Lennon had made the remark in during an interview with Maureen Cleave for the London Evening Standard. Datebook, a US teen magazine, quoted Lennon's comments in August, five months later, extensive protests broke out in the Southern United States. Some radio stations stopped playing Beatles songs, their records were publicly burned, press conferences were cancelled, and threats were made. The controversy coincided with the group's US tour in August 1966, and Lennon and Brian Epstein attempted to quell the dispute at a series of press conferences. Some tour events experienced disruption and intimidation, including a picketing by the Ku Klux Klan. The controversy contributed to The Beatles lack of interest in public live performances, and the US tour was the last they undertook, after which they became a studio-only band.
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