John Lennon sent an angry three-page letter to Paul McCartney in 1971 following an interview McCartney gave to Melody Maker. That letter is now headed to auction.
The letter is up for bid on Gotta Have Rock and Roll. It’s estimated to sell for between $30,000-$40,000.
The listing notes the following of the letter:
“John Lennon’s scathing reply to Paul McCartney’s published interview in the November 20, 1971 issue of Melody Maker, where Paul shared his thoughts on John and Yoko, the dissolution of the Beatles’ business partnership and more.
A three-page mimeographed letter that Lennon has signed and inscribed. John was so furious when he read the interview that he sent this three-page, signed and hand-annotated letter, addressed to Paul, to Melody Maker, for publication, asking them in his own handwriting for equal time. the letter is date November 24, 1971, just a few days after Paul’s interview appeared in the magazine (only a year and a half after the Beatles officially broke up), while they were still going through the financial, and apparent personal, reckonings of the break-up.
This letter was published (with some edits) in the December 4, 1971 issue of Melody Maker. John’s response is brutal and ironic, and you can see his frustration with Paul – it is an incredible insight into the relationship of John and Paul, not just during the break-up and the aftermath, but really the deepness of their entire friendship.”
The letter can be read in full on the auction website.