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You might think that after reading 73 intimate descriptions of a man, you'd know him better. The outer person would be stripped away, the inner man revealed. In the case of this carefully sculpted compendium about the outrageously and justifiably famous John Lennon, you'll be left with your cherished memories and your carefully guarded biases intact. But you'll have a good read for your money.
John Lennon was a musical and lyrical genius who had the great fortune of colliding with the one other of his own kind on Planet Earth, the lordly Paul McCartney. In their musical prime as half of the Beatles, they synthesized a sound that is classic and unforgettable, tunes and word poems that have already happily survived into another century.
Many of the people who write about Lennon in this collection are unsparing in their praise and positive in their comments. Pete Townshend, arguably as grand an old man as Lennon might have become, calls him "a genius touched by some revelation." Billy Preston noted that "he had the great gift to teach, and he was most generous with it." Music historian Philip Norman notes, "he's become a secular saint, which of course he would have thought hilarious."
Some of the "memories" come from people with questionable Lennonesque qualifications. Why, for instance, must we endure a one-sentence offering from Norman Mailer that could have been written by almost anyone? Some of the submissions, embarrassingly, are from sycophantic fellow travelers anxious to demonstrate that they taught the great man something, or that he adulated their accomplishments. Jerry Lee Lewis recounts that Lennon kissed his boots and murmured, "Thanks, Killer, for showing me rock 'n' roll." While possibly true, the anecdote seems to belong somewhere else.
The most nitty gritty recollections come, not surprisingly, from those whose persona rarely made it to the front pages, but who worked with Lennon over a long period, like media advisor Elliot Mintz, who accompanied John through "the lost weekend" on the West Coast when he and Yoko had broken up temporarily. (Mintz, it should be noted, has a slightly different version of the Jerry Lee Lewis boot story.) He was close to both Lennon and Ono, and concludes, "You can't get a handle on Lennon."
The photographs offer as much enlightenment as the text. Whether the photographer was Julie Gold, Bob Gruen or Annie Liebovitz, the images tell a consistent story. Lennon had a strong sensitive face, a penchant for macho gear, and he and Yoko looked like identical twins, often snapped wearing the same glasses, similar (or no) clothes, or having mocked up the same hairstyle (perhaps some of these were Yoko's artistic conceits). Looking at Lennon, and recalling that he died at a time when most professional people are just hitting their stride, it's difficult not to feel a tug of sadness for having missed what might have come after his pointless assassination.
Yoko's central contribution to the book is a story about what it felt like to be unpopular when she and John were together, cementing the general impression that she was disliked for causing the breakup of the Beatles and that this negativity bled over into chic New York society and went on pinching long after the celebrated Beatle divorce.
Absent from the proceedings are words from those former cut-ups, Paul and Ringo, though they are mentioned in passing by observers of John's rollicking ride through life.
There's no need recommending this book. Those of you who are hooked on the Beatles, who have your favorite Lennon songs ("Imagine" being the one referenced most often in this tome), and who won't let the sweet dream die, will rush to buy it. And there are plenty of you out there.
Elliot Mintz put it nicely: "I was blessed to have spent the time with him I did and wish you could have done the same. But if the truth be told, you were never that far away."
--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
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