The period Hendrix lived in Montagu Square and the reason he was evicted from there
Montagu Square… Ah! This (and in particular 34 Montague Square) the infamous apartment once rented by the Beatle Ringo Starr in the middle 1960's. Needless to say, the diplomats of the neighboring Swiss embassy were, to put it mildly, dissatisfied with this neighborhood: the distraught fans of the musician covered the entire wall of the building with passionate messages to the drummer ... Fortunately for the diplomats, Starr got married pretty soon and moved in with his young wife Maureen to a country house in the county Surrey. However, this story 34 Montague Square does not end...
A little background
Many celebrities then took an apartment on sublease from Starr, but perhaps the worst star tenant award goes to Mr. Jimi Hendrix. Leaving their domain Ringo Starr I decided - why not take them? At first, the apartment was occupied by a small Dutch design company The Fool: these guys sewed amazing psychedelic costumes not only for the Beatles, but also for Hollies, Marianne Faithfull, Procol Harum, Cream… Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the company settled in this amazing building for a short time.
After them, the apartments were rented by Starr's colleague The Beatles, Paul McCartney! The musician immediately installed several tape recorders Revox, intending to turn a spacious apartment into his own home studio ... By the way: it was at 34 Montagu Square that McCartney recorded demo versions of such famous songs as "I'm Looking Through You" and "Eleanor Rigby". However - at some point the apartment was empty again ...
Before renting out this wonderful apartment John Lennon and Yoko Ono (this is where the couple shot for the cover two virgins), Starr ventured into a business deal with the now legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix! But, unfortunately, nothing good came of it ...
Jimi Hendrix in Starr's apartment
In those years Jimi Hendrix was one of the most famous and sought-after guitarists! He was undeniably talented, however, for all his good qualities, he was a terrible tenant ... And, despite his supersonic skills, the drummer The Beatles Ringo Starr discovered the guitarist's personal shortcomings the hard way.
The first meeting between the two musicians remains unknown, but Hendrix was one of many notable individuals who lived briefly at Starr's property, on 34 Montagu Square in Marylebone, London. The American guitarist moved into the property in December 1966 years, just a few months after he arrived in London. Jumping around town with a guitar strapped to his back, Hendrix couldn't refuse an offer. Starr rent a luxury apartment in the center of London 30 pounds per month!
It was a great deal even then. Hendrix moved into a fairy house with his then-girlfriend Cathy Etchingham, manager Chas Chandler and his girlfriend, who occupied an apartment in the basement. We can say that for Hendrix this apartment was a gift of fate! But ... the musician, apparently, did not appreciate this gift.
"Unsuccessful flight"
Despite his skill on the stage, Hendrix was far from an ideal tenant. So, one of the nights 34 Montague Square ended in terrible chaos... After he "fortified himself" with substances, Hendrix decided that it would be nice to whitewash the whole place! As a result, the guitarist painted all the walls of the house white (which the drummer had decorated expensively in advance), spoiling the original appearance and the ball ...
It is worth noting that Starr had the apartment on rent, so ... this situation did not lead to anything good. "Designer mistake" forced Ringo to evict Hendrix...
Jimi and his girlfriend Etchingham enjoyed luxury for only three months, but during that time Hendrix managed to write "The Wind Cries Mary" is a song inspired by his fight with Kathy about her lack of culinary skills.
Looking at the photos of that period, one involuntarily asks the question: and as soon as Hendrix did you burn this place down? It is quite possible that starr made the right choice...
Finally…
The building entered the history of music: Paul McCartney previously lived in it for a certain period of time in 1965 year, and, as it turned out, it was here that he wrote Eleanor Rigby. A few years later John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent time in this house during the recording of the joint. In fact, the house is the exact place where the duo were arrested after the scandalous raid… If the walls were on 34 Montague Square could say, it would no doubt make a best-selling memoir!
Eviction Hendrix from home seems a little harsh, but one can suspect that this was not the first such incident. Besides, it wasn't even Ringo's property, which meant he couldn't put caution aside. Actually, already in 1969 year starr terminated the lease. Today, the building has a memorial plaque with the inscription:
"John Lennon, musician and songwriter 1940-1980, lived here in 1968."
