That evening’s recording session was unusual, and not just because a man who claimed to be Jesus Christ was in tow. Their producer George Martin couldn’t get studio time at the EMI Studio on Abbey Road, where they typically worked, and so the Beatles had to make do with Regent Sounds studio at Tottenham Court Road, according to “Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Later Years, 1966–2016.” Martin described the studio as a “low-ceilinged boxy little room.”

When the band arrived for the session, McCartney had his new friend with him and introduced “Jesus” to George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr. “Look, he says he’s Jesus,” McCartney told the other Beatles (via the Howard Stern interview). “Now, I don’t know if he is, or isn’t but I’m not gonna take any chances here.” The rest of the band seemed amenable as long as he sat quietly in the corner. “Shhh don’t say a word, just be Jesus,” McCartney told his new friend.