band’s career, they were starting to consume drugs. Understandably, they were afraid of being caught in possession of drugs, especially since they didn’t know the penalties of possessing such drugs.
They were forced inside a limo amidst a sea of wailing fan-girls, kissing the window as the limo left the airport to the Philippine Navy Headquarters, where the press conference was to be held.
Detestable Press Conference
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Bored and sick of the usual questions being hurled at them. |
The Beatles were no strangers to the grinding and serious nature of press conferences at this point. There are tons of videos showing the four lads responding with witticisms to some of the reporters' often dumb questions. But this time, in a tropical country that is about to transition into a military society, the Beatles were in no mood to entertain such questions.
However, despite their cold attitude towards the press, the fab Four still tried to charm Philippine journalists with their Liverpudlian humor.
“Despite the circumstances, The Beatles tried to charm at the press conference. As the photographers stood up to take their photos, John yelped “Woof! Woof!,” Ringo pranced and shouted, “Shall we dance!”. Only Paul was not hiding behind sunglasses. They insisted, “[W]e’re not hiding from our fans. They’re hidden from us." ” - Oliver X.A Reyes, Esquire Magazine, 2017
The Philippine press during this period of post-war rebuilding was at its best form, professional, objective and unfortunately… monotonously serious in tone just like any journalistic practices during the 1950’s and 60’s. The band was pelted with the most relevant questions at the time, definitely not a repeat of previous reports such as “Would you be as popular without your long hair? When did you last get a haircut? How much tax do you pay? How do you solve the Vietnam War?”
“Question and answer followed the current cult of the absurd. What attracted their wives to them? “Sex.” What did their wives do when they were away? “Have a holiday.” What was their favorite song? “God Save The Queen.” What was their second favorite song? “God Save The King.” What would they be doing ten years from now? “We don’t even know if we’ll be around tomorrow.” - Quijano de Manila, 1966
Of course, the foursome replied with their best wit yet when they were asked about what their latest song was, they replied, “Philippine Blues.”
But laughter was few and forced.
When asked by a reporter about the meaning of the word ‘Spaniard’ of his recent book, A Spaniard in the Works, John Lennon asked the reporter if she had read it, but when the reporter replied that they haven’t John told the reporter to read it.
End of a Long Day
The conference was cut short by the band manager, Brian Epstein, who was noted to be always looking pissed off. Soon, the most famous names in Philippine show business at the time had mixed impressions of the Fab Four.
“Jean Pope of the Manila Times said: “John Lennon peered over his arrogant nose at the crowd.” Joe Quirino, the Ed Sullivan of the Philippines, liked Ringo most of all. “He gave serious answers and was respectful. But his taste of clothes is atrocious. He wore a maroon jacket with white stripes, foulard shirt and pants, and shoes that defy description.” - Oliver X.A Reyes, Esquire Magazine, 2017
The band was escorted again by the brigade of army policemen to a yacht owned by a wealthy Filipino elite. But what they didn’t know is that their stay in Manila is about to be enshrined in Beatles history as one of the most infamous legacies in their career. But jokes on them, after this wildly disastrous leg tour, the Beatles would soon stop touring and reach unprecedented levels of musical maturity never seen before in the history of popular music.
References:
Reyes, O. (2017). The Beatles' Worst Nightmare in Manila. Esquire. Retrieved from https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/remember-the-beatles-nightmare-in-manila-a1542-20170524-lfrm10
The Beatles Bible. (n.d). The Beatles arrive in Manila, Philippines. The Beatles Bible. Retrieved from https://www.beatlesbible.com/1966/07/03/beatles-arrive-in-manila-philippines/
De Manila, Q. (1966). From Yeh Yeh to Go Go, July 16, 1966. The Philippine Free Press Online. Retrieved from https://philippinesfreepress.wordpress.com/1966/07/16/from-yeh-yeh-to-go-go-july-16-1966/
