Roger McGuinn of The Byrds made an appearance on Louder Sound to discuss his experiences with other rock stars, including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and John Lennon. As he recounted the account of the Beatles frontman, McGuinn mentioned how Lennon confronted Elvis Presley when the group first met him. The day the band received the invitation to meet Elvis, the frontman of the Byrds was hanging around the band’s house, but he was not invited to the meeting. When the band returned, the rock star heard the tale. McGuinn recalled the incident in the recent interview and stated: “The Beatles were invited to go see Elvis once, while I was hanging around at their Bel Air home. George stated he just didn’t think it would be appropriate when I asked if I may go along. I so waited for their return at the house. Upon returning to their home base, McGuinn inquired about the performance of the band. It was subsequently revealed that Lennon had cornered the rocker over rock and roll.
He remembered: “They told me he was sitting on the couch armrest with a bass guitar plugged into his stereo when I asked them how it was later. “Hey, Elvis, you used to make some really great rock’n’roll records,” John had remarked. How did things go for you? Elvis only muttered, “Well, I’m making movies now,” in response. And that was the meeting’s limit. August 27, 1965, was the day the two parties had met. From the outside, the meeting seemed to have gone well, but as the “Beatles Anthology” book showed, Elvis felt threatened and even made an attempt to banish the band from the United States. The rock musician also believed that “the Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit.” The rock star even discussed the band with President Nixon during their visit. Elvis purportedly stated that the band traveled to America in order to make money, accomplished their goal, and then left to promote “an anti-American theme” upon their return to England. McCartney remembers Elvis as one of the greatest guys he has ever met, despite the rock star’s statements and boasts.
