甲壳虫光辉岁月里的10件轶事(下)

Wanted To Buy An Island

5.打算买座岛

In 1967, The Beatles planned to sail to Greece, find a suitable island, and set up a Beatletopia. They'd build four houses, all connected at the center by a glass-domed recording studio/entertainment complex. The island would also have homes for members of their inner circle.

1967年，甲壳虫计划乘船到希腊，找个合适的小岛，建立一个"甲壳虫匹亚"。他们盖了四座房子，都与中间玻璃圆顶的录音棚（也是娱乐场所）相连。岛上还将为团队其他人修建房屋。

It was a wild plan, and it was John's idea. Tired of English weather and crazy fans, Lennon wanted a place where he and his friends could live in peace. Paul, on the other hand, had a different take on the situation. "I suppose," he once said, "the main motivation . . . would probably be that no one could stop you smoking."Dreaming of rest and recreational drugs, The Beatles flew to Greece, rented a yacht, and searched for their new home. As they cruised the Mediterranean, the boys dropped quite a bit of acid, and John and George spent a lot of time playing ukuleles. So they could sneak their LSD into the country, Magic Alex—their Greek friend and the eventual head of Apple Electronics—cut a deal with the Greek government. In exchange for a photo op with the Ministry of Tourism, The Beatles received diplomatic band found a spot to their liking, a guitar-shaped island called Leslo, which doesn't exist on any map. They sent one of their assistants to buy the island, but by the time they got their money out of the UK, The Beatles had lost interest in their Greek getaway. Evidently, this was par for the course with The Beatles. According to McCartney, they once considered buying a little English village, but they dropped that idea, ly, it's a shame that the deal never went through as The Beatles were about to fall apart. Perhaps an island getaway could've saved their friendship. Of course, it might've smudged their "peace and love" personas, as Greece was ruled by a fascist dictatorship at the time.

这个疯狂的计划是约翰的主意。列侬厌烦了英国的天气和疯狂的粉丝，希望有一处可以和朋友平静居住的地方。另一方面，保罗对这件事有不同的意见。"我认为，"他曾说，"主要动机——很可能是没人阻挠你抽烟了吧。"渴望休息和娱乐性药物，甲壳虫飞到希腊，租了一艘快艇，开始寻找新家。在地中海航行的途中，他们扔掉了一些药物，约翰和乔治花了很多时间玩夏威夷四弦琴。所以他们能偷偷地带着LSD致幻剂入境，亚力克斯巫师——他们的希腊朋友，后来苹果电子公司的领头人——与希腊政府达成了一项协议。作为满足旅游部形象宣传的条件，甲壳虫获得了外交豁免权。乐队发现了一个他们喜欢的、吉他形状的岛屿，叫做"Leslo"——任何地图上都没有。他们让一位助手买下这座岛，但是等把资金转出英国时，甲壳虫对逃亡希腊已经失去了兴趣。显而易见，这发生在甲壳虫身上不足为怪。据麦卡特尼所言，他们曾考虑买下英国一个小村庄，但是他们也放弃了这个想法。这真是件让人羞耻的事：协议从未兑现，因为甲壳虫不久将解散。或许，逃亡小岛也不能拯救他们的友谊。当然，这可能玷污了他们"平和友爱"的形象，因为希腊当时正由一位法西斯独裁者统治。

Short-Lived Apple Boutique

4.昙花一现的苹果精品店

After the death of manager Brian Epstein, The Beatles took their musical empire in a new direction. Wanting more say in financial matters, they established Apple Corps, a company that branched into several divisions like Apple Records, Apple Films, and Apple Electronics. The Beatles were also interested in retail, so in December 1967, they opened the Apple Boutique, a strange little store at 94 Baker Street in London.

经纪人布莱恩·厄普斯顿去世后，甲壳虫引导他们的音乐帝国走向了一个新方向。想要在经济方面获得更多话语权，他们成立了苹果公司——下辖几种不同种类的分支，比如苹果唱片、苹果电影和苹果电子。甲壳虫还对零售感兴趣，所以1967年12月，他们开了一家苹果精品店——位于伦敦贝克街94号的奇怪小商店。

Paul described the shop as "a beautiful place where beautiful people can buy beautiful things." While musicians like James Taylor recorded songs upstairs or in the basement, fans could shop for goods on the ground floor. The merchandise was created by a Dutch design collective called The Fool, and they painted the storefront with a psychedelic rainbow mural, complete with stars, planets, and a yin-yang. The locals didn't care for the artwork, and the city council had it painted Boutique didn't do so well. For all their musical savvy, The Beatles were lousy businessmen. Their merchandise was garbage, and official "house hippie" Richard DiLello described the shop as "a bog of bad taste." In fact, the store was losing money so fast that seven months after opening, The Beatles gave all their goods away for free. That was a rather hectic last closing of the Apple Boutique resulted in one last scandal. Wanting to publicize their upcoming single, Paul whitewashed the window and wrote "Hey Jude" in huge letters. The rest of the neighborhood misinterpreted his message. Since the band hadn't released the song yet, everyone assumed it was a reference to the Nazi habit of scrawling "Juden" on stores owned by Jews. Local shopkeepers were furious, and somebody even put a brick through the window before The Beatles could clear up the mistake.

保罗这样描述这家店："一个漂亮的人能买到漂亮东西的漂亮地方。"当詹姆士·泰勒等音乐家在楼上或者地下室录制歌曲，歌迷可以在一楼看看商品。商品由一个叫做"愚人"的荷兰设计团队创造，他们还把商店正面涂成能产生幻觉的彩虹壁画，用星星、行星和太极图作装饰。当地人并不在乎这件艺术品，而市议会则用涂料把这幅画抹去了。精品店生意不好。他们有音乐才能，却是糟糕的商人。他们的商品是垃圾，公认的"房屋嬉皮士"理查德·迪莱罗说这家店是"低级品味的泥淖"。实际上，商店正在迅速亏损，营业7个月后，甲壳虫免费派发商品。最后一天相当忙碌。苹果精品店关闭还引起了另一个丑闻。想要公开他们即将发行单曲的消息，保罗用石灰水把窗户刷白后，写上"Hey Jude（嗨！裘德）"几个大字母。邻居误解了他的意思。因为乐队还没有发行这首歌，人们都以为这是模仿纳粹在犹太人的商店的墙上书写"Juden（犹太人）"的习惯。当地的店老板很生气，在他们澄清事实前，甚至有人向他们的窗户扔砖头。

r On-Staff Astrologer

3.他们的占星家

Before we leave the Apple Boutique behind, we should mention the store's weirdest employee. His name was Caleb Ashburton-Dunning, he was the store's assistant manager, and he could supposedly see the future. The Beatles thought that an astrologer might help out with their fledgling business, so every day, he whipped up horoscopes for John, Paul, George, and Ringo. If they ever hit a snag or wanted advice on an upcoming event, he was the man with the answers.

抛开苹果精品店这个话题之前，还应该说说商里古怪的雇员。他叫做凯莱布·阿什伯顿-邓宁，是商店的经理助手，据说他能看见未来。甲壳虫认为占星家也许能帮他们拯救处于危险中的商业，所以每天他都为约翰、保罗、乔治和林戈占星。如果他们遇到什么困难，或者想听听对即将发生事情的建议，他就是有答案的人。

One fateful day, after examining John's horoscope, Ashburton-Dunning told Lennon to break up with Yoko Ono and return to his first wife, Cynthia. John didn't take this very well and fired the man on the spot. Crushed, the Apple astrologer joined a bizarre cult called "The Process Church of the Final Judgment," a group that worshiped both Jesus and Satan. The group evolved into an animal shelter, and Ashburton-Dunning disappeared from Beatles history. As an astrologer, he probably should've seen it coming.

在具有决定性的一天，看过约翰的星象，阿什伯顿-邓宁告诉列侬让他与小野洋子分手，回到前妻辛西娅身边。约翰没有接受这个建议，当场向他开了枪。受挫之后，苹果占星家加入了一个古怪的宗教派别，叫做"终审的进程教派"——他们崇拜耶稣和撒旦。这个教派逐渐发展成为动物收容所，阿什伯顿-邓宁从甲壳虫的历史上消失了。作为一个占星家，他本应预知这个结局。

Apple Scruffs

2.苹果铁杆粉丝

Wherever The Beatles went, they were hounded by rabid fans. While filming A Hard Day's Night, several scenes were interrupted. When performing at Shea Stadium, girls tried to storm the stage. And when the group visited the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., an 18-year-old Beverly Markowitz sneaked up behind Ringo and snipped off some of his hair.

无论甲壳虫去哪里，他们都会被狂热的粉丝纠缠不清。在拍摄《一夜狂欢》的时候，有几个镜头被打断。在谢亚球场表演时，女孩儿们试图冲击舞台。当他们访问英国驻华盛顿特区大使馆时，一位18岁的贝弗利·马尔卡维茨悄悄走到林戈身后，减掉了他的一些头发。

However, none of their fans were as devoted as the Apple Scruffs. Named for their big, thick coats, the Scruffs waited on the front steps of Apple Headquarters every single day, longing for a glimpse of one of their idols. There were about 20 Scruffs, most of them young British women who'd given up their jobs to follow The Beatles full-time. Some of the members included Margo Stevens, the leader of the group, and Sue-John, named for her huge crush on Lennon. But a few Scruffs stood out from the crowd, like 63-year-old Emma Eldredge, Carol Beford from Texas, and a gay New Yorker named times, the Scruffs took their obsession too far. Once, they spotted an open window on Paul's house, grabbed a ladder, and climbed inside. After wandering around, they made off with a pair of pants, one of his tapes, and some of Linda McCartney's photos. Infuriated, Paul tracked them down and demanded his things back. He knew they'd done it because real thieves "would have taken more expensive things."But mostly, the Apple Scruffs were a harmless bunch. They printed their own fan magazine and created cards for club members. They even helped The Beatles from time to time. For example, their breaking-and-entering stunt inspired Paul to write "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window." Most importantly, their dedication and devotion helped The Beatles cope in their final days when things were getting rough. At the very least, they certainly encouraged George who later dedicated a sweet song to his favorite fans.

即便如此，他们的歌迷比不过苹果铁杆粉丝。得名于又大又厚的外套，铁杆粉每天都在在苹果总部前面的梯子上等着，希望瞥见一个偶像。他们大约共20人，其中大部分是年轻的英国妇女——放弃工作全天追随甲壳虫。其成员包括马戈·斯蒂文斯——铁杆粉的领袖——和苏-约翰——这样起名是因为她巧遇过列侬。但是有几个铁杆粉很突出，比如63岁的艾玛·埃尔德雷奇、来自德克萨斯的卡罗尔·比弗德和名为托米的纽约同性恋。有时，铁杆粉的行为很过分。曾经，他们看见保罗的房子打开了一扇窗户，于是架上梯子爬了进去。四处逛完之后，他们离开时带走了一条裤子、一盒磁带，还有琳达·麦卡特尼的照片。保罗很生气，一路跟踪他们，要求他们退还自己的东西。他知道他们会这样做，因为真正的小偷"会带走更贵重的东西"。但在大多时候，铁杆粉不会带来危害。他们印刷自己的粉丝杂志，为俱乐部成员制作卡片。他们有时甚至能帮助甲壳虫。例如，他们破门而入的惊人行动启发保罗写了歌曲"她从盥洗室的窗户而来"。更重要的是，他们的专注和付出帮助甲壳虫处理最后日子里遇到的问题，那时事情变得很糟糕。至少他们的确鼓舞了乔治——他后来为他喜爱的歌迷献上了一首甜美的歌曲。

Ringo And George Quit The Band

1.当林戈和乔治退出乐队的时候

Thanks to a mix of egos and economics, Paul McCartney left The Beatles in April 1970, ending the most famous musical act in history. But Paul wasn't the first member to leave the band. That honor goes to Ringo Starr, who quit back in 1968 while The Beatles were recording their famous The White Album.

由于自我和经济的混淆，1970年4月保罗·麦卡特尼离开了甲壳虫，结束了历史上最著名的音乐行为。但是保罗并不是第一个离开乐队的成员——那是林戈·斯塔尔，他早在1968年就退出了乐队，当时甲壳虫正在录制著名的唱片《白色专辑》。

In addition to its influence on Charles Manson, The White Album marked a particularly dark period for The Beatles. George was trying to assert himself musically, Paul was becoming rather bossy, and John kept bringing Yoko Ono into the studio, which threw off the band's groove. As a result, there was a lot of fighting, resulting in band members recording by themselves. In the words of Paul, the White Album was actually the "tension album." That tension boiled over on August 22, 1968, when Ringo called it quits. Everyone was fighting, Paul had mocked his drumming, and he was feeling like an outsider. Frustrated, Ringo approached John and said, "I'm leaving the group because I'm not playing well, and I feel unloved and out of it, and you three are really close." Lennon was flabbergasted. "I thought it was you three!" he shouted. When Ringo approached Paul, he got the same exact rtheless, Starr borrowed Peter Sellers's yacht, sailed for Sardinia, and spent two weeks on the high sea writing "Octopus's Garden." In the meantime, Paul filled in for Ringo, drumming on "Back in the USSR" and "Dear Prudence." But eventually, the band sent Ringo a telegram proclaiming him the best drummer in the world and begging him to come back. And when Starr returned, he found flowers spread across his drum set, spelling out the words, "Welcome Back, Ringo."The good mood didn't last. In 1969, George was getting angry at Paul for suppressing his songs and was furious at Lennon for taking Yoko's advice over his. It also didn't help that a documentary crew was filming every little flare-up. Finally, things exploded when Lennon told the press that Apple was going bankrupt. An enraged George confronted John, and the two ended up getting into an actual fistfight. Sick of all the shenanigans, Harrison decided it was time to go."See you ‘round the clubs," he said as he stormed off. Lennon, always one to add fuel to the fire, made a joke about replacing George with Eric Clapton. The four were able to smooth things over for a little while, and George returned to finish Let It Be and Abbey Road. Sadly, though, time was running out for The Beatles, and in just a matter of months, the dream would finally be over.

除了对查尔斯·曼森的影响，《白色专辑》标志着甲壳虫经历过的一段极其黑暗的岁月。乔治试图增强音乐自信，保罗越来越像老板，约翰总带着小野洋子去录音棚——这些改变了乐队的习惯。结果打斗不断，乐队成员自己记录了这些事情。用保罗的话来说，《白色专辑》实际上就是"紧张专辑"。1968年8月22日，林戈宣布退出，紧张关系到了一触即发的地步。人人都在争斗，保罗嘲笑他打鼓，他感觉自己是个局外人。心灰意冷之后，林戈靠近约翰说："我离开乐队，因为我演得不好，我感觉不到爱，不在乐队里，你们三个才是真正亲密的，"列侬很惊讶。"我以为是你们三个！"他大喊。当林戈对保罗这么说时，保罗的反应一模一样。然而，斯塔尔借了彼得·塞勒斯的游艇，去了撒丁岛，在公海花了两周星期创作了"章鱼的花园"。同时，保罗为林戈填曲，用鼓点演奏"在苏联的时候"和"亲爱的谨慎"。但是最终，乐队向林戈发出一份电报，声明他是世界上最好的鼓手，希望他回来。当斯塔尔归队时，他发现鼓架四周都是鲜花，拼出了一句话："欢迎回来，林戈。"好景不长。1969年，乔治对保罗不发行自己的歌曲和列侬采纳小野洋子而不是他的建议感到十分生气。虽然有一组制作纪录片的人要把所有细节录在胶卷里，但也无济于事。最终，当列侬告诉媒体苹果即将破产时，危机一触即发。愤怒的乔治与约翰对峙，两人最终拳脚相向。哈里森厌烦这些闹剧，感到离开的时刻到了。"俱乐部见，"愤然离去的时候他这样说。列侬——总是雪上加霜——拿艾瑞克·克莱普敦取代乔治说笑。四人和睦相处了一段时间，乔治回来完成了《随它去》和《庄园之路》。但是很可惜，甲壳虫的时间不多了，仅仅几个月之后，好梦终于结束了。

翻译:罗惠月 来源：前十网