I believe this story was misrepresented by Rolling Stone as a factual event.  I read it when it was published and I do not recall any disclaimer that it was a fictional short story.  There was a lot of buzz about the Beatles at the time and I think Rolling Stone may be trying to cover up the fact that they published something inaccurate and were possibly misled by the author.  There were a lot of fictional articles sold to the media or publishers around that time which led to legendary lawsuits. 

   Jim Adams