Lennon Bashes Beatles Brothers In Recently Surfaced Interview
Filed under: Anglophilia > Music Minute > Paul McCartney
The Beatles are arguably the greatest band to ever live, but the secret behind their split has never been fully understood. For years, the musicians have kept very mum about the circumstances that led to their breakup.
Until now.
A previously unreleased Rolling Stone interview tape with legendary band member John Lennon has now surfaced, and it reveals the great amounts of tension between him and Paul McCartney, as well as an angrier side of Lennon.
In the interview, John comments on feeling "sick" over selling out as a band as well as being "fed up" playing sidekick to Paul McCartney, a feeling that was mutual for Ringo Starr and George Harrison. John also had a problem with how his fellow band-mates treated his wife, Yoko Ono.
He said, "They despised her… It seemed I had to be happily married to them or Yoko, and I chose Yoko…George insulted her right to her face and I didn't hit him, I don't know why. Ringo (Starr) was alright but the other two really gave it to us. I'll never forgive 'em."
But ultimately, Lennon suggests the Beatles break-up was a long time coming. By the time they made it big in the early 1960s, Lennon said that the "music died" and that they never "improved" from that point forward.
Wow. A lot of resentment to be hidden for some many years.
You can read the entire Why The Beatles Broke Up article in the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.
[Image via AP Images.]
UH OH!
are you kidding me! this was NO SECRET!
Lennon was a smug self righteous asshole.
not a saint. very immature and difficult to get along with.
Yoko was his surrogate mommy.
duh.
ummm wasn't this stuff already known? people always say that yoko ono broke up the beatles, and while thats not entirely the case, she obviously had something to do with it, and we always knew that. why is this breaking news?
I never felt he played "sidekick" to McCartney. They both wrote/sang lead on many great songs.
I always thought Paul was a narcissistic little shit. Ring always did seem easy going and laid back. I always thought Lennon was a complete stoner (well, weren't they all?), but he seems to be the only person with any kind of integrity.
none of that is at all surprising.
WOW i know about the whole "they didnt like Yoko" but i really thought they all loved one-another like brothers, i expecally thought Paul and Lennon were extremly close but i guess i was wrong.
IP John L.
Scandalous! To bad nobody really cares why they broke up. I think everyone was just upset that they did at all.
aww how sad! I love the beatles! they are without a doubt the greatest band to ever exist. no one will ever replace them or even come close to their legacy.
Wow, John Lennon was a douchebag. Big surprise.
Jeez. This book was published by Rolling Stone under the name of Lennon Remembers. Lennon was pissed. Even admitted it at the time. Don't buy into this being new stuff. Almost 40-year-old information being hawked by Yawn Weiner and Lennon retracted most of what he said later on.
weeeeeelllll… this interview was done in 1970, right when they broke up so I'm sure he was resentful…. he was just bitter about the Yoko thing.
Kind of like I'm still bitter that someone ever told Yoko she can sing.
It's kinda sad this is going to be released, quoting John saying things like he'll never forgive them…I mean half the memebers are dead so now it's just going to re-open old wounds. Great job Rolling Stone, ugh.
I nearly worship the Beatles, so have read about them alot. 2 non-surprises:
1. Common knowledge that Yoko Ono was not liked by the band.
2. Common knowledge that there were tensions and resentments after all those years on the road, intense fame, and growing in different directions.
DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
BEST ROCK n' ROLL BAND OF ALL TIME.
Holy shit. I knew things were bad but I didn't know it was THAT bad. Why didn't he just leave the band if he hated the other guys so much?? I agree that the way they treated Yoko was uncalled for, but I also have a feeling she was a controlling bitch. I mean, has anyone ever talked shit about Linda McCartney or the other girlfriends and wives? They certainly were a great band but their attitude was downright childish. Couldn't they have just talked things over, you know, like grown up, civilzed people?? I wonder what Paul and Ringo would have to say about that.
i seriously love pauls music, but he seems like a true a hole of a man.
where's the secret? There was nothing there that I didn't already know from reading The Lives Of John Lennon. READ A BOOK Perez. Better yet, take your head out of your ass and then READ A BOOK. God you're stupid sometimes.
I love you Perez, but this is absolutely NOT new news. I took a class on the Beatles and this has been going around for over twenty years!
They were all testosteroney and believing their own press. Petty jealousies that they would overlook now due to self-confidence that accompanies aging messed up their young, puffy heads. This is not news to anyone who follows them. It's the follies of youth. They appreciated each other for real over the last decade or two.
not surprising. once again, ringo is the luckiest man in the world! he was neutral because he had no talent
And how is this news? Talk about recycling the old….
Lennon was just talking out of his ass again.
Hey b, been yat. You can C tomorrow if you want. I'm off again. Today didn't go as smooth as I thought it would. Need a few days to recover. ym yn ms nryhciwi 46 bg
so cute in that picture
i won't be buying a magazine, so if anyone else does post the details. easier still, you just post it for all maria hilton, you steal everything you post from someone else anyway. o_O
perez, this is ooooold news. maybe you need to get a few beatles albums and stop talking about lady gaga or whoever the hell the new crap sensation of the week is.
This was already widely known….the beatles(excluding lennon) hated yoko, yoko pushed lennon to go solo,told him he was better than the others, thats why they hated her,thats why they eventually broke up….blahblahblah….all of them wanted recognition obviously,they all went solo and became somewhat successful but never as they were together…yeah its nothing new perez…you arent breaking new ground or anything.Lennon and McCartney were equally recognized…if anything george(especially,he was underrated) and ringo werent as noticed as they shouldve been. Lennon was a d-bag and everyone knew accept you and delusional hippies.
The other two Beatles could have been mean to Yoko cause they knew Cynthia and Julian were getting thrown under the bus (Hey Jude). John couldn't even manage to be fair to his oldest son in life with his time or in death with his money.
any real Beatles fan knows this was not "hidden resentment" or a secret…I love Lennon 4 his music, but this "peace loving" man was arrogant&very self rightous, not 2 mention he deserted his wife Cyn & his 5 year old son Julian for Yoko. One time went about 3 years w.o seeing or knowing Julian (very different from the public man who sang "All you need is love".
The Beatles never hid their feelings about Yoko &y should they- be4Hurricane Yoko, wives/girlfriends were rarley allowed in the studio but when Yoko came along she pulled a chair right up to John the entire recording sessions&practices&started giving her opinion on how the music should be played…DUH THEY DIDNT LIKE HER, but I firmly believe that Yoko didnt break up the beatles, they were all going into different directions
No one gave George the time of day in the studio–EVEN THOUGH he wrote the 2 best songs on Abbey RD "Something"&"Here comes the sun"
Paul wanted to run things
Ringo wanted everyone to stop fighting&John wanted to be with Yoko
Im sortof glad they broke up be4 they had a chance to sell out, they will always b the best rock band of all time.
Re: Laury –
you dont know crap
Linda was no Yoko…Cynthia, Pattie, or Maureen was no Yoko- to compare Linda to Yoko Ono is monsterous-
Yoko sold all of John's things after he died, the things that were to be left for Julian
Yoko never gave Julian his inheritance—until he went to the press—and then she literally one time wrote him out a check for 25cents OF HIS OWN FATHERS MONEY
Yoko denied Cynthia Lennon, && all of Johns family in England access to his public memorial
Linda has done a lot, raised her children, done a LOT for animal rights…and most importantly she didnt butt into the Beatles.
RIP LINDA
Why do you think Yoko wouldn't give Paul the money to buy the beetles catalogue and remained friends with MJ after he bought it? Yoko didn't want Paul to have it and was very happy when MJ got it because she hated Paul. This is a very old story.
Re: rubysoho –
You are absolutley right
George Harrison was the most underrated Beatle of all time- He was incredibly talented, and I personally love his guitar playing better than Lennons. Something is one of the most romantic songs ever and Here Comes the Sun is one of the most recognizable songs the Beatles ever had-
George was proably the most bitter- but he had zero say, I'd be bitter too
absolutely nothing newsworthy in that story. in fact old news. most of us knew that stuff already. and yes yoko played a big part.
That was one of Rolling Stones longest articles in a long time, but it was also one of the best. I do call myself a huge Beatles fan, but I was surprised to hear a couple of the things in the article myself. :/ Mainly the stuff about George, I knew about John. None of the drama makes me like the Beatles any less though.
George Harrison, ftw. The most talented and underrated Beatle.
"By the time they made it big in the early 1960s, Lennon said that the "music died" and that they never "improved" from that point forward." Wow! Just goes to show that the people making the music don't always hear it. So they never improved from "She Loves You' to "Come Together"?? Sigh… JOhn was a man of serious contradictions I am sure the next day if asked, he'd have said the music was wonderful.
This is all well known… they did "talk it out and were fine". And I don't think they are arguably the greatest band ever…
… it's pretty well established the are. No band will ever do what they did.
Are you fucking kidding me?!?!
Were you just born today? I know that is a lame joke, but you are so lame.
i just cant stop looking at your website!
dude this has been known for ever hello! Mario John even wrote a song about how much he hated Paul called how do you sleep
This is old news. Perez do your research. For any true Beatle fan this is already known.
There are places i'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends i still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life i've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When i think of love as something new
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
In my life i love you more
it's typical to always blame the woman in the situation. this isn't new news, everyone knows that paul didn't like yoko. but i didnt know that about george. i'll still read that article.
Re: atom74 – John did not hate Paul. They were best friends and had a very special musical partnership. Their relationship did suffer in later years but the idea everyone has about them hating each other is rediculous, they all visited each other and talked on the phone quite regularly right up until John's death. John said all this stuff in Rolling Stone around 1970, around the time of the break up so of course he was bitter. But even in 1971 John referred to Paul as his best friend in an interview. The beatles all loved each other and WERE like brothers. Brothers fight occasionally you know. They all had their faults. Also, you really can't blame Paul and George for disliking her, Yoko is terribly obnoxious.
this isn't news…did anyone listen to his solo music? or any of george's? john's song "god" says he doesn't believe in beatles. and george says he met john and paul in the material world in "living in the material world." these are just obvious evidence, and only two examples. pretty clear why they broke up. not news.
Not surprised at all. I think John was always a little uncomfortable with the fame. He was already dissenting when the band hit big in 1963-64, still early on. Paul was always more comfortable in the limelight, a natural showman, whereas John was more of the brooding rebel angry at the world. Understandably so - his dad abandoned him, his mom was struck by a car driven by a drunk off-duty cop and killed when he was 17, and close friend Stu Sutcliffe died in 1962, a lot of losses in his early life.
LOL, this information has been public for decades. Read ANY biography of John Lennon and there it all is - and more. Did I mention that Lennon died 29 years ago? Rolling Stone is shameless. Oh, btw, John Lennon was a genius and, in fact, the person who created the Beatles.
What did you think John's "How Do You Sleep?" to Paul was about? lol.
its breaking news because none of them have ever said it. gosh!
I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that this was a secret.
Once again, Perez breaks the news that everyone already knows… well done!
Nothing new in this the whole frigging world knew hardly some deep dark secret. jeez……………………………
Nothing that was said in this interview is any "news" or "revelation". It's been reported before how the Beatles hated on Yoko, and they hated being bossed around by McCartney..
I read that in the book of the interview years ago, how is that new news? That very very old news!
Re: o0oIrelandActresso0o – A-fucking-men! There is NOTHING new about that interview!
PS: No offense to Sir Paul the Great, but he wasnt all that hot in the 60s. I probably would've preferred Ringo or George.
Ringo is a total fox in that picture. YUM.
'Until now.' ROFL. I know you post some stories late, but this is decades late.
I'll try one last time. This was all published in a book called Lennon Remembers. It was published by Rolling Stone. At the time of publication, Jann Wenner was running the show. Jann Wenner must be out of money to be trying to push this stuff off as new. And I still hate Yoko Ono. She just kills my buzz.
Every one knows this story, it has never been a secret. Right at the time it was happening, the story came right out in the media.OLD NEWS. The joke used to be :Yoko? oh no!
Mother of God, Mario, your lack of knowledge about The Beatles history is staggering. All of this was covered in the press years ago, not to mention in songs both Lennon and McCartney wrote about each other on their post-Beatles solo albums. But like a typical 20-something, you act as if you know it all when in reality you are, if you don't mind me saying so, a fucking idiot. Or to quote Lennon-McCartney (from a song you probably don't know), "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."