Product Description

For the first time in full, here are the extraordinary interviews with John Lennon conducted by Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner in 1970. in these pages Lennon discuses the breakup of the Beatles, his favourite tracks with the group and how they were made, fellow musicians including the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, his attitude toward revolution and drugs, and the tenderness of his relationship with Yoko Ono.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #530452 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Over 30 years after their acrimonious split, it is undeniable that The Beatles were much more than a regular pop group; they represented a cultural phenomenon of the 20th-century. For the Fab Four themselves, the immediate aftermath of the band became a time for soul searching and reasserting the individuality once submerged within "The Beatles". Lennon Remembers, an extended transcript of the legendary 1970 interview between Rolling Stone magazine's Jann Wenner and John Lennon reveals this process at its most painful, angry and bitter.

Now re-edited to incorporate previously deleted passages (many of which consist of less-than-vital comments from Lennon's then-permanent companion Yoko Ono), Lennon Remembers sees the 30-year-old ex-Beatle determinedly shattering what he saw as the "myth" of his former group. From their clean-cut image ("[our tours] were like Fellini's Satyricon"), to the reasons for their split ("We were fed up of being sidemen for Paul"), and revelations of his drug abuse ("We were full of junk"), Lennon's anger burns from every page.

While undeniably entertaining, the force of Lennon's claims can also make uncomfortable reading. As Yoko Ono herself notes in her introduction, Wenner's interview sees an insecure Lennon, hitting back "and doing a bad job of it". Indeed, his bitterness and anger often leads to personal attacks on such former friends as Brian Epstein, George Harrison and, most hurtfully, Paul McCartney, that are almost unforgivably cruel. However, throughout there remain hints of an abiding respect for his former musical and personal partners. Indeed hints of the old-gang mentality are revealed as he comments at one stage, "I can knock The Beatles"--his implication that others should have more respect suggesting a pride in the group's achievements that is elsewhere buried beneath the weight of bitter reminiscence.

Thankfully, however, despite his tirade, Lennon's humour and humanity is never far from the surface, and it is this that makes Wenner's interview such an ultimately rewarding read. Lennon Remembers is recommended to all, not least as a revealing accompaniment to the more sanitised version of events given in the group's own "autobiography", The Beatles Anthology. --Steve Price

Review
"Lennon Remembers is classic Lennon. It's not a sit-back-and-put- your-feet-up read ... it's like a jolt on your nerves like bad, bad espresso. People with weak stomachs should close the window before reading. You might just feel like jumping out." - Yoko Ono, from the Foreword. "Arguably the most legendary interview ever conducted with a major celebrity." - Library Journal "A must-have for anyone who loves and remembers Lennon." - San Antonio Exporess "This is the only voice that will ever articulate what it was really, really like to be in the Beatles when it all went wrong - caught in a moment, rasping, raving, and flaming mad." - Uncut "Finds Lennon in fine form, still bitter about the breakup of the Beatles, full of optimism about his future solo projects, opinionated, emotional and full of life. It captures his mercurial character more exactly than any other book on the Beatles I've read." - Independent on Sunday "As riveting a document as it was three decades ago... there is still nothing to rival this interview in the annals of rock journalism - it has lost none of its power to shock." - Anthony DeCurtis, Rolling Stone

About the Author
Jan Wenner is the publisher of Rolling Stone magazine. These interviews were conducted with Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York City in December 1970

Customer Reviews

Fascinating, Painful Recollections of the Beatles' End
In the "Forward" by Yoko Ono, she says, "There was no one like him and there never will be. And I miss him." If you are like me, I'm sure you will agree that these are the truest words in the book for each of us. All profits from this book go to gun control projects.

Let me describe what this book is. It contains a fully retranscribed and corrected complete text of the interview that Jann Wenner did with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in early December 1970, parts of which later appeared in Rolling Stone. Much of this material you have never read before. There are also reproductions of Lennon's handwritten notes of song lyrics from the album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, that are discussed in the interview.

In the introduction to this new edition, Jann Wenner characterizes the material here as a new revealing of the truth about the Beatles. John Lennon later said that he didn't really believe everything he divulged in this interview. But it sounds pretty real to me as I reread it now. This is a man in intense psychological pain, and who has been for some time.

What, then, is revealed in the book? Aside from the usual stories about drugs and sex from touring, what struck me as most interesting was that Lennon considered what the Beatles had been a fraud artistically. He claimed that he didn't even like the music.

His other source of pain was the negative reaction that Paul McCartney and George Harrison had to Yoko Ono.

The commitment to peace is described often, and without the anger, pain, and regret that show up with all the other subjects. You feel like that was the only area where he could continually be himself. The interview is laced with constant references to his need to be his real self.

He expressed a lot of regrets about having been a Beatle. The interview contains many stories about how the families of local politicians and police departments would invade their privacy in offensive ways to Lennon.

The interview also goes into the details of the Beatles' breakup, contradicting the public story originally put out by Paul McCartney.

Music fans will enjoy his candid comments about the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and other well-known recording artists.

On the other hand, he is encouraged about the future. He describes his new album with Yoko Ono as his best work. He also finds his relationship with her to be rewarding emotionally and artistically. She is open to new influences, and helps him to be also. We owe her a debt of gratitude for granting permission to release this new book. It must be painful for her now.

His hopes for the future were the most poignant part of the book as he thought about the aging . . . that, alas, he never got a chance to enjoy

After you have finished savoring this searing dialogue, I suggest that you ask yourself the kind of questions that John Lennon was asking. How real is your life? Are you doing what you think is important? How can you start doing better? If you do this, you will be honoring the best part of John Lennon's wonderful legacy to us all.

Be real and be at peace!

A eye opening look in to John Lennons life
This book is amazing especially for John Lennon fans like me. It include Imformation that has never been pubished before about the break up of the Beatles. I could not put it down.