Tags
It was a busy day for The Beatles in New York City, starting with a press conference. You can tell that the Bigger Than Jesus hassle is starting to die down by this point because only one question is asked about it, to which John responds:
Well, I think I’ve said enough about that. I can’t say anymore, and just sort of going over the same thing over again. You know, a lot of it just is a lot of rubbish and a lot of hysteria.
After that, miracle of miracles, the press lets it lie. I also like John’s response to the question about Vietnam:
Q: Would any of you care to comment on any aspect of the war in Vietnam?
John Lennon: We don’t like it.
Q: Could you elaborate any?
Lennon: No. I’ve elaborated enough, you know. We just don’t like it.
Also of note, Paul at one point says “I mean, you know, when we’re 80 we won’t be performing.” Well, he has six more years to go, but he seems determined to make a liar out of himself.
The press conference was followed by a “junior” press conference set up especially for 75 young fans who had won a contest. It’s not clear if all 75 got to ask questions. The Beatles Bible has a partial transcript (“Not all the audio…has survived,” they say “and much of what has is obscured by screams from the fans.”) My favorite exchange is this one:
Q: I’d like to know, do you mean all the lyrics that you write?
McCartney: We mean them as lyrics. But I mean, if we write “We all live in a yellow submarine,” we don’t really mean that.
There was also the small matter of a concert at Shea Stadium for 44,000 screaming fans. 11,000 tickets remained unsold, so if you’d like to attend this show, all you’ll need is a time machine and six dollars.
