The 12 reel-to-reel recordings, which were unearthed as a result of a cleaning spree during lockdown, contain conversations between the 'Imagine' songwriter and late journalist Ken Zeilig.
- Sep 28, 2021
AceShowbiz - Never-before-heard interviews with John Lennon have been unearthed as a result of a cleaning spree during lockdown.
The family of late journalist Ken Zeilig were amazed to discover the tapes, which contained recordings of conversations between him and the "Imagine" songwriter.
The interviewer's daughter Hannah Zeilig said, "We always knew from him that he'd hung out with John Lennon and that he'd interviewed John Lennon. But we never heard the interview. He didn't mention he'd spent time with Yoko Ono as well, which he clearly had."
The 12 reel-to-reel recordings comprise three separate interviews, which are thought to have taken place on separate occasions in 1969 and the early 1970s.
Hannah told Global News, "My sister, who lives in L.A., was clearing out her garage and she found a whole bunch of boxes. She wasn't looking for anything in particular. She was looking to do one of those pandemic clear-outs that we all did."
In one of the interviews, John admits to being "prejudiced" towards his own music when asked to name his favorite songs and goes on to discuss his creative process. Hannah added, "I found that absolutely extraordinary and so insightful."
The tapes are now up for auction under the guidance of Omega Auctions staff, and are expected to fetch up to $50,000 (£36,400). Staff at Omega Auctions were quick to share their excitement over the historic discovery.
Paul Fairweather said, "Just reading the transcripts before we actually heard them was fascinating in itself. When we actually heard them, it was amazing to hear John speaking because they're such clear audio recordings that it feels that he's actually sat in the room with you."
The tapes will go under the hammer on Tuesday, September 28.
