The 1966 press conference that the Beatles held in Toronto, ON has long been the stuff of legend among Fab Four fans. Some of the statements - such as John Lennon explaining his "more popular than Jesus" comment - are well known to fans, but only from reading them. There's never been a recording of this particular press conference available, until now. Well, if you have, oh, say, $20,000.
A 14-minute reel-to-reel recording of the August 17, 1966, press conference at King Edward Hotel in Toronto has recently been unearthed and is going to be auctioned in June at Bonhams & Butterfields auction house in L.A. on June 13. This recording is believed to be the only audio recording of the event. The auction house expects the recording to go for around $20,000.
The recording was made by photojournalist and Beatles fan Paul Hourigan; he tried to sell them back in 1966 but "no one thought they were important," Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams & Butterfields told Reuters [via Billboard]. So the reels got put in a drawer, where they've been sitting all these years.
During the press conference, the band talk about the generation gap and the Vietnam situation, but one of the highlights of the recordings is Lennon and Paul McCartney talking about how long the band would stay together for.
"We're obviously not gonna go around holding hands forever," Lennon says. McCartney then adds that it "would be a bit, you know, embarrassing at 35..."
The reels come with two larger reels the content was transferred to, as well as two CDs containing the recordings. Check out more details about the item here.
And, hey, if you're looking for more Beatles memorabilia to spend insane amounts of money on, head down to Sotheby's in June to bid on the handwritten "A Day in the Life" lyrics.
A 14-minute reel-to-reel recording of the August 17, 1966, press conference at King Edward Hotel in Toronto has recently been unearthed and is going to be auctioned in June at Bonhams & Butterfields auction house in L.A. on June 13. This recording is believed to be the only audio recording of the event. The auction house expects the recording to go for around $20,000.
The recording was made by photojournalist and Beatles fan Paul Hourigan; he tried to sell them back in 1966 but "no one thought they were important," Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams & Butterfields told Reuters [via Billboard]. So the reels got put in a drawer, where they've been sitting all these years.
During the press conference, the band talk about the generation gap and the Vietnam situation, but one of the highlights of the recordings is Lennon and Paul McCartney talking about how long the band would stay together for.
"We're obviously not gonna go around holding hands forever," Lennon says. McCartney then adds that it "would be a bit, you know, embarrassing at 35..."
The reels come with two larger reels the content was transferred to, as well as two CDs containing the recordings. Check out more details about the item here.
And, hey, if you're looking for more Beatles memorabilia to spend insane amounts of money on, head down to Sotheby's in June to bid on the handwritten "A Day in the Life" lyrics.
