PATTIE BOYD
Patricia Anne Boyd was born March 17, (Saint Patrick's day), 1945 in Hampstead, England. She was the first child of the Boyd family, who would soon welcome daughters Paula and Helen (better known as
Jenny). Boyd had a good relationship with her sisters, particularly Helen, who got her nickname from one of Boyd's favourite dolls. The family moved to Kenya for some time during the 50's for their father's job. They returned when Boyd was in her late teens. Boyd and her sister Jenny went out to London in 1962, where they began successful modelling careers. Pattie and Jenny were used to travelling for their jobs, usually to New York City, and Pattie also modelled in Paris for Mod designer Mary Quant (mini-skirt was her invention). Pattie's exposure in the press led her to getting a commercial contract from American director Richard Lester.Lester wanted Pattie to be the Smith's Crisps girl. She was to be in television advertisements and do promotional appearances at stores throughout London. Around the same time, Lester was hired to do a film to the
Beatles. He liked working with her for the advertisements, so he offered her a small role in "A Hard Day's Night". Pattie was casted as a schoolgirl in the opening scene, named Jean. However, her part is shortened to the line "Prisioners?" (she is also seen during the Beatles' performance of "I Should Have Known Better" and on the scene when John hurriedly rushes towards the wagon where Pattie and the rest of the girls are reading a magazine). Boyd later commented that it would be her last acting role (which it was), stating "I'm quite happy modelling".After a few days of filming, pattie and some of the other schoolgirls asked the Beatles for their autographs, except John Lennon (Boyd was afraid of his sarcasm). George Harrison signed autographs for Pattie and her sisters. He put one kiss as he always did on Pattie's sisters' autographs, but put seven on Pattie's. She figured out "he must like me a little".
Pattie on her first meeting with George:
·"George hardly said hello. When we started filming, I could feel George looking at me and I was a bit embarrassed".
George offered her to visit his trailer, but as Pattie remembered, "I was loyal, not stupid". Realising he could not get far with that, he then proceeded to ask her on a proper date. Just when George was about to give up, she said yes. She already had a boyfriend, but she found that this date would probably be harmless and he'd never find out. Their first date consisted of going out to dinner and driving around London. Pattie secretly dated George for a few dates, but soon had to break up with Eric Swayne, a 30-year-old photographer whom she had dated for two years.
Boyd, circa 1964:
"Eric was my boyfriend, but not any longer. George is tremendous fun to be with. We want it to stay just fun without having to talk about engagements and marriages".
Harrison, circa 1964:
"She's my kind of girl and we like each other a lot but marriage is not in our minds. We hope to see more of each other when we can. It isn't a sin to have a girlfriend, is it?"
Once Boyd broke up with her boyfriend, the couple was able to plan their first holiday together to Ireland. This was Pattie's first exposure to "Beatlemania", for soon the press found out where they were. Nobody knew Boyd's name, but they were trying their best to find out. Their holiday was ruined, all they wanted now was to leave and go back to London. Pattie and
Cynthia Lennon (who was with Boyd and Harrison on holiday with John Lennon) disguised themselves as maids and hid in a dirty linen basket from their hotel. The bellboy was hired to transport the girls in the basket to an awaiting truck, and the young boy was greatly excited about such a task. He put the basket in the back of the truck but forgot to unlatch the top thinking only of the good deed he did leaving the poor girls tossing and turning in the smelly linen basked all the way to the airport. They were greeted by John and George laughing hysterically. It was apparent their holiday was ruined.Despite problems in Ireland, they soon tried for another holiday in May of 1964, to Waikiki, Hawai. They were able to stay from May 5 to May 20 1964. After that, they even stopped by Los Angeles with only being noticed once. But the press found them again and Pattie would not pose for the photographers. Oddly, George, who would learn to hate the press in later years, finally introduced Pattie as "my 29-year-old sister, my chaperone" as a joke.
With their relationship now public, Pattie started writing a column for 16 Magazine called "Pattie's letters from London" which among other things, included beauty tips (read two of those letters
here!) By early 1965 Pattie moved into George's Esher bungalow. The fans hated Pattie for taking "their George" away after they realised how serious their relationship was. The only Beatle wife (or future one) that had the fans' blessing was Cynthia Lennon (who even had her own fan club) and Pattie received most of the torture from the fans. Harrison's fans wouls stalk Pattie whenever she was out, spit at her, kicked her, beat her and some even had threats of murder if she didn't break up with George. When Pattie told Harrison how the fans acted toward her, George went out to tell the girls to stop it, but they were too busy staring at him not listening to him.Things were about to get worse for the fans. George proposed to Pattie on Christmas day, 1965. Boyd recalled in 1968:
"We were just motoring along (to
Brian Epstein's party) listening to the radio when suddenly he very calmly told me he loved me and wanted us to get married. I think I just said yes or some such nonsense, but believe me, inside I was doing cartwheels. We really were very much in love".After an interview in 1989, however, Boyd recalled a different scenario:
"George jumped out (of our car), went to see Brian (Epstein), came back ten minutes later and said: 'It's all right. Brian has said we can get married in January, off we go!' I said, 'What?!' I didn't have any idea that he wanted to marry me. He didn't actually consult me about it. But Brian had given his blessing and said it was quite all right. God had spoken! It was going to be fine!"
They were married soon after the proposal, January 21, 1966 at the Epson Registry Ofice in Surrey. This made Harrison the only Beatle to marry by choice, not because his girlfriend was pregnant. Paul McCartney was the only Beatle in attendance. John and Ringo sent their best wishes, flowers and very expensive gifts for the newlyweds. The couple were in aoutfits designed by Mary Quant, and to many, it was the picture perfect marriage. They posed for the obligatory wedding photos with their families and then headed off to Barbados, where they were so happy they even let the press take pictures of them on the ebach together.
When they returned to Esher after tgeir honaymoon, they entertained guests. Pattie's sisters came over a lot, because often George was out. George said he didn't want more press. He had the typical northern upbringing that the wife was supposed to stay home and be a houswife. Pattie couldn't contest George's insistence and so she was to give up her budding modelling career. Her last photo shoot was with her sister Jenny for Vogue UK. Pattie tried to help out the poor, but the press made a big story out of it. Boyd was forced to become a northern wife and give up her career for the sake of her husband's.
A new culture in London was emerging at the same time, with free love and drugs. Pattie along with many other of the fashionable people of the 1960's, soon found the usual glasses of wine turning into marijuana, LSD and heroin. Boyd's first experience with LSD took place in 1964 with John, George and Cynthia Lennon. They were having dinner with their dentist and he, without their knowledege, introduced four lumps of sugar wrapped in LSD in their cups of tea. The experience was terrifying.
As Boyd's drug consumption increased, so did her need for fulfillment. The couple had taken a trip to India in 1966 and were fascinated by the country. When a friend suggested to Boyd to go to hear the Maharishi Mahesh Yogy speak, she thought it was a good idea. She told Harrison and eventually most of the Beatles and their entourage went to hear him speak. Boyd thought it would be a good idea to get spiritual fulfillment by going to this lecture, since she wasn't happy being by herself all the time. However she would eventually regret this decision for two reasons. First, George fell deeply in love with India and being very spiritual, a major part in the breakup of their marriage was opened. Secondly, they all came back disappointed by not receiving spiritual satisfaction, and were cheated by the Maharishi, whom had less spiritual practises ( a possible ploy by Magic Alex). The end of their happy marriage was coming.
On March 12, 1969 (the day of Paul and Linda's wedding), Pattie answered the door of Kinfanus (the Harrison's home in Esher) to find Sergeant Norman Pilcher. He had a warrant to search their house for illegal substances. They tore the house up looking for whatever they could find. In panic, Pattie phoned George to ask him what to do. George told her not to argue and give him all they had. But by then Sgt. Pilcher had found something else in one of George's boots. They were charged with possession of cannabis resin (marijuana). They were taken to the jail and released on bail.
They pleaded guilty, and they claimed they had no idea the drugs were where they were. They had a stash somewhere else, they said, which wasn't found. Ironically, the Sergeant who searched the house was charged with planting illegal drugs on an innocent suspect a few years later. However, this wasn't the first time that Pattie and George were involved in drug busts. A bit earlier, in 1967, Pattie, George, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, along with some other friends, were partying at Keith Richards' home. As usual, drugs were present, mostly LSD, but also heroin (a famous Faithfull vice). The police knew what was going on but with the Beatles' lawyer David Jacobs and manager Brian Epstein, who the police respected, they were alright. Only a few hours after the Harrisons left did the police raid the house. Of course, by the time of the Harrisons' drug bust in 1969, both David Jacobs and Brian Epstein were dead.
Harrison's infidelities were also increasing by this time. There was always some affair to be carried on for him, especially with the "Apple Scruffs". He even would dedicate a song to them in his triple LP "All Things Must Pass" called "Apple Scruffs". With his increasing drug and religious isolation from Boyd, it only got worse. Harrison acted upon the chances given to him, which was the complete opposite of Boyd. There were plenty of opportunities for her as well, even a tryst with John Lennon (who was infatuated with Pattie). One night, Pattie, George, John and Cynthia were at a party supporting "Magical Mystery Tour". John kept on going on about how good Pattie looked that night. George really didn't care. They danced a good portion of the night. George Martin's wife, Judy, when she realised what was going on, scolded John on how cruel he was to his wife, Cynthia. But Boyd still cared deeply for her husband. She was aware of the problems in her marriage, but did not have an affair at this point.
While their marriage was coming apart, Eric Clapton became friendly with George Harrison. Clapton did uncredited work on Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and they became instant friends. Clapton would spend a lot of time with George and Pattie and he could tell things weren't good between the couple. Pattie flirted a lot with Clapton to get her husband's attention, but the plan backfired, Clapton was falling in love with Pattie, becoming extremely jealous of his best friend.
Clapton's attempt to win Boyd's heart started with an affair with her sister Paula. He also started to reject religion because he believed Pattie's unhappiness was to be blamed on it. Pattie finally listened to Clapton, and they started a brief affair, but as Boyd commented later, she was not one to carry on extramartial affairs. Clapton's obsesive love for her fascinated and frightned Boyd, and when he said it was wither drugs or her, Pattie backed out of the relationship. Her rejection, along with the death of Clapton's good friend Jimmy Hendrix, led Eric into a four-year bout of depression and drugs.
Boyd later recalled the experience:
"Eric showed me this packet of heroin and said:'Either you come away with me or I will take this'. I was appaled. I grabbed at it and tried to throw it away, but he snatched it back... At first, I felt guilt. Then I felt anger because it was totally irrational of him to blame me for something he was probably going to do anyway; it was very shelfish and destructive".
It was during this time Clapton wrote "Layla", one of his most popular songs, which was as starightforward to Boyd. The title came from the 1,000-page "The Story of Layla and Manjun", which was about a Manjun's obsesive love for the woman he could not have, Layla.
"What will you do when you get lonely with nobody waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long. You know it's just your foolish pride. layla, you got me on my knees. layla, I'm begging, darling, please, Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind? Tried to give you consolation, your old man he let you down. Like a fool I fell in love with you, turned the whole world upside down... Let's make the best of the situation before I finally go insane. Please, don't say we'll never find a way and tell me all my love's in vain" (excerpts from "Layla").
While Clapton went into seclusion from the public, Pattie had problems of her own. She had suspected that George had cheated on her, but the proof came during a night at Ringo and Maureen Starr's house, which proved to turn into the breaking up of the two marriages. Harrison suddenly said how muxh he loved Maureen, and Boyd broke down in tears. Ringo Starr, who knew of Harrison's ways, could just roll his eyes. After Harrison's affair with Maureen Starr, Boyd started to defy what was told to her by Harrison. She started modelling again, and began a relationship with guitarist Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones. As many things began to change in her life, Boyd had a near-fatal accident in 1972.
George Harrison always loved racing cars, and when he drove along roads, he drove just as fast. Boyd was in the car when they crashed. George stumbled out of the car, his face covered in blood and saw Pattie lying unconscious. She was knocked out and had several bruises. She was admitted into a hospital, where she stayed for several weeks, and then had rehabilitation for a while after that. When Boyd got her strenght back, she was back out again with Harrison. Eric Clapton, even though still in depression, would often come out to some parties. On one particular night, he was at the same party with Boyd and Harrison. Clapton got Harrison's attention when Pattie was away, and simply told him: "I am in love with your wife". Harrison just replied: "Fine, you get her, I get your girlfriend". By this time, Pattie came back on the scene and was completely shocked that Clapton had the nerve to tell George that he loved her and that Harrison was insensitive to her. She left angry at the both of them. But it was a matter of time before Boyd left Harrison.
One night in 1974, George decided on the spur of the moment to try one more time to straightn out his marriage to Pattie, but it was too late. Pattie had flown to Los Angeles in desperation and was staying with her sister Jenny and her husband, Mick Fleetwood. Soon after, she went to see Eric Clapton in Miami. After all his heartache of not being able to have Pattie as his wife, he finally had the woman of his dreams, his Layla. George and Pattie's divorce was finalized June 9, 1977. George on Eric's relationship with Pattie:
"We both loved Eric, still do, but there were a few funny things. I pulled his chick once. That's happened and now you'd think he was trying to get his own back at me... Pattie and he got together after we'd really split, and actually we'd been splitting up for years. That was the funny thing, you know. I thought that was the best thing to do, for us to split, and we'd should've done it much sooner. I didn't have any problems about it; Eric had the problem. Everytime I'd go and see him he'd really be hung up about it, and I'd be saying, 'Fuck it man, don't be apologizing' and he didn't believe me. I was saying, 'I don't care'".
Boyd later recalled her decision to leave Harrison for Clapton:
"In my naivety, I believed everything was all right. He wasn't taking heroin (any more),which I thought was the main addivtion for him. But, as it turned out, his drug of choice turned out to be alcohol".
Boyd married Eric Clapton March 27, 1979 in Tucson, Arizona. Forty of their closest friends, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Denny Lane, Mick Jagger, Elton John and David Bowie, were in attendance. Someone even had the nerve to sing "Something" at the party they held at Hurtwood Edge for their friends in England. George and his new wife, Olivia, came for the party after which an all-starr band played. Theirs was a semi- Beatles reuinion, with Harrison, McCartney and Starr taking the stage. The night after the marriage, Clapton brought Boyd on stage on his tour and sang to her "Wonderful Tongiht", a song inspired by her. The next day he sent her off to England.
Boyd was again being left at Hurtwood Edge by herself. Clapton's alcoholism got very bad, to the point that he went to a clinic. Bpyd's efforts to help him beat his addict were trying on their relationship:
"It was becoming very difficult (during the time Clapton was an alcoholic). You'd look for the part of the person you know and love, but it was hard to find".
By 1985, Boyd had enough. Clapton had had very public affairs and had two children by other women, and by this time Boyd was publicly and privately humiliated. She knew she couldn't have children, and this was in part to blame for the failure of her marriages. They were separated, and by 1989, the divorce was finalized.
"It probably took me six years to get over it, with four years of psychotherapy. My self-esteem was unbelievably low, and I found it really hard to build up relationships because I had seen usd to difficult people. Anybody who was sweet and nice to me was no challenge".
During this difficult time for Boyd, she refocused on her career as a professional photographer. Although she continues to be involved in photography, ahe has also become actively involved in charity work. In 1991, she co-founded SHARP with Barbara Bach, which aids drug addicts developer Rod Weston, who has been her companion for over eight years.
Just because she's not married to either Harrison o Clapton doesn't mean her social standing has decreased. Pattie has long been friends with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who "treat like royalty" because she never sold her amazing story, or as many say "her soul" to the public. They also respect her because she doesn't live off the name of her two famous husbands, and has made a name of her own with her work as a photographer. She enjoys the company of some of London's most exclusive social circles (Barbara Bach, Christabel Durham) have also become involved in Boyd's latest project, a fundrising concert with Jools Holland and his orchestra.
"I've become involved in this because of people -friends- who have been in trouble as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. It's harrowing, totally harrowing, to watch".
During a majority of Boyd's life, drugs have had their effect. Her former husband, Eric Clapton, was an alcoholic throughout their relationship. George Harrison was also involved with drugs in the 1960's and 1970's, during his marriage to Boyd. Said Boyd on the subject:
"It's amazing we're all still alive".
Pattie Boyd's contribution to the Beatles' music include:
"Birthday" (where, along with Yoko Ono she joined the back up vocals)
"Something" (George dedicated this song entirely to her)
"For You Blue" (another song dedicated to Pattie)
"You know what to do" and
She is credited to be the inspiration behind Eric Clapton's songs: "Layla", "Wonderful Tongiht" and "Cocaine".