An adoring horde can be a very fickle thing.
Witness the crowds at press time clamoring for the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series. They're cheering loudly now, but Philly fans are notorious for turning on their beloved team very quickly when mistakes are made.
Or witness Jesus of Nazareth, who was welcomed by a Jerusalem crowd shouting praise and lining his path with palm leaves, only to have the same group screaming for his head a few days later.
And look at the example of John Lennon, who was a member of the most popular musical group in history, who made a statement about that very popularity that turned public opinion against him and the rest of the Fab Four very quickly.
Elvis never had such issues. Colonel Parker would only allow him to make statements like "yes, sir" and "no, maam" at interviews. But John Lennon was very plain-spoken, so it was inevitable that he would say something that the rest of the world wouldn't like. And the original publication of the interview wasn't the spark that set of the blaze of public opinion against Lennon, it was an otherwise obscure fan magazine that grabbed the statement out of context.
The interview where Lennon made his remarks was with Maureen Cleave of the London Evening Standard. Cleave was a friend of Lennon's, and so was granted the elusive right to speak with him.
The article (presented here in its entirety) was published on March 4, 1966. It went over quietly. The context of the entire piece made it clear that Lennon's statement was not about dissing Jesus, it was in fact an ironic comment on how popular he and his Liverpool buddies had become, much to his amazement.
Enter a disposable fan mag called DATEbook.
On July 29 of that year, this obscure rag hawked an article on its front page called "The Ten Adults You Dig/Hate The Most." In the article was this snippet from the Cleave interview:
"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with 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. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."
The sensationalist magazine sold about a million copies. Angry hordes began organizing Beatle album burnings.
The whole thing had a very Klannish air about it, and, in fact, the KKK joined in, In South Carolina, for example, at one particular rally, the Klan nailed a Beatles record to a large cross and set it on fire. Other Klan spokesmen were quoted as saying that not only were the Beatles blasphemous, but that they were not really 'white' either.
Horrified, Cleave publicly stated that the interview should be read in its entirety, but the cat was out of the bag. Manager Brian Epstein also tried in vain to calm things down by speaking out. With a looming US tour in jeopardy, it would be up to Lennon himself to try and squelch the fires of controversy.
In Chicago on August 11, 1966, Lennon held a press conference and publicly apologized for the remark. He didn't disguise his bewilderment and disappointment that a statement taken out of context could cause such a stink, but apologize he did, much against his wishes.
When the apology hit the airwaves and the print media, the burnings were called off.
But even now, some 42 years after the incident, there are still those who harbor animosity towards the always-outspoken Lennon for a statement that truly did take on a life of its own.
Comments (3)
The Beatles were more popular than JC...ask any teenage girl in the 60's.
I did see where they are turning on Ringo because he asked for no more fan letters...
OH well, Ringo it is the price of fame!
The Beatles were and still are my all time favorites. Their music makes me happy.
George Harrison was my favorite, then John Lennon, Paul...and finally Ringo.
I can't "IMAGINE" the world with out them. If I live to be 200 and they ask me what do I regret...I will tell them that I didn't get to see the Beatles play in person!
Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Posted by Sharon/The Baby Boomer Queen | October 15, 2008 12:45 AM
Posted on October 15, 2008 00:45
It is ironic that John Lennon believed he would spend all his money by the time he was forty and ended up spending all his life shortly after reaching that biblical numeral and then continued to make more money dead than alive.
It is of passing interest that many of those who purport to be Christian are so threatened by an innocuous comment regarding predictions and relative popularity that they act out in a decidedly unChristian manner. It was the same with Islam and Salman Rushdie’s et al. putative blasphemy.
Coincidentally, yesterday I took my son to see Bill Maher’s movie Religulous and while I found it amusing, I also found it very disturbing in that so many sincere (maybe a few not so – particularly those in positions of power) persons were incapable of critical analysis or even understanding or expressing the English language (with the notable exception of Fr. Reginald Foster.) My son (aged 24) is of the opinion that religion is the root of all the world’s ills and we would all be better off with its demise. (I think we are better served with religious adherents believing the All Knowing Eye watches and records their peccadilloes for deferred judgment.)
A person’s religion or belief system is like a computer’s operating system, except that the instruction set is altered by emotional intensity (primarily fear based IMO as ALL religions are based on the fear of pissing off or not pleasing God) and the output is highly unpredictable.
If belief in an organized hierarchical system of logic gives people comfort and a framework by which to live, I have no problem with any belief system until it causes violent or punitive behavior.
It is the belief in any system that makes the system appear logical. On a meta-level ALL belief systems work for the believers but if the system cannot be rationalized to be consistent within its tenets then another system supplants it or the inconsistencies are accepted as articles of faith beyond their ken (which is the "saving grace" for most believers.)
John Lennon was aware of religion’s problems but unaware of its thrall for so many and his charming lack of inhibition when speaking often caused consternation in others. This incident was perhaps his indoctrination to the world of ideas beyond the province of Rock ‘n Roll (a religion in its Own Write) which just may outlast others.
Posted by Burt | October 15, 2008 7:24 PM
Posted on October 15, 2008 19:24
I am a definite Christian and yet disgusted with how some who called themselves Christian back then behaved with such fear, paranoia, and nastiness. Truth hurts, doesn’t it. John was right. Jesus was on the way out. Do I like it? Certainly not! but its true! Jesus will have followers but they will be few in number.
It is a shame that we are all so afraid of ideas that might differ with ours. I welcome competition and comparison. I fear nothing. The very conservative 50s had many problems which led to the rebellion of the later 60s onward. And that rebellion did eventually go too far but a certain amount of change was needed.
I (born in 59) loved the Beatles and still do. It was their music. Such a new sound at the time and so good. They took music that America started but sweetened and refined it to perfection so that none could resist. And their music influences ranged from those of their parents and grandparents, to American and into the new frontiers of electric stuff. What a great time to be alive and be a part of it all.
We baby boomers were a very lucky generation. The right time, the right place, the right music, the right everything. TV has its bad points but it has some good, too. Certainly it had become a big part of our lives by the 60s. I loved the 60s so much. Stand up boomers and testify to what life was like for you.
Posted by Scott Irving | October 17, 2008 1:13 AM
Posted on October 17, 2008 01:13