Did McCartney see Lennon before the official meeting?

What do you think about the theories that McCartney saw Lennon before the official meeting of 6th July 1957?

Mark Lewisohn in his recent book claims McCartney has mentioned privately that he'd seen Lennon about on buses etc before they actually met.

Also there is this picture which proposes that McCartney is in the crowd watching The Quarrymen two weeks before they met. http://www.beatleswiki.com/wiki/inde...The_Quarrymen!

I've seen that photo on a few sites and I'm with those who say it's not Paul.

Around the time that Tune In came out, there was an interview with Matt Damon in Esquire in which he shared an anecdote that Bono had told him about. Apparently, Paul gave Bono a personal tour of Liverpool and...

Bono’s like, a student of the Beatles. He’s read every book on the Beatles. He’s seen every bit of film. There’s nothing he doesn’t know. So when Paul stops and says "That’s where it happened," Bono’s like, "That’s where what happened?" because he thinks he knows everything. And Paul says, "That’s where the Beatles started. That’s where John gave me half his chocolate bar." And now Bono’s like, "What chocolate bar? I’ve never heard of any chocolate bar." And Paul says, "John had a chocolate bar, and he shared it with me. And he didn’t give me some of his chocolate bar. He didn’t give me a square of his chocolate bar. He didn’t give me a quarter of his chocolate bar. He gave me half of his chocolate bar. And that’s why the Beatles started right there." Isn’t that fantastic? It’s the most important story about the Beatles, and it’s in none of the books! And Paul tells it to Bono. Because he knows how much Bono loves the Beatles.

I went to a book-signing event and met Lewisohn and I asked him about that story. He said he hadn't heard anything about the chocolate bar but he knows that Paul gives certain people personal tours of Liverpool in which he claims that he actually met John before the fete at St. Peter's Church. He doesn't share that story publicly though... for reasons which are known only to Paul....

Originally Posted by Maia 66

I went to a book-signing event and met Lewisohn and I asked him about that story. He said he hadn't heard anything about the chocolate bar but he knows that Paul gives certain people personal tours of Liverpool in which he claims that he actually met John before the fete at St. Peter's Church. He doesn't share that story publicly though... for reasons which are known only to Paul....

I think the reason is that the story of the first meeting at Saint Peter's Church has reached mythical proportions and Paul can't be bothered to tell the whole truth since it's easier to play along with what everyone wants to hear.
When you visit Liverpool and you see how relatively near the Beatles lived to each other and how they used the same buses to get around, it seems more than probable that they met casually in other circumstances.
Of course the Saint Peter's meeting is more interesting because it's linked directly to the music they were both into.

Well said, Zipp.

Mark Lewisohn is a Beatles' scholar and his book Tune In is a work of pure brilliance. I also like the fact that there are photos most people have not seen until now. The man plainly did his homework.