Cyn's New Book
Got Cyn's new book "John" a while back, and poured thru it in a few days. I found the most interesting bits to be about how she found out about John's death (she was visiting Ringo's ex-wife Mo at the time) and her anti-Yoko passages. Like a lot of Beatles' fans, I never liked Yoko and wish she had never hooked up with John. However, loving John so much, I did my best to take the high-ground and focus on the things I like about her ("We're All Water" from Sometime In New York City, for example. One of my favorite songs in the world).
She does portray Yoko as controlling and unlikeable and always wanting to cut Cyn and Julian out of the Lennon picture, both monetarily and historically. It's something we've always suspected...and according to Cyn, absolutely true. So much for peace love and understanding. Cyn claims that John's obsession with Yoko stems from his Aunt Mimi, another controller. Seems like he needed someone like that in his life and after moving away from Mimi, I think Brian Epstein fit the bill. Not that Brian was controlling in an unhealthy way (like Mimi and Yoko were, me thinks), but he did manage the lives of the Beatles and they trusted and loved him, John especially. Yoko's appearance in John's life and Brian's death happened around the same time. You do the math.
The one thing that bothered me about the book, was the lack of talk about the good times they had. John is distribed as distant to her and Julian and often mean. But looking at photos of them holding hands at airports and posing for various pics over the years, there obviously was a love and affection between them. Reading the book, one would think that Cyn was swept off her feet by the rough and tumble Teddy Boy John, got pregnant and then proceeded to suffer by having a husband who was absent physically and emotionally. But c'mon, Cyn! There must have been some laughs and good times! And as far as John being a dick...well, you don't get to be the most successful act in the history of show biz by being a sweet guy 24/7. And besides, Cyn has had a couple of failed marriages besides the one with John. At least he stayed with his second wife for the last ten years of his wife. There's something to be said for that, I think.
And she does come off as a bit naive. John Lennon, during the 60's, was probably too overwhelmed with his success and responsibilities to be the ideal husband and father she seems to think he should have been. The bad thing about their marriage is not that it ended up bitter with them miles apart. It's the fact that she got pregnant by him at a time when they felt obligated to get married. John should've been a bacholer during the Beatles' heyday, like Paul. Not a married dad living in the suburbs.
She does portray Yoko as controlling and unlikeable and always wanting to cut Cyn and Julian out of the Lennon picture, both monetarily and historically. It's something we've always suspected...and according to Cyn, absolutely true. So much for peace love and understanding. Cyn claims that John's obsession with Yoko stems from his Aunt Mimi, another controller. Seems like he needed someone like that in his life and after moving away from Mimi, I think Brian Epstein fit the bill. Not that Brian was controlling in an unhealthy way (like Mimi and Yoko were, me thinks), but he did manage the lives of the Beatles and they trusted and loved him, John especially. Yoko's appearance in John's life and Brian's death happened around the same time. You do the math.
The one thing that bothered me about the book, was the lack of talk about the good times they had. John is distribed as distant to her and Julian and often mean. But looking at photos of them holding hands at airports and posing for various pics over the years, there obviously was a love and affection between them. Reading the book, one would think that Cyn was swept off her feet by the rough and tumble Teddy Boy John, got pregnant and then proceeded to suffer by having a husband who was absent physically and emotionally. But c'mon, Cyn! There must have been some laughs and good times! And as far as John being a dick...well, you don't get to be the most successful act in the history of show biz by being a sweet guy 24/7. And besides, Cyn has had a couple of failed marriages besides the one with John. At least he stayed with his second wife for the last ten years of his wife. There's something to be said for that, I think.
And she does come off as a bit naive. John Lennon, during the 60's, was probably too overwhelmed with his success and responsibilities to be the ideal husband and father she seems to think he should have been. The bad thing about their marriage is not that it ended up bitter with them miles apart. It's the fact that she got pregnant by him at a time when they felt obligated to get married. John should've been a bacholer during the Beatles' heyday, like Paul. Not a married dad living in the suburbs.
posted by John Goins at 3:13 PM
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