In 1966 John Lennon said that The Beatles were “more popular than
Jesus.” This was an observation of secularization to some, but to
others, this was sacrilege.
It happened in early August of 1966, John had been interviewed
months before in England when the topic turned to religion. He
said he felt his group was more popular than Jesus, or was it
Christianity? He said later he meant Christianity or was it organized
religion? It got somewhat muddled after a while.
English audiences
didn’t seem overly upset, but when John’s remark finally hit American
soil, especially Dixie’s version of Birmingham, it “went viral,” a term
often used today by 24/7 news operations.
Doug and Tommy knew
they had a tiger by the tail and played it for all it was worth as they
urged listeners to bring their Beatles albums to the studio where a warm
reception awaited them in the form of a big bonfire.
They said they just wanted to show John and the Beatles
they were angry over his comments in a country with a deep religious
fervor, especially in the South.
The Associated Press appeared to be asleep at the switch
and didn’t come up with its own version of the boycott right away,
providing UPI and its stumbling, bumbling kid reporter with a major
exclusive.
What seemed at first to be a routine story about a
musician’s from-the-hip comment and a Southern radio station’s angry
response exploded worldwide.It appeared there were no bonfires in Birmingham, but some small ones were reported at other locations around the South.
Producer David Long at
the age of 58, may not be part of the generation that grew up with
the Beatles, but his love of the group and their contributions to the
music scene will be preserved in a documentary that, as of now,
apparently will be called something like “Bigger Then Jesus.”
The
producer of several World Trade Center documentaries, including “The Man
Who Predicted 9-11,” Dave has spent this summer working on his Beatles
project.
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