-
The Lennon Audio Diaries
In the fall of 1979, John sat down with a tape recorder and began to tell his life story. But these Lennon audio diaries were a non-starter: in true Lennon fashion, he got bored after 1.25 minutes and let his thoughts drift to his usual preoccupations—Paul McCartney, his mother Julia, and his fear of professional […]
-
Was John Lennon bipolar?
In the comments on the John and Mimi post, @Karen and some others have elucidated a theory that I’ve toyed with for years, myself: that John Lennon, Chief Beatle and beloved by all denizens of Dullblog, suffered from bipolar disorder. Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder is “a condition in which a person has periods […]
-
David Bowie, Shine On
The news that David Bowie has died at age 69 has saddened people worldwide. He profoundly influenced musicians, fashion designers, and countless teenage kids who felt they were “weird” until they encountered his work. And he collaborated successfully with many other artists, including Brian Eno, Mick Jagger, and John Lennon, Bowie and John joined forces on the […]
-
I Only Have Eyes For You (A Lennon Collage)
I found this photo in my archives and wanted to share it for those Dullbloggers who may not have seen it. It’s a photo collage John made for Paul, which Paul subsequently copied to Julian, who in turn added it to his Beatles’ Memorabilia book. (If you want the exact circumstances, I think Julian describes […]
-
Four In Hand by John Lennon
With all this talk of certain male sexual practices, I couldn’t help but remember Four In Hand by John Lennon, the sketch he wrote for Kenneth Tynan’s erotic revue “Oh! Calcutta!” First mounted (so to speak) in 1969, “Oh! Calcutta!” was a massive success — long runs on both sides of the Atlantic, an even longer […]
-
John Lennon and Branwell Bronte
NANCY CARR * A recently self-published book by Jewelle St. James, John Lennon and the Bronte Connection, claims that John Lennon was the reincarnation of Branwell Bronte, the brother of the more famous Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. Also that the author is, perhaps, the reincarnation of Emily Bronte. And that in an incarnation previous to […]
-
John Lennon, “Hollywood Scumbag”?
DEVIN McKINNEY • This turns up on one’s Facebook feed today: “It’s Not Just Cosby: Hollywood’s Long List of Male Scumbags,” a Daily Beast mow-down, inspired by the Bill Cosby revelations (or confirmations, more accurately) of several beloved or at least well-compensated male stars whose prevailing public profiles belie repellent acts committed out of the […]
-
Robert Christgau on “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band”
DEVIN McKINNEY • Robert Christgau’s new memoir, Going Into the City: Portrait of a Critic as a Young Man, contains a passage on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album that struck me as resonant, and more than relevant to recent discussions on this board. As I sought at length to explain in my review of […]
-
Plastic Ono Band — Threat or Menace?
(The title’s a shout-out to the dear departed National Lampoon — where John and Yoko hung around a bit in their Bank Street days, and which ran an entire Beatles-themed issue in October 1977.) In a discussion with commenter @Rob this morning, I realized that I had stronger feelings about John Lennon’s first solo album […]
-
Whatever Gets You thru the Night…
Recently we’ve been discussing the gargantuan “Time Lapse Photography” comment thread, which discusses Beatle sexuality, and specifically the erotic tension between John and Paul. It’s clear that some existed; whether or not it was acted upon is a matter of endless fan speculation (hello Johnheartpaul! Thanks for the traffic!) but ultimately between those two men […]