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Many years ago, around 1968, I lived with a young woman who would later become my first wife, a lovely lady name Audrey, at 509 east 53rd street.
Upstairs a very wonderful fellow named Marty Carls had an apartment. We always called Marty the reluctant Apostle. At one point Marty's travels took him to
London, England, where he met John Lennon in a small cafe. Marty, being a true believer, told John that he, Marty, knew someone that John would someday meet.Marty shared this story with us upon his return, and
he was adamant that it would come to pass. Being a charter member of the generation touched by the Beatles, I was both flattered at what he told us, and convinced that it would never happen. As the years
rolled by, and we all went through our changes, The Beatles broke up, and John moved to America. Eventually, he starting using a back up band called "Elephants Memory", managed by my own manager, (I was with
Columbia Records for a time) Nick DeMartino. (I will tell you about some of our adventures someday. Nicky believed in my music with all his heart, and he will always live in mine.) Gene O'Brien was working with
Nick in those days, and he worked with both "Elephants Memory" and John and Yoko. (I'll tell you about this guy too, someday. Gene was the funniest man I ever knew....he's the guy who should be doing the show
after the Tonight Show.) In the '70's, I was living on 8th Street, 57 west, on the first floor, and every night, we would watch the parade of tourists from the balcony. (It was the damnedest thing: tourists would come from all around to see us
hippies, but they only saw each other, because we didn't go out when they were around.)One night, while I'm watching the folks from my window, John and Yoko pull up right outside; Amazing I thought......It appeared
that after all these years, Marty was right. I went downstairs and gave John a note, thanking him for using my friends, the "EM" as a back up band, and wishing him the best..
I never saw him again, but Marty's prophesy came true . |
