John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
- Little John
- member
- Posts: 16399
- Joined: January 2nd, 2010, 1:46 pm
- Location: SE London
John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
(I) is for interesting. Not the best written book I have ever read but its ok and, to be fair, is not about the prose. I suspect its a bit one sided but her story didn't contradict anything that I thought I knew. It did, however, add a lot of substance to the "facts" and it did reinforce the opinion I remember holding that John wasn't the nicest person in the World he professed to want to save.
Yoko doesn't come across well but no surprises there. For me it was the Julian story that interested me the most. Not that Cynthia was biased in any way. And I was impressed by the way all those distant memories were recalled and put together in such a cohesive way. I wasn't convinced that that was all Cynthia's own work and a quick search easily revealed that she did indeed have a professional Ghost Writer by the name of "Caro" Handley. Caro is her name and not a typing error.
I think it was an impressive feat. Don't know how long it took but I wouldn't know where to start. And then you've got to get the time lines right and get all the facts to fit together. And all this 40 years after the event. Another thing was that I was amazed how often I was taken aback by how short a period everything happened. Of course John died just after his 40th birthday but the story doesn't end there. There followed years of legal fights and disappointments and struggles with Yoko's control of John's estate.
Worth a read if you were/are a Beatles fan.
Yoko doesn't come across well but no surprises there. For me it was the Julian story that interested me the most. Not that Cynthia was biased in any way. And I was impressed by the way all those distant memories were recalled and put together in such a cohesive way. I wasn't convinced that that was all Cynthia's own work and a quick search easily revealed that she did indeed have a professional Ghost Writer by the name of "Caro" Handley. Caro is her name and not a typing error.
I think it was an impressive feat. Don't know how long it took but I wouldn't know where to start. And then you've got to get the time lines right and get all the facts to fit together. And all this 40 years after the event. Another thing was that I was amazed how often I was taken aback by how short a period everything happened. Of course John died just after his 40th birthday but the story doesn't end there. There followed years of legal fights and disappointments and struggles with Yoko's control of John's estate.
Worth a read if you were/are a Beatles fan.
Yes this is the real "Little John" (or it could be "colin")
- marymary
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 15584
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:59 pm
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
A good biography without bias is hard to pull off. Lennon was sanitised by his assassination but was essentially a weird, drug-addled musician in the thrall of Yoko Ono. Men who walk out on their children are cruel if they don’t try to keep in touch afterwards. He made more of a fuss of his second than his first which shows a weakness in him imo.
- Little John
- member
- Posts: 16399
- Joined: January 2nd, 2010, 1:46 pm
- Location: SE London
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
I agree. And made worse somehow by the fact that he knew how it felt having suffered something similar himself. What I would say by way of mitigation, is that he,was still very young and immature when it all happened.
Yes this is the real "Little John" (or it could be "colin")
- SRD
- Rantipole
- Posts: 9252
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:23 pm
- Location: Wiltshire
- Contact:
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
Can we judge genius with the same terms that we judge everyone else? Very few of the greats in any field come out well in 'family' terms. Especially in modern touchy/feely times. I think that to be a genius you can't help but be selfish and concentrate on your art to the exclusion of all else, so family is bound to suffer. Most geniuses (genii?) rely on emotional and practical support from those around them, a support that is rarely recognised.
Also lower class geniuses suffer more from their backgrounds as expectations are so much lower.
Whether Lennon was a genius is a moot point, I happen to think he was. Cynthia's problem was she couldn't grow as he did and Yoko offered a much more understanding situation for him to grow in. Julian's problem was that he didn't understand the demands of his father's genius until much later on and was brought up by an embittered mother. John's real mistake was in his naivete, firstly to not recognise his own genius early enough, secondly to marry early to a totally unsuitable partner actually believing that "All You Need Is Love", marriage & parenthood is much more than that.
Also lower class geniuses suffer more from their backgrounds as expectations are so much lower.
Whether Lennon was a genius is a moot point, I happen to think he was. Cynthia's problem was she couldn't grow as he did and Yoko offered a much more understanding situation for him to grow in. Julian's problem was that he didn't understand the demands of his father's genius until much later on and was brought up by an embittered mother. John's real mistake was in his naivete, firstly to not recognise his own genius early enough, secondly to marry early to a totally unsuitable partner actually believing that "All You Need Is Love", marriage & parenthood is much more than that.
Children are like Slinkys - not much use for anything, but it always brings a smile to your face when you throw them down the stairs. Chinchilla
- marymary
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 15584
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:59 pm
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
Genius? Maybes aye maybes naw. A self publicist, most certainly. Yoko has no discernible talent other than curating and showcasing his ideas before and after his death.
- SRD
- Rantipole
- Posts: 9252
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:23 pm
- Location: Wiltshire
- Contact:
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
Dunno about Yoko Ono, I've not seen any of her work but she was a recognised artist before she met Lennon and continues making and exhibiting her own work. One of MrsSRD's outlaws is an American publisher who occasionally posts about seeing her stuff in New York galleries, she's generally fairly impressed but she's also a cat lover which makes me suspect her taste.
Children are like Slinkys - not much use for anything, but it always brings a smile to your face when you throw them down the stairs. Chinchilla
- Little John
- member
- Posts: 16399
- Joined: January 2nd, 2010, 1:46 pm
- Location: SE London
- marymary
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 15584
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:59 pm
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
I haven’t done a big search. This is what comes up first on a Yoko Ono artworks search...
- marymary
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 15584
- Joined: December 31st, 2009, 7:59 pm
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
And this is second
They remind me of things we do in school. We don’t claim them to be art, great or otherwise.
They remind me of things we do in school. We don’t claim them to be art, great or otherwise.
- Little John
- member
- Posts: 16399
- Joined: January 2nd, 2010, 1:46 pm
- Location: SE London
Re: John- Cynthia Lennon (I)
I like the "Cloud Piece".
Yes this is the real "Little John" (or it could be "colin")