Press conference in Essen

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On the morning of this day, The Beatles travelled from Munich to Essen to perform two concerts at the Grugahalle, the first one at 5 pm and the second one at 9 pm. They held a press conference between the sets.

Question: Do you like German girls?

Paul: Yes.

Question: John, what’s the time?

John: I don’t know.

Question: George, what’s the time?

George: Five to eight on my watch.

Ringo: Time you were in bed!

Question: Paul, when do you marry?

Paul: Er, I don’t know exactly.

Question: Do The Beatles plan, in the near future, to make another film?

John: (in a mock German accent) Yah!

Question: Do you have any idea what it’s gonna be like?

John: We have no script … we have no script.

Question: If you had to buy a ticket for your own performance, how much would you pay for it?

John: We know the manager, so we get in free!

Question: Who wrote the arrangement for ‘Michelle’?

John: We did.

Paul: We did, all together.

Question: What do you think of the questions you’re getting asked here?

John: They’re a bit stupid!

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

Also attending the concerts in Essen was Corporal Camie McKay, reporting for Radio Canadian Army Europe. In addition to brief interviews with the Rattles and Peter Asher, McKay captured several minutes of the press conference on tape.

The report begins with his description of the Beatles’ outfits, as they pose for photographs prior to the general questioning. A bit of the conference follows, and then McKay makes his way to the table to interview Ringo, Paul, and George in turn. All three Beatles agree that the quality of questions at the conference was particularly poor (George calls them “idiotic”). Ringo says he enjoys soaking up the sun in Los Angeles and Spain, and Paul says he thinks they’ll be playing in Toronto on the upcoming tour. As McKay moves on to George, you can hear Paul being interviewed by the female WDR reporter (see previous entry). George has time to answer only a single question before the event is over, and McKay moves out into the concert hall to wrap things up.

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

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