Gary James' Interview With Beatles Photographer
Curt Gunther
If you were lucky enough to get tickets, it was the hottest tour of the summer of '64. It was The Beatles' first American tour. Curt Gunther was there. He photographed The Beatles both on and off stage as they criss-crossed their way through the U.S. He shares his photos with us in the newly published book Beatles '64: A Hard Days Night In America (Doubleday Books).
Q - I recognize a few of the pictures that appear in your book as being published elsewhere, but the great majority of them, have they ever appeared anywhere else?
A - No, they have not. It took twenty-five years to pull them out of the files. There was really no reason for me to use them before. Everything that was any good was used twenty-five years ago. There was no repeat of the story. There were about twenty pictures that were used all over the world. The rest were just sitting here. I figured one day maybe I could do a book. It was a hard sell, believe me. It was not an easy sell to the publisher.
Q - That seems incredible. A book about The Beatles, a hard sell?
A - It took two years to sell this book.
Q - How did you hook up with The Beatles?
A - I met them the first time they arrived in San Francisco, and became friendly with their press agent, Derek Taylor. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go or not, because I didn't know how big these guys were. Nobody really knew, until I saw 5,000 people at San Francisco Airport, which I couldn't believe. I weighed the question for at least three days before I decided to ask Mr. Taylor, "Can I get on the charter flight?" He said, "I can't say that. I gotta ask Brian Epstein." (Beatles manager). Brian then said to Derek, "Okay, let him come, but he's got to pay his own expenses." And that's how that happened.
Q - Road manager Bob Bonis claims Brian Epstein charged members of the press $1,000 a week for a seat on The Beatles plane. What else did you get for that kind of money?
A - Nothing. I don't think Brian Epstein did that. I think Bob Bonis is wrong. He charged a flat fee of $2,500 for the flight, which was from coast to coast, and we had to pay for our own hotel rooms and food of course.
Q - The $2,500 fee was for the entire tour?
A - Yeah, for thirty days.
Q - In the summer of 1964, there were other British groups touring the U.S. Herman's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark 5. How did you know the Beatles tour was the tour to cover?
A - I don't think they could compare with the Beatles at that point. The other groups didn't have the impact the Beatles had. When you saw the mass of people that were greeting us, no matter what time you arrived in the city or what city it was, it was like a Presidential tour. It was unbelievable.
Q - You pretty much had access to all of the Beatles all of the time, is that right?
A - Pretty much so, yeah. Well, not all the time. John Lennon was moody at times. So, were the others. There were times when they were not in the mood. You had to be very careful how you approached the subject. You know, "One more picture, one more picture," it was a bit much for them. They never knew what city they were in because a concert would finish and we would go to the next city after the concert, which meant they were driven by limousine to the airplane and we would sit in the airplane and wait for the luggage and equipment to arrive, which would take two hours. Now, it's about twelve or one in the morning. By the time we got to the next city it was 3 or 4 a.m. They never saw a city in the United States. Straight into the hotel and into the room. And, they couldn't leave the room. The hotels were loaded with kids at any hour of the day. It didn't matter what time it was.
Q - And the security was pretty good, wasn't it?
A - Yeah. I think they overplayed their act a little bit, but, you know police departments. I thought they were a little rough in certain cities. There was no reason to beat up children. There was no necessity for that.
Q - When you were on the plane with The Beatles, did you get a chance to talk with them?
A - We use to play cards all the time. We use to play poker. Every night.
Q - When the Beatles were backstage, where would Brian Esptein be?
A - He'd be out in front, counting the house.
Q - And did you get the chance to know him on a limited scale?
A - Very limited. He was a loner, more or less. He never stayed in the same hotel as The Beatles. Always stayed in another hotel. Very much to himself, and constantly on the telephone, making deals. That was his job and he did that perfectly well. Unbelievable manager. His timing was unreal. Whatever he touched turned to gold.
Q - Besides the Beatles, who else have you photographed in your career?
A - Everybody from Truman to Eisenhower to Elizabeth Taylor. You name 'em and I've photographed them.
Q - And how did you get to be the Photographer of the Stars?
A - I came here as a child from Germany, and started to learn photography. I mean, you can't really learn it, but the fundamentals of photography, in Berlin. I came over here in 1939, as a child, and continued photography because there was nothing else I knew at that point and slowly got myself into it. Had a few Jobs in New York, and eventually went on my own. One thing led to another. I photographed Joe Louis when he was training. He was training in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. I didn't have any money. I hitch-hiked out there with a girlfriend. He liked the girl very much. He let me into the camp and I photographed him. I went back to him and handed him a bunch of prints and he handed me $500. That's how I got started.
Q - That was good money.
A - Especially in 1939. That gave me a start. I had nothing when I came here.
Q - And what do you photograph these days?
A - I work for People magazine every week.
© Gary James. All rights reserved.
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