Long-lost John Lennon interviews from Winnipeg-born journalist go up for auction

Growing up, Leo Zeilig had always known the story of how his dad once snagged a series of interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the late 1960s.

But it wasn't until recently, while stuck at home during pandemic lockdowns last year, that his sister stumbled across a box tucked away in her Los Angeles basement and they finally discovered what had become of those recordings from their late father, Winnipeg-born freelance journalist Ken Zeilig.

Inside the box were 12 reel-to-reel tapes holding three interviews — 91 minutes — of unaired audio of the iconic couple.

"They were the tapes of the interview of legend," Leo recounted from London.

"This incredible archive, this treasure trove of interviews, was just gathering dust."

The family was able to make digital copies of the recordings to hold on to for sentimental reasons, Leo said.

But the tapes themselves are now set to go to auction this week, where they're expected to fetch between $34,000 and nearly $53,000 CAD, U.K.-based auction house Omega Auctions says on its website.