An archival interview has resurfaced, illustrating just how anxious John Lennon was about meeting Elvis Presley with The Beatles in 1965.
It might seem hard to believe, but Wednesday marked what would have been the 79th birthday of John Lennon. However, as we get closer to the 40th anniversary of his death, and closer to the point where he has been gone longer than he was with us, it’s heartening to learn more and more about the music icon.
Back in 1975, Lennon was living in New York City, and was gearing up to begin what was effectively a five-year hiatus from the music industry. During this time though, the former Beatle was interviewed by German journalist Francis Schoenberger, whose encounter with the musician inexplicably went unpublished at the time.
While the article would finally be printed in 1988, Spin have once again published the interview online, giving fans an insight into Lennon’s thoughts at the time, including his recollection of meeting Elvis Presley.
In addition to speaking about issues with immigrating to the US, his temporary separation from Yoko Ono, and musicians covering his songs, Lennon looked back at the time in August of 1965 when the Fab Four met The King; something they were initially apprehensive about due to the amount of press that would be involved.
“It’s an interesting story. We were terrified. He is our idol,” Lennon explained. “We went to meet him, all the gang this day. We went in and he was sitting in front of a TV.
“We were in the middle of a tour, ’65 or something. He had this TV, I remember; he had an amplifier and a bass plugged into it. And watching with no sound on the TV. And playing bass and singing, and we were sort of singing along. But we were really just watching him. I always thought of it from our point of view; I never thought of it from his.
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Check out ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Elvis Presley:
“And years later I heard from a friend, who is friendly with his ex-wife, that he was terrified too,” Lennon continued. “a) ’cause we were the new thing and b) what was gonna happen. And that he had been prancing around for hours in preparation, thinking of what to say. And we worshipped him.
“It’s a strange story … I just remember sitting there and him playing the bass. And me thinking, ‘It’s Elvis! It’s Elvis!!’ It’s actually Elvis. He looked great then, no weight on him. He looked good. And he was shy a bit.
“I’d like to see him in Vegas ’cause that’s where he’s supposed to be at home. But I’d be embarrassed if they said, ‘And there in the audience is John Lennon.’ I’d hate it. I’m dying to see him.”
Although it’s not clear whether or not Lennon would get to see Elvis perform live, The King would end up sadly dying in August of 1977, close to the 12-year anniversary of meeting The Beatles.
In related news, Elvis Presley is set to become the focus of a pair of new productions in the near future. While Baz Luhrmann is set to film a biopic of the late rock icon in Australia, the musician’s estate has recently given the greenlight to a new animated spy series with Presley as the lead character.
Check out ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon:
