English journalist Ivor Davis had a great time traveling the world with The Beatles. They flew around on a private jet, where they were free to do as they pleased, and when spending time together, Paul McCartney would offer Davis drinks.
“I can now say that Paul McCartney was my waiter,” Davis said. “That’s another exciting story that I have to live with the rest of my life.”
Davis shared his experiences alongside the band credited with the most albums ever sold with OVS students as a part of a new speaker series.
Davis was introduced to OVS through the family of Julia Boldt (U ’16), who has been a friend of the family for years.
Davis moved to the US with no money, and after struggling for work he solidified his position as a columnist. Davis loved life in California – he was “living the dream”, working with celebrities and interviewing movie stars.
Until one day his editor called him up and assigned him to cover The Beatles on their 1964 tour.
“I was very lucky to get on this tour,” said Davis. “If you thought I was a brilliant writer or knew about rock and roll, you were wrong.”
He packed up, eager to join the clean-cut rock & roll band, only to find that his subject, George
Harrison stayed up till 3 and woke up at 3. With this difficulty to work around, Davis found himself making up his column.
He kept this up until Harrison confronted him about how terrible the column was.
Touring with the world’s most famous band, Davis was more than excited to attend their concerts. Sadly, his dreams never came true.
In not one out of the 26 concerts Davis attended could he hear a single word sung by The Beatles. As soon as the band showed up on stage everyone started screaming, and didn’t stop until the show was over.
One of Davis’ biggest fears during the tour was that he would be killed by screaming girls.
The Beatles had to leave concerts in ambulances or meat trucks in order to avoid being bombarded by fans. Davis then got to ride in the limousine, leading the fans to believe that he was with the band.
Hundreds of girls were hammering on the windows and shaking the vehicle back and forth. Davis still believes it a feat of excellence to have gotten out alive.
So, by mere coincidence and good timing, Davis found himself traveling all over the world with the most famous band of that time.
According to Davis, the secret of The Beatles’ success was that everybody felt safe with them. They had a clean cut image, and of course, their music was phenomenal.
The Beatles’ extensive fame made it unsafe for them to go out in public. Prisoners in their hotel rooms, the only other person for the band to interact with was Davis himself.
As an entertaining way to pass the time, John Lennon and Davis would play game after game of Monopoly.
A huge cheater, Lennon would roll the dice time after time until he landed on the property he desired.
Finally, the tour came to an end. The band went back to England, and Ivor went back to his regular life.
Recently Davis wrote a book titled The Beatles and Me On Tour, recounting his experiences throughout the tour.
“I was doing other stories, but I woke up one day and thought to myself, ‘I better write everything down before I forget.’” said Davis.
Although Davis is no longer as close with the remaining band members, the time he spent on tour was incredible and will forever be a huge part of his life.
“I want to tell you it was an experience I will never forget,” said Davis.