John Lennon and Elvis Presley: bad blood between the legends

Late music legend John Lennon found himself ensnared in controversy more often than not, courtesy of his sharp tongue.

And looking back, it turns out of the numerous that the icon managed to irk, musical genius Elvis Presley was also part of the list.

The revelation was brought to light by author Chris Hutchins who had been a close aide of both the bigwigs.

Harking back to an event in Graceland back in 1965 during The Beatles US tour, Hutchins recalled the band’s meeting with the King.

Therein it was discovered that the Jailhouse Rock creator had been on the opposing ends of Lennon’s anti-war sentiments.

“His dislike of the pacifist Beatle was born from the night I took the Fab Four to his house for their first — and last — meeting,” the writer had told Daily Mail, in a recently unearthed interview.

“John had annoyed Presley by making his anti-war feelings known the moment he stepped into the massive lounge and spotted the table lamps — model wagons engraved with the message: ‘All the way with LBJ.’ Lennon hated President Lyndon B Johnson for raising the stakes in the Vietnam War.”

“Presley allied himself with the FBI director Edgar Hoover and encouraged him to have Lennon thrown out of the US,” he said further.

He was also said to have told his friend Tom Jones, that the Imagine genius “should have been kicked out a long time ago.”

On the other hand, The Beatles press officer Tony Barrow had recalled the same meeting, from a different angle.

“John asked what had happened to the old rock ’n’ roll Elvis, who at that point was mainly singing the soundtracks to his films. He was half-joking but he meant it,” he said, adding that while Presley shrugged off the comment with a chuckle, the room was filled with a stench of hostility.