A long-lost interview with John Lennon has revealed that the legendary songwriter thought that recording with his fellow Beatles was “hell”.
The interview with Village Voice journalist Howard Smith was recorded after The Beatles had finished up their 12th and final studio album Let It Be. The tape featuring the interview, which had been in Smith’s attic for nearly four decades, is now going to be auctioned.
In the interview, in which Lennon was joined by his wife Yoko Ono, the ‘Imagine’ singer says: “We were going through hell. We often do. It’s torture every time we produce anything. The Beatles haven’t got any magic you haven’t got. We suffer like hell anytime we make anything, and we got each other to contend with. Imagine working with The Beatles, it’s tough.
There’s just tension. It’s tense every time the red light goes on.” The singer, who also described the LP as a “strange album”, continued: “We never really finished it. We didn’t really want to do it. Paul was hustling for us to do it. It’s The Beatles with their suits off.”
The tape is expected to be sold for between $5,000 – $10,000.
