DUSTY CARR CONFIRMS HE WAS THE 'GRASSY KNOLL' BEATLE

- Pop icon say Fab Four were 'just giggling, pimply kids' -

Las Vegas, NV, February 22, 2002

Fresh from his success as Iggy Pop's opening act on the current 'More Raw Power' Tour, Dusty Carr confirmed long-standing rumors that he was, briefly, a member of the Beatles, the much-fabled 'Grassy-Knoll Beatle'. Speaking to music-media journalists assembled for the release of Ken Brown's PBS documentary 'Pop Goes the Music', Carr responded to a question regarding the Beatles rumor, saying, "For about two days I was a Beatle. Who cares anymore? Let's talk about today. Let's talk about the promise of a beautiful, sunny tomorrow." He then became quiet for moment and appeared increasingly agitated. Suddenly he screamed, "Make the big fear go away!". Carr elaborated on his role as a two-day Beatle.

After the only gig: Dusty (right) & Beatles toast to a future million

"This is what happened. Tony Sheridan was a singer in Hamburg. About 1960 he met the Beatles and they recorded together. Well, I knew Tony Sheridan from a few months I spent drinking with him in London, around 1958. Okay, so in 1962 Tony calls me and says his friends, the Beatles, need a singer because they're always arguing about who should sing. It seemed like a simple solution to have one person sing who didn't write the songs. The boys knew of my unique vocal stylings, I needed the bread, and that's it. No big whup."

Carr reported that he never liked the Beatles. "Alright, you've got to remember that in 1962, I was a seasoned performer and the Beatles were just a bunch of giggling, pimply kids. I mean, George Harrison was something like ten years old. So they were a big step down for me. But I thought they'd be a good backing band. We rehearsed and played one gig in Liverpool, which is a truly wretched town. We also recorded two CLM (Carr-Lennon-McCartney) songs, "Big Wet Spot', and 'You Gotta Wash Sometime'."

There was almost immediate friction between Carr and the Beatles. "They played me some songs they'd written, like 'I Saw Her Standing There', and I thought they were crap. I still do. So I said let's do my stuff, and they all huddled together, then turned to me and said that I was out of the band. I remember McCartney kind of smiling at me like he'd just got away with something. I really felt like smacking him hard on his big puppy-dog face. But I didn't have a work visa for England, so I had to tone down the violence."

Carr admitted that as the Beatles achieved worldwide popularity the following year, he profoundly regretted his decision. "Sure it was a stupid thing to do, but it was even dumber for them, because I'd have given them class. Instead, they turned into these mincing, druggy little hippies who were nasty to each other and dressed like shit. Anyway, over time, booze can burn away pain. It's amazing that way."

Carr would eventually become a close friend of John Lennon's, the two often seen nightclubbing in mid-1970s Manhattan. As well, Ringo Starr produced Carr's 1990 album 'Really Fast Carr (see related interview here). Carr said that his brief relationship with the Beatles would "possibly" be profiled in his upcoming autobiography, 'Autumn Leaves and Dry Heaves'.