Photos by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
By MAGNOLIA LAFLEUR | Reporter
Music group from the 60s, the Beatles have had an immeasurable number of books written about them, yet not one has focused solely on their experience in Los Angeles—until now. Palisadians Tom Weitzel and Jeremy Louwerse co-authored the first book of its kind, “The Beatles in Los Angeles: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”
The Beatles were a Liverpool, England rock band formed in 1960 comprised of Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.
The Beatles are known as one of the most influential bands of all time due to their unique lyrics and explorative music style that fused classical music, hard rock, indie, psychedelic and heart-swelling ballads.
Weitzel and Louwerse’s book takes readers beyond the world tours and mythology that has become “The Beatles,” and behind the scenes of more than 50 years of intimate, never-before-told stories during their lives and experiences in LA.
“Before this book, there wasn’t one place to get all The Beatles’ adventures in LA. We wanted to aggregate all of them into one place,” Louwerse said to the Palisadian-Post.
“While this is an LA-centered book with worldwide appeal, it’s also just Angelenos talking to Angelenos as a first audience,” Weitzel elaborated.
Son of a radio disc jockey, Weitzel was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, moved to LA in 1984 and eventually to the Palisades Highlands in 2006. He is an Emmy winner who spent 26 years at Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, The Mike Douglas Show and more. He currently spends his time as an on-camera commercial actor and audiobook narrator, and lends his voice to Daily Blast Live’s “True Crime Chronicles.”
Louwerse was born in Los Altos and similar to Weitzel, has spent a lot of time working in the entertainment business. He spent over 25 years working for ESPN, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. He is currently producing shows for the NFL. Louwerse lived in the Palisades for seven years.
The co-authors explained how their book reorients the reader’s perspective of common places they might have simply driven past—not knowing The Beatles ever called it home.
One chapter sheds light on a house Lennon rented on the beach, which was reportedly the same home Marilyn Monroe and President John F. Kennedy would meet at, the house of Starr, Harry Nilsson and Alice Cooper at one point, and the last place Lennon and McCartney were photographed at.
“The Beatles are in a class by themselves. Their spirit of adventure and their desire to be different and better and push the limits of popular music, artists today benefit from that,” Weitzel explained. “The Beatles proved that youth music could be great music. With our celebrity journalism background, we understand the power that these people have over people’s imaginations, over their lives, over the way they live their lives.”
“For the readers, you’re never going to look at 625 Palisades the same way knowing John lived there, and you’re never going to look at the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens, knowing it was one of George’s favorite place[s] to meditate, in the same way again. You’re going to think of The Beatles when you see that again,” Louwerse added.
The book is like having “[The] Beatles in your backyard” with never before told details, photos and interviews of those who have had first-hand experiences with The Beatles in LA. Stories include the only meeting that ever took place between Elvis Presley and the band at Presley’s Bel Air estate in 1965, and other stories that take you from Dodger Stadium to the Hollywood Bowl.
“We uncovered a lot of new information that has never been covered before about The Beatles,” Louswerse said. “We went out to people and we really made that a priority, to talk to the people that were actually there.”
The book chronicles The Beatles’ stay in LA with pictures and first-hand details that documented Lennon and Harrison barely avoiding the law during their “dangerous nights” on the Sunset Strip, and when two of The Beatles crashed the “Happy Days” studio-set and more.
Everyone’s reason for why they love The Beatles is different. For Weitzel, it was receiving a copy of “Meet The Beatles” at 12 years old, and then watching them on the Ed Sullivan Show knowing “these guys from the get-go were revolutionary.”
For Louwerse, it was being a 10-year-old boy, mesmerized watching the 1968 “Yellow Submarine,” an animated film inspired by the music of The Beatles.
“I realized that the music was extremely positive and about love and I know it’s a huge cliche but when they say ‘all you need is love,’ it’s true it really is,” Louwerse said to the Post. “To hear them sing and carry that theme through their lives made me realize how special and how much I liked them.”
Weitzel explained that beyond a ride down memory lane, there is so much for the younger generation to learn from the book.
“Look at The Beatles and if you have a creative spark follow it. They’re the Beatles now but when they started their journey there was no guarantee,” Weitzel said. “They took a chance. Take a creative chance, that’s what the Beatles did. It may make you rich and famous, or it just may make you happy, you never know what will happen.”
The book is an upbeat and smooth ride through LA with Weitzel and Louwerse behind the wheel, guiding the reader through the many stories of The Beatles.
“Most importantly, like your favorite Beatles album, these stories are meant to entertain and inspire. So please kick back in your favorite chair (preferably by a pool), pour the drink of your choice, and enjoy as we take you to the many stops that John, Paul, George and Ringo made in this great city,” Louwerse and Weitzel shared in the foreword of the book.
“It’s been a pleasure writing The Beatles for you … Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
