A book review: The Complete John Lennon by Paul Du Noyer

A book review by Kevin Quinn - PhD Student at Central Saint Martins.

Forty years on from John Lennon’s murder, ex-NME, Q magazine and Mojo critic and renowned author, Paul Du Noyer talks about his reissued book The Complete John Lennon, the enduring fascination and mythology about The Beatles 50 years since their split and how his book seeks to address and analyse Lennon’s music as separate from Lennon the man.

The first edition of the book came out in 1997 (‘We all Shine On’) subsequently 2010’s ‘Working Class Hero’, what’s changed since and what’s new in the book? And why?

The book’s original publishers, Carlton Books, have reissued it several times under different names, as well as licensing overseas editions. Unfortunately my contract gave me no control over the process. I was sometimes allowed to make limited updates to the text, which I would use to add newly acquired material, mostly interviews with relevant people such as Sean Lennon or Paul McCartney, or coverage of previously unreleased Lennon material, which has continued to come on to the market. The latest version, The Complete John Lennon Songs 1970-1980, is by a new publisher, Welbeck, who have allowed me to make more updates, including an interview with Yoko Ono. They have also invested in adding the lyrics to Lennon’s songs, as well as cover artwork licensed from the Andy Warhol estate.

Does it seek to correct or redress any ideas we have about Lennon and his post-Beatles career? E.g. Albert Goldman’s warts ‘n’ all 1988 book?

The original book was my attempt to place Lennon’s post-Beatle music at the centre of his story since 1970, especially as some of that music gets relatively little attention. The Goldman book was, in my view, unreasonably scathing of Lennon the musician. I think my central idea was that John’s post-Beatle music is certainly uneven in quality, but is at all points very revealing of his life, his emotions and beliefs. It therefore merits examination.

Why do the Beatles/Lennon continue to fascinate?

In the case of The Beatles there is simply no precedent for an act who were so consistently at the forefront of popular music, and were so universally esteemed at so many different levels: by fellow artists of all kinds, by learned commentators, and above all by the broad mass of music fans. In John’s individual case there was a continuing (if less consistent) story of musical excellence; and, just as importantly, he led a very public existence, even as a quasi-recluse, whose candour, commitment, humour and fallibility made him an enduring symbol of the times. Lennon’s 1970, in brief, were a vivid illustration of the hopes and dreams of the 1960s carried over into new circumstances: partly fulfilling them in a better-organised manner (eg feminism and ecology) and partly accepting their limitations in the face of re-grouped opposition, the everyday challenges of real life and the bittersweet lessons of growing old.

Counterfactually it’s tempting to dream and wonder what Lennon’s output and opinions would have encompassed the last 40 years. How’d you think held have addressed things like Live Aid, Thatcher, Britpop, this year to name but 4 things?

I agree that it’s tempting to speculate but in the end, it’s only a sort of parlour-game. A particular quality of Lennon’s development was his curiosity and openness to new ideas. I dearly wish we’d had the chance to watch him react to phenomena such as those you mention but I wouldn’t wish to guess what his responses would have been. He was always surprising in life and I’m loathe to presume his attitudes would have been a simple extrapolation of those which were frozen in time on 9 December 1980.

Is it more than likely that the four of them would have reformed (even before 1995)?

They had all argued to varying degrees but they held in common a shared background and they had, together, been through the extraordinary experience of being Beatles, I suspect for the rest of their lives all four would have divided humanity into two categories: “me and the other three” versus everyone else. They were still working musicians and I could easily imagine them reuniting in various permutations (as indeed they sometimes did in the 1970s) and maybe playing some compelling event like Live Aid. A permanent reunion of the old quartet looks less plausible, though: they didn’t need to do it; they had out-grown the old gang; it wouldn’t have satisfied their restless spirits; and, realistically, they would probably have imagined the old fracture-lines re-emerging.

In January 1981 the NME posited the theory that Lennon had been assassinated by the CIA.  What did you think about that then and now?

I’d forgotten about that! I can’t remember what I thought at the time, except that I probably thought the subject outside the NME’s sphere of competence. I haven’t read it since.

CSM PhD student and author of this book review Kevin Quinn also co-leads the Subcultures Post-Grad Interest Group. Always welcoming new members, find out how to get involved in discussions, reading and future exhibition visits. Visit the Post-Grad Interest Group Directory.

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