披頭士樂隊新聞發佈會錄音帶將被拍賣
The only known audio recording of a 1966 Beatles press conference, in which John Lennon is grilled about saying the band was more popular than Jesus, is expected to sell for about $20,000 at auction in June.
Auction house Bonhams & Butterfields said the 14 minute reel-to-reel tape recording was the only known surviving audio record of the August 17, 1966 press conference by the Fab Four at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
It includes John Lennon and Paul McCartney joking about how long The Beatles would stay together.
"We're obviously not gonna go around holding hands forever," Lennon is heard to say. McCartney adds " would be a bit, you know, embarrassing at (age) 35..."
Bonhams said journalists also had lots of questions about Lennon's controversial "Jesus" remark months earlier, and that Vietnam and the generation gap were also discussed.
The press conference was well reported at the time but there is no known television or audio record.
"We do know what they said that day. We have just never heard it," Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams & Butterfields said.
She said the tapes were made by a young photojournalist and Beatles fan who attended the press conference.
"He tried to sell them in 1966, but no-one thought they were important," Barrett said.
The two reels lay in a drawer for over 40 years but now carry an estimated price of $20-25,000 and are among the most expensive items at the June 13 auction in Los Angeles.
Also up for sale is a rare watercolor from the animated 1940 Walt Disney film "Pinocchio," estimated at $30,000-$40,000, and another of Michael Jackson's white rhinestone gloves ($14,000-$16,000).
1966年披頭士樂隊一次新聞發佈會的唯一一份現存已知的錄音帶將於下月拍賣，目前估價約爲2萬美元。在這次發佈會上，該樂隊主唱約翰•列儂因其之前發表的有關披頭士比耶酥更受歡迎的言論而受到記者的盤問。
據美國寶龍伯得富拍賣行介紹，這盤時長14分鐘的錄音磁帶是現在唯一知道的一份有關披頭士樂隊1966年8月17日的那場新聞發佈會的記錄。當年的這場新聞發佈會在多倫多的愛德華國王酒店召開。
在發佈會上，約翰•列儂和保羅•麥克卡特尼就有關披頭士樂隊將存在多久的問題開起了玩笑。
在錄音帶中，列儂說：“顯然我們不可能永遠呆在一起”。麥克卡特尼補充說道：“等我們到了35歲還在一起，那就有點難堪了。”
據寶龍伯得富拍賣行介紹，在這次新聞發佈會上，列儂還受到記者有關他幾個月前發表的飽受爭議的“耶酥”言論的盤問，越南和代溝的問題也有所涉及。
當時，披頭士的這場新聞發佈會被大加報道，但並沒有已知現存的電視或錄音記錄。
寶龍伯得富拍賣行娛樂拍賣部總監瑪格麗特•巴雷特說：“我們的確知道他們那天說了些什麼。但我們從未聽到過相關的錄音。”
她說，新聞發佈會的錄音帶由披頭士樂迷、參加當天發佈會的一名年輕的攝影記者製作而成。
“當年他想把它給賣了，但沒人會想到它們如此重要。”
這盤錄音帶在抽屜裏藏了40多年，但現在預計能拍出2萬至2.5萬美元的價格，是下月13日將在洛杉磯舉行的拍賣會上最爲昂貴的拍品之一。
將於當天拍賣的其它物品還包括沃爾特•迪尼斯電影公司1940年出品的動畫片《皮諾曹奇遇記》，預拍價爲3萬至4萬美元，以及邁克爾•傑克遜的另外一幅白色人造鑽手套（預拍價爲1.4萬至1.6萬美元）。
Vocabulary:
grill: 拷問；盤問
Fab Four:指“披頭士四人組”，即披頭士樂隊
photojournalist: 攝影記者
