The John Lennon You Never Knew
I’ve always loved the Beatles, despite Paul McCartney’s unfortunate habit of saying stupid things and the late John Lennon’s lamentable communistic and atheistic sentiments as expressed in the song “Imagine.”
Sir McCartney is still a helpless cause. But it turns out that Lennon's "no possessions, no religion" reputation was more fiction than fact. In late 1980, shortly before his untimely death, Lennon sat for his last major interview with Playboy. The interview revealed a man much more complex and much less naïve than the caricature of Lennon propagated by his adoring fans would suggest. Jordan Michael Smith at @TAC highlights some of the most surprising parts of the interview.
John Lennon on foreign aid:
When it was pointed out that a Beatles reunion could possibly raise $200 million for a poverty-stricken country in South America, Lennon had no time for it. “You know, America has poured billions into places like that. It doesn’t mean a damn thing. After they’ve eaten that meal, then what? It lasts for only a day. After the $200,000,000 is gone, then what? It goes round and round in circles…You can pour money in forever. After Peru, then Harlem, then Britain. There is no one concert. We would have to dedicate the rest of our lives to one world concert tour, and I’m not ready for it.”
When it came to politics, Lennon admitted to having been motivated by guilt more than anything. He explained away his liberal activism of the sixties and seventies almost as an atonement for the sin of being rich.
“I dabbled in so-called politics in the late Sixties and Seventies more out of guilt than anything,” he revealed. “Guilt for being rich, and guilt thinking that perhaps love and peace isn’t enough and you have to go and get shot or something, or get punched in the face, to prove I’m one of the people. I was doing it against my instincts.”
John Lennon the atheist? Complete fiction.
“People got the image I was anti-Christ or antireligion,” he said. “I’m not at all. I’m a most religious fellow. I’m religious in the sense of admitting there is more to it than meets the eye. I’m certainly not an atheist.”
And perhaps what rehabilitated John Lennon’s image for me, more than anything else:
Lennon died as something of an individualist. “Produce your own dream,” he advised in lieu of getting involved in politics. “If you want to save Peru, go save Peru. It’s quite possible to do anything, but not if you put it on the leaders and the parking meters. Don’t expect Carter or Reagan or John Lennon or Yoko Ono or Bob Dylan or Jesus Christ to come and do it for you. You have to do it yourself.”
- Comment (14)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
May '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Wow. I blame Halliburton.
Nov '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
But...but...this cannot be! <gleeful smirk> I love the Beatles' music--they are the foundation of my musical being. But I have some very airheaded lefty friends who will be most upset at this.
The interview will be suppressed, no doubt.
May '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
I have seen those sentiments before. Mark Steyn quoted them in his review of the Imagine musical a few years ago....
Found it. Here's the article reprinted on a blog (almost certainly a violation of copyright law.)
May '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
He seemed to get more simple and real as his life went on. I remember reading an interview where John was praising the rock-a-billy tunes of the late 50's as quintessential rock 'n roll, as opposed to the mindful stuff. Music for music, not message. I think when people paint you as they want to see you, like they did Dylan, you tend to see the hoax in it a little easier.
Jul '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Lennon very consciously built that public facade to play up to that crowd. That he wanted to distance himself from that as the audience shifted away is not a surprise, but just as self-serving.
Jul '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Somewhere in the dim recesses of my mind, I remember reading that, when John Lennon was living in the US and seeking US citizenship, he asked for and received help from William F. Buckley, Jr. Has anyone else heard this? I remember wondering what it meant, but I assumed it was just another example of WFB's famous ability to keep his friendships entirely separated from his politics.
Maybe it was more significant than I thought.
Aug '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Thanks Diane . Most of the stuff I have read about John led me to believe he was just another genius junkie utopian. Nice to see rehabilitation going on.
He was the one that made the difference. "Cerebral like John" was the satori I aspired to in that difficult period 14 -21. Then they just quit , junk like Plastic Ono Band would crop up. Harrison was a poor substitute, besides where the heck was Bangla Desh anyway ?
McCartney being the survivor is pop culture justice.
As we sat at lunch yesterday, some recalled exactly where they were when they heard about Pearl Harbor. I looked at the guy next to me, and we were both thinking about JFK, as that was our generations signature memory. But I ,being the youngest, had another signature moment, and that was hearing about John being shot. I remember calling FTD and ordering them to take white flowers to Central Park .
It was a signature moment in my life's culture. It was the day the music died for me. Thanks for dismantling my cynicism. Now please tell me when I can let my 14 yr old daughter hear Working Class Hero ?
Sep '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Well dammit. I have nothing to add other than that I feel like a complete mook. I've happily hated that Hippy-Dippy mutt ever since I saw him lying (is that the way to spell that?) around in his hotel room with Yoko. I have secretly enjoyed tweaking my left-wing ex-hippy friends (I have more than I can easily explain) about what an utter useless prig Lennon was. Now I find out I was dead bang wrong. I owe the man an apology - although I still can't stand Yoko - and I hope he's around somewhere to hear it. Thanks Diane. It's never too late to get your facts straight, no matter how much you loved the illusions. Carsten
Edited on Dec 8, 2010 at 9:50amAug '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
He's still a dead beat dad. Right?
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Jeff S.:
The interview will be suppressed, no doubt. · Dec 7 at 8:36pm
I find it most bizarre that the interview's been out for 30 years now, even in the form of a book (All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono), and yet very few people had any idea it existed. It must have been intentionally ignored because of it's shocking contents. That, and the paperback edition of the book runs you a minimum of $100 (but you can get it on Kindle for $4.99!).
Nov '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
I'm not sure what this changes. I'd have a drink with the man, but I still loathe the ideas he put out there (intentionally or not.) It's rather like finding out Paul Krugman is secretly an Austrian school economist and has simply been blowing smoke all these years. Well, what now? I can't honestly say I like the guy.
May '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
How terrible it would be to witness a work I greatly regret producing as it continued to lead people in the wrong direction. Regret is difficult enough without seeing the effects of one's mistakes live on.
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Diane Ellis, Ed.
I find it most bizarre that the interview's been out for 30 years now...
Scratch that. I was mistaken. From the AP:
Aug '10
Re: The John Lennon You Never Knew
Diane
I don't know if you revisit the old posts, but I started downloading the boxset last night driving my daughter back from dance. We just listened and sometimes she had heard the songs (14 yrs old and I'm 59), now I am sitting here after work, watching the sun go down and having a martini and thanking God that you helped me make my peace with John.
Thanks so much, what a wimp I am listening to "Im Only Sleeping"............
Edited on Dec 9, 2010 at 3:26pm