Post by Jai Guru Deva on Feb 12, 2005 21:09:39 GMT -5
www.blogofdeath.com/archives/000813.html
ALF BICKNELL
Behind the tinted windows of the Fab Four's Austin Princess sat Alfred George Bicknell.
From 1964 to 1966, he was the Beatles' chauffeur, ferrying them to and from concert venues and movie sets. When the band traveled in John Lennon's Rolls Royce Phantom V, Bicknell was usually behind the wheel. He even inspired the song, "Baby You Can Drive My Car."
In "Ticket to Ride: The Ultimate Beatles Tour Diary!" the 1999 autobiography he co-wrote with Alasdair Ferguson, Bicknell described the day Lennon snagged the chauffeur's cap off his head and tossed it out the window. "You don't need that anymore, Alf. You are one of us now," Lennon reportedly said.
Bicknell was born in Surrey, England, in 1928. He worked as an apprentice butcher and circus clown before serving three years with the British Army. In the late 1950s, Bicknell became a professional driver known for discreetly shuttling foreign dignitaries and celebrities to their desired destinations.
After the Beatles stopped touring, Bicknell spent the 1970s driving business executives. He retired in 1980 following a chainsaw accident, and joined the Beatles convention circuit, giving speeches and selling memorabilia.
Bicknell died on March 9, 2004. Cause of death was not released. He was 75.
_____________________________________________
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/11/db1102.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/03/11/ixportal.html
ALF BICKNELL
(11/03/2004)
Alf Bicknell, who died on Tuesday aged 75, was the Beatles' chauffeur from 1964 to 1966, when the group was at the height of its success.
Dressed in a blue suit, crisp white shirt and tie, he first drove the group in an Austin Princess (registration SST 626) - at that time, he later said, it was one of only two cars in London to have blacked-out windows (the other belonged to Peter Sellers). Later Bicknell drove the band in John Lennon's Royce-Royce Phantom V, which was kitted out with a television set. On occasions when any of the Beatles wished to be more discreet, the chauffeur would use a less conspicuous vehicle.
When he started the job, Bicknell wore a peaked cap; but after only a few days Lennon snatched off the cap and threw it out of the window with the words, "You don't need that, Alf." Bicknell grew his hair below the collar and began sporting dark glasses. "They didn't treat me as an employee," he recalled, "but as one of their mates."
Bicknell was in attendance when the Beatles met Bob Dylan, and when they encountered Elvis Presley in 1965 the chauffeur was pleasantly impressed when Elvis addressed him as "sir".
The first time he drove the band Bicknell had to collect them from a photo shoot at Emperor's Gate: "All of a sudden, Whoof! They all dive into the car and we're off," he recalled. "Every time I stopped at a traffic light I felt conscious of all the eyes peering in. Between sets of traffic lights, I'm getting faster and faster, and I pull up a bit quick outside this block of flats at one point and Bang! George, who's sitting on the occasional seat, hits his head on the partition. Let's just say he was upset. A few choice words were said. I thought, well, that's it - the shortest job that's ever happened to Alf." But there were no repercussions.
Despite the fact that the group's car was constantly mobbed by fans, there was only one mishap - at the Finsbury Park Empire, when Bicknell inadvertently ran over a policeman's foot.
His association with the group came to an end in 1966, when the Beatles decided that they no longer wanted to tour. Thereafter, when in London, they drove themselves - Ringo, according to Bicknell, was "a superb driver", but "I had to close my eyes with John".
Alf Bicknell was born on October 28 1928 at Haslemere, Surrey, and was educated locally. His father died young, and Alf left school at 14. After working as an apprentice butcher and as a circus clown, he did three years' National Service in the Army. In the late 1950s he began working as a driver with a car hire company; his clients included diplomats in London and showbusiness personalities.
After leaving the Beatles, Bicknell continued to work as a driver. For a time he drove the New Christy Minstrels in America. He drove Lord McAlpine for three years, and then worked for a number of businessmen. But in 1980, an accident in his garden with a chainsaw left his right arm almost powerless, and he retired to North Wales.
Then someone suggested that Bicknell might capitalise on his association with the world's most famous band. He worked up a routine with his stories, had a business card printed ("Alf Bicknell, the Beatles' Chauffeur and Road Manager 1964-65-66"), and packed a briefcase full of photographs. George Harrison provided a testimonial, part of which read: "Alf Bicknell lived moment to moment with the Beatles through those years ... Anyone who was beaten up by Imelda Marcos's bully squad is a friend of mine." (This was a reference to the rough handling the band received while on tour in the Philippines.)
Armed with these props - and decked out in evening dress with a red bow tie - Bicknell lectured to audiences at holiday camps and conventions. In Los Angeles, he addressed 4,000 people; the Beatles Club of Rhode Island asked him to address its summer barbecue via a live phone link. Despite lucrative offers from the tabloid press, however, Bicknell always declined to sell lurid stories about his days with the Beatles.
To provide security for his family, in 1989 he tried to sell five tapes of the Beatles, recorded in 1963 and 1964 on a portable recorder which they had carried with them. The tapes - given to Bicknell by John Lennon - had the Beatles reading from the Bible and singing their favourite hymns, The Lord Is My Shepherd and There is a Green Hill Far Away; Paul McCartney singing Over the Rainbow and reciting nursery rhymes with a child; and George Harrison composing his first song, Don't Bother Me. The band is also heard assuming comic voices to ask residents of Weston-super-Mare the way to the local golf course.
Bicknell put the five tapes into a Sotheby's auction of rock 'n' roll memorabilia. They were expected to raise £60,000, but in the event only two of them sold - a bidder in West Germany paying almost £12,000.
In 1989 Bicknell (with Garry Marsh) produced a book and a video, Baby You Can Drive My Car, chronicling his experiences with the Beatles.
Alf Bicknell is survived by his wife Jean and their son.
_____________________________________________
For a photo of Alf Bicknell:
www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/archive/news_alfbicknell.htm
ALF BICKNELL
Behind the tinted windows of the Fab Four's Austin Princess sat Alfred George Bicknell.
From 1964 to 1966, he was the Beatles' chauffeur, ferrying them to and from concert venues and movie sets. When the band traveled in John Lennon's Rolls Royce Phantom V, Bicknell was usually behind the wheel. He even inspired the song, "Baby You Can Drive My Car."
In "Ticket to Ride: The Ultimate Beatles Tour Diary!" the 1999 autobiography he co-wrote with Alasdair Ferguson, Bicknell described the day Lennon snagged the chauffeur's cap off his head and tossed it out the window. "You don't need that anymore, Alf. You are one of us now," Lennon reportedly said.
Bicknell was born in Surrey, England, in 1928. He worked as an apprentice butcher and circus clown before serving three years with the British Army. In the late 1950s, Bicknell became a professional driver known for discreetly shuttling foreign dignitaries and celebrities to their desired destinations.
After the Beatles stopped touring, Bicknell spent the 1970s driving business executives. He retired in 1980 following a chainsaw accident, and joined the Beatles convention circuit, giving speeches and selling memorabilia.
Bicknell died on March 9, 2004. Cause of death was not released. He was 75.
_____________________________________________
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/11/db1102.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/03/11/ixportal.html
ALF BICKNELL
(11/03/2004)
Alf Bicknell, who died on Tuesday aged 75, was the Beatles' chauffeur from 1964 to 1966, when the group was at the height of its success.
Dressed in a blue suit, crisp white shirt and tie, he first drove the group in an Austin Princess (registration SST 626) - at that time, he later said, it was one of only two cars in London to have blacked-out windows (the other belonged to Peter Sellers). Later Bicknell drove the band in John Lennon's Royce-Royce Phantom V, which was kitted out with a television set. On occasions when any of the Beatles wished to be more discreet, the chauffeur would use a less conspicuous vehicle.
When he started the job, Bicknell wore a peaked cap; but after only a few days Lennon snatched off the cap and threw it out of the window with the words, "You don't need that, Alf." Bicknell grew his hair below the collar and began sporting dark glasses. "They didn't treat me as an employee," he recalled, "but as one of their mates."
Bicknell was in attendance when the Beatles met Bob Dylan, and when they encountered Elvis Presley in 1965 the chauffeur was pleasantly impressed when Elvis addressed him as "sir".
The first time he drove the band Bicknell had to collect them from a photo shoot at Emperor's Gate: "All of a sudden, Whoof! They all dive into the car and we're off," he recalled. "Every time I stopped at a traffic light I felt conscious of all the eyes peering in. Between sets of traffic lights, I'm getting faster and faster, and I pull up a bit quick outside this block of flats at one point and Bang! George, who's sitting on the occasional seat, hits his head on the partition. Let's just say he was upset. A few choice words were said. I thought, well, that's it - the shortest job that's ever happened to Alf." But there were no repercussions.
Despite the fact that the group's car was constantly mobbed by fans, there was only one mishap - at the Finsbury Park Empire, when Bicknell inadvertently ran over a policeman's foot.
His association with the group came to an end in 1966, when the Beatles decided that they no longer wanted to tour. Thereafter, when in London, they drove themselves - Ringo, according to Bicknell, was "a superb driver", but "I had to close my eyes with John".
Alf Bicknell was born on October 28 1928 at Haslemere, Surrey, and was educated locally. His father died young, and Alf left school at 14. After working as an apprentice butcher and as a circus clown, he did three years' National Service in the Army. In the late 1950s he began working as a driver with a car hire company; his clients included diplomats in London and showbusiness personalities.
After leaving the Beatles, Bicknell continued to work as a driver. For a time he drove the New Christy Minstrels in America. He drove Lord McAlpine for three years, and then worked for a number of businessmen. But in 1980, an accident in his garden with a chainsaw left his right arm almost powerless, and he retired to North Wales.
Then someone suggested that Bicknell might capitalise on his association with the world's most famous band. He worked up a routine with his stories, had a business card printed ("Alf Bicknell, the Beatles' Chauffeur and Road Manager 1964-65-66"), and packed a briefcase full of photographs. George Harrison provided a testimonial, part of which read: "Alf Bicknell lived moment to moment with the Beatles through those years ... Anyone who was beaten up by Imelda Marcos's bully squad is a friend of mine." (This was a reference to the rough handling the band received while on tour in the Philippines.)
Armed with these props - and decked out in evening dress with a red bow tie - Bicknell lectured to audiences at holiday camps and conventions. In Los Angeles, he addressed 4,000 people; the Beatles Club of Rhode Island asked him to address its summer barbecue via a live phone link. Despite lucrative offers from the tabloid press, however, Bicknell always declined to sell lurid stories about his days with the Beatles.
To provide security for his family, in 1989 he tried to sell five tapes of the Beatles, recorded in 1963 and 1964 on a portable recorder which they had carried with them. The tapes - given to Bicknell by John Lennon - had the Beatles reading from the Bible and singing their favourite hymns, The Lord Is My Shepherd and There is a Green Hill Far Away; Paul McCartney singing Over the Rainbow and reciting nursery rhymes with a child; and George Harrison composing his first song, Don't Bother Me. The band is also heard assuming comic voices to ask residents of Weston-super-Mare the way to the local golf course.
Bicknell put the five tapes into a Sotheby's auction of rock 'n' roll memorabilia. They were expected to raise £60,000, but in the event only two of them sold - a bidder in West Germany paying almost £12,000.
In 1989 Bicknell (with Garry Marsh) produced a book and a video, Baby You Can Drive My Car, chronicling his experiences with the Beatles.
Alf Bicknell is survived by his wife Jean and their son.
_____________________________________________
For a photo of Alf Bicknell:
www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/archive/news_alfbicknell.htm