This was a long, eventful, and crazy day for John and Paul. In the afternoon they held a press conference, during which they may both have been stoned out of their gourds. Said Paul:
I had a strange feeling and I was very nervous. I had a real personal paranoia. I don’t know if it was what I was smoking at the time, but it was very strange for me.
As for John, according to Bob Spitz, he and Derek Taylor had been binging on “speed and a ‘mild and extremely benign hallucinogen’ called Purple Holiday.”1 But however high they were, the two Beatles carried on manfully with their media responsibilities:
At some point Paul looked out into the crowd and saw a familiar face: that of Linda Eastman, whom he had met almost exactly a year previously in London. As a professional photographer, she had a legitimate reason to be there, but had long made no secret of having designs on Paul. As, of course, did many, many people; the difference in Linda’s case was that it worked.
After the press conference Paul and Linda talked, and Linda ended up giving him her number written on a blank check. (Symbolic, no?) Before she could even get home, Paul had called. The only space he had available in his busy schedule was during the ride to the airport the next day, and so he invited her along. More on that tomorrow.
Later tonight John and Paul appeared on The Tonight Show, which was being guest-hosted by sports announcer Joe Garagiola. There is no video, just audio, but in case you’re that curious:
The expression on Paul’s face there says he’s not quite sure where he is and who he’s talking to. He looks a little more comfortable in this photo:
That’s Ed McMahon, America’s drunk uncle, on the left. Actress Tallulah Bankhead is sharing the desk with Garagiola for some reason. The whole thing was very strange and I’ll bet John and Paul were eager to get back to England, where at least things were weird in a way they understood. Although John loved New York City — he would move there with Yoko in 1971 and stay until his death nine years later. But that is not relevant to our current concerns at all, so for now, good night and good luck.