Beatles in Interview Row
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Melody Maker
June 4, 1966
The Beatles have stirred up a heated controversy in America's Midwest, all because of a mystery interview. The result, according to American reports, is that fans are threatening to boycott their records. A Pittsburgh disc jockey broadcast an alleged telephone interview last week in which the Beatles put down the Barry Sadler recording of "The Ballad of the Green Berets" as "rubbish".
Following this, a wave of anti-Beatles protests broke. Several major disc retailers are reported to have contacted Capitol Records and asked them to have the Beatles "cool it with this kind of talk." The retailers reported that fans had threatened to boycott the stores unless the Beatles' discs were removed from the racks.
In London, however, it was strenuously denied that the Beatles had given an interview to any American disc jockey. Recently, Brian Matthews interviewed the Beatles, and the tapes will be broadcast by over 50 U.S. DJs, but the question of Barry Sadler's record was never discussed in this interview. At press time the mystery was still unsolved.
This week, Brian Epstein flew from Madrid to New York to finalize the Beatles tour and discuss the screening of a color TV film Cilla Black, made at London's Savoy Hotel. The Beatles performed their new single, "Paperback Writer", due for release on June 10, in the film Today for Top of the Pops, Granada Scene at 630, Thank Your Lucky Stars, and Ready, Steady, Go. They also filmed a segment for the Ed Sullivan American TV show in color,
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