From: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Andy Clews)
Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles
Subject: More about George's Albert Hall concert
Date: 6 Apr 92 13:04:13 GMT
Organization: University of Sussex

From "The Independent", April 6th 1992, whose front page is adorned
with a four-column-width photo of The Quiet One spanking the plank in
rehearsals:

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BEATLE COMES OUT FLYING FOR NATURAL LAW PARTY

It has taken the general election to bring a Beatle out of the
woodwork. Tonight at the Royal Albert Hall, George Harrison will give
his first full length British concert since the last appearance of The
Beatles in 1969.

The London concert aims to raise funds for the Natural Law Party, the
only party committed to improving mind-body co-ordination through the
study of "yogic flying". The party is funded by the Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi, currently based in the Netherlands. Harrison, along with the
other Beatles, studied with the Maharishi in India in 1968. The four
stormed out, though, when it was claimed their guru had sexually
assaulted female members of the party. Harrison now says: "Maharishi
only ever did good for us, and although I have not been with him
physically, I never left him."

Of the Natural Law Party, he said: "I believe this party offers the
only option to get us out of our problems and create the beautiful
nation we would all like to have. We could have politicians who were
actually nice people. We need love and compassion."

Yesterday, on a giant sound-stage at Shepperton film studios in
Surrey, Harrison led his hastily assembled band through last-minute
rehearsals. When the Press were admitted, the group was mid-way
through a raucous version of the old Beatles number "Taxman", a
protest song written in a different political era; younger members of
tonight's audience may well be baffled by its references to a "Mr
Wilson" and a "Mr Heath".

The rehearsals were attended, unexpectedly, by the Natural Law Party's
leader, Geoffrey Clements. One of his assistants said the leader had
appeared "from nowhere", although in reality he stepped off a
helicopter in the grounds. A press conference was hastily convened and
Dr Clements renewed his commitments to lower taxes, a crime-free
society and the installation of schools to teach Transcendental
Meditation in the interests of a unified higher consciousness for the
nation.

During a break in rehearsals, Harrison (who is 49, the same age as the
Prime Minister) retreated to a dressing room for a fresh shirt and a
cup of herbal tea. "Geoffrey Clements asked me to run for a seat in
Liverpool," he said. "That was a bit over the top. I wouldn't really
want the karma of being in Parliament for four years. It would be fun
if the lot of them made a government - then we could actually do
something. But to be one of just a few seats and to have to go and
hang out with all that crowd down there...I've got better things to do
with my life, I think."

The Natural Law Party is not alone in having courted Beatle support.
Labour is known to have striven, to no avail, for a public commitment
from Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr lives in Los Angeles these days, but,
coincidentally, he will be in London this morning, announcing a new
album and a forthcoming tour. He may well find a number of men in
suits eager to take him aside for a word.
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Reports of the gig will probably follow soon (not necessarily from me,
especially not first-hand details)...



-- 
Andy Clews, Computing Service, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, England
JANET: andy@uk.ac.sussex.syma      OTHER NETWORKS: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk