GEORGE HARRISON WAS ‘SO EMBARRASSED’ TO BE DEPORTED FROM GERMANY THAT HE AVOIDED HIS BANDMATES FOR WEEKS . . . .
"On August 17, 1960, the Beatles arrived at a seedy enclave of Hamburg. They were there to play at the Indra club in Hamburg's notorious Reeperbahn red-light district. A little more than three months later, they were being deported back to the UK, chiefly thanks to an incident involving a flaming condom.
Allan Williams, their manager at the time, had arraigned to book the Quarry Men, now renamed The Beatles, with Bruno Koschmider, owner of the Indra. Accommodations were in the dingy storeroom of a nearby cinema, with the band sleeping on tiny bunk beds. The pay was decent — £2.50 each per night, roughly £40 in today’s money — but the work was back-breaking. They would play for hours every evening, seven nights a week. Songs would stagger on for 20 minutes or more, with solo after solo.
In late October, lured by the promise of a less sordid sleeping arrangement and better pay, the band accepted a booking at another Reeperbahn venue, the Top Ten Club. It enraged Koschmider, who claimed a breach of contract. In retaliation, he reported the 17-year-old Harrison for working underage. He also locked them out of the room he had been providing for them, along with all their personal belongings.
Harrison was deported soon after for working underage and having no valid work permit. When McCartney and Best went back to retrieve their belongings, they broke in and found it dark and without electricity. They pinned a condom to the wall and set alight as a makeshift lamp. When Koschmider found out about it, he filed an additional criminal complaint of attempted arson.
The rest of the group remained in Hamburg to play out the terms of their contract for a few more performances until they too were deported. Harrison had stayed up with John the night before he left to teach him all the lead parts of their songs. Harrison returned to England alone, spending all his remaining money on train tickets, tips and taxi fares. The journey took 24 hours.
"Astrid and Stuart dropped me at Hamburg station. It was a long journey on my own on the train to the Hook of Holland. It seemed to take ages – I was praying I’d have enough money. I had an amplifier that I’d bought in Hamburg and a crappy suitcase and things in boxes, paper bags with my clothes in, and a guitar. I was standing in the corridor of the train with my belongings around me, and lots of soldiers on the train, drinking. I finally got to Liverpool and took a taxi home – I just about made it. I got home penniless." ~ George Harrison, Anthology
He had been so embarrassed at having been sent home that he didn’t realize for some time that the others were back too. He’d got another job, and so had Paul, who had done a stint at the post office and a delivery firm.
Immediately after his 18th birthday, George got the proper paperwork and the Beatles returned to Hamburg.
In all, The Beatles' time in Hamburg breaks down as follows: Aug 17-Oct 3, 1960 (Indra Club); Oct 4-Nov 30, 1960 (The Kaiserkeller); Apr 1-Jul 1, 1961 (Top Ten Club); Apr 13-May 31, 1962 (Star-Club)."
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
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