<B>What was your position at Apple? How did it come about?</B>
One night, during a break in the White Album sessions at EMI Studio (Abbey Road), Paul blurted out, "Well, I guess we should put you to work with Derek." I was primarily an assistant to Derek Taylor, Supreme Publicist. At first I reviewed music and writing submissions from gazillions of aspiring writers, poets and artists, and recommended several for serious consideration. But the bulk of my work was with Derek, who had me write record company bios for James Taylor and Mary Hopkin, plus press releases for Badfinger, Jackie Lomax and others. In addition, I was chosen to try finding an ad agency for Apple's corporate campaign and possibly Beatle projects that were planned for release on the new Apple label.
<B>I'd like to get your impressions of Derek for the readers. The general picture is of an urbane, sophisticated man who nevertheless possessed a rare wit. Accurate?</B>
Derek's death was not that long ago. Now it can be told, Beatle People: George Martin may have been a vital organ in the Beatle Body Politic. Derek Taylor was its acid soul , its general troubleshooter at the highest level of Beatleness, the point of contact between Them and Us. I adored Derek Taylor. Derek must have had eleven or twelve kids, I'm sure all of them are devastated. I know I was bereft for several days when I heard he had passed.
<B>What's your favorite Derek moment?</B>
My favourite (anglophile spelling) Derek Taylor moment took place after I left London. Maybe 3 or 4 years after it seems - a party at Mo Austin's big house with trampolines and professional grass lawns for miles, with Derek as the host, representing the Esso Trinidad Steel Band ("Apeman" single) who were in Hollyweird to promote their Warner debut LP. The leader of this band was a minister of some sort with the clerical turned around collar, and a massive silver crucifix on a chain. I believe it was Derek who pointed out to me that behind the crucifix was a coke spoon. He invited me to his Chateau Marmont room to talk while he packed his bag for the next stop which knowing Derek, was probably New York. He gave me his glasses, a pair of aviator shaped frames with plain lenses tinted deep pink, almost magenta. Guess Derek Taylor handed me a vision. I'm at the point of tears, here. Please no more about Derek.
<B>What were the White Album sessions like?</B>
The sessions were like a long long dream, punctuated with odd mini-nightmares, and almost always stoned (hashish, mostly - reefer was rarely available in London then). Those sessions are something I'll remember in great detail when I'm 90, in a rocking chair or floating in virtual reality.
<B>Did you notice a distancing between John and Paul? Or the rest of the Beatles? If so, to what extent?</B>
It took a while for me to see the distancing between J&P, P&G, R&P, and all four between one another. The first song was Revolution, very much a joint venture. But the rest of the songs were invariably "a John song", "a Paul song," meaning the guy who wrote the song was Boss for the night -- or the rare "George song", where J&P both had input. "Good Night" and "Don't Pass Me By" were Ringo's, but he never really took the reins. This situation got worse over the summer, and a couple of the Boys actually took transcontinental "breaks" to escape the tension. Lots of people have written about the White Album sessions, and I think the good music historians would agree that as Beatles, the four began to diverge as artists during these sessions.
