John Lennon: The Life

The sadder side of the story
Yet, in spite of seeing the band he created succeed beyond imagination, John Lennon was a man conflicted. His songwriting began to take on a confessional, insecure tone in hits such as “Nowhere Man,” “I’m a Loser,” and “Help,” – hardly the typical mind-set of a man topping the charts in the mid-’60s.

Reading Norman’s take on the last years of The Beatles is a bit like watching the psychedelic bus from the band’s Magical Mystery Tour tumble off a cliff.

The inanity of fame, the bad business decisions, the drug-blurred reasoning, and the once-healthy artistic competitiveness of John and Paul turning as sour as the green Apple Records logo all led to the band’s never-to-be-resurrected demise. We all know the story, but it’s still sad reading these many years later.

A truer picture of Yoko
And then there is Yoko. Her very name has become synonymous with that of the meddling woman. To Ono detractors she’s a scheming, no-talent, fame-seeker who ruined John’s marriage to Cynthia and seduced him into disbanding the Beatles.

But here the cruel caricature slowly dissolves. Regardless of the fact that her provocative performance art rarely worked in collaboration with John’s pop songwriting, Norman’s impressive research, including new interviews with Yoko herself, shows her to be a novel thinker and devoted helpmate to John.

As for Cynthia and the Beatles, John’s marriage was rocky at best before meeting Yoko, and he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his role as “performing flea.”

Norman’s portrayal of Lennon suggests that Yoko had little to do with the breakup of the Beatles and this book should go far in helping grant her the reprieve she is owed by the public.

Which makes it all the more sad to learn that Yoko Ono has decided not to endorse this book, calling it “mean to John.” Knowing what we know of Lennon, it would not be possible to present his life with the imperfections airbrushed out. And he is hardly the only 20th-century songwriter with a troubled life.

Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, and Bob Dylan all present prickly challenges to their fans, with much to love and much to forgive.

Lennon’s final years saw him rearrange his priorities to become a sober, loving, hands-on father.

Yet, contradictions remained. Has there ever been an artist who so desired celebrity, yet with a wink and a joke reminded us of the charade of it all? Despite the searing honesty of Lennon’s songs and his tell-it-like-it-is repartee with the press, much of the man has remained an enigma.

Until now. Philip Norman’s “John Lennon, The Life,” is a gift of a book, heartfelt and heart-rending.

Lorne Entress is a musician and lifelong Beatles fan.

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