John Lennon Said Paul McCartney Was the Only Beatle Who Could Successfully Disguise Himself in Public

Since the explosion of Beatlemania in 1964, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr began to have a difficult time going out in public. Everywhere they went, people approached them, demanding pictures, autographs, or just a chance at a conversation. While exciting at first, this level of attention quickly grew tiresome. The band began using disguises to go out in public, to varying degrees of success. According to Lennon, McCartney was always the best at disguises, even managing to fool the band’s manager. 

The Beatles couldn’t go out in public without fans mobbing them

After The Beatles found widespread popularity, the band could hardly go anywhere in public without fans approaching them. People would even turn up at their homes and parents’ homes, searching for them. Lennon’s first wife, Cynthia, recalled watching the band fight through the crowd to get to their car.

“Watching TV in Liverpool and looking at the photos in the papers of the crowd scenes I was a little alarmed — John and the others had almost been crushed by the mob as they tried to get to their car that night,” she wrote in her memoir, John. “What on earth was going on?”

John Lennon said Paul McCartney was the best at disguising himself

Lennon said the band used to like getting attention before they were famous. At that time, it seemed like an act of rebellion.

“People did stare at us before we were famous,” he said, per the book The Beatles: The Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies. “Going on a bus to the Cavern, all in leather and carrying guitars. We liked it then. It was our bit of rebellion, just to annoy all the Annie Walkers sitting in the Kardomah. I miss playing soft jokes on people.”

During Beatlemania, though, the constant crush of fans grew exhausting. 

“We can’t do a simple thing together as a family, like going for a walk,” he said. “It’s terrible. Sometimes I wish it had never all happened.”

To avoid public attention, the band attempted to wear disguises in public. According to Lennon, these only worked for McCartney. He was even able to fool people who knew him, including band manager Brian Epstein.

“We did all think of disguises once, so we could get around,” he said. “George and I went through the customs in long coats and beards thinking no one would recognize us, but they all did. Paul was the best. He pretended to be a weird photographer, coming out with a lot of psychological gibberish. He even fooled Brian.”

Despite John Lennon’s praise, Paul McCartney’s disguises sometimes worked too well

Once, McCartney wore a disguise while on vacation in France. It allowed him to enjoy himself without people constantly approaching him. One night, though, it worked a bit too well. A bouncer didn’t recognize him, so he couldn’t get into a club.

“There was one night when I wanted to go to a club,” McCartney told Chris Hardwick on his ID10T podcast, adding, “There was a little thing there. There was no entertainment at the hotel I was at. It was a little cheap hotel. So, I went to the club. As the disguised guy, no way was I getting in. I said, ‘S’il vous plaît?’ and he was like, ‘No, no, no…’ So, I went back to the hotel, came back as him. ‘Oui, oui, monsieur. Entrez.’ That proves the point. It’s a mixed blessing.”