( APPLAUSE )
WE'RE BACK WITH THE DIRECTOR OF
"THE BEATLES: GET BACK," PETER JACKSON.
ONE THING THAT REALLY SURPRISED ME-- AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO
SURPRISE A LOT OF PEOPLE-- IS THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT BILLY
PRESTON IS OFTEN CALLED "THE FIFTH BEATLE "ALONG WITH GEORGE
MARTIN.
AND HE WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSE TO BE ON THE ALBUM.
HE WAS JUST A FRIEND OF GEORGE'S WHO STOPPED BY.
AND THEY HAD, "WE WERE SAYING WE NEEDED A PIANO PLAYER.
COULD YOU SIT IN?
AND HE SAYS, AND THALDZ, "CAN YOU STAY."
>> WHAT'S FUNNY ABOUT IT IS THEY'RE WRITING THESE SONGS AND
A LOT OF THE SONGS HAS A KEYBOARD.
AND EITHER JOHN OR PAUL HAS TO PUT THEIR GUITAR DOWN AND PLAY
THE KEYBOARD.
THE BEATLES HAVE BECOME ONE GUITAR DOWN WHEN IT COMES TO THE
KEYBOARD.
AND THEY STARTED TO TALK ABOUT-- BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DO THEM
LIVE.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO OVERDUB THEM.
"WE NEED A KEYBOARDIST."
AND THEIR OLD FR&END WALKS IN TO SAY HI, GREAT KEYBOARD PLAYER.
AND JOHN, "WE NEED A KEYBOARD PLAYER.
DO YOU WANT TO SIT THERE?" AND IT'S KIND OF-- IT'S
HILARIOUSLY FUNNY.
BUT HE GOES, "OH, YEAH."
AND WITHIN MINUTES HE'S DOING THESE GREAT KEYBOARD THINGS THAT
ARE IN THESE SONGS THAT YOU RECOGNIZE IN THESE SONGS AND
IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.
IT'S FUNNY.
>> Stephen: WHEN HE ARRIVES IT'S A TONAL CHANGE.
IT'S LIKE SOMEONE TURNED ON AN AIR CONDITIONER IN THE ROOM.
>> THE EXCITEMENT.
>> Stephen: SUCH EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY THERE.
WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.
>> OH, YEAH, GREAT.
>> Stephen: OF BILLY PLAYING WITH THE BEATLES.
JIM ♪ DON'T LET ME DOWN
DON'T LET ME DOWN.
>> THAT'S GREAT.
YOU'RE GIVING US A LIFT, BILL.
CHOKING, YOUR VOICE IS CHOKING.
I JUST WISH I HAD YESTERDAY'S VOICE BUT TODAY'S BACKING.
I WAS SWINGING YESTERDAY, VOICE-WISE, THAT IS.
I'VE JUST GONE OVER THE TOP ♪ DON'T LET ME DOWN ...DOWN!
♪ DON'T LET ME DOWN ♪ AND FROM THE FIRST TIME THAT
SHE REALLY DONE ME OH, SHE DONE ME
♪ SHE CONDITION ME GOOD ♪ SOME TEA AND SANDWICHES.
>> SANDWICHES?
>> Stephen: IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
>> I MEAN, WHAT'S ALSO AMAZING, APART FROM THE "LET IT BE
"SONGS.
YOU SEE SOLO SONGS, FUTURE SOLO SONGS THAT THEY'LL NEVER DO AS
BEATLES, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW THAT AND START DOING THEM.
THERE'S A MOMENT WHEN JOHN AND PAUL ARE WORKING ON "GIVE ME
SOME TRUTH."
AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT PAUL McCARTNEY WAS INVOLVE PD.
AND HE'S CLEARLY COWRITTEN A SONG.
THE NEXT TIME I SEE PAUL, I SAY, "I HAD NO IDEA, PAUL, THAT YOU
COWROTE "GIVE ME SOME TRUTH."
AND HE LOOKED APT ME AND SAID, "'GIVE ME SOME TRUTH'?
YOU MEAN JOHN'S SONG.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT."
I GET MY iPAD.
AND HE LOOKS AT IT AND HE SHAKES HIS HEAD AND SAYS, "I HAVE NO
MEMORY OF WORKING ON THAT SONG."
AND THEM HE SORT OF HAD A TWINKLE IN HIS EYE, AND SAID,
"THAT'S A REALLY GREAT JOB SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT
OF CREDIT FOR IT."
HE COULDN'T REMEMBER, HE COULDN'T REMEMBER HE WAS WORKING
ON "GIVE ME SOME TRUTH" WITH JOHN.
>> Stephen: PETER, I KNOW I SAID I WASN'T GOING TO MENTION
"THE LORD OF THE RINGS," BUT YOU MENTIONED "THE LORD OF THE
RINGS" BEFORE I DID, SO I FEEL LIKE I CAN ASK YOU THIS QUESTION
AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT.
I HAVE HEARD THAT THE BEATLES ACTUALLY WANTED TO MAKE "THE
LORD OF THE RINGS" MOVIE.
AND AS SOMEONE WHO MADE THE DEFINITIVE "THE LORD OF THE
RINGS" MOVIE AND NOW HAS SPENT ALL THESE YEARS WITH THE BEATLES
IN SUCH AN INTIMATE WAY, HOW WOULD YOU CAST JOHN, PAUL,
GEORGE AND RINGO, IF YOU WERE TO MAKE "THE LORD OF THE RINGS"
AGAIN?
WOULD YOU MAKE THEM THE HOBBITS?
>> WELL, I MEAN, I LIEB THE IDEA-- OBVIOUSLY, PAUL IS FRODO.
AREWE TALKING "THE LORD OF THE RINGS"?
WE ARE, OKAY.
OKAY.
NOT WHAT I THOUGHT THIS CONVERSATION WOULD BE.
OKAY, PAUL IS OBVIOUSLY FRODO.
I MEAN, AND SAM IS OBVIOUSLY RINGO, ISN'T IT?
THEN YOU HAVE... WELL, JOHN'S GOLAN ISN'T HE?
THEY CAST THEMSELVES AND DID IT RIGHT.
GANDALF, AND GEORGE THE MYSTIC, MAGICIAN, IS PERFECT.
WE HAVE TO AGE HIM UP A BIT.
IF YOU HAD TO HAVE GOL AN, AND FOUR BEATLES, JOHN LENNON IS THE
OBVIOUSLY ONE, ABSOLUTELY, SLAM DUNK.
>> Stephen: PETER, THANKS AGAIN.
THIS HAS BEEN GREAT.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> Stephen: THANKS AGAIN TO PETER JACKSON!
HIS STUNNING DOCUMENTARY SERIES "THE BEATLES: GET BACK"
PREMIERES TOMORROW ON DISNEY+.
AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SHARE EVEN MORE OF MY CONVERSATION
WITH PETER ON THIS MONDAY'S EPISODE OF "THE LATE SHOW.
Y" WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
♪ ♪ ♪