Never before published cassette tape with Lennon interview up for auction

A never before published cassette tape with an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono from their winter stay in Thy, Northern Jutland in 1970 will be up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers on 28 September. Image courtesy of Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers

A never before published cassette tape with an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono from their famous winter stay in Thy, Northern Jutland in 1970 will soon be up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers. The 33-minute-long recording includes a conversation between the famous couple and the four 16-year-old schoolboys, who were allowed to interview Lennon and Ono, and at one point the never published song “Radio Peace” is also played. The cassette tape has an estimated price of DKK 200,000-300,000.

In late December 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono suddenly appeared in the snow-covered Thy in Northern Jutland. Four 16-year-old Danish schoolboys were allowed to interview the couple for the local school magazine, and now more than 50 years later, they have chosen to put the cassette tape with the conversation and the never-released song "Radio Peace" up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers in Copenhagen.



"This is the first time ever that an interview by John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono comes is up for Live Auction, and we expect a great interest in the collector’s item," says Alexandra Nilsson, valuation specialist at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers. "For me personally, it has been surprisingly moving to hear Lennon’s voice. It feels incredibly present and not as if it was recorded 50 years ago. Unfortunately, his message about world peace is still very necessary and one can only imagine that today he would be spreading the same message if he were alive,” says Alexandra Nilsson.

The cassette tape is accompanied by a series of photographs from the interview, which were taken by one of the four boys present, Jesper Jungersen. Here you can see John Lennon and Yoko Ono sitting and relaxing on a sofa wearing wool socks and with their feet on the coffee table together with Yoko Ono's five-year-old daughter Kyoko.


Lennon’s Visit to Northern Jutland

The reason for the famous couple’s visit to Denmark was a family dispute over Yoko Ono's five-year-old daughter Kyoko, whom she had with filmmaker Anthony Cox. He had moved to Denmark with his daughter, and the hope was to reach a settlement with him concerning custody. John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed for more than a month on an isolated farm in the village of Vust and were affiliated with the experimental "Æ Verdensuniversitet" in Skyum Bjerge. John Lennon and Yoko Ono managed to stay under the radar of the press for six days, but the rumours began to spread, and the local Fjerritslev newspaper outed them before too long. Journalists from all over the world travelled to Thy in Northern Jutland in the hope of getting close to the two world-famous people. The couple agreed to hold one official press conference for all the journalists.

In this connection, the four 16-year-old classmates had an experience they would remember for the rest of their lives. They managed to persuade the principal at Skovgårdsskolen near the town of Brovst to let them skip their schoolwork to interview John Lennon. When they read in the newspaper that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were in Northern Jutland, they devised a plan. The boys borrowed recording equipment from the local radio dealer, and a local truck driver drove them for the price of DKK 30 to the vicarage in Kettrup, where the two world stars held a press conference on Monday 5 January 1970.

When the boys arrived at the place of the event, they were greeted by a small note on the door with the message that the press conference had been moved to "Æ Verdensuniversitetet" (New Experimental College) in the hilly terrain of Skyum Bjerge 70 km away. In a blizzard, the four boys drove towards the place, but upon arrival, the press conference was over. They tried their luck and knocked on the door, and luckily, they managed to get in and meet their idols together with a handful of journalists who, due to the rough weather, had also arrived too late.


The Recording Was Placed in a Bank Vault

The unique recording on the tape makes it clear that there was a good chemistry from the start between the schoolboys and the famous couple – the conversation is surprisingly informal and relaxed, and everything from hair length and friendships to visions of peace and generational divides is discussed. At one point, one of the schoolboys, Karsten Højen, asks how a Danish school student can support the peace campaign. The answer was simple – they had to work locally for peace with posters and happenings promoting the peace message.




During the interview session, the small exclusive party even dances around a Christmas tree, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono can be heard humming along to Danish Christmas songs. At one point, John Lennon plays the guitar and sings "Give Peace a Chance" and the unreleased song "Radio Peace".

“The experience had a great impact on our lives. Back then, we were not as preoccupied with fame and famous people 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 in relation to music and the progressive ideology of peace. The two celebrities shaped our generation and the entire counter-culture movement,” says the now 68-year-old Karsten Højen, who together with his friends has now placed the cassette tape and photographs up for auction.

The friends have since 2002 kept the cassette tape in a safe deposit box when they learned that it was of some value.

“The whole session on 5 January 1970 was a great experience for all four of us and became a fond memory. But at that age, a lot happens in one's life – all four of us split up after completing our education at Skovsgårdskolen, and our shared experience slipped a little into the background of our memories. Now we are all quite a bit older – and tapes and pictures do not have as great a value for our children and grandchildren. Therefore, we decided that it should be sold at auction to someone else who will appreciate it," says Karsten Højen.


Meet Karsten Højen in Copenhagen and Listen to Him Talk About His Experiences

In connection with the auction’s preview, you can hear Karsten Højen talk about his experience when he visits and gives a talk at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers in Copenhagen on Monday 20 September at 4 pm.. Here, parts of the taped interview will also be played.

The cassette tape, the accompanying photographs, and a copy of the school magazine where Karsten Højen wrote about his experience can be seen at Bruun Rasmussen's preview at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen.

The auction will take place on Tuesday 28 September at 4 pm at the same address.

You may find more information about the tape here.

Listen to a small audio clip from the cassette tape here.