On this date in 1966, that infamous John Lennon interview was first published in America by a heretofore little-known magazine called Datebook. It first appeared in a British publication several months earlier and hardly caused a ripple, but "firestorm" doesn't even begin to describe what a backlash it caused in the States. His exact quote was:
"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity."
Needless to say, that didn't sit too well with a lot of people, especially in the Bible Belt. About 30 radio stations instituted a total ban on Beatles music, including one in Longview, Texas that organized a burning of their records. The station's tower was struck by lightning the next day. The Fab Four started what turned out to be their last-ever concert tour in two weeks, and had to deal with protests and controversy in virtually every city. John had to issue a public apology at the start of the tour in Chicago. In some places like Memphis they feared for their lives. Ticket sales suffered as a result, and when the tour ended August 29th in San Francisco, they took three months off to decompress before beginning work on "Sgt. Pepper."
No comments:
Post a Comment