Mick Jagger never met Elvis Presley — and blames John Lennon for that.
The Rolling Stones frontman explained during the latest episode of Conan O’Brien’s podcast that he would “love” to have met the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. But Lennon, who met Presley alongside his Beatles bandmates, strongly urged Jagger to decline that opportunity.
“I remember John telling me, ‘Yeah you know, you should never meet your heroes, I would never meet Elvis, Mick, if I were you,’” Jagger recalled. “And so I didn’t. I took John’s advice, which was really stupid of me, really. I mean, I would love to have met Elvis!”
The 82-year-old rock star continued through laughter, “Why did I take John’s advice?”
O’Brien couldn’t help but chuckle but noted Lennon’s disappointment — and also recalled reading that The Beatles “were all high” when they visited Presley at his Bel Air, Los Angeles, mansion on a night off from their 1965 U.S. tour.
“He famously … kept saying, the minute they got to America, John kept saying, ’Where’s Elvis? Where’s Elvis? Where’s Elvis?” O’Brien said. “That’s the only person he wanted to meet. Then they met Elvis in Bel Air at his house, and John walked out and said, ‘Where’s Elvis?’”
He explained, “Because that was not the guy he wanted to meet. He disappointed him.”
Beatles member George Harrison previously recalled that they “fell out the car in hysterics” upon arriving at Presley’s. This apparently clashed with the king, who, as legend has it, told them: “If you damn guys are gonna stare at me all night, I’m gonna go to bed.”
The band’s then-publicist Tony Barrow later recalled Lennon exacerbating the tension.
Barrow reportedly said that “there was a weird silence and it was John who spoke first, rather awkwardly blurting out a stream of questions at Elvis, saying, ‘Why do you do all these soft-centered ballads for the cinema these days? What happened to good old rock ’n’ roll?’”
Left: Associated Press; Right: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Lennon was reportedly stunned by Presley’s home and wondered if “a lot of American houses” had pool tables, likening the mansion to a “nightclub.” The late music legend worshipped Elvis and tried hard to break the ice.
While the four young lads were ultimately treated to a jam session with their idol after Presley had some guitars brought out, Jagger said Lennon shared his disappointment with the encounter on several occasions — which Jagger took to heart.
“And so it sort of put me off,” the Rolling Stones singer told O’Brien. “So I wanted to keep my Elvis to myself, my version of Elvis. And so I didn’t want my version of Elvis shattered like John’s was, but maybe my Elvis version would have been different.”
Ever the comedian, O’Brien couldn’t help but end with a joke. He told Jagger, “Well, I have to tell you, I’ve always wanted to sit and talk with you — and this is a massive disappointment.”