Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Larry King Live
Encore Presentation: The Beatles
Aired December 24, 2007 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW")
ED SULLIVAN, HOST: Here they are -- The Beatles!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF THE BEATLES SINGING)
THE BEATLES: I say no...
Jojo was a man...
Here comes the sun...
Back in the USSR.
Lucy in the sky...
Yesterday...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Paul, Ringo, Yoko, Olivia, next on LARRY KING LIVE.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF THE BEATLES SINGING)
THE BEATLES: Oh, yes, I'll tell you something...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What a night!
We're at The Mirage Hotel. We're in The Revolutionary -- The Revolution Lounge, an incredible, even historic night for LARRY KING LIVE, as we meet the Beatles -- the two living Beatles and the widows of the two who departed.
It's the one year anniversary of The Beatles Love, this unprecedented Cirque du Soleil production embracing the musical legacy and spirit and passion of The Beatles.
We begin with Yoko Ono Lennon, the artist and activist, the widow of the former Beatle, John Lennon, who was killed on December 8, 1980.
My God, 27 years already. John Lennon's solo song book is the centerpiece for the benefit album "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur." The proceeds go to support Amnesty International. And there you see its cover.
And Olivia Harrison, the widow of the former Beatle, George Harrison, who succumbed to cancer on November 29, 2001. She's executive producer of the reissue of the Traveling Wilburys collection. That debuted number nine on the Billboard 200 list. The Traveling Wilburys group was made up of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
What's this night like for you, Yoko?
YOKO ONO LENNON, JOHN LENNON'S WIDOW: Well, it's very emotional, actually. And I was thinking that after a year or so that the show might just go down a little. But, no. It's much, much more exciting now.
I was so surprised that they made it into such an incredibly exciting show now.
KING: This was -- was this your baby, Olivia?
OLIVIA HARRISON, GEORGE HARRISON'S WIDOW: Actually, it was George's vision. George and Guy Laliberte had a friendship and they had this creative spark of a moment and, you know, George was around just long enough to transmit that to all of us. And through everyone's effort it came through. I think it's been seven years -- (INAUDIBLE) seven years.
KING: What do you think George would have thought of it?
HARRISON: I think he would have loved it. I just know he would have. I know that he -- he loved Cirque. You know, Cirque is a very romantic thing. He was a very romantic person. And I know he would have enjoyed it.
KING: What would John have thought, Yoko?
ONO: Well, I think that, now, in the beginning I was a little bit worried about what John would have thought. And now I really know that John would be very happy with this, yes.
KING: Do you feel their presence?
You never remarried, right?
ONO: Well, we were talking about that.
Yes, we feel so strongly about our husbands that sometimes it's hard for us, isn't it?
HARRISON: It is hard, you know. I mean their presence is very powerful and very strong. But the incredible thing about them is that they -- everything they left the world and left us is uplifting and joyful.
ONO: That's true.
HARRISON: There wasn't anything that they left that was negative or, you know -- ideas that made you think and love and great melodies. So that's pretty unique.
KING: Paul and Ringo will be coming aboard.
We've got quite a show for you tonight.
We're also going to Guy, the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
Earlier today, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko and Olivia had a ceremony honoring John and George, and we wanted to share some of the sights and sounds of that event. It happened about an hour-and-a-half ago.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RINGO STARR, MUSICIAN: George was a great musician. He was a dear friend. I love him and I miss him. And God bless him. And I'm sure wherever he is, he's smiling right now.
PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: It's great to be unveiling this because the guys aren't here and the show has been such a great success. And it encapsulates music, all the stuff we did together. They were great times. They were magnificent men and it is an honor to unveil this plaque to them.
STARR AND MCCARTNEY: One, two, a one, two, three, four.
STARR: Fantastic.
ONO: John would have been very happy and glad that this show is such a success, and also that another magnificent man here introduced him. And I'm very thankful to him.
HARRISON: I don't think George would be surprised at the success of this collaboration. He knew it was going to be good in so many ways and I'm just thankful to be a part of it.
Happy anniversary.
STARR: Peace and love for all of you people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: And, again, we'll be meeting Paul and Ringo in a little while. And then at the end, they'll all be with us, a kind of reunion of The Beatles.
Do you feel, Yoko, that The Beatles have kind of surrounded you, that you're forever identified as a Beatle? ONO: Well, it's a family. It's a family. The Beatle family is a very, very strong family and we were part of it, I feel, yes.
KING: Even though there were breakups and ups and downs?
ONO: Well, most families do have some breakups and arguments, don't you think?
KING: Yes.
Olivia, how do you handle this?
They see you, they think Beatle.
HARRISON: Yes, well, I mean, it's a real privilege, isn't it, you know, I mean to be involved, you know, with such a great legacy. It's a real privilege.
KING: So you don't look at it in any way as it -- there's a down to it?
HARRISON: No, I don't. There isn't any -- any down side to it. And, you know, they've been a great support. They're great friends. Our kids are all friends. It really is an extended family.
KING: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will join us shortly.
When we come back, more talk with Yoko and Olivia, who loved and lost John and George.
You'll also meet the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: One of the great songs of all time.
Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison remain with us.
We're joined now by the genius, Guy Laliberte. He is the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
What does that song mean to you, Olivia, by the way? HARRISON: Well, it's just an expression of love really, isn't it?
KING: It's one of the great love songs.
HARRISON: It is. Yes, it is.
KING: Beautiful melody and lyrics.
Did every one of The Beatles like that song, Yoko?
ONO: Oh, yes, definitely, especially John loved it. And he was saying that that has to be a single.
KING: It worked out, too?
ONO: Yes. Yes.
HARRISON: Really?
KING: You didn't know that?
HARRISON: No, I didn't know that.
ONO: Oh, really? I can't believe it.
HARRISON: No.
ONO: He's the one who told Allan that, you know, it has to be a single.
KING: All right, Guy, how did this all come together?
GUY LALIBERTE, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL FOUNDER: Oh, my God. Actually, through a special night in Montreal in the month of June 2000. George and I share, I guess, some -- a lot of things, one in common. We are passionate of racing. So for many years, we -- we met each other at racing tracks, Formula One.
But one year he came into Montreal and we organized a party there. And I play golf, so I invite all my businesspeople, friends, on a special night, on a Sunday night. And it goes on all night.
And George was invited by our common friend that we had. And he arrived in the place we were in and it was my magical garden. And he was supposed to come only for 30 minutes, say hello, pay a polite visit to us. And, in the end, he stayed with us all night. He jammed with the musicians there.
KING: And did he come up with this idea?
LALIBERTE: Well, actually when he left, he said -- he said, "I would like to talk to you again."
And I said, "Listen, we're (INAUDIBLE). I just want to be very careful about not engaging too much conversation. Then we had a conversation over the phone.
And he said, "Listen, I really enjoyed it. And that feeling I had at your place made me -- it reminds me of my own magical garden, which was your house."
KING: Did the process begin there...
LALIBERTE: Yes.
KING: ... And was it underway when George passed away?
LALIBERTE: Yes, totally. Totally. You know, there was two moments -- first, when he came to visit my house and then he invited me to visit his house. And he showed me, remember that day?
HARRISON: Um-hmm.
LALIBERTE: I spent an entire day visiting. He showed me all his property. And there, what happened, basically, is we dreamed together. It was not about having a precise vision of the show. It was about defining an emotion that we were looking to -- to maybe achieve in the encounter of Cirque du Soleil and The Beatles. And this what has been the driving force since the beginning.
KING: Yoko, you had to sign off on this, didn't you?
ONO: Yes, of course. But I was nervous first and then I thought, well, it's a good idea anyway, so.
KING: Did you have any questions?
ONO: Well, you know, the thing...
KING: He says yes.
ONO: (LAUGHTER).
Well, yes. OK. Well, I was a little bit (INAUDIBLE)...
LALIBERTE: (INAUDIBLE) enjoyed it. Yoko was bringing us, you know, it was so important for us to have the collaboration and the input of everybody...
ONO: Sure.
LALIBERTE: ... Because for us, it was the dream of George was to -- to at least, once again, having that creative force working together and contribute to a creative project, at least one more time before (INAUDIBLE)...
(CROSSTALK)
LALIBERTE: And this is what really happened.
ONO: And I just have to protect John, as well, of course, you know. So, John's songs are very important for me and -- and I just have to say a few things.
KING: What was it like, Olivia, the first time you saw it done?
HARRISON: Oh, well, I think the first time we went to rehearsals in Montreal we were stunned. I mean that would have done it for us at that time.
But, you know, being part of the brainstorming and -- and visiting and seeing the costumes and then we were in the studio together with George and Giles Martin. The whole creative process was just so uplifting and energetic and such a great exchange.
KING: Were they easy to work with, Guy?
The truth.
LALIBERTE: The truth -- the truth is -- is creatively, yes, because, you know, everybody there had the history, their heart put in it, the will to make it a success. But there was a lot of nervosity (ph) and emotion, especially coming from Yoko and Olivia.
KING: Well, let me tell you the audience, it pays off. If you're in Vegas you must see Love. I mean it's incredible.
You're all going to see it again tonight after the show.
When we come back, Paul and Ringo.
Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That was nuts.
MCCARTNEY: Yes.
KING: Anyway, we're celebrating the one year anniversary of Love, the Cirque du Soleil presentation of The Beatles here at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.
Joining us now, Paul McCartney, the former Beatle. His latest album is "Memory Almost Full." I love that title. It's holding at number three on the Billboard 200 List and he's gotten some tremendous reviews. And Ringo Starr, the other former living Beatle. Ringo's EMI catalog goes into global digital release August 28th, a career spanning collection of Ringo's best solo recordings -- "Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr," will be released on the same date.
The only two men who can say, living men who can say I was a Beatle.
Do you guys keep in touch?
MCCARTNEY: Yes.
KING: You talk often?
STARR: All the time.
MCCARTNEY: We go on the Larry King show and things like that.
STARR: Yes.
KING: What do you make of this?
What do you make of this whole thing?
MCCARTNEY: Well, of this whole evening...
KING: Of this, yes.
MCCARTNEY: It's fantastic. It's really beautiful. It's a -- it's great show, so we come out and see a show together. That's great -- with the girls.
STARR: I mean we've supported the show from the start and, you know...
KING: Were you surprised...
STARR: ... It's a year later and the dedication of the plaque so.
KING: When you first saw the show, The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil, what did you think?
MCCARTNEY: When we first saw it or when we first heard about the collaboration?
KING: When you first heard.
MCCARTNEY: When we first heard about it, I think we loved Cirque du Soleil anyway. We had seen a few of their shows. Actually, George brought me here years ago to see -- oh, he was so in love with what they did. And so I fell in love with what they did. And then the idea came that we might do a show together. And the thing was yes, OK, the two things sound good together, but what are we going to do?
What's it going to be? I kept saying it's like we're going to be in a film with Spielberg (INAUDIBLE) Spielberg. That's great.
But what's the script?
MCCARTNEY: And, you know, the French guys are sort of saying -- the French Canadian guys were...
STARR: And it's in black and white.
MCCARTNEY: Yes. (INAUDIBLE)...
(CROSSTALK)
MCCARTNEY: It's going to be good, you know what I'm saying?
But pretty soon they came up with some sensational ideas.
KING: Did you like it right away, Ringo?
STARR: I did. I did. You know, I mean, it had its process to go through. I loved the way -- where the music was going, you know?
We had all that and the five point wand (ph). And then, you know, we saw the show and it was so exciting. You know, it was really exciting. And I haven't seen it since. But the ladies went last night.
KING: What did (INAUDIBLE)...
STARR: I mean, we're going tonight, but the ladies went and said it's changed. So it will be really exciting.
KING: Do you guys, frankly, pinch yourselves?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: I mean, do you -- do you get up in the morning and say, jeez?
MCCARTNEY: I pinch him.
STARR: Yes, yes.
KING: No, I mean -- you know what I mean?
MCCARTNEY: In the morning.
STARR: And I pinch him.
MCCARTNEY: And he pinches me.
KING: It's getting risky.
STARR: But (INAUDIBLE)...
MCCARTNEY: Yes, well, we're risky kind of guys. STARR: Anyway, no...
MCCARTNEY: ... Even on national television. We just don't care.
KING: (LAUGHTER).
STARR: It's got...
MCCARTNEY: Come on, pinch.
(CROSSTALK)
STARR: ... Once a day, otherwise it gets...
MCCARTNEY: I mean that's my pinch for the day.
STARR: Tell him. He wants to know. Tell him.
MCCARTNEY: Well, Larry, you know what? It is true, of course, we do.
KING: Come on, you changed the world.
MCCARTNEY: We were just kids from Liverpool.
KING: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: And, yes, it is quite amazing, because as time goes on, it kind of becomes more and more of a phenomenon.
KING: It grows.
MCCARTNEY: And the young kids, you know, talk about it like as if it's history, which it is.
STARR: I think the most exciting thing is that, you know, we expect people our age to know the music. But, actually, a lot of the kids know the music. And if anything is left, we have left really good music. And that's the important part, not the mop tops or whatever, you know?
KING: You joined them after they were...
STARR: Nothing.
KING: You made them?
MCCARTNEY: We were nothing...
STARR: They were nothing.
MCCARTNEY: We were nothing until he joined us.
STARR: And then I joined and then they got this record deal and look what happened.
MCCARTNEY: Yes.
Now, I shouldn't...
STARR: Everybody feels that, that they were...
MCCARTNEY: No, we were good. You wanted to join us. You begged to join us.
KING: Ah!
STARR: I didn't beg.
MCCARTNEY: We were really good.
STARR: Yes, yes, sure.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Were you -- all of you friendly?
I mean did it...
MCCARTNEY: We, I'll tell you. OK, I can tell you this. We loved him, because we were in Hamburg and we were a good little group...
KING: Big in Germany.
MCCARTNEY: We were -- yes.
STARR: In Hamburg.
MCCARTNEY: In Hamburg. Not Germany, just Hamburg.
But Ringo was in this other group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. And we just thought he was the very best drummer we'd ever seen. And we wanted him in the group. It was kind of like that. So we were big fans of his.
STARR: And I was big fans of theirs.
KING: Did you think...
STARR: That's how it went.
KING: Did you think The Beatles would make it, make it?
STARR: We thought we'd be really big in Liverpool.
KING: No, you -- really...
STARR: Yes, really.
KING: Big at home?
STARR: And then we were sort of big in London, you know, England. MCCARTNEY: (INAUDIBLE).
STARR: Then Sweden and Denmark. I mean, we didn't just do it overnight. We had to go on a lot of planes.
KING: When it took off and you -- that first trip to the United States, what was that like?
MCCARTNEY: That was something else, I must say. We didn't know that that crowd and that pandemonium was going to be at the airport. We took off and we knew it was going to be good. And we were -- you know, the thing is, we were pretty sure of ourselves. You had to be, you know, to do what we did. So we knew we were good. We had had a degree of success. But we didn't know that was going to greet us. So we...
STARR: No, we didn't know it would be that big.
MCCARTNEY: We came down the steps...
STARR: But to backtrack a little bit, George had actually come on holiday to America. And we were used to, in Europe, the big crowds and the adulation. And he came back and -- because he was going into record stores saying, you know, have you got The Beatles?
They would say, "I never heard of them."
And he came back and he said, "Oh, it's going to be really hard. They don't know us over there."
But by the time we arrived, it was great.
KING: And what a story.
Where were you when -- when John passed?
MCCARTNEY: When John passed I was in Sussex, at my home in Sussex. That's where I was.
KING: Did somebody call you?
MCCARTNEY: Yes, my manager at the time called me. And it was just the shock of all shocks, you know?
KING: George, where were you?
MCCARTNEY: George!
KING: Ringo.
MCCARTNEY: No, this is Ringo here.
KING: Ringo, where were you?
STARR: I was in the Bahamas.
KING: I was getting to (INAUDIBLE) George.
STARR: I was...
MCCARTNEY: No, you weren't, Larry. You said his name wrong.
STARR: Shut up, it's my turn.
MCCARTNEY: I know, but he got your name wrong, Ringo, on national television.
STARR: I know. Give him a break.
MCCARTNEY: We can't cut it. It's live.
STARR: Anyway, I was in the Bahamas and the kids called and they said we've heard something, like John has been hurt.
I'm like what?
And then we got a call that John had actually been seriously hurt. And we just got a plane to New York, said hello to Yoko. You know, you don't know what to do. I mean it was so weird. And then it was so crazy there. And I didn't think we were helping the situation, because there was another fab (ph) in town. Then we went back to L.A.
But I was in the Bahamas.
KING: Was George's passing expected?
STARR: Yes.
KING: Because you knew how sick he was?
STARR: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: Yes. We -- we all knew and he knew. But it was great. You know, in all these -- well, in, actually, in John's case -- I was going to say in all these tragedies. In George's case, in that tragedy, there were some good things about it. In John's case there weren't.
But with George, I got to see him...
KING: Oh, you did?
MCCARTNEY: ... A short time before he died. And it was just the best because we just -- we sat like this, if you don't mind. We sat and just stroking hands like this. And this is a guy, you know, I'd known since he was a little kid. And you don't stroke hands with guys like that. You know, it was just beautiful. And we just...
STARR: Not unless you're secure.
MCCARTNEY: We just spent a couple of hours and it was really lovely. It was like a favorite memory of mine. KING: We'll be right back with -- on this auspicious, wonderful occasion -- right back with more of Paul and Ringo.
Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Look what I have written. It says here...
MCCARTNEY: You're winging it, Larry.
KING: We're back with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and a mandolin!
STARR: Hey!
MCCARTNEY: Hey!
(SINGING) Everybody going to dance tonight, everybody going to feel all right. Everybody going to dance around tonight. You can come on my place if you want to. You can do the thing you want to do.
STARR: Great!
KING: That commercial for that record with you in a kind of a cartoon figure walking. Was that your idea?
MCCARTNEY: No, it was their idea. They are very clever people.
KING: It's really is a great spot. And the album is doing great, right?
MCCARTNEY: It's doing great, thank you. Yes.
KING: You couldn't drum with him on that?
STARR: I couldn't drum with him on that because he was in another country.
KING: You would have used him though.
MCCARTNEY: Oh, yes, I've used him all the time.
KING: Let's get up to something ... STARR: Get the orchestra ready.
KING: Let's get to something current. How are you doing, Ringo?
STARR: Really well.
KING: Life treating you well?
STARR: You know, life is great.
KING: Everything good, the wife good?
STARR: The wife is great.
KING: The wife is gorgeous, too.
STARR: She's gorgeous and she's great.
KING: And you live in California, right?
STARR: No, I live in Monte Carlo.
KING: Oh.
STARR: I have a home in California.
KING: I knew that.
STARR: And I have a home in England, of course, but, that's where we live.
KING: With the swells.
STARR: Yes.
KING: And Paul, how are you adjusting to what was tumultuous times?
MCCARTNEY: I'm OK. Thank you, Larry. Thank you for asking. I'm doing surprisingly well.
KING: I mean, that had to be rough.
MCCARTNEY: It is currently rough.
KING: Still rough.
MCCARTNEY: It is very rough, yes. But I don't talk about it, and that helps.
KING: That's fair enough. But life is -- aside from that ...
MCCARTNEY: Life is good. Life is good. Life is wonderful, and with friends like these, who needs life?
KING: Musically, neither of you has to keep on going, correct? You don't need it financially?
STARR: Yes, well, reverse that.
KING: What do you mean?
STARR: You don't need to do it either, but this is what we do. You know what I mean? Still playing, yes, that's what I do.
KING: I love what I do.
STARR: You're still playing, yes, that's what I do. That's what he does.
MCCARTNEY: It's true.
STARR: You know.
MCCARTNEY: True, we do it because we love it. We know, it's something that we just love to do, and you know what? The audiences still like it so while they like it...
STARR: We'll do it.
KING: So the drive is not for -- how much the record sells? It's how well do they like the record?
MCCARTNEY: It's how much you like it.
STARR: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: For me, it's the self-satisfaction thing. Playing music is something that I like. I think if you don't like it, people aren't going to like it.
STARR: I think it's a thrill that a lot of people like the records, but you make it for yourself. And, you know, that's -- that's what you do. You're not just saying oh, they will love this, they will love that.
KING: Do you still get a kick hearing the music of The Beatles?
STARR: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: Oh, yes.
KING: Like when we come back...
STARR: Oh, I love all that.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: They were a good group.
MCCARTNEY: Good group, man.
STARR: And all the clips are so great. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
KING: So when you watch the show tonight, and that music comes on and you're watching the dancers and the gymnasts. And -- you still get a kick out of hearing ...
MCCARTNEY: Oh, yes.
STARR: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: It really is fantastic. When we were at the premiere of it, we were getting quite emotional, you know, because it transports you back to actually making it, and the music in this show is so clear that, for instance, Ringo's drums, which were like the central glue in the whole band, you hear them so clear. It's like a miracle, you know.
STARR: We actually raised them up a bit, which is good.
MCCARTNEY: Buried in mixers. And you realize just how good we were.
KING: Central glue, wait a minute, the drums are the key to The Beatles.
STARR: Oh, yes.
MCCARTNEY: Oh, I think so. I think the bass was terrific, too.
(CROSSTALK)
MCCARTNEY: Bass was really good as well.
STARR: The bass was brilliant.
MCCARTNEY: I thought so.
STARR: And he's still the most melodic bass player on the planet.
KING: What does that mean?
STARR: It means he's melodic. No, he plays really cool bass and plays underlines and over lines over the basic rhythm that a bass would usually play.
KING: What do you think you've meant in this scheme of things? You came through in the '60s. The world changed. Do you feel The Beatles were part of the impact of that change?
MCCARTNEY: Yes, I think part of it, yes. We weren't it all, but we were kind of spokesmen for it. And it's really gratifying now for people to stop you in the street and go, thanks for the music. You know, you saved my life. And you hear so much of that, that it is just a privilege to have been ...
STARR: Part of it.
MCCARTNEY: ... part of those four guys, you know. We were two of those four guys and it's fantastic.
STARR: Underlying all of that, as lads, which we were. I mean, for me personally, I'm an only child and then I had three brothers. Who, you know, supported me and pointed out if I was going mad. Or, you know, pointed out the joy of life, you know, when it was a down day. You know, and so I've always loved that, that, you know, the human contact amongst us was so great. No one else could talk to us...
MCCARTNEY: Can I touch you? Can I stroke you?
KING: You know I can't tell you ...
MCCARTNEY: It's true, though. No, we ...
KING: We'll take a break and bring all four on, the widows and the living.
STARR: Widow (inaudible).
KING: I want to tell you something. No, in all seriousness, I don't get emotional on this show.
STARR: OK.
KING: This is really incredible.
STARR: Yes.
KING: Sitting around you guys. You changed the world.
MCCARTNEY: You know, it's ...
KING: Incredible.
MCCARTNEY: ... something we're very proud of. And ...
KING: You ought to be.
MCCARTNEY: ... like you say, you pinch yourself.
STARR: Yes.
KING: We'll be right back ...
STARR: Yes!
KING: ... all four of them. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
KING: And we're in the revolution lounge.
STARR: Yes.
KING: Here in Las Vegas with Ringo and Paul. I said that they will all be gathering with us in the next break, but we wanted to show you a little package first and get their reaction to it.
The Cirque Du Soleil's production of The Beatles is a unique entertainment experience. But behind the mind-blowing on-stage magic, a lot of dedicated creative energy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC CHAMPAGNE, DIRECTOR, "LOVE": The potential of this show is so great. The talent of these guys is -- is already like at a very great level. But we know we can push, like The Beatles did, they pushed the boundaries of their own music, so we want to push with this show for the best.
KING: What makes the way these songs are done so special?
GILES MARTIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR: Well, it's a new take. It gives people a chance to peel back the layers of dust, I suppose, that have gathered in 40 years. I mean, it's like listening to them as though they're playing in the room. You know, the Beatles were in their 20s when they were playing. Here, in this studio, and in the theater, they are still in their 20s.
KING: Everything that happens has to fit the song that's playing?
CHAMPAGNE: Yes. So normally, we build our show and the music would follow and support. Now, we have to work on the music. So basically what we've done -- I went to London working with George Martin and Giles Martin, his son.
MARTIN: What we did is we took the masters from Abbey Road, we digitized them, brought them over to Vegas, and produced the music for the show in a way where we were replicating everything we heard on Abbey Road. So what we have on the computer here are the master tapes.
KING: Can we hear a little sound?
MARTIN: I'll show you what we did for the beginning. This is the very beginning of "Come Together," so the drums you're hearing here are actually from another song. We just put them in the end of "Abbey Road," and what you get is "Get Back," another song, starts underneath it. So these are two songs.
KING: Let's listen.
(MUSIC)
CHAMPAGNE: We decided to bring the rollerblade on stage for a very amazing acrobatic moment based on the "Help" song, where the Beatles are so glorious, but still like looking for somewhere to escape.
KING: See you tonight.
CHAMPAGNE: So I decided to bring the walrus into this universe, as the free mind that would turn this sad world into a colorful world.
KING: What is that called?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCCARTNEY: Looks just like you, Larry.
KING: We could be twin brothers.
MCCARTNEY: I know. Just the same.
STARR: (inaudible) that shirt?
KING: What do you think of all that behind-the-scenes stuff?
MCCARTNEY: It's great. Yeah, we've seen a lot of it, you know, because we've been visiting them and encourage them and stuff.
KING: When music is remastered, as they were showing us, Mr. Martin, what does that mean to you as a musician?
STARR: Well, actually, that was not only remastered. That was put into a system that made it 5.1, which made it surround sound. When we made a lot of that music, it was just mono, which went to stereo, and now it's gone to the surround sound 5.1.
But the incredible thing, when you hear it, is that, you know, Paul and I went to listen to the music in 5.1, and we go, whoa, listen to that. You know, you can hear everything now. Things that we buried a lot. It's all very clear, so it's really great to hear it.
KING: So it's improving it?
STARR: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: It's improving it, yes. You know, I would say that, like, you know, most historic stuff goes down with age, you know? Winston Churchill's old papers go brown and crinkly, while our music gets brighter and shinier.
KING: Modern technology.
MCCARTNEY: How do they do it.
KING: How do they do it? We don't know.
MCCARTNEY: How do they do it.
STARR: Next year, it will be 10.1.
KING: We'll be back with Paul, Ringo, Yoko, Olivia and Guy. All next. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up at the top of the hour on "360," while Washington talks, the battle on the border is heating up. Tonight, we're keeping them honest, showing what has and hasn't been done on the border while politicians debate. We'll show you how violent criminals can sneak across, and take you to an American town that's adopted Spanish as its official language. Sound incredible? Get this: They're also giving a pass to any illegal who makes it there.
We're also going to take a look at the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, who police say murdered his wife and child before killing himself. And we'll dig into the facts of the case and into the details of why so many professional wrestlers die young. That and more at the top of the hour on "360."
(MUSIC)
KING: You know, this is historic. They are all together. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
A couple of questions as we swing around for each.
Is it hard, Olivia, to look at George?
HARRISON: Well, it's, you know, the nature of duality. It's great to look at him, and, of course, it's, you know, it's very emotional, too.
KING: So it's -- mixed emotions?
HARRISON: Yes, I was trying to avoid that word bittersweet, you know, but it is like that.
KING: Yoko, what's it like to look at John?
ONO: Well, ditto. I mean, it's just -- it's very difficult sometimes. I feel that I got used to sort of just watch these movies and all that, but when I saw the stage, at one point suddenly I just got choked up. I don't know why.
KING: Do you get nervous about every performance, Guy?
LALIBERTE: No.
KING: You've got, what, how many Cirque du Soleils going now?
LALIBERTE: I have 13, over 1,000 artist.
KING: I mean, like you sit up at night and think, oh, he's going to fall?
LALIBERTE: We know where things are risky more than in other place, and of course there's always a little moment of tension, but I have great confidence in people working for me.
KING: Ringo, do you have to play drums a lot? Do you have to keep in shape?
STARR: No.
MCCARTNEY: In a word.
(CROSSTALK)
STARR: I've never been able to, like, sit around on my own and play drums. You know, like practice in the bathroom. Never been able to. I've always played with other musicians.
ONO: That's unique, isn't it?
STARR: That's how I play. There's no joy for me just to be on my own, bashing away. I need a bass player, piano, guitar, whatever, and now I can play.
KING: And when you're drumming...
STARR: That's right.
KING: ... do you know how good they are singing?
STARR: Well, I play with the singer. If you listen to the Beatles songs, the tracks...
KING: You played for the singer?
STARR: I played for the singer, because if he's singing, there's no good in me boogeying all over the kit, you know what I mean? So it's just stay out, hold the time. If it needs to be raised, you raise it, bring it down.
You know, and in the band we're talking about, we had a lot of good singing.
KING: What made the Beatles, Paul, musically special? What did they do that people weren't doing?
MCCARTNEY: That's a good question. I don't really think I know. We were just very good. I think individually, we were kind of talented people, but when we came together, something special happened.
When I started writing with John, it was sort of a magical thing that grew. We developed. Not everyone developed quite as much as we did.
KING: You can't plan that, though, can you?
MCCARTNEY: No, not really. We were also very sure of ourselves. I wouldn't call it conceited, but we just knew we were good, and we knew we were going to do very well. We didn't know how it was going to happen, but we knew -- people would say to me at the time, do you think your stuff is going to be standards, you know, like Sinatra stuff? And I would go yes, and they would say, ah. And I would say, no, it's true. You just felt it.
KING: Guy, is it -- was it difficult to stage to that music?
LALIBERTE: Listen, the pressure is enormous.
KING: I bet.
LALIBERTE: We were just a bunch of little of kids from Quebec, Montreal, you know, achieving...
KING: With a bunch of little kids from England.
LALIBERTE: Well, exactly, and I think this is where...
HARRISON: From Liverpool.
LALIBERTE: ... we -- this is where we connect, because at the end, we share the same values. We believe in a better world, and we are love carriers. And they did that with their songs and music; we're doing that with our show, and this is where we connect.
MCCARTNEY: That's the big key to it all. The show is called "Love." I think one of the things that we're probably proudest of -- I certainly am -- is that the message was always love, in any form we portrayed it. And that's something to be really proud of.
KING: Did George miss the group?
HARRISON: Yes, I think he did, you know. All of them had their own time apart, but, yes, I think he did. I think he always liked to have -- he used to say to me sometimes, you know, I wish you played the saxophone, or, you know, or I wish you were a drummer.
KING: Did John miss it?
ONO: Well, you know, I must say that the first time I met them, so to speak, I was really surprised that they had a sense of humor. And that was a big thing, because, you know, all the composers that I used to meet, meet up or do things together, they were very serious people. Composers were serious.
KING: These guys weren't.
ONO: And these guys were hey, you know. There was a fun element.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: We're running close on time, because we have a big finale coming up here. Oh, we have got a production -- a production finale. We're all going to go out, we're going to be next to the theater, the show is going to begin. By the way, we had a quick vote on our Web site, CNN.com/larryking. We asked you to pick your favorite Beatles album. What won?
MCCARTNEY: What won?
KING: "Abbey Road" won, followed by "Sergeant Pepper," and "The White Album" came in third.
Tomorrow night's guest is Paris Hilton. You may have heard of her. Head to our Web site, CNN.com/larryking, and you can send an e- mail for Paris. You can also send a video mail. Send a timeline and participate in a quick vote. It's all on CNN.com/larryking.
The whole crew and I are heading for the theater. Don't go away.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
KING: All right. Well, we're back stage. The whole crew is here. Right?
(APPLAUSE)
(inaudible) Cirque du Soleil and the Beatles love show. And what we're going to do now is -- oh, my gosh. It's almost showtime. We're going to walk into the theater. I'll -- I'll sort of lead the way. And is that it? We'll all go in together.
Come. Come on. Join in.
OK. Folks. What can I tell you? Cirque du Soleil and the Beatles have combined on "Love." The show is a year old tonight. We're in this fantastic theater, where this audience is about to see this incredible show. Hope you'll all enjoy it, too. My little boys are here. The wife, the (inaudible), the gathering of friends. McCartney, Ringo, the whole crew. Everybody here. What a night.
"AC 360" with Anderson Cooper is next. I'll see you tomorrow night.
(MUSIC)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
