{"id":8055,"date":"2019-11-08T13:39:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T18:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?p=8055"},"modified":"2019-11-08T13:39:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T18:39:36","slug":"number-nine-things-for-which-john-lennon-was-thankful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/number-nine-things-for-which-john-lennon-was-thankful\/","title":{"rendered":"Number Nine … things for which John Lennon was thankful"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jude Southerland Kessler<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Beatles, not being American (of course), didn\u2019t celebrate Thanksgiving, <\/em>per se. But somehow, as we near the close of the year, all of us tend to reflect on things for which we are grateful. And although John is so often caricatured as \u201cJohn Lemon,\u201d a tart and sardonic figure, he was, in reality, very appreciative of special people, moments, and belongings. After all, isn\u2019t that what his song, \u201cIn My Life\u201d is all about? Here are just a few precious elements of John\u2019s journey here on earth things that he loved. Perhaps this will inspire you to make a similar list of your own. <\/em><\/p>\n

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And I think we can all begin by listing The Fest for Beatles Fans<\/strong> which draws us together twice a year as family\u2026and for Mark, Carol, Tilly, and Michelle Joni, who very lovingly gave us this \u201cHome Away From Home\u201d in our lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

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    \n
  1. His Uncle Ge\u2019rge<\/strong> – John was, for all intents and purposes, reared by his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. And although Mimi taught him valuable lessons about determination and duty and instilled in him a love of reading, it was Uncle Ge\u2019rge (as John called him) who taught the little boy about love. Each night, when John was kindergarten age, Uncle George taught the boy to read from that evening\u2019s Liverpool Echo<\/em>. Despite Mimi\u2019s fury, he took the child to the Disney picturedromes (films) that came to Liverpool. And George wired speakers up in the child\u2019s bedroom so that John could listen to radio programs such as \u201cDick Barton, Special Agent\u201d and later, \u201cThe Goon Show.\u201d George Smith was an artist, like John, and he understood the child\u2019s heart. John simply adored him.<\/li>\n
  2. His sisters, Julia and Jacqui<\/strong> – John\u2019s mother, Julia Stanley Lennon, (after relinquishing John to Mimi and George) went on to have her own family with John \u201cBobby\u201d Dykins at 1 Blomfield Road, Allerton\u2026about a mile from the place where John lived with his aunt and uncle. Julia and Bobby had two precious little girls named Julia and Jacqui. And when, as an older child, John found this out, he didn\u2019t resent the fact that his sisters got to live with his mother while he did not. He loved his sisters, and they adored him. After Uncle George\u2019s death in 1955, John started spending a good bit of time with his mother and his sisters, and they threw impromptu parties with ginger beer and cakes, and of course, rock\u2019n\u2019roll. The girls enjoyed the earliest band rehearsals of the Quarry Men in the Blomfield bathroom. John\u2019s sisters were always there and always supportive of him. In fact, when The Beatles were f\u00eated by Liverpool during the Northern Premiere of \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night,\u201d John specifically asked for his sisters from the stage. They meant the world to him.<\/li>\n
  3. His friends<\/strong> – John was never a loner. He always wanted to captain a group. And one of the earliest members of \u201chis gang\u201d was Pete Shotton. Pete lived near John in Woolton, and the two went to Quarrybank Grammar (high school) together. They were so close that people laughingly called them \u201cShennon and Lotton\u201d\u2026and they were a deadly duo full of mischief. Later, at Liverpool College of Art, John met his soul mate \u2014 a friend closer than any brother \u2014 Stuart Sutcliffe. Stu told John over and over that John would \u201cnever be just a rock\u2019n\u2019roller\u201d\u2026that John\u2019s music would always be his form of art. So, Stu encouraged John to dress differently, write unique songs, and use his album covers as a form of artistic expression. The dramatic impact of Stuart Sutcliffe on The Beatles is absolutely immeasurable.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Of course, all of The Beatles were John\u2019s mates. During John\u2019s tenure at Liverpool College of Art, George was John\u2019s \u201cyounger brother,\u201d shadowing John everywhere he went! And once Ringo and Maureen had married and moved out to Weybridge, Surrey (where John and Cynthia lived in Kenwood), Ringo and John became close companions as well. Each of The Beatles mattered throughout John\u2019s life, long after The Beatles had dissolved.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Cynthia Powell Lennon<\/strong> – Cynthia was John\u2019s girlfriend at Liverpool College of Art, his first wife, and the mother of his son, Julian Charles Lennon. In the early days \u2014 long before The Beatles were popular \u2014 Cynthia would hold John\u2019s microphone, taped to a broomstick, as he practiced away in the dank Jacaranda Club basement. Cynthia was also one of the earliest Beatlettes in the Cavern Club. And even though John invited her to his gigs after they were married, Cyn (as John fondly called her) wanted her husband to shine alone in the limelight. She declined. Encouraging her love to chase his dreams of \u201cthe toppermost of the poppermost,\u201d Cynthia waited at home, keeping John\u2019s life on an even keel. Indeed, The Beatles\u2019 friend, Tony Barrow, called Cynthia \u201cJohn\u2019s centre, his peace.\u201d<\/li>\n
    2. Books<\/strong> – Throughout his life, John was a voracious reader. He read two to three newspapers a day, as did his Aunt Mimi before him. In addition, John read at least one book a week. Beatles\u2019 tours in 1964-1966 gave him plenty of \u201cdown time\u201d to read \u2014 backstage, on airplanes, and in hotel rooms. And when he wasn\u2019t writing song lyrics or doing interviews, John had his nose in \u201ca bloomin\u2019 booke.\u201d As a child, he loved Richmal Crompton\u2019s Just William<\/em> stories and Lewis Carroll\u2019s magical books, full of wordplay. As an adult, one of John\u2019s favorite works was Sylvia Plath\u2019s The Bell Jar<\/em>. But when asked, in interviews, what his favorite literary work was, John would often flash a devilish grin and say either In His Own Write<\/em> or A Spaniard in the Works<\/em>\u2026his own award-winning literary creations.<\/li>\n
    3. His many cats<\/strong> – In Eddie Deezen\u2019s article, \u201cJohn Lennon Was a Crazy Cat Lady,\u201d Deezen lists and describes each of the 16 cats that John owned during his lifetime. His earliest (in Mendips with Mimi and George) were Tich and Sam. Later, Cynthia and John had a cat sarcastically dubbed Mimi. In the 1970s, the lovely May Pang and John had two cats called Major and Minor. And those were but a few <\/em>of Mr. L\u2019s furry friends! Although John clearly adored felines, however, he also cherished his childhood mutt, Sally, who always nuzzled \u201chis boy\u201d when John was sad or lonely.<\/li>\n
    4. Kellogg\u2019s Corn Flakes and Bird\u2019s Custard<\/strong> – John had simple breakfast tastes. He loved toast and tea. He loved Corn Flakes. And for dessert, the unbelievably delicious Bird\u2019s Custard was always a hit. On tour, John ate so many backstage servings of steak and chips (fries) that he actually started to hate them after a time. But no matter how much of it he had, John always craved more Earl Grey Tea.<\/li>\n
    5. American rock\u2019n\u2019roll of the 1950s<\/strong> – John turned 13 in 1953, so the music of the Fifties was his music<\/em>! He loved all of the songs that eventually ended up on his 1970\u2019s \u201cRock\u2019n\u2019Roll\u201d album, including \u201cYou Can\u2019t Catch Me\u201d by Chuck Berry, Larry Williams\u2019s \u201cBony Maronie,\u201d and Little Richard\u2019s hit, \u201cReady Teddy.\u201d John\u2019s cover of Ben E. King\u2019s \u201cStand by Me\u201d is considered one of his most poignant songs, and John (like all of The Beatles) loved the hits of American girl groups, such as the Shirelles. John\u2019s mother, Julia, taught him to love the classic, \u201cAngel Baby\u201d and Elvis\u2019s \u201cJailhouse Rock.\u201d No doubt about it, John Lennon was, musically, a true child of the Fifties.<\/li>\n
    6. Television<\/strong> – Television didn\u2019t become a household item until John\u2019s teen years, but once he found it, he was hooked! He had the television on \u201cas background noise\u201d almost all of the time while living in New York. But he watched many programs as well, especially newscasts. John was quite savvy about current events, trends, and rock groups; he kept up with the latest crazes on \u201cthe telly.\u201d In the 1970s, John mentioned the television in several of his solo songs, (\u201cI\u2019m Steppin\u2019 Out\u201d and \u201cDear Yoko\u201d), and he often wrote his lyrics in bed while the telly droned on, in the background\u2026lyrics, perhaps, like these:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      \u201cThere are places I\u2019ll remember, <\/em><\/p>\n

      All my life, though some have changed,<\/em><\/p>\n

      Some forever\u2026not for better\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

      Some have gone, and some remain.<\/em><\/p>\n

      All these places had their moments<\/em><\/p>\n

      With lovers and friends I still can recall.<\/em><\/p>\n

      Some are dead, and some are living\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

      In my life, I\u2019ve loved them all.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

      With love\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Happy Thanksgiving!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series:\u00a0www.johnlennonseries.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations —\u00a0@910PubRel<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter and\u00a0910 Public Relations<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook.<\/em><\/p>\n


      <\/p>\n\n



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