Pillow Fight x 9 – Beatles 40th Anniversary Photograph

Signed, titled, dated, and numbered from edition of 20 on recto.

Frame: 50 x 51 inches

“It was 3:00 A.M. after a concert at the Olympia in Paris in January 1964. They had so much pent up energy after a performance, and they really couldn’t go out because they would be mobbed. So we were sitting around talking and drinking. Their manager, Brian Epstein, burst into their suite at the George V Hotel to tell them “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was number one on the American charts which meant they were going to America to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. That also meant I was going to America with them, and I was pleased. America had always fascinated me. Ever since I was a boy in Glasgow watching James Cagney gangster movies, I knew that was where I wanted to be. They were excited about having a number one hit in America. I had heard the Beatles talking about a pillow fight they had had a few nights before, so I suggested it. I thought it would make a good photo to celebrate. At first they said okay, but then John said, no, it would make them look silly, so that was that. Then John slipped up behind Paul and hit him over the head with a pillow, spilling his drink, and that started it.” – Harry Benson