Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music - The Definitive Life is a new biography about John Lennon. Author Tim Riley delves deep into the life and psyche of the man/musician/songwriter. Although fans of the musician have a pretty good idea of his life and background, they will undoubtedly learn quite a lot from this new book.
Insights
John Lennon was a complicated man. To the public he seemed pretty straightforward, but inside he was riddled with conflict. He had a temper, and one night hauled off and hit his friend Stuart Sutcliffe, causing Sutcliff to fall over and hit his head on the street. Lennon was filled with guilt when, quite awhile later, Sutcliffe died and the ultimate cause of his death could have been brought on by the fall.
Lennon was influenced by Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Elvis. Lennon felt, “Before Elvis there was nothing.” (p.51) John was a connoisseur of music and once he heard something he liked, he would play the song over and over and over again.
John was originally an art student at the same time he was honing his music. When his group (incarnations of the Quarrymen, and at one time they were booked as Johnny and the Moondogs, and finally the Beatles) hit the art/music/new culture burgeoning in Hamburg, it was there they really took off but not after a long time of toiling in the clubs. “We were living in a toilet” Lennon recalled. (p. 104) It was a tough start, but as we all know, it turned out all right, musically.
The Book
The story includes all the relationships and people of which Beatles fans are already aware: Pete Best, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Olivia, Yoko, Cynthia, etc. It doesn’t simply touch on all the episodes in the life of Lennon, it goes into details giving readers a complete look at the events and people that influenced him. His sexual experiences are also a big part of his journey through life.
I will be honest and tell you that it is not my favorite book, but then again, I am not a die-hard John Lennon fan. The book is in-depth and at times, it reads like an encyclopedia. Although it is structured chronologically, there are bits and pieces that jump around, which is something I found disturbing.
When I first opened the book I thought I would learn a little about the man who is so prominent in music history. I was mistaken. I learned more than a little. I learned a lot. Whenever I picked it up to read more I immediately thought of the Beatles lyrics, “Listen. Do you want to know a secret?”
Although now John Lennon’s life is an open book (pun intended), I can see how Beatles fans and Lennon fans in particular will enjoy reading Lennon. I caution you that it is highly in-depth and time consuming (661 story pages), but once you make it through you will feel like you really understand the man.
For Lennon fans, I would rate this 10/10 as it is a definitive biography. For non-Lennon fans, I rate it 6/10.
- Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music - The Definitive Life
- Author: Tim Riley
- Hyperion
- Hardcover
- Publication Date: September 20, 2011
- 784 pages
- ISBN: 978-1-4013-2452-0
