Press conference with The Beatles • Jun 23, 1966

Timeline More from year 1966

Interview

On June 23, 1966, The Beatles took a flight from London to Munich, to start the first leg of their world tour. They arrived just before 1 pm, were picked up at the airport and brought to the Bayerischer Hof Hotel.

The four Beatles received some very special local gifts – Lederhosen, the traditional Bavarian leather pants. A press conference took place at 4 pm in the hotel, with reporters asking rather silly questions. When the tabloid Bild asked Ringo Starr whether his Lederhosen were too big for him, he said maybe they were, but he’d just wait until the baby grew.

The 1966 German tour was sponsored by the German youth magazine “Bravo”. During the press conference, The Beatles received an Otto Gold award from the editor of Bravo magazine.

Q: What do you think about Munich?

JOHN: Well, what I’ve seen looks lovely, and the weather’s nice too.

Q: What do you think about your book here?

JOHN: Oh, I don’t know what I think about it in German yet, ‘cuz I can’t understand it. But the publisher’s nice. In English, it’s nice. I don’t know what it’s like, you know. Just read it and find out.

Q: What are you going to do with your lederhosen?

PAUL: Umm, I don’t know. Probably hang ’em up eventually.

Q: You’re not going to wear them?

PAUL: I might do, yeah. It’s too hot at the moment.

Q: How’s your German?

RINGO: Terrible. I don’t speak it.

Q: You don’t speak it at all?

RINGO: Not to speak of, you know. Just a couple of jokes, like spiegeleye and pomfritz, you know. (laughs) But that’s not really German. That’s about all I know… and wie gehts, which is enough. (jokingly) As long as you can say wie gehts, you’re alright.

Q: If you could purchase a page in the Olympic Games in ’72 in Munich, what would you like to be?

GEORGE: Oh, I don’t know.

RINGO: Egg and spoon race.

GEORGE: (laughs) The three-legged race, to headline the Olympic Games. Well… maybe the high jump.

RINGO: The high jump. Good one.

GEORGE: (laughs)