24 January
John Lennon and Yoko Ono cut their hair short on 24 January 1970, declaring that 1970 would be ‘Year One’ for peace. Two weeks later, on the roof of the Black Centre in Holloway, north London, they swapped a bag of the shorn hair for a pair of Muhammed Ali’s blood-stained boxing shorts.
The swap was made with Michael X, an English black power activist, who intended to auction the hair to raise money. It would have been worth a small fortune today if someone had held onto it, since a single lock of John’s hair went for £24,000 at auction in December 2007.
Newsman: Mr Lennon, why did you decide to cut your hair?
John: Because I felt like it, you know.
Newsman: So there was no special reason?
John: No, I mean why do you cut yours?
Newsman: I suppose as a leader of a sort of a peace movement ... do you have any special plans on the future?
John: I’m not a leader, and I try not to make plans, you know, we have no new plans.
Yoko: We just like to come across with the message of peace and love.
John: Peace, peace.
Newsman: You’re going back to London now I suppose?
John: Yes. We only came because the fog wouldn’t let us in London. We were on our way to London. We just got held up. But we enjoyed it.
Newsman: When are you going to London?
John: Now.
Newsman: And what will you do when you get there?
John: Go home.
Newsman: I understand the Beatles have just recorded a new record.
John: A new single ... Let it be, folks.
Newsman: What is the record about?
John: About letting it be.
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365 days is co-authored by Steve Platt and Fiona Osler
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