rotten > Library > Culture > The Beatles

The Beatles

More popular than Jesus

  • FBI targeted John Lennon for arrest, probably at the behest of the Nixon White House. Lennon was supposedly on Nixon's "Enemies List" for his antiwar activity.
  • John Lennon assassinated by Mark David Chapman in 1980. Some people believe that Nixon was behind it.
  • George Harrison died from lung cancer in November 2001.
  • Butcher cover.
  • Their song Helter Skelter influenced Charles Manson.
  • Studied briefly under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
  • Yoko Ono. Need we say more.
  • Brian Epstein suicide.
  • Badmouthed as un-American by Elvis to Nixon and the FBI.

The Beatles gave serious thought to filming The Lord of the Rings starring themselves.

In January 1967, the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein hired playwright Joe Orton to write their third film. Orton produced a script called Up Against It, which was never produced. According to Paul McCartney:

"The reason why we didn't do Up Against It wasn't because it was too far out or anything. We didn't do it because it was gay. We weren't gay and really that was all there was to it. It was quite simple, really. Brian was gay ... and so he and the gay crowd could appreciate it. Now, it wasn't that we were anti-gay—just that we, The Beatles, weren't gay."

"Wherever we went there's always a few seats laid aside for cripples and people in wheelchairs... they're pushing them at you like you're Christ or something. You'd open up every night, and instead of seeing kids there you'd just see a row full of cripples on the front... It seemed like (we were) just surrounded by cripples and blind people all the time. And when we'd go through corridors, everybody would be—they'd be all touching us. It got horrifying." --John Lennon

REPORTER: I'd like to direct this question to messrs. Lennon and McCartney. In a recent article, Time magazine put down pop music. And they referred to "Day Tripper" as being about a prostitute...
PAUL: Oh yeah.
REPORTER: ...and "Norwegian Wood" as being about a lesbian.
PAUL: Oh yeah.
REPORTER: I just wanted to know what your intent was when you wrote it, and what your feeling is about the Time magazine criticism of the music that is being written today.
PAUL: We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that's all.

John and Jesus

"Christianity will go," he said. "It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about 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."

Other people who claimed they were bigger than Jesus:


timeline

15 Jul 1958 Julia Lennon, John's mother, killed in an automobile accident.
Jan 1964 The Beatles appear on Jack Paar's Tonight Show.
9 Feb 1964 The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
28 Aug 1964 The Beatles are introduced to marijuana.
Aug 1965 Brian Epstein meets with Walt Disney to discuss the possibility of the Beatles performing songs for the upcoming animated film The Jungle Book. Later, John Lennon nixes the idea. Disney ends up using semi-soundalikes (a "tribute" might be more fitting) playing four vultures in the film.
27 Aug 1965 The Beatles spend a day with Elvis Presley at his home in California. Elvis doesn't know any of their names, so he refers to each of them as "Beatle."
4 Mar 1966 The London Evening Standard publishes an interview with John Lennon in which he claims that the Beatles are "more popular than Jesus."
5 Jul 1966 Philippine military police awaken Brian Epstein and demand that the Beatles attend a party at the home of Imelda Marcos, wife of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Epstein refuses, and the band is forced to flee the country ASAP.
28 Aug 1966 After playing a sold-out show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the Beatles are blocked from exiting through the main gate by the throng of fans. Instead, they are forced to egress from the rear of the stadium, in an armored car. Dozens of fans are beaten by LAPD in their attempts to maintain order.
Jul 1967 "All You Need Is Love" telecast.
24 Aug 1967 The Beatles are introduced to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in London.
27 Aug 1967 While the Beatles are away in Bangor, Brian Epstein is found dead in his home. Officially, the cause of death was accidental overdose of sleeping pills, but many believe it was suicide. He was becoming increasingly depressed over his lack of involvement with the Beatles and also his personal turmoil caused by trying to keep his homosexuality a secret.
18 Oct 1968 A police raid nets 168 grains of dope resin in the apartment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The couple is fined UKP 150.
30 Jan 1969 The Beatles perform an impromptu concert on the rooftop of the Apple building, during the filming of Let It Be. It will be the last time they ever play together as a band.
12 Oct 1969 According to rumor, Paul is dead. However, the Beatle somehow persists in making several public appearances for years.
1970 Let It Be wins the Academy Award for best original song score.
31 Dec 1970 Paul McCartney files suit to dissolve the partnership with his fellow Beatles.
19 Jan 1971 The Beatles song "Helter Skelter" is played during the Charles Manson court trial.
10 Aug 1972 Paul McCartney and his wife Linda are arrested in Sweden after postal officials intercept a parcel of hashish addressed to their band, Wings.
Nov 1973 Beatles manager Allen Klein is sued by the band (minus Ringo). Paul declares: "The only thing that has prevented us from getting together again has been Klein's contractual hold over the Beatles' name. When he's out of the way, there is no real reason why we shouldn't get together again."
1974 After Paul McCartney hints that a Beatles reunion is in the works, George Harrison declares publicly that he "never wants to play in a band with Paul McCartney again."
24 Apr 1976 On the air, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels offers $3,000 to the Beatles if they will reunite and perform one of their songs on SNL.
16 Jan 1980 Paul McCartney is arrested at Narita International Airport for possession of 7.7 ounces of marijuana. He spends the next nine days in jail before being deported.
8 Dec 1980 Mark David Chapman shoots John Lennon four times in the back outside The Dakota in New York. Lennon dies shortly thereafter at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center.
1985 Michael Jackson buys the publishing rights of over 100 Beatle songs to the tune of $47.5 million, outbidding the combined efforts of Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono. McCartney had recommeded to Jackson buying publishing rights as a wise business investment. McCartney has cursed Jackson (and probably himself) ever since.
1996 Estimated income: $98M. Forbes.
15 Jun 1996 Beatles producer George Martin knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
11 Mar 1997 Paul McCartney knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
17 Apr 1998 Paul McCartney's wife Linda dies of breast cancer.
30 Dec 1999 Paranoid schizophrenic Michael Abram breaks into the home of George Harrison and stabs him several times in the chest. Voices in Abram's head told him that the former Beatles were witches.
30 Nov 2001 George Harrison dies of cancer.
11 Jun 2002 Widower Paul McCartney, 59, marries one-legged ex-model Heather Mills, 34.
Dec 2002 Paul McCartney announces his intention to change the credit on certain Beatles songs to "McCartney/Lennon" instead of "Lennon/McCartney."
27 Mar 2003 John Lennon's childhood home is opened as a public museum.

Pornopolis   |   Rotten   |   Faces of Death   |   Famous Nudes