On this day (July 29) in 1966: American teen magazine Datebook published their August issue containing Maureen Cleave’s interview with John Lennon (from several months previous) in which he had stated We’re bigger than Jesus now; American Christian groups would later react with outrage, organising Beatle bonfires & burning the groups records; the exact quote that got John in trouble was Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I neednt argue with that; Im right and I will be proved right. Were more popular than Jesus now; I dont know which will go first - rock n roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. Its them twisting it that ruins it for me.; the controversy erupted on the eve of the groups US tour - the anger & scale of the reaction led their manager, Brian Epstein, to consider cancelling the tour; two press conferences were held in the US, where both Brian then John expressed their regret at words taken out of context & offence taken; Christian spokesmen pointed out that John had only stated what the Church was itself saying about the decline of Christianity; the US tour went ahead but there was disruption and intimidation, including picketing of concerts by the Ku Klux Klan; from the close of the 1966 tour until their break-up in 1970, The Beatles never played another commercial concert…
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 02:17:42 +0000