Wonderful Tonight George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor Published by Harmony Books 2007

Book Review
By LeeAnn Sharpe

Wonderful Tonight George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor Published by Harmony Books 2007

Pattie Boyd has had an incredible life. Even before marrying a Beatle and the guitar God of the 60’s, she had been raised in Kenya and had a modeling career in mod London. Her face epitomized the swinging London scene. How terrific can one life get! And it seems like she has had several very exciting experiences at all stages of her life. It’s easy to see how she became a muse to two of the most addictive and promiscuous musical geniuses in the history of rock and roll.

Born in England on St. Patrick’s Day, thus the name, she was moved to Kenya at the age of four to be with her maternal grandparents. Her mother’s remarrying kept them separated for a time, so she was raised by the grands in this strange and exciting world. Once Mum and the new hubby were settled she was back in England attending convent schools from the age of 10. By 17 she was working at Elizabeth Arden on Bond Street and eventually professional modeling.

In the early 1960’s there was nothing making more news than the Beatles. Pattie seemed somewhat oblivious of them until she was sent on an acting job at Paddington Station to play a schoolgirl in a film they were making called “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964. She caught the eye of George Harrison, he proposed ten days later and her life changed again into the world of rock and roll.

The girlfriend and then wife of a Beatle was about as center of the universe for most young girls as you could get. She traveled the world of rock and roll legends in the making, becoming acquainted with every major star of the era. Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull, Mick Fleetwood, Donovan, Dylan and anyone else in the scene were part of her life. All of the major Beatle events we heard about in the news were personal experiences for her and she tells the intimate behind the scenes details that flesh out the stories in from the inside.

Even day to day life was filled with history. She talks about George sitting at the kitchen table writing “My Sweet Lord”. He also wrote “Something” which was his most successful songwriting experience and Pattie had been his inspiration.

Their lives were filled with travel. Travel to exotic places like India to see the Maharishi opened her eyes to a whole new world. Although exciting and fun, it was often difficult and uncomfortable as it was happening. She talks about the experiences of sea sickness, unbearable hot humid weather, rushing to make trains or planes and the strange foods they were served.

In the public eye she even got her own fan mail. She was pursued by one man in particular for over a decade. Eric Clapton wrote her passionate love letters and even songs including “Layla” about his terrible love for her, the wife of one of his best friends. Years later when George and Pattie split, Clapton came in a swooped her up. But once he had her in his life, he lost interest and never found it necessary to be true to his “true love”. Part of the problem is his obsession had always been through a drug and alcohol haze. Once he went through rehad their relationship changed. And rehad didn’t stick.

Pattie always seemed to maintain a fairly level head through all of the highs and lows dealing with drugs and alcohol, infidelity, abuse and neglect. She regrets that her marriage to George ended. “Marriage is forever”, she wrote. And she loved him till the day he died and mourned his death alone on top of a mountain in Peru.

Her marriage to Eric was so passionate she felt incapable of resisting. Eventually the alcohol and drugs made the situation intolerable. Her leaving sent Eric into rehab again and he finally cleaned up. She thinks if she had stayed he would have drunk himself to death. And she would have never found her own identity. Having always been the wife of a famous man she was overshadowed and never seen for herself. Now as a writer and photographer, her own work is recognized.

Inspiration for George Harrison’s song “Something” and Eric Clapton’s “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” and who knows how many other songs, the world is a better place for the muse Pattie Boyd. And she shares her exciting life openly in her book “Wonderful Tonight”. It’s a very enjoyable read to anyone who lived through the early years of rock and roll, a wonderful trip down memory lane. She shares lots of great pictures from her personal collection too.
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