The Beatles And Mad Mel, 1964

Mad Mel came to C-FUN in 1964 and created quite a stir. He lasted about 10 months. From here he went to Australia when private radio was just getting up and running. He created a sensation Down Under. I have lost track of him. His real name was Mel Potts. He was an eccentric but talented man who meant no malice toward anyone. He was able to truly befriend many in the British Invasion days. This photo was taken backstage during the Beatles‘ Vancouver appearance. In many books and other commercial items they refer to this as having been taken in Australia — it was not.

For many reasons the stars took to him as a character and bestowed friendship and good interviews upon him. His brother Phil was a policeman in Vancouver for many years. I often think of Mad Mel and the truly wild promotions we had with him, most of which were his own inventions. This was the halcyon era of radio when ENTERTAINMENT was king.

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