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ABOUT THIS INTERVIEW:
In this brief British TV interview, the Beatles joked about politics and their own election-year opinions. This ITV interview was conducted in the Beatles' hotel room in Stockton-on-Tees on October 15th, the day of the 1964 General Elections for UK Parlaiment. The Beatles were in Stockton for their performance later that evening at the Globe Cinema. The interview would be telecast the next evening on October 16th on the program 'North-East Newsview.'
During this conversation, both John Lennon and George Harrison mention the first name "Harold" in reference to Harold Wilson. Wilson was a Merseyside member of Parliament, and would become Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970 during the reign of the Beatles. Wilson represented the Labour party.
- Jay Spangler, www.beatlesinterviews.org
Q: "Look here, lads... you're pretty regular 'top of the pollsters.' What do you
think about this election business?"
PAUL: (mock seriousness) "Very good."
JOHN: "Great, isn't it."
PAUL: "Good stuff -- this election stuff."
RINGO: "It's alright if you win!"
Q: "Do you think it's harder being a politician than being a pop star?"
PAUL: "Yes. Definitely."
GEORGE: "Probably."
RINGO: "Very much so."
PAUL: "Never been a politician, though."
RINGO: "I haven't."
PAUL: "Haven't you?"
RINGO: "Never been!"
PAUL: (laughs)
Q: "What do you think is gonna happen to you if they nationalize you, then?"
JOHN: "Southern Ireland."
GEORGE: "Well, we'll have to move out, won't we? We'll have to go and live in Germany or someplace like that."
PAUL: "Southern Ireland! It's nice down there."
JOHN: "It's only half an hour away."
PAUL: "Yeah."
JOHN AND PAUL: (laugh)
Q: "Have you in actual fact had time to vote, yourselves?"
PAUL: "No, we missed it actually. We..."
JOHN: "We were having dinner at the time."
JOHN AND PAUL: (laugh)
Q: "I think Paul has aspirations to become Prime Minister. Have you still got those ideas?"
PAUL: "No. Not a politician. It's a hard life, you see. It's a hard day's grind."
RINGO: (narrating) "...he said, in a merry voice."
PAUL: (to the interviewer) "Like a cigarette?"
Q: "No, I don't smoke at all. Thank you."
RINGO: "They're (cigarette prices) going up, you know."
GEORGE: "We'll have to give those up soon."
PAUL: "We'll have to give these up."
RINGO: (lights Paul's cigarette) "Aye! None of these luxuries!"
JOHN: "Don't tax THEM, Harold."
RINGO: "It's bad enough as it is."
Q: "Have you been heckled at all? Have you ever had..."
PAUL: "Oh, yeah! We used to have it in -- especially in the early days! But John -- John had a perfect answer! What was it...? 'Shut up!'"
JOHN: "I had the joke about the..."
RINGO: "No! no! That was the other day!"
Q: "During the last few weeks, the Grimmond group and the Hume group and the Wilson group have been edging you off the papers. Have you been envious of all these groups?"
GEORGE AND JOHN: "No."
PAUL: "No. We sell more records and things than they do."
GEORGE: "The situation looks pretty Grimmond, doesn't it!"
BEATLES: (laugh)
RINGO: "That's a good'n."
PAUL: "No, you know. Good luck to 'em."
Q: "Have any political parties contacted you and said, 'Would you say publicly you'd vote for us'?"
JOHN: "Oh, no."
GEORGE: "No, 'cuz then the others don't buy the records."
Q: (laughs) "What about this business of being on the wane. Is that all over?"
PAUL: "Well, we get it about every two months -- somebody says 'You're
finished. you're on the wane.' You know, they say Dave Clark's in, Brian Poole's in."
GEORGE: "But we're still having a laugh, aren't we."
PAUL: "You know, they're probably all in, but..."
JOHN: "So are we."
PAUL: "We're still having a good time, ourselves."
Q: "You don't look too bad for four lads likely to be on their way to the dole queue, do you?"
JOHN: "No. Well, we passed one the other day. Didn't we, Paul?"
PAUL: "Yes, we passed a dole queue."
GEORGE: "We're still on the dole as well. Don't tell Harold."
Q: "Just going back to the election for a moment -- Have you taken much interest in it? Have you..."
PAUL: "We've taken interest, you know, 'cuz it's interesting and it's exciting. But uhh, we didn't actually get the chance to vote, as we told you before."
JOHN: (in comical singing voice) "'...Told you before!!'"
Q: "Have you read the speeches?"
JOHN: "No. Didn't even know they print 'em."
PAUL: (jokingly) "Read 'em?? We read the comics."
GEORGE: "Been away."
JOHN: "Saw the film."
Q: "Do you watch it on television?"
JOHN: "Well, we will. Soon as you go!"
BEATLES: (laugh)
PAUL: "We've got a telly in the next room."
Q: "Now, just finally, one thing. What would you like to see a new government bring in?"
RINGO: (pause) "Uhh... More wine!"
BEATLES: (laugh)
JOHN: "Yes, I think that's about it. More wine."
PAUL: "Well, you know. Better things for everyone. But I mean, that's what anyone wants anyway."
GEORGE: "And cut the surtax a bit."
PAUL: (jokingly) "This is our computer, Ernie, who's gonna prophesize the verdict."
BEATLES: (laugh)
Q: "Thank you very much, lads."
JOHN: "Thank you!"
GEORGE: (to the interviewer) "You're not going, are you?"
PAUL: (to the camera) "Thank you, viewers."
Source: Transcribed by www.beatlesinterviews.org from video copy of the archived film footage
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