 Following a year of highly publicised peace campaigning by the Lennons in 1969 , Apple press officer Derek Taylor was concerned that they had exhausted the media 's interest in their causes . On 4 February 1970 , Lennon and Ono donated a large plastic bag full of their hair , along with Apple 's poster for the new single , to north London @-@ based black power activist Michael X , in return for a pair of Muhammad Ali 's bloodstained boxing shorts . The " final proof " of the Lennons ' " overexpose [ ure ] " , according to Taylor , was that there was a large press turnout for the event yet " nobody printed anything " . 
