John certainly had better months in his lifetime than August of 1966. He
probably wasn’t expecting the level of widespread hatred he would endure
after he infamously said about the Beatles in an Evening Standard interview: “We’re more popular than Jesus now — I don’t know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity.”
That quote was part of a longer statement, but it inevitably boiled
down to just “We’re bigger than Jesus”. John regretted the comment and
admitted he essentially spoke without thinking, saying in a subsequent
interview “It was just what came out of my mouth at the time,” according
to the Telegraph. There was no agenda at play, just a young guy making a stupid remark that he could have (or should have) known would offend millions of people.
John definitely had a massive amount of detractors over the
comment, but it barely fazed the Beatles’ most ardent followers. Above
is a photo of a group of fans at Logan Airport in Boston on August 11,
1966, just days after Lennon’s quote hit the presses, waiting for the
band to arrive while flaunting signs like “We support John” and “All is
well with J.W.L.”.
The guys were really just flying to Logan so they could transfer to
another flight that took them to O’Hare International Airport in
Chicago, where they played the first gig of their 1966 tour. But, like
everywhere the Beatles went in the mid-’60s, they had to get to their
next flight through police escort.
Part
of the crowd of 600 that showed up at Bostons Logan International
Airport on Thursday, August 11, 1966, to greet the Beatles, many holding
signs showing they support John. Lennon had been
criticized for statements he made regarding Christianity. (AP Photo)
Boston wasn’t the only city that drew a flock of Beatles supporters
that day – the London Airport also had fans arrive in droves just to
catch a glimpse of the band before they left for America. Here are five
more photos from that day:
John is shown as a state trooper
aids him through a crowd of newsmen at Logan International Airport in
Boston, Aug. 11, 1966 as he and other members transferred planes after a
flight from London. The Beatles are en route to Chicago where they will
start their third tour of American cities. It was Lennon who was quoted
as saying the group is more popular than Jesus, setting off a ban by
numerous U.S. radio stations on playing their records. (AP Photo)
The
Beatles are pictured in the rain waving at the
airport in London, England, August 11, 1966, prior to their departure to
Boston, USA, for their tour of Canadian and American cities. (AP
Photo/Harris)
Teenage
girl Beatles fans, wearing shirts covered with Beatles slogans, scream
and clop from the spectators’ gallery at the airport in London,
England, August 11, 1966, at the band’s departure to Boston, USA, for
their tour of Canadian and American cities. (AP Photo/Harris)
Hundreds
of teenage girls, many with banner, line the spectators’ gallery at
London Airport, England to see The Beatles who are flying to Canada and
America for their third US tour on August 11, 1966. Many of the girls
had waited all night to get the best places to see the band. (AP
Photo/Harris)
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