John Lennon
Radio interviews

John & Yoko interviewed by David Wigg, 21st October 1969

This page lists radio interviews with John Lennon (alone or with Yoko Ono) plus other audio speech recordings of significance. I won't claim this to be a complete list, as John must have given hundreds of interviews during his career, particularly whilst on tour around the world with the Beatles and during the height of the peace campaign in 1969. If you feel we have missed something of interest or can fill in missing details then do please e-mail urthepob@hotmail.com.

Fred Robbins Interview
Recorded: 10/Feb/1964
Transmitted: Radio Luxembourg ??/Feb/1964
American DJ Fred Robbins interviewed the Beatles individually for Radio Luxembourg during their first visit to the USA in February 1964. Robbins' questions focussed on Beatlemania and coping with super stardom. There was one particularly awkward moment when Robbins probed into Lennon's family life....
Robbins: What about your parents Johnny, what do they say about it?
John: Well, er, I haven't got any (laughs). You'll have to goof that bit.
This 10 minute interview is in circulation
Today
Recorded: 17/Mar/1964
Transmitted: BBC Home Service 18/Mar/1964 (between 7:15-7:45am, repeated an hour later)
Jack De Manio interviewed John on the subject of his first solo venture, the imminent publication of In His Own Write, during a break in the Beatles filming at Les Ambassadeurs private club in London for a sequence in A Hard Day's Night.
A Slice Of Life
Recorded: 31/Mar/1964
Transmitted: BBC Home Service 02/May/1964 (between 4:00-4:30pm)
A 3 minute interview by Brian Matthew for an edition of A Slice Of Life devoted to 'Hobbies', John talked about his writing and the new book.
The Teen Scene
Recorded: 07/Jul/1964
Transmitted: BBC Light Programme 09/Jul/1964 (between 9:30-10:00pm)
John discussed the film A Hard Day's Night with Chris Hutchins in a 3:27 segment.
North American Tour
August-September 1964
John did a number of solo interviews during the Beatles second visit to the United States and their first proper North American tour. One such interview was released on one of the very first Beatle interview albums, John's chat with John Steck in L.A (Aug 24/25) takes up all of Side One of the Vee-Jay album Hear The Beatles Tell All (curiously accompanied by background percussion that was overdubbed before its' release on September 14th), brief snatches of solo Lennon interviews by Dave Hull appear on Side Two.
Another interview with John on August 25th was released the following year (Dec/1965) on "The Beatle Around The World" which was later re-released as "Not A Second Time" in 1986. Lennon interviews from 29th August and 2nd September appear on "East Coast Invasion" (1985).
The Teen Scene
Recorded: 28/Nov/1964
Transmitted: BBC Light Programme 29/Nov/1964 (between 10:45-11:31pm)
John had bought his first proper house ('Kenwood' in Weybridge) back in July and this was the subject of an interview given to Chris Hutchins who, as well as being a freelance contributor to The Teen Scene, was the news editor for the music paper NME which included a full page article about the property for the 4th December issue.
Gene Loving interviews
Recorded: 22&24/Feb/1965
Transmitted: ?
Gene Loving interviewed John at least twice in the Bahamas where the Beatles were filming scenes for Help!, the first interview took place at Nassau airport on the 22nd...........
Loving: John, how was the trip over? Did you all get bored on the flight or do you have things that usually keep you entertained, that you all were doing?
John: Well, uh, we got stoned.
Loving: All right - No, I know you're only kidding.
John: Uh, I'm not.
Larry Kane also interviewed John at Nassau Airport together with Paul.
Derek Taylor interview
Recorded: February or March 1965
Transmitted: KRLA (Los Angeles) ??/???/1965
John was interviewed during a break in filming Help! in the Bahamas by the Beatles former Press officer Derek Taylor.
This interview was later released, along with Taylor's chats with the other Beatles, on Cycadelic's 1986 album "Here, There And Everywhere".
From Britain... With Beat
Recorded: ?22-28?/Feb/1965
Another Bahamas interview, John talks about Julian and a recent ski-ing holiday.
Recording in circulation - 4 minutes
Today
Recorded: 16/Jun/1965
Transmitted: BBC Home Service 21/Jun/1965 (between 7:15-7:45am, repeated an hour later)
The first of two interviews recorded during an evening at NEMS office in London to promote John's 2nd book of prose and verse A Spaniard In The Works, this Today sequence was conducted by Tim Matthews. John read two verses from The National Health Cow.
Recording in circulation - 30 seconds
The World Of Books
Recorded: 16/Jun/1965
Transmitted: BBC Home Service 03/Jul/1965 (between 10:10-10:40pm)
Wilfred De'Ath asked the questions in this 15 minute interview (12 mins were broadcast) which was the second BBC Radio Lennon recording of the evening to be taped at Brian Epstein's NEMS office. Again the focus was on John's latest book and this time he read The Fat Budgie. Extracts also found their way into two other BBC Radio programmes; The Teen Scene & Pick of the Week. The BBC's Transcription service (for overseas sales) distributed the interview on 7 inch discs which were entitled John Lennon - Bookbeatle.
De'Ath: There's more social conscience somehow in this second book, more awareness of what's going on. What about this preoccupation 'We must not forget, we must not forget, we must not forget?' There's almost a kind of message here, a kind of purpose. You know, in spite of yourself, this almost, I'd call it, social conscience emerges.
John: Ah, well. I'm not a do gooder about things. I won't go around marching or, I'm not that type. It just so happens that my feelings about coloured people, or religion, or anything like that, do happen to work with the way I write. I make fun of coloured people in the book, and Christians and Jews, but really, I'm not against them.
Recording in circulation
North American Tour
August 1965
Among the many interviews Lennon gave during the 1965 American tour was one for Brian Matthews of BBC Radio who included it in The Beatles Abroad broadcast 30/Aug/1965 (10:00-10:45am) and there were also a series of interesting chats with American DJ Jerry G. Bishop including one conducted a few days after Lennon had taken LSD for only the second time during a break in the tour.....
Jerry G.: What happened last week in Los Angeles? I know you relaxed alot, was that about the story really?
John:  Uh, we just sort of got up about twelve or one, swam, had breakfast and odd people came round to see us.
Jerry G.: You met the Byrds, who else?
John: The Byrds have practically been there all the time when they weren't working. We met Elvis last night which was great.
Pop Profile
Recorded: 30/Nov/1965
Transmitted: Not known
Pop Profile was a programme exclusively produced for the BBC's Transcription service and it was not aired in Britain. Brian Matthew visited the NEMS office to record the John Lennon edition which lasted for 9 minutes, it was pressed onto 7 inch discs and distributed by mail in March 1966.
Brian Matthew: Do you have any kind of political leanings at all?
John: Yeah, I have, you know, but I can never place what they are. You know, I can go on about it.
Brian Matthew: You don’t fit into any party line.
John: They’re not, not any party line that I’ve heard of yet. I don’t object to people inheriting money or having a big lot of money, I never did, but I do object to people being stoney broke and starving.
Recording in circulation
North American Tour
August 1966
The most difficult questioning John ever had to endure was during the Chicago press conferences that kicked off the Beatles final tour when he was forced to explain a quote that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus". Although these were strictly Beatles group recordings (they were all present) the audio tapes from this important episode in Lennon's career could not be overlooked on this page - not least because, as well as extracts being played on Radio stations worldwide, the first of the two Chicago press conferences (recorded on 11th August 1966) later became probably the most re-issued Lennon interview on vinyl and CD, appearing under a variety of different titles including The Way They Were With Red Robinson and Timeless, the first release occurred in the Autumn of 1966 as a mail order single-sided LP entitled I Apologize.
Q: Do you personally 'believe'?
John: My views are only from what I've read or observed of Christianity and what it was, and what it has been, or what it could be. It just seems to me to be shrinking. I'm not knocking it or saying it's bad. I'm just saying it seems to be shrinking and losing contact.
John also gave further interviews to DJ Jerry G. Bishop during this tour, parts of which, as with the '65 chats, found their way onto the albums "Talk With Jerry G." Volumes 1 & 2" in 1983. Other '66 tour interviews with John were included on 1980's picture disc albums "Timeless II" (Released in 1982 featuring an interview by Dusty Adams) and (in 3D! ) "The British Are Coming" which featured interviews by British DJ Ken Douglas.
Fred Robbins "Somewhere In Spain"
Recorded: 29/Oct/1966
During a break in the filming of How I Won The War, John gave a 14 minute taped interview to USA DJ Fred Robbins on location in Carboneras. As well as discussing his acting role in the movie, John talked about the use of the Sitar on Beatle records and the 'bigger than Jesus' debacle on the last U.S tour.....
Q: Such a ridiculous thing happened on this experience that you had. I wanted to know, just to rap this thing up, what kind of reflection do you have on that whole thing John?
John: Well now, it's just like a bad dream, you know, it's just way in the back of my mind somewhere and it just comes back when you read odd things that crop up now and then, like Cardinal so and so says it's OK, or things like that, but it's really way in the back of my mind.
Q: What frightening implications - a thing like that. It could happen to anybody, you know, not just famous people, but what a frightening implication when things like that can be used to hurt a person.
John: Yes, a pretty amazing scene that was, it was very frightening.
Q: It's really, you know like, the McCarthy era, any kind of wildly out of context -
John: It's just that certain things seem to whip up certain emotions and at certain times as well.
Released on a cassette entitled "Historic Interviews Volume Two"
Where It's At
Recorded: 19/May/1967
Transmitted: BBC Light Programme 20/May/1967 (between 4:00-5:30pm)
One of Britain's best loved media personalities of the 20th century was Kenny Everett who had first met the Beatles on their final US tour. In 1966 Everett was a young shy non-pushy character and he had failed to gain a single interview for his pirate station back home until the Beatles realised the plight of their fellow scouser and befriended him to the point of giving him all the exclusives. In May 1967 Kenny recorded separate interviews with John, Paul and Ringo to promote the Beatles' soon to be released album Sgt.Pepper. John gave a series of humorous introductions to various songs on the album and expressed his love of ADT (Artificial double tracking) or.........
"Double Flanging we call it... we're always doing it, you name the one it isn't on, you name it - you spot it, you get a prize and a Sgt.Pepper badge! ....phasing is tooooooooooo much"
Recording in circulation
Where It's At
Recorded: ??/Nov/1967
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 25/Nov/1967 (between 2:00-3:00pm)
An 18 minute interview conducted by both Kenny Everett and Chris Denning. Typical of most of John's radio interviews with Kenny during this psychedelic period (1967 through to mid '68) it was a somewhat abstract affair.
Everett: When did you first realise…
Lennon: (Interrupting): When I was about 7 actually.
Recording in circulation
Late Night Extra
Recorded: 05/Dec/1967
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 05/Dec/1967 (between 10:00pm-12:00am)
Brian Cullingford caught up with John for a quick chat during the party marking the opening of the Apple shop on Baker Street in London. Just under 2 minutes worth of tape found its' way onto that night's edition of Late Night Extra.
The Kenny Everett Show
Recorded: 27/Jan/1968
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 04/Feb/1968 (between 10:00am-12:00pm)
Kenny Everett visited John at his Weybridge home to record an interview for his Sunday morning series which included a particularly idiosyncratic Lennon introduction. John also talked about Strawberry Fields Forever.
Only clips of the recording are in circulation.
The Kenny Everett Show
Recorded: 06/Jun/1968
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 09/Jun/1968 (between 10:00am-12:00pm)
For Everett's last edition of his current radio series he was granted an interview (and a goodbye jingle) at Abbey Road studio's during the recording of the White album. Although it becomes a group participation, the other three Beatles only emerge towards the very end of a 13 minute recording with John in a very playful mood and barely giving Everett any sensible answers, preferring instead to ad-lib bits of songs made up on the spot and drift in and out of various parodies.
On Sgt.Pepper "It only got high 'cus everybody said how high it was, it's no higher than it was when we made it..... What I mean Kenny is, it doesn't pose a problem to us, it was so long ago we've forgotten what it was about anyway. And let me put it this way......... [Silence]"
Everett was a genius of editing and sound effects and was able to piece together a montage suitable for broadcast that impressed enough to warrant it becoming a 7-inch Apple promotional disc (curiously only available in Italy). Everett (real name Maurice Cole) was also given the task of producing the Beatles Christmas Flexi discs given away to fan club members in 1968 & 1969.
In 1985 the complete raw version of this interview found a place on an album called "The Golden Beatles".
Late Night Extra
Recorded: 06/Aug/1968
Transmitted: BBC Radio One & Two 06/Aug/1968 (between 10:00pm-12:00am)
Matthew Robinson found John at a fashion show at 'The Revolution' in London and interviewed him together with Pattie Harrison and fashion editor Suzy Menkes.
Maurice Hindel & Daniel Wiles Interview
Recorded: 03/Dec/1968
An interview given to two students who recorded two hours worth of tape at John's home Kenwood which he was then in the process of clearing out before selling it.
I don't agree with the people that knock Engelbert Humperdinck, just because he's doing that, because he's not singing Street Fighting Man, is a narrow concept of life, you know. It's fascism, that is complete fascism. And what's wrong with housewives and Engelbert Humperdinck? I don't want to listen to it, I don't want to hear it, I don't want anything to do with it, but I'm not such a snob as to denigrate the people who want to listen to that, or George Formby, or anything.
Just over 16 minutes of the recording are in circulation.
Night Ride
Transmitted Live: BBC Radio One & Two 12/Dec/1968 (between 12:05am-1:15am)
Following the filming of their performances for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, John & Yoko travelled to the BBC's Broadcasting house for a live chat with the legendary British disc jockey John Peel. Yoko played a home tape of herself singing about the daughter she had recently miscarried, John read two of his most recent poems (which were both later re-recorded for the Beatles Fan Club Xmas Flexi) and discussed the Two Virgins album from which a 3 minute 20 second extract was played.
Sit quietly, open your head and allow it to come in, or go out, or leave the room.
The whole show was bootlegged and runs to 1 hour 7 mins in total (John & Yoko time amounts to around 15 minutes)
John Peel later wrote a touching column about John & Yoko's "Give Peace A Chance" in Disc & Music Echo which you can find on this page.
Amsterdam Bed-in Interviews
Recorded: 25-31/Mar/1969
The first of two 1969 bed-in events in saw John and Yoko spend seven days in a hotel inviting the world's press to their room to hear a message of peace. The 'Bed-in' took place in room 902 of the Amsterdam Hilton, Apollolaan, Amsterdam, Holland where John and Yoko gave a virtually endless parade of interviews for up to 18 hours a day, many of which were recorded for radio stations around the globe.
John: We had the idea to do the event where we stayed in bed and grew our hair or go to the Albert Hall, everybody comes, and we just grow our hair on stage.
Yoko: We like to really create a kind of vibration and communicate with the world about peace, there are many ways of doing it and we just do it in our own way which is just to give a laugh, you know.......This is a bed peace, let's just stay in bed and grow your hair, instead of being violent.
An audio collage made up of snippets from various conversations (as well as John & Yoko singing along to John's acoustic guitar) made up Side Two of "The Wedding Album" released in November 1969. Just over 9 minutes of bed-side chat appears on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: In My life".
Vienna Press Conference
Recorded: 31/Mar/1969
John and Yoko flew from Amsterdam to Vienna to view the world premiere of their film Rape on Austrian TV, they held a press conference in the Hotel Sacher covered from head to toe in a large bag.
Reporter (to the bag): Could you come out?
John: No!
Reporter: Why not?
John: Because this is a bag event. Total communication.
Reporter: How could you prove that you are John Lennon?
John: I don’t have to, I’m here to talk about peace, it doesn’t matter who I am.
Over 9 minutes of this press conference appears on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: In My life"
Late Night Extra
Recorded: 01/Apr/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One & Two 01/Apr/1969 (between 10:00pm-12:00am)
John & Yoko returned to England from their honeymoon in Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna on April 1st 1969. Among a number of interviews they gave in London was this one of 2 minutes worth to Ian Ross.
Interview For Publication (in US?)
Recorded: ?05?/?May?/1969
A very interesting interview with John & Yoko recorded circa May 1969 was clearly not intended for broadcast (the interview carries on with various phone conversations and background noises almost drowning out some of John's replies). John talks frankly about the impact that his relationship with Yoko has had on the Beatles....
"She's [Yoko] released me and now I'm me again. I got lost in the Beatles and now it's John Lennon again."
"A Beatle? I suppose it's something four guys turn into when they get together, you know, and project 'Beatle'."
"I'm always 'John and Yoko', that never stops, we're a 24 hour couple so whatever I'm doing as 'Beatles', Yoko's sitting on my shoulder like a parrott. So there's no 'four guys together' bit, which there used to be"
Recording in circulation
Scene And Heard
Recorded: 08/May/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 11&18/May/1969 (between 3:00-4:00pm)
David Wigg visited Apple for what turned out to be perhaps the most philosophical interview that Lennon ever gave and quite possibly his best. For certain he never sounded more relaxed than this. John talked candidly about drugs as well as his and Yoko's thinking behind the recent Bed-in event.
"John & Yoko are like the wind - you can't see it, but when it passes, the trees bend"
"It doesn't help murderers to hang them, it doesn't help violent people to be violent to them. Violence begets violence. You can't kill off all the violent people or all the murderers or you'd have to kill off the government."
"We're all god, I'm not A god or THE god, but we're all god and we're all potentially divine and potentially evil, we all have everything within us, there is a power we can all tap, god is a power and we're all light bulbs that can tap the electricity - you can use electricity to kill people or to light the room, god is that"
"I don't need to go to church, I think people who need a church should go, the others who know the church is in your own head should visit that temple 'cus that's where the source is."
"I don't regret anything, meditation I still believe in and occasionally I use it... I don't regret drugs because they helped me - I don't advocate them for everybody because I don't think I should, you know, but for me it was good.... I met Yoko just before I went to India, and had a lot of time to think things out there, 3 months just meditating and thinking, and I came home and fell in love with Yoko, and that was the end of it and it's beautiful."
12 minutes of this interview was released by Polydor in 1976 as part of the "The Beatles Tapes" which was a double album compilation of  David Wigg's many interviews with all four Beatles - Note that most of the dates given on the record are incorrect and in some cases separate interviews are presented as one.
Pete Drummond interview
Recorded: ?08?/May/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One ?09/May/1969 (6:00pm?)
John and Yoko talk about the Life with the Lions LP.
11:21 minutes in circulation
Tony Macarthur interview
Recorded: ?08?/May/1969
Transmitted: Radio Luxembourg ??/?Jun?/1969
Another interview to plug Life with the Lions.
28:23 minutes in circulation
Montreal Bed-in Interviews
Recorded: 26/May-02/Jun/1969
John & Yoko's secobd bed-in event took place in room 1742 of the Hotel Reine-Elizabeth, Dorchester Boulevard West, Montreal, Canada. Once again there was a huge amount of interest and hours of interviews were recorded for Radio stations around the world.
"The establishment irritate you - pull your beard, flick your face - to make you fight because once they've got you violent they know how to handle you. The only thing they don't know how to handle is non-violence and humour.... Change the people first, even if it's to tell the people that YOU are the government and take no notice of the government, sit down - ok?, don't do anything. With your help it'll work, with everybody's help it'll work, all we've got to do is turn people on to the fact they THEY ARE the government NOW and they have the power NOW. It's not something that somebody's gonna give 'em - they have it!"
On May 29th 1969 John was interviewed via telephone by Tom Campbell and Bill Holley for San Francisco radio station KYA, they issued a 7 inch blue vinyl disc entitled "The KYA 1969 Peace Talk" shortly afterwards.
Just under 10 minutes of bed-side questioning appears on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: In My life".
Everett Is Here
Recorded: 14/Aug/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 20&27/Sep/1969 (between 10:00am-12:00pm)
Just over a year after his previous studio chat, Kenny Everett returned to EMI studio's to interview John in the control room during a break in mixing parts of the Abbey Road album.
Kenny: Do you ever.. [clears throat] do you ever Do it?
John: I just do it now and then, you know, not regularly.
Recording in circulation - 4 mins
Meeting Prabhupada
Recorded: 11/Sep/1969
The meeting of John, Yoko, George Harrison and the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Prabhupada (aka Swami Bhaktivedanta) was privately recorded at John & Yoko's Tittenhurst Park home.

Prabhupada: What kind of philosophy are you following? May I ask?
Yoko Ono: We don't follow anything. We are just living.

Prabhupada's claims that his branch of philosophy was the absolute authority was questioned.....
Prabhupada: Krishna is the authority, because Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krishna. Can you deny that?
John: What about Yogananda, Maharishi, and all these other people who have translated the Gita? How are we to tell that their version isn't also Krishna's word?......... Who says who's actually in the line of descent? I mean, it's just like royalty, Yogananda also claims to be in line, he talks about his guru's guru's guru's guru, like that. Maharishi claimed that all his gurus went way back. I mean, how are we to know?
Prabhupada: Whatever Maharishi may be, his knowledge does not extend up to Krishna.
John: That's what he used to say in exactly the same way about everybody else.

Whilst history shows that George appeared to be convinced, John went on to dismiss the organisation in his song I Found Out, but this did not prevent The Bhaktivedanta book trust from issuing a publication in the wake of Lennon's death under the title "Lennon '69 - Search For Liberation" which contained excerpts from the conversation and the recollection of a dream that Prabhupada had in which he saw Lennon as a wealthy Indian musician in a previous life.
26 minutes of the conversation are included on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: Beatlemania"


Press interview
Recorded: 12/Sep/1969
Interview with several reporters at once at Apple. Topics include the Self Portrait film that had been premiered in London two days earlier and, inevitably, "peace".
"I've beaten people up and I've fought with Yoko, you know, but I prefer peace, I prefer myself in a peaceful situation and I prefer my friends when they're peaceful.
You've got to do it yourself, I'd like Jesus to come and sort it out for us too! Or Buddah, or somebody. I'd really like somebody to come and lead us, but the point is there aren't any leaders leading us.
It's got to start from the roots, like any workers movement or whatever it is, any big movement started with people."
38:37 in circulation

Tony Macarthur (Radio Luxembourg)
Recorded: ??/Sep/1969
Transmitted: Radio Luxembourg 27/Sep/1969 (between 12:30-2:05am)
Maccarthur recorded this interview at Apple to promote the Abbey Road album, John talks about each track.
On I Want You (She's so Heavy)"It's pretty heavy at the ending, you know, because we used the Moog synthesisers on it and the range of sound is from minus to way over.... well, you can't hear it, that instrument can do all sounds and we did it on the end, if you're a dog you can hear alot more."
Bootlegged - with the Abbey Road tracks cut this interview runs for 24 minutes
Pop Goes The Bulldog
Transmitted: 27/Sep/1969
John interviewed in Canada. He talks about the Cavern Club, Abbey Road and the Toronto gig.
Recording in circulation - 27 minutes
Scene And Heard
Recorded: 21/Oct/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 26/Oct/1969 (between 3:00-4:00pm)
A second interview for David Wigg at Apple by which time John had finished the Beatles. Delicate business matters dictated that an announcement of the split could not be made, but a clue could be found in Lennon's reply to Wigg's question as to what John hoped for the Beatles future, Lennon referred to his former group as "The Beatles, so called".
Part of this interview (just under 3 minutes) was included on the 1976 Polydor album "The Beatles Tapes" although this gave the impression that the 21/Oct/69 recording was actually a part of the chat with Wigg earlier in the year (See also the image at the top of this page).
John Small (WKNR)
Recorded: ?22?/Oct/1969
Transmitted: WKNR (USA) 26/Oct/1969
It was the Detroit station WKNR that began the 'Paul [McCartney] is dead' rumour on October 12th 1969 when DJ Russ Gibb took a call from somebody who identified themselves as 'Tom' who then made the announcement. The station then produced an hour long special "The Beatles Plot" outlining the apparent clues on the Beatles albums that were said to confirm the rumour to be true. John gave his opinion via telephone from London to WKNR DJ John Small, dismissing the clues as a joke. Along with Yoko, he also discussed forthcoming Plastic Ono Band releases.
This interview is available for download at this link
Everett Is Here
Recorded: ??/Oct/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 08/Nov/1969 (10:00-12:00pm)
Another interview with Kenny Everett. John talks about religion and the Woodstock and Isle of Wight rock festivals.
Recording in circulation - 2:43 mins.

Wolfgang Frank interview
Recorded: ??/Nov/1969
John and Yoko interviewed at their Tittenhurst Park home, they touch upon their recent visit to Greece and a possible future visit to West Germany (which never happened).
Recording in circulation - 3:36 mins.

Today
Recorded: 25/Nov/1969
Transmitted: BBC Radio Four 26/Nov/1969 (between 7:15-7:45 & 8:15-8:40am)
A busy day of interviews for John in light of his decision to return his M.B.E to Buckingham Palace in protest against her Majesty's government's support for federal Nigeria in the Civil war and for the US in Vietnam. David Bellan's turn at interviewing John was taped and included in the BBC's flagship Radio magazine programme Today the following morning.

Ken Zelig interview
Recorded: 27/Nov/1969
As well chatting about returning his MBE and his anti-war views, John recalls his most memorable Christmas present; a harmonica he received when he was about eight or nine, Yoko remembers her family receiving a lava lamp. The interview was recorded at Tittenhurst Park.
Recording in circulation - 5:18 mins.
Pop Goes The Bulldog
Recorded: early Dec/1969
Transmitted? 14/Dec/1969
John talks to Don Chandler about the Live Peace in Toronto album and early rock 'n' roll and 'Mersey Beat' for broadcat on a Canadian Radio show.
Recording in circulation - 15:27 minutes

Tony Macarthur (Radio Luxembourg)
Recorded: ??/Dec/1969
Transmitted: Radio Luxembourg ??/Dec/1969
Discussing and playing each track from the Live Peace in Toronto album.
Recording in circulation - 25:36 mins.
Radio South Africa
Recorded: 12/Dec/1969
Promoting the Live Peace in Toronto album in an interview with Harry Flower which also touched upon John and Yoko's support for those seeking an inquiry into the Hanratty case and the plans for the "War Is Over" poster event. A ban on Beatle records being broadcast in South Africa in the wake of the "Bigger than Jesus" fiasco had recently been lifted.
Recording in circulation - 7:09 mins
December 1969 Canada Press Conference
Recorded: 17/Dec/1969
John held a press conference to announce plans for a Toronto Peace festival in 1970. Some, if not all of this press conference, would likely have been aired on Canadian Radio. Whilst in Canada they also recorded a "Radio Peace Network" message for Japan on the 18th December and there were probably other interviews too.
A 10 minute portion of the press conference is included on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: In My Life"
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Recorded: 17/Dec/1969
Broadcast: WPLJ ??/Dec/1969
Still unable to enter the United States but spending time next door in Canada, John and Yoko gave an interview to Howard Smith for broadcast south of the border in New York. They talked about the proposed Peace Festival, the "War Is Over" poster campaign and their idea for a "peace vote"........
"We wanna set up a thing to get a vote, a world wide vote: War or Peace?, which do you want? and when all these politicians are galloping around with "84% want hanging" and "200% don't like blacks" and that bit, well we'll have "35 million say No War!", just a positive move and somewhere where the youth can send their vibe to."
Recording in circulation
Jutland, Denmark Press Conference
Press Conference Recorded: 05/Jan/1970
The Lennon's held a couple of press conferences during their holiday with Yoko's ex-husband Tony Cox to spend time with Yoko's daughter Kyoko, the first of these was shown on Danish TV, the one that followed was audio-taped and may have been broadcast by a small Danish radio station - In this 2nd interview John said that he hoped that the Beatles would play a Peace concert in the coming year but also stated that he felt it was important that they smashed the image and be seen as individual artists. John also attempts to sing a traditional Danish Christmas carol O Kristelighed and plays acoustic versions of Radio Peace and Give Peace A Chance accompanied by Yoko and Kyoko.
3 minutes of the televised press conference was included on the 1995 CD "Inside Interviews: In My Life".
Kyoko Tapes
Private Home Tapes Recorded: Between 29/Dec/1969 - 25/Jan/1970
Also during the Denmark trip, six private home tapes were recorded by Tony Cox, these were mostly of John and Kyoko singing and telling stories.
Some 'Kyoko tapes' are in circulation.
Scene And Heard
Recorded: 06/Feb/1970
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 15/Feb/1970 (between 3:00-4:00pm) & BBC World Service 28/May/1970 (2:15-2:30pm)
A third appearance on Scene And Heard but this time it was David Bellan who came to interview John at Apple with the latest single Instant Karma audible in the background. A longer portion of the interview later made for an edition of Pop Profile, this being for global consumption on the BBC's World Service.
Bellan: Are you at the moment, do you think, more involved in your peace effort than your music?
John: No, I try and use both you know, me songs are all about peace.... It's like the Beatles singing All You Need Is Love, I'm just singing All You Need Is Peace now.
The 14 minute interview was made available for download on BBC Radio 6's web-site for a limited period in 2008.
Midday Spin
Transmitted Live: BBC Radio One 15/Feb/1970 (12:00-1:00pm)
A chat with DJ Emperor Rosko (MC at the 15/Dec/1969 Lyceum gig) on his lunchtime show to promote the Instant Karma single and to answer questions sent in by listeners.
Recording in circulation - 25:26 mins.
Scene And Heard
Recorded: 18/Feb/1970
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 22/Feb/1970 (between 3:00-4:00pm)
For the 2nd successive week, John was to be heard on the Sunday afternoon programme Scene And Heard, this time he was interviewed by a concerned David Wigg who revealed that he himself had been 'advised' against writing about John's involvement with the campaign for an inquiry into the hanging of convicted murderer James Hanratty. Wigg also alluded to the association with Michael X and the increasing speculation of the Beatles demise.
"Anything that gets down to the nitty gritty, becomes unsavoury for some people….. like they find nudity very unsavoury, they found long hair very unsavoury at one time and they will continue to find things unsavoury for the rest of the million years we’re all going to be together."
This was another part inclusion (over 5 minutes) on the 1976 Polydor album "The Beatles Tapes".
Lennon Remembers
Recorded: 08/Dec/1970
Never intended for broadcast, this interview with Jann Wenner was conducted at Allen Klein's office at 1700 Broadway in New York City for the US Rock magazine Rolling Stone, but such was the depth and quality of the material, audio extracts have since turned up all over the place including a radio special broadcast on BBC Radio 35 years later. Perhaps the most famous passage is where John talks about his first LSD experience, but he also touched upon his use of Heroin.
"Heroin?, OK, it's just, it was not too much fun you know, I never injected it, we [John & Yoko] sniffed a little when we were in real pain, people were giving us such a hard time.... We took 'H' because of what the Beatles and their pals were doing to us."
Recording in circulation - 4 hours 25 minutes
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Recorded: 12/Dec/1970
A 2nd interview during John & Yoko's pre-Christmas stay in New York City, this one given to Howard Smith for Radio broadcast. They talked about the Plastic Ono Band albums, Phil Spector, Primal Therapy, promiscuity and explained why they never spent any time apart from oneanother.
"I’ve been through a lot of fantasy, I think we all have, I’ve been through the whole generation trip with everybody else, we’ve all been through it and I feel as though I’ve just come out of one period. One reality back to reality."
You can read a transcript of parts of this interview here.
Bootlegged - This gives the date of broadcast as 6th December 1970 on WABC.
Japan Radio Interview
Recorded: ?15-19?/Jan/1971
Transmitted: ?25?/Jan/1971
Conducted in the Lennon's Tokyo hotel room, Yoko handles most of the interview in Japanese, but John does contribute (with Yoko translating) and he can also be heard in the background answering the telephone and playing guitar (bits of Remember Love and Dear Prudence). The recording ends with a short duet of Give Peace A Chance and John promoting the latest Plastic Ono Band albums "On Toshiba/Apple".
Recording in circulation - 23 minutes.
Scott Muni (????)
Recorded: 17/Feb/1971
From his home Tittenhurst Park, John gave a live radio interview to the American DJ Scott Muni.
Kenny Everett (Radio Monte Carlo)
Transmitted: Live 27/Mar/1971 (between 1:00 and 2:00am)
Kenny Everett visited Tittenhurst Park for this live interview in the twighlight hours. Almost 5 months after its' release John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band had yielded relatively disappointing sales (although it is now regarded by many as Lennon's finest work), this interview was designed to re-promote the album from which all the tracks were played. In the days before commercial radio was allowed to broadcast from British soil, Radio Monte Carlo was aimed primarily at an English speaking audience, it had begun transmissions on December 1st 1970 but came to end the weekend of this Lennon special due to the poor reception which had resulted in the collapse of advertising revenue.
Everett: Have you ever considered suicide?
John: Oh, yes. As a teenager, even, I think everybody sort of thinks about it. I don't remember standing on the edge of a cliff, I've never been that near. But I've considered it. Most of us have been through that. Most have been through things with mothers and fathers, most of us have been through something with religion, or not with religion, whatever; most of us have been isolated or been in love, most of us remembered things and most of us have wondered what love is, you know.
Recording in circulation - 26 minutes
Cannes Interview
Recorded: 15/May/1971
French Radio interview
Recording in circulation
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Transmitted: 06/Jun/1971
During another trip to the United States, John & Yoko made this guest appearance on Howard Smith's radio talk show, Smith took them along to see Frank Zappa who was staying at a nearby hotel and as a result of that meeting they joined Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on stage that very night to perform live at New York's Fillmore East.
Recording in circulation - 30 minutes
Alex Bennett (WPLJ)
Transmitted: Live 08/Jun/1971
Two days after the Zappa gig, Alex Bennett interviewed John and Yoko as well as inviting listeners to call in with their own questions.
Caller: Can you run down what therapy is like at the Primal institute?
John: For me it was a good experience and it helped me a lot, I don't know whether it would help everyone, you know, it just sort of worked for me and I enjoyed it, as much as you can enjoy torture [laughs].
Bennett: Is it tortuous?
John: It's very hard facing up to 30 years of falsehood, or repressed emotion, which is virtually what it is. It's like, to put it one way, it' like a 6/7 month acid trip, but very slow and you really see.
Recording in circulation
Oz Magazine Press Conference
Recorded: 14/Jul/1971
A John & Yoko press conference in support of the Oz magazine in their obscenity trial.
John's brief version of 'The End Of The Road' during the conference was included on a flexi-disc given away with Oz magazine.
Grapefruit Press Conferences
Recorded: 19&20/Jul/1971
Press conferences conducted at Apple and Tittenhurst to promote the re-publishing of Yoko's book "Grapefruit".
Anne Nightingale (BBC)
Transmitted: BBC Radio ? ??/???/1971
Woman's Hour
Recorded: ??/Aug/1971
Transmitted: BBC Radio Two 09/Nov/1971 (between 2:01 and 2:59pm)
Perhaps the most intimate interview with John and Yoko was this one given for a Woman's Hour special on the subject of exploitation of sex in the media. The Lennon's were filming Imagine at the time (A pre MTV series of "video's" for a TV special designed to accompany their soon to be released albums Imagine and Fly) and this interview was captured by one of the cameramen, a brief snippet appeared in the finished film.
The entire film of this interview (including blank screens during the change of reels) was included as a bonus feature on the 2000 released DVD "Gimme Some Truth".
Apple To The Core Interview
Recorded: 05/Sep/1971
Shortly after John & Yoko left England for the final time, Peter McCabe interviewed John for the book "Apple to the core" at the St.Regis Hotel, New York City.
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Recorded: 12/Sep/1971
Transmitted: 26/Sep/1971
Another appearance on the Howard Smith Show.
Japan Interview (????)
Recorded: ??/???/1971
Another interview for Japan sometime after the release of the Imagine album.
Recording in circulation - 22 minutes.
Scott Muni (WNEW)
Recorded: ??/Sep or Oct/1971
Topics discussed include Fly, early Rock'n'Roll, Haiku, Zen & more.
Recording in circulation - Just over 1 hour
Syracuse Press Conferences
Recorded: 05&08/Oct/1971
John and Yoko held press conferences at the Hotel Syracuse, New York on the 5th and at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse on the 8th (at 2pm) to promote the opening of Yoko's art exhibition This Is Not Here which ran from October 9th-27th.
Yoko: "In this show, I'd like to prove you don't need talent to be an artist. Artist is just a frame of mind. Anybody can be an artist. Anybody can communicate if they're desperate enough."
As well as being filmed, audio extracts of the Museum Press Conference were later released on vinyl in 1976.
The Hotel Press Conference is also in circulation.
"The Argument Interview"
Recorded: 09/Oct/1971
During a Syracuse hotel room birthday party for John, Japanese journalist Takahhiro Imura interviewed John and Yoko.
Recording in circulation
Elliot Mintz (KLOS)
Transmitted: KLOS FM 10/Oct/1971
A transcript of this interview also appeared in the Los Angeles Free Press (October 15-21, 1971).
"I've never voted. I've never voted yet although I could have voted for the last ten years..... Because I've never believed any of them. And I just couldn't vote for someone I couldn't believe in. I was always waiting for somebody to believe in. But I don't believe they'll ever come."
Scene And Heard
Recorded: 25/Oct/1971
Transmitted: BBC Radio One 13&20&27/Nov/1971
The 4th and final interview given to David Wigg in which John gave his most concise opinion on the end of the Beatles.
"It’s natural, it’s not a great disaster, people keep talking about it as if it’s the end of the Earth, it’s only a Rock group that split up, it’s nothing important, you have all the old records there if you want to reminisce….. Even the young people refuse to accept change, that’s what the problem is….. I told people 20 years ago, or whenever it was, that I’m not going to be singing She Loves You when I’m 30, I was 30 last year and it was then when I broke the band up....... that’s when it happened. I knew I wouldn’t be doing the same thing. It just doesn’t work like that, it’s like a rugby team, sometime you have to get married and leave the boys on a Saturday night. That’s how it is."
As with sections of his 3 previous chats with John, part of this David Wigg interview (just under 10 minutes) was included on the 1976 Polydor album "The Beatles Tapes".
Don Singleton Interview
Recorded: ??/Nov/1971
An interview with the Daily News (New York City) writer shortly after the Syracuse exhibition. They talk about money and fighting over the Beatles will, looking alike, their distain for certain journalists & reviews (especially those for the Syracuse art show), they speak of Claus Oldenberg & Suffering for recognition, of Ivan Carp and their work "going on". Then the subject turns to Yoko's music, lyrics & melody and the film Yellow Submarine. They wind up the interview talking about TV appearances.
Recording in circulation
Chicago Radio Interview
Recorded: ??/???/1972
Immigration & Marijuana
Recording in circulation - 29 minutes
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Transmitted: 23/Jan/1972
Another interview with Howard Smith this time at the Lennon's apartment where Smith caught John and Yoko listening to the Beatles on the radio. As the music continued in the background, John's old band became the topic of conversation.
Smith: People would sit around and there'd be like the latest Beatle album, and there'd be whole rooms full of people usually stoned out of their mind and going Wow, they've done it again! Another fantastic album.
John: People still do that, no only about our music, I mean friends of mine have done it with the new albums I've made. Friends of ours have done a mescalin trip on Fly [Yoko's album] and things like that and I'm sure they get off on the Stones and all the artists that way, when they get together. I think it's still there, it's just that there's so much good stuff out now, you'd have to spend all your life locked up in a room listening, right?
An Hour With John & Yoko (WIBG AM)
Recorded: 10/Feb/1972
An appearance on a Philadelphia station.
Recording in circulation
Kup's Show (????)
Transmitted Live: 13/May/1972
John and Yoko, along with Elephant's Memory, appeared at a benefit concert held in a Methodist Church in Washington Square. Backstage John gave an exclusive live interview to Irv Kupcinet.
Recording in circulation, 30 minutes.
The Beatles Story
Part One Transmitted: BBC Radio One 21/May/1972
Not certain if John contributed an interview especially for this 13 part BBC Radio series, they may have used archive material - possibly including an interview with Anne Nightingale from 1971, can anybody confirm?
Elliot Mintz (KLOS?)
Transmitted? 09/Jun/1972
Elliot Mintz recorded an interview for his Los Angeles radio station with John at a house in Ojai, CA. They Talked by the pool, then inside by a bathtub claiming the house may be bugged. John was under investigation by the FBI at the time.
"The David Peel Interviews" (????)
Transmitted? 12/Jun/1972
John recorded an interview with the freelance American radio journalist Scott Johns at his Greenwich Village apartment to promote the Some Time in New York City album, he also discussed his relationship with the singer/songwriter David Peel.
This interview was later released on vinyl in 1980 as "The David Peel interviews"
Howard Smith (WPLJ)
Transmitted: WPLJ FM ??/???/1972
Described as a New York City “street” interview, mid-summer 1972
Recording in circulation
INS Press Conference
Recorded?: 23/Mar/1973
Saul Marx and Leon Wildes.
International Feminist Conference Interview (WBCN)
Recorded: 03/Jun/1973
John and Yoko attended the International Feminist Planning conference at Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts where Yoko had been invited to perform before the 350 delegates. John & Yoko also gave a taped interview to Danny Schechter. John said that living with Yoko had given him a grasp of the aims of the feminist movement, he also discussed the formation of their conceptual country Nutopia and news of the battle with the immigration department.
Recording in circulation - 13 minutes
Capital Rap (Capital Radio)
Transmitted Live? 12/Nov/1973
John gave a transatlantic phone call interview to the one month old Capital Radio (the first Independent commercial radio station in the UK, serving the South East region). The interviewer was his old friend Kenny Everett and John was promoting his latest album Mind Games.
Recording in circulation - 11 minutes (with music cut)
Rockspeak (????)
Transmitted? 23/Nov/1973
Another interview to promote the Mind Games album.
Tony Price (Radio Luxembourg)
Transmitted: 09/Dec/1973
Radio Luxembourg had organised a national petition to gain a pardon from the Queen for John's 1968 drug offences which had resulted in him fighting a deportation order. Over the phone, Tony Prince interviewed John who appealed for "clemency and the right to travel freely between America and Britain". Following the transatlantic phone conversation, Price remarked, "I believe there is a terrible injustice taking place with regard to John Lennon. When found guilty of drug possession back in 1968 his sentence was a fine, which he paid, but the sentence hasn't stopped at this. Lennon misses Britain but he can't come home."
Recording in circulation - 26 minutes

1974 - 1980 Radio Appearances & Taped Conversations
09/Apr/1974 Capital Radio - Nicky Horne in London interviews John
17/May/1974 WFIL Radio - Guest DJ for Philadelphia station fundraising
18/May/1974 WFIL Radio - 2nd day DJ guest spot for fundraising
??/Aug/1974 RKO Radio Networks - 70 minute interview
??/Sep/1974 KSAN FM - San Francisco interview to Tom Donahue
20/Sep/1974 KHJ AM - Promoting "Walls & Bridges" in L.A
25/Sep/1974 RKO Radio - 70 minute interview
26/Sep/1974 CHUM Radio - Toronto station interview
??/Sep/1974 WMMS FM - Cleveland interview with Denny Sanders
27/Sep/1974 KHJ AM - Los Angeles, John is Guest DJ on Breakfast show
27/Sep/1974 WAXB FM - Mark Parenteau interview for Detroit station
27/Sep/1974 Capital Radio - Kenny Everett interview
27/Sep/1974 "Rock Speak" BBC Radio 1 - Michael Wale interview
28/Sep/1974 WNEW FM - New York interview by Denis Elsas
29/Sep/1974 WRKO - 40 minutes
01/Oct/1974 KRQS Radio - Minneapolis interview by Alan Stone
06/Oct/1974 "Speaking of Everything" (WABC) Howard Cosell interview
??/Oct/1974 WEBN Cincinnati - Short 4 min phone interview
10/Oct/1974 Jim Ladd Interview - More promoting "Walls & Bridges"
20/Dec/1974 KHJ AM - Interview in George Harrison's hotel room
29/Dec/1974 CKLW Radio - Interview for Detroit station
??/Dec/1974 Capital Radio - Phone interview to Kenny Everett in London
13/Feb/1975 WNEW FM - New York interview to Scott Muni
21/Feb/1975 (Various) - 20 station link up for chaotic interview
02/Mar/1975 Alex Bennett - Phone interview alongside Bowie & Yoko.
18/Mar/1975 Capital Radio - Transatlantic phone chat with Nicky Horne
09/May/1975 WFIL Radio - 3 day fundraising for station in Philadelphia
??/Jun/1975 ??????? - Scott Muni interviews John
??/Dec/1975 WNEW FM - Home taped replies to listeners questions
??/Dec/1975 "Sean Interview" - John 'interviews' his baby son
01/Jan/1976 "Earth News Radio" - 60 min interview to Elliot Mintz
04/Oct/1977 Japan Press Conference - 45 mins, Yoko translates
05/Sep/1979 "Diary Tape" - John's controversial home recording
10/Oct/1979 "Diary Tape" #2 - more audio musings
17/Sep/1980 Newsweek - Barbara Graustark interview (WNEW highlights)
  /Sep/1980 Playboy Interviews - David Sheff 30 hours taped interviews
24/Sep/1980 97FM - Lisa Robinson interview for Buffalo station
05/Dec/1980 Rolling Stone - Jonathan Cott taped interview
06/Dec/1980 BBC Radio One - Andy Peebles interview
08/Dec/1980 RKO - The final interview

Posthumous Specials
08/Dec/1985 "The Words & Music of John Lennon" (BBC Radio 1)
18/Jan/1988 - 23/Mar/1992 "The Lost Lennon Tapes" (Westwood One)
14/Sep/1988 "Yoko Ono's Response" to Goldman Bio (Westwood One)
06/Oct/1990 In My Life - Lennon Remembered (BBC Radio 1) 10 parts
04/Dec/1990 Cult Heroes - John Lennon (BBC Radio 5)
  /Dec/2000 "Lennon's Legacy" (BBC Radio 2) in 3 parts, new Yoko int.
03/Dec/2005 "The Wenner Tapes" (BBC Radio 4) Dec70 + new Yoko int.
03/Dec/2005 "Bigger Than Jesus"(BBC Radio 2)story of infamous quote
08/Dec/2005 "Lennon" (BBC Radio 2) incl new Yoko interview

Source material for this article include - Mark Lewisohn's "Beatles Chronicle", Keith Badman's "Off The Record" & "After The Break Up", Chip Madinger and Mark Easter's "Eight Arms To Hold You" and John C. Winn's "That Magic Feeling". Thanks to Bob for the Don Singleton details.
 
 

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