Radio interview in Philadelphia

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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.

The boys’ dressing room in Philly was one of the few we saw from inside because a taping session was held there. John, Ringo, and George were seated on cots, Paul on a chair, and several fortunate young girls were dispensing sandwiches and soft drinks. […]

Judith Sims – From TeenSet Magazine – Quoted in “Ticket To ride – The Extraordinary Diary of The Beatles’ Last Tour” by Barry Tashian

On this day, August 16, The Beatles played at 8 pm in front of 20,000 people, at the John F Kennedy Stadium, which had 60,000 seats available. Before the concert, rather than a full press conference, representatives of six local media outlets were granted formal interviews. This was also the opportunity for a new “taping session”.

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

[…] In addition, another taping session was held in the stadium dressing room for the touring reporters. Ken Douglas cornered Paul for a lengthy recorded chat.

With respect to the diminishing crowds, Paul points out that they have only their own attendance records to match. In fact, they still play to more people than any other artist. Douglas accurately predicts that their records will continue to sell long after they stop touring, and Paul says they’re now more interested in writing and recording than performing. He realizes how futile it is to try and communicate to tens of thousands of screaming people at once.

Paul then explains why he bought a house in London rather than out in the suburbs: He prefers being near the city, but it’s still close enough to his band-mates that he can go swim at their houses! He wonders if there will be time for a holiday after the tour, assuming that they will be recording a new album for Christmas. After recounting his trip to Paris for John’s twenty-first birthday, Paul reflects on the mayhem at the Cleveland concert. In a seeming contradiction of the point he was making a minute earlier, he claims to enjoy the “fan participation” at their concerts, as long as nobody gets hurt. He astutely points out that much of the recent negative publicity is inevitable due to the nature of the newspaper business. After a while, good news is no news, and disparaging articles become the fashion.

This audio recording with Ken Douglas was released on the charity LP “Beatle-Views” released in 1966.

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