The 33-minute recording includes a conversation between John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the four 16-year-old boys, who had the chance to interview the famous couple for the local school newspaper on 5 January 1970. Over fifty years have passed and the four men have chosen to sell the cassette tape, together with a series of photographs from the interview, at the Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen.
"This is the first time ever that an interview with John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono is offered at auction and we expect great interest in the collector's item," says Alexandra Nilsson, valuation specialist at Bruun Rasmussen. “For me personally, it has been surprising to hear Lennon's voice. It feels incredibly present and not as if it was recorded over fifty years ago. Unfortunately, his message of world peace is still necessary and one can only imagine that he would spread the same message today if he were alive."
The reason why the famous couple was in Denmark was a family dispute between Yoko Ono and Anthony Cox, who together had a daughter Kyoko. Cox had moved to Denmark with his daughter and their hope was to reach a custody agreement with him.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed for over a month on a farm in the village of Vust, which was located near ‘Æ Verdensuniversitet’ in the Skyum Mountains. The couple managed to stay away from the press for six days before rumours spread. Journalists from all over the world travelled to Thy in North Jutland in the hope of getting close to Lennon and Ono. The couple finally agreed to hold a press conference for all journalists.
At the same time, four 16-year-old boys read about the incident in the newspaper. They managed to persuade the headmaster at Skovgårdsskolan to let them skip the lessons that day to interview John Lennon. The boys borrowed recording equipment from the local radio station and were driven by a truck driver to the rectory in Kettrup, where the two world stars were to hold a press conference on Monday 5 January 1970.
When the boys arrived at the scene, they were greeted by a note on the door announcing that the press conference had been moved to Æ Verdensuniversitet in Skyum Bjerge, 70 km away. In a snowstorm, the four boys drove towards the site, but when they arrived, the press conference was over. They took a chance and knocked on the door, and luckily they got to come in and meet their idols, together with a few journalists, who, due to the bad weather, had also arrived late.
The conversation between the schoolboys and Lennon is relaxed and they discuss everything from hair length and friendship to peace and generational differences. During the interview, the company dances around a Christmas tree and Lennon and Ono are heard humming Danish Christmas songs. At one point, John Lennon plays guitar and sings ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and the unreleased song ‘Radio Peace’.
“The experience had a big impact on our lives. At that time, we were not as preoccupied with celebrity as young people are today. Instead, we saw John Lennon and Yoko Ono as political prophets and symbols of peace. We shared a common destiny with them when it came to music and progressive ideology of peace. The two celebrities characterised our generation and the entire counterculture movement," says the 68-year-old Karsten Højen, who, together with his friends, has chosen to sell the cassette tape and the associated photographs. They have kept the cassette tape in a safe since 2002, understanding the value of the unique item.
The cassette tape, the photographs and a copy of the school magazine where Karsten Højen wrote about the experience can be seen at Bruun Rasmussen on Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen. The unique collectables will be offered with an estimated price of 200,000-300,000 Danish kroner (£22,900-34,300) during the sale ‘Paintings, Sculptures and a Sound Recording with John Lennon’, which will be held on Tuesday 28 September. In the catalogue, you will also find paintings and sculptures by, among others, Asger Jorn, Karel Appel, Lynn Chadwick and César Baldaccini.
