Radio interview in Seattle • Thursday, August 25, 1966

Interview

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Throughout their 1966 US tour, some journalists had the opportunity to travel with The Beatles and hold in-depth “taping sessions” in their hotels or dressing rooms. These sessions allowed the journalists to interview each Beatle more deeply than was possible at press conferences.

Among the journalists who had this privilege were Judith Sims and Bess Coleman of TeenSet US magazine, Jim Stagg of WCFL Chicago radio station, Kenny Everett of Radio London, and Jerry Leighton of Radio Caroline.

On August 25, 1966, The Beatles flew from Los Angeles to Seattle. They were then taken directly to the Seattle Center Coliseum for their first concert of the day at 3 pm. Only 8,000 of the 15,000 available tickets had been sold for the early show.

After the first show, the Beatles held a press conference at the Edgewater Inn. They then returned to the Seattle Center Coliseum for their second show at 8 pm, which was in front of a full audience of 15,000.

From “That Magic Feeling: The Beatles’ Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966-1970” by John C. Winn:

The Seattle taping session was held in a press room at the Coliseum, across the hall from the Beatles’ dressing room. Although people such as Jim Stagg and Ken Douglas had left the touring party, there was always someone in each city to talk to, in this case Dusty Adams, who recorded separate interviews with each Beatle.

Asked about the possibility of recording an album in America, Paul says that a Memphis studio wanted an exorbitant fee, but that they would consider it if the price was right. A rather specific rumor was circulating about Jane Asher being flown in to marry Paul that evening in Seattle, and after three years of dealing with such reports, Paul is completely unfazed, putting it down to “occupational hazard.”

Adams tells George he was one of the DJs to call a London studio that February to wish him a happy birthday, and the two of them wrack their brains trying to figure out which album the Beatles could have been recording at the time. Presumably George was attending some other artist’s session, as the Revolver sessions didn’t begin until April. George talks about the supermarket on Hayling Island John had bought for his pal Pete Shotton in 1965, and says that he has a tape recorder in his car to sing into in case he gets a song idea on the road.

Ringo explains who sings what on “Yellow Submarine,” and for the 4,240th time says he does little but “just sit ’round” in his spare time, although he admits to the occasional reading craze. He concedes that airport crowds have been smaller than ever on this tour, but thinks it’s because fans have sussed that heavy police protection limits the amount of personal contact the group can have with fans on such occasions. Ringo also gives his account of the Manila incident, although it’s “still a mystery” exactly what happened.

John halfheartedly says he’s still writing material for a third book, and expresses no interest in attempting to compose songs with anyone but Paul or perhaps George. He declares that his “more popular than Jesus” quote was tossed off so trivially that when it resurfaced, he had to go back and read the original article to remind himself that he hadn’t been misquoted.

From “That Magic Feeling: The Beatles’ Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966-1970” by John C. Winn

Last updated on October 21, 2023