Rolling Stone has posted audio files made from tapes of an interview with John Lennon, done in December 1970. The interviewer is Jann S. Wenner, the co-founder of the magazine. Yoko Ono jumps in from time to time.
The interview, as you might imagine, is a bit low fidelity. As a voiceover notes in the lead-in to Part 1, Lennon was miked, but Wenner was not. Whoever remixed it did a nice job of boosting the volume when Wenner speaks, and I found that after a minute or two, this was not a distraction. Mostly, the only thing you notice is a jump in tape hiss when Wenner is speaking.
The interview may be a bit hard to listen to in other ways. It takes some time for Lennon to settle down and open up. After a few minutes, though, he stops sounding like he's just going through a "Tonight Show" promo bit, and honesty starts leaking out.
And then, it may get harder to listen to. The interview was done shortly after the Beatles had broken up, and a lot of bitterness comes across. There's also a boorish claim or two, some defensiveness, a few moments of stridency, and the occasional eye-roller that makes you say, "Just started doing therapy, have you?" If you still have stars in your eyes about the Beatles -- or any of them in particular -- and you'd prefer not to have your illusions shattered, don't listen to it.
No. That goes too far. It's not that awful. Or even that dishy. I'd say it's what a gifted artist sounds like if he hasn't had media training. I found it to be quite a listen. By the end (okay, as of mid-way through Part 3), I still find John Lennon an admirable human being.
(h/t: The Guardian)
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