Press conference: London airport

At 1pm The Beatles and their entourage returned to London Airport from Le Bourget, Paris, following their often three-week residency at the Olympia Theatre, Paris.

Upon their arrival The Beatles were greeted by around 100 screaming fans, after which they gave their customary press conference.

Q: What was the reaction like in France?

George Harrison: The audiences were a bit funny, you see. There were more boys than girls, and we missed the good old screams. But you know, there were quite a lot of shouts.

Q: You mean they actually listened to you? That’s the difference, is it?

John Lennon and Paul McCartney: Yeah.

George: Yeah.

Q: What’s the French electrical supply like over there?

Paul: It’s good actually. Oh, the equipment’s great. But on the first night, as you may know, we had a bit of trouble. Because we suddenly found there was a radio program just sort of plugging into everything, and it overloaded all the amps and everything. They just went, ‘Boomf!’

Ringo Starr: Three times.

Paul: ‘Boomf’, ‘boomf’.

Q: What’s the sort of stuff they like over there on the hit parade?

Paul: “Um, wilder stuff I think. We stuck in a wilder number to finish off with.

John: Gone With The Wind.

Paul: Gone With The… (laughs)

Q: They go for the Elvis Presley kind of stuff, there, do they? I mean, do they go for the older rock and roll stuff?

Paul: I think so, yeah, a bit more. It depended really who was in.

Q (to Ringo): I hear that you are going to give us some poetry recitals.

Ringo: Beethoven’s poems.

Q: When’s this? At the City of London Festival?

Ringo: Yeah, yeah. He knows, you see. It’s a secret! Don’t tell anybody!

Q: What poems?

Ringo: Beethoven’s. Remember him? Beethoven.

Q: Looking forward to this American trip, have you had any reaction over there? Have you got any fan clubs going as we speak?

Ringo: Well, there’s one supposed to be started and they’re getting quite a good response, you know. Twelve thousand letters a day!

Q: But the Beatle movement’s going over there?

Ringo: Yeah. So you needn’t be a Beatle Booster, folks!

Q: I must tell you, by the way, that Detroit University have got a ‘Stamp Out The Beatles’ movement.

George: I know, yeah.

John: Yeah, we heard something about that.

Paul: We’ve got a ‘Stamp Out Detroit!’

Q: They think your haircuts are un-American.

John: Well, it was very observant of them because we aren’t American, actually.

Paul: True, that.

John: True, true.