As you might have guessed, I have a pretty big library of books about popular music, and a fair percentage of them are books about the Beatles in their various guises. All of them often come in handy for my writings here and elsewhere... but there's one book that's always bothered me a bit. It's an anthology entitled The Lost Lennon Interviews, edited by Geoffrey Giuliano and his wife. (Geoff Giuliano is one of those reporters who, when the National Enquirer runs pieces about John and/or Yoko, is extensively quoted as a "noted Beatle expert," but that's beside the point here).
What specifically bothers me is the teaser copy on the back of the book, which ends thusly: "Candid and provocative, this extraordinary book offers new insight into this timeless and troubled hero."
Hero?
John Lennon was a lot of very big, very wonderful things. Idol? Absolutely. Icon? Oh, yeah. Tragic symbol of a turbulent generation that wanted desperately to change the world? A little over-the-top and self-congratulatory, but sure, I'll give him that. But John Lennon was not a hero.
A hero is someone who performs acts of extraordinary courage and nobility; usually we use it to describe a person who has risked or sacrificed his/her life for a noble or courageous purpose. John McCain, now that's a hero. Rosa Parks is a hero. New York City firefighters. Arland D. Williams (look him up). Mother Flippin' Theresa. If you really need your entertainers to be heroes, you've got Ted Williams and Jimmy Stewart, who were both heroes of World War II. (Williams even voluntarily went back to the Army for Korea.) Heroism is a question of character.
John Lennon was a genius, an artist of the highest caliber, a man who wrote beautiful and emotional and hard-hitting songs that have universal messages and appeal directly to the human soul. But his character? Well, bluntly: he was a confessed philanderer, wife beater, and absentee family man; a cheerful junkie and sometime drunk; an emotionally immature fellow on his best day; a man of such self-importance that at separate times, he (1) told the Apple Records executives to stage a press conference so he could announce he was Jesus Christ, and (2) returned his MBE to the Queen, explaining that it was to protest Vietnam, Biafra, and his song falling off the charts.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eric Olsen
very fine post with important thoughts - I agree with your distinctions between hero and idol, life and art. Thanks Michael!
2 - DrPat
Wow, Michael - talk about sowing the wind! Thanks for sharing your assessment of Lennon's character so eloquently. I doubt it will prevent those whose reactions procede from their knees from taking exception...
3 - Bennett
Well written, well thought out, and a valuable guide in a world too quick to pin inappropriate labels on celebs and politicos.
Thanks for this, Michael.
4 - Al Barger
Michael, I appreciate what you're saying, but you've got one point way off that skewers the whole thing. That is, John Lennon himself never claimed to be a hero.
Indeed, that was exactly the point of "Working Class Hero" and the Plastic Ono Band album- tearing down a falsified mythology. "I don't believe in Beatles." He's not a hero by the song, but just another kid who's been "tortured and scared for twenty odd years."
He did somewhat open himself up to some of this with "Imagine," but it's not really his fault. He pretty much just wrote that as another song. It was Yoko pimping that nonsense after he died, and pushing some martyrdom stuff. John himself would NEVER have approved of this.
5 - Michael J. West
Thanks Eric and DrPat! And I know you're right DrP.; in fact, one of the inspirations for this post was the guy on the "Overrated songs" thread who told UAO that he was going to Hell "for saying anything John Lennon did was bad." I'm almost hoping that whoever-that-was will have a comment for this entry....
6 - Michael J. West
Wait, Al. I never said that John Lennon called himself a hero. I implied it with the headline, certainly...but the fact that Lennon never called himself a hero doesn't skewer the whole thing. It just skewers the headline. The rest of this post couldn't GET farther away from saying Lennon considers himself a hero
And I don't blame Yoko, either; it was Lennon's fans who did this. As I'm saying, it's our nature to elevate our icons into Gods. It's not the nature of the icons themselves...although Lennon's conviction that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated is pretty much the definition of elevating himself into God, isn't it? :-D
7 - Evan
When did he claim he was Jesus Christ? I hope you're not referring to the press conference where he said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, because that's waaaay off what you claim. I'm really curious though, if you could provide a link or some more info about said press conference, it would be appreciated.
8 - Michael J. West
Hi Evan,
This is from an article about Lennon by one Jack Martin, which appeared The Ottawa [Canada] Citizen, September 2, 1988:
"John rose from behind his desk and addressed his colleagues. 'I've got something very important to tell you all,' he began. 'I am Jesus Christ come back again. This is my thing.' He demanded that Apple [the Beatles' record company] prepare a press release immediately announcing His return."
9 - Randy P/Tube
Nice piece. For me I've never thought about it until now. The closest I can say is The Beatles were Musical heroes. "Hero" has different meanings to each person. This is definitely one to think and reflect.
10 - Dave
John was a hero, it depends on your definition. He didn't run into a burning building and rescue a baby. But that's not the only definition of hero:
Hero (in classical mythology)was a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits. Fits Lennon
Champion: someone who fights for a cause. Fits Lennon
Or did you mean a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments)? That's a hero too, ya know? Doesn't fit Lennon. He was not a working class sandwhich.
See? Perspective my man, perspective. To me he was a hero. And really, that's all that matters.
11 - Michael J. West
I don't see what Lennon did that exhibited great strength or courage. I personally think that hitting your wife is pretty cowardly, and abandoning your family is pretty weak.
Nor do I really think he fought for a cause. So he showed up at a few protest rallies; he made the INCREDIBLY bold antiwar move of not getting out of bed for a week; and he wrote protest songs that he immediately distanced himself from when they didn't sell well (now THAT'S conviction).
You are right in that all that matters is he was a hero to you. It's the people who tell me that he was a hero to the whole human race that I have little time for.
12 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
fantastic article, Michael. i never considered John Lennon much of a hero, i gotta say, except maybe for a time in high school. John Lennon was obsessed with John Lennon, and his best work speaks about little else. but it's wonderful stuff, all the same.
and i must say, at the risk of plenty gnashing and wailing, i never considered Mother Teresa much of a hero either. i dunno that the folks who all "died with dignity" rather than being properly treated in her "hospitals" an the like would consider her much of a hero. i dunno that the folks who didn't accept Jesus Christ as their savior and so were kept from recieving even THAT pitiful "help" would consider her such either. and the folks lookin on as she accepted staggering ammounts of money that curiously never went towards any of the dying people she was "working for", i dunno that they would count her as much of a hero either.
but then, she didn't write anything as awful as "The Luck Of The Irish" and so maybe thats something.
13 - godoggo
I would imagine that there are one or two men who commit genuinely heroic acts and go home and beat their wives.
14 - Phillip Winn
He's no hero of mine.
Besides, his solo music was crap.
15 - carl olson
I've rarely read a more balanced account of an icon. Everyday I walk a route that takes me by a section of sidewalk where someone once imprinted "Lennon Lives".I am 52, and believed the Beatles phenomenon was a thing of the older guys (and girls ).I didn't realize how close his murder felt to me, or how much itwould mean. He is no hero, but he was our voice.
16 - eddie
Good article although I cant bring myself to agree with it altogether. Your right about Lennon and the fact he was a bad husband and father and in many ways a coward, I agree someone who hits a women is a coward. But if you read about John Lennon and read his own words on his behaviour, he greatly regretted what he did in his first marriage and says it was because he had'nt learnt and developed emotionally etc, I know this seems like an excuse but Lennon himself knew he wasnt perfect.
I think the reason many fans put him within hero status is the fact that even with his imperfections, his ability to write songs and make music that connected to people showed how human he was and that is what people love and why they hold him in the hero status to them.
17 - kristin
just love the article.
the beatles are my favourite and still are after all the things i've read about them, which like i suppose you know isn't all very pretty.
lennon though surprised me the most, when i started reading about him i couldn't at first believe it cause he's such a idol. his friends said he enjoyed hurting people, when brian epstein was trying to find a title for his book lennon suggested "queer jew".
anyway. again. loved the article.
kristín from iceland
18 - Barb
I read your article and wow..it really hits home. John Lennon was not a hero...far from it...he was a great musician. I don't think he wanted to be a hero.
I love John Lennon's music and I'm so fascinated by the man that I have read just about everything I can get my hands on. He was so complex I still can't figure out who he really was. He was rude, he was super polite, he was sad, he was estatic, he craved the attention of his fans yet he critized the very people who made him and the Beatles famous.
Your article has enlightened me far more than any other one I have read.
19 - Scott Butki
Interesting piece which, to me, raises the question of whether you can separate an artist from their art. Every artist has flaws if you look close enough but does mean their art is of lower quality?
20 - jim
John Lennon should be appreciated "as is". People who lionize or blame Lennon are both one-sided. Lennon was raised by his aunt. His mother died tragically. His father was not around. He became famous and it was very stressful. He became paranoid due to the reaction from his famous statement about God. I think that his behavior in the late 60s and early 70s was immature, and he tauted his wife Yoko, who clearly had no talent as a singer. I think that there is the old Paul McCartney versus John Lennon thing. It is a lot more difficult conflict than is portrayed. After all, in 1968 in "Glass Onion", Lennon said "we're as close as can be". Lennon became reclusive, jealous, and paranoid. He could be severe and haughty. He hurt George Harrison's esteem by attacking his first album. Paul McCartney made attempts to reunite with Lennon. Lennon was vague. He sort of forgave McCartney, but didn't become friends again. Lennon's last years were the best. He gave up drugs and became a father. It is unfortunate that some people look at Paul McCartney's remarks about his death "It's kind of a drag" in a negative sense. McCartney was truly shocked, and just wanted the media to leave him alone, so he said this not in the sense that is assigned. Things are misquoted. One version is that Lennon told McCartney that he was "daft" in 1969. This is misquoted. I have seen the who statement by Lennon. It was not such. None of the Beatles were saints. It's not a competition as to who the better Beatle was. You should appreciate each of teh Beatles, despite their flaws.
21 - Erika Murphy
you dont know the meaning of a hero, a hero is someone who changed YOUR life, not someone who participated in god damn bloody war, or someone who fought for rights many still dont have. Get over yourself, you need to stay out of lives of people. Just because they are famous does nto mean you can accuse them of crimes that you have no proof that they actually commited. Your a lowlife son of a bitch, rot in hell.
22 - Erika Murphy
I agree with jim. John lennon was and still is a hero. In fact... "I love The Beatles more than jesus christ."
23 - Michael J. West
Say, Erika, have you ever listened to My Chemical Romance? Based on your comments here, you'd be a perfect MCR fan...
24 - David
I think it took courage just to deal with the FBI following his every move during the deportation attempt.
I agree that he, like most people, did bad things, but, though definitely not justifying them, I wonder whether the fact that he never had a father and the fact that his mother died might factor into his 'emotional immaturity.'
Personally, I think he was a very emotionally mature person, but had a very twisted and sarcastic mind, enjoying saying things that many people would consider hurtful. I don't think that he was necessarily immature emotionally, just that he developed to be emotionally mature in a very odd way.
25 - Chris West
Lennon was definately a genius not only as a musician but also as a songwriter. I have been a fan of music my whole life and never really explored the brilliant sounds of the Beatles, until now that is. Recently I stumbled acrossed a story of Lennon's death while doing some political research and was for some reason curious as to why he was murdered (sorry I was barely 6 when he died), and thats when it all began for me. The study of his death lead me to explore the Beatles music wholeheartedly for the first time ever. A huge rift was opened in my life as I started listening to the Beatles albums one after another. I noticed there was something about this Lennon guy and his music and lyrics that touch me somehow. Don't get the wrong idea here, I enjoy Pauls, Georges, and Ringos songs too but specifically the ones that John sings have so much depth and they just connect on a level well...can't exactly explain it but apparently I'm not alone either. What is it that we experience with this John Lennon phenomenon. He obviousy had the power to touch millions of people. I believe he has helped more people than he could ever hurt. Just maybe he sacrificed the love of his wife and son to teach much of the world how to experience that same love through the power of song.