John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference at what was then the Americana Hotel at 155 West 47th Street, New York City, to promote Apple Corps in the United States.
Q: What are your feeling about the Maharishi?
John Lennon: I think the Maharishi was a mistake. His teachings have some truth in them, but I think that we made a mistake.
Q: Do you think that other people who see the Maharishi are making a mistake?
John Lennon: It's up to them.
Paul McCartney: He's human, that's all. We thought that there was more to him than what there was, but he's human. For a while, we thought he wasn't, you know.
Q: Do you have any new philosophical leaders?
Paul McCartney: No.
John Lennon: Me!
Q: What was there about the screenplay for the Yellow Submarine that made you favor it over the screenplays you rejected?
John Lennon: We never saw it. But the drawings are nice.
Q: Will you be making any more public appearances?
John Lennon: I don't know.
Paul McCartney: We may be.
Q: Why are you here today?
John Lennon: To do this.
Q: What is 'this'?
John Lennon: What's it look like? Well, you know, what are you doing here?
Q: What is this Apple Corps that you've initiated?
John Lennon: It's a business concerning records, films, electronics, and - as a sideline - manufacturing, or whatever it's called. We just want to set up a system whereby people who just want to make a film about anything don't have to go on their knees in somebody's office - probably yours!
Q: Could you be a little more specific...
John Lennon: No.
Q: ...about the profits of Apple Corps and where they will go? And where did you get the name?
John Lennon: Well, it's just - what can you call it? - Apple. It's to do what I said, you know, in a business-like way, but business and pleasure might be feasible.
Q: This is your first trip to New York in four years. Would you say that your popularity is waning somewhat?
John Lennon: We don't really think about it in those terms.
Q: Do you plan to come back as a group?
John Lennon: We don't plan. We just came suddenly. We look after our own affairs and we don't plan. Now, we haven't a manager, and there's no planning at all.
Paul McCartney: This is chaos.
Q: Did you find the same kind of hysteria there to greet you when you came into New York this time as was there on previous occasions?
John Lennon: Well, I saw something going on at the airport. You could see as well as me that I was being hustled along there. It feels the same whether it was five kids or five thousand. The same atmosphere is there.
Q: John, it said in the press release that you plan to make a film of A Spaniard In The Works.
John Lennon: Yeah. That's a rough book to read at times. It depends on how you feel.
Q: How do you plan the film?
John Lennon: Yeah, well, I really can't explain it. I'll just have to make the film out of the two books. How I'll do it, I don't know, but I'll do it. I can't really say how I'm going to do it. I haven't got it on paper, you know.
Q: Mr Lennon, there seems to be a ferment going on among students in Germany, France, and the United States, but not in England.
John Lennon: Yes, there's something going on, but we're just a bit more tweedy there.
Paul McCartney: It's going on, but they just do it in an English way, whatever that is.
Q: Do you have any idea why that is?
John Lennon: No, but there's some clue they're giving us. I'm not sure. Something's going on, but 'I don't know what it is, Mr Jones,' ditto.
Q: Why haven't the Beatles been more political?
John Lennon: Do you mean, Why haven't we joined one of the clubs?
Q: No.
John Lennon: Well, a lot of this has been talked about before. If there is anything in particular, just ask.
Q: Well, what about the war in Vietnam?
John Lennon: We came out against it years ago. Where have you been?
Paul McCartney: In Vietnam?
