Did John Lennon reconcile with his father?
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| John bore a striking resemblance to his father |
Alfred Lennon was unmistakably present in his son's physical appearance But he only had a walk-on - or rather walk-off - role in his upbringing.
Following the notorious showdown on Blackpool beach in 1946, Alf made no further attempt to contact his son for eighteen years. From John's perspective, 'it was as if he were dead.'
Then, at the height of Beatlemania in April 1964, Mr Lennon (senior) called at the NEMS office - accompanied by a tabloid journalist. A startled Epstein immediately contacted John.
A short stormy meeting at the office did not go well. Months later after a down-at-heel Freddie again appeared unannounced, this time at Kenwood, the Lennon family home in Surrey.
John initially sent him away but later established contact.
That's My Life
An uneasy truce survived until Freddie recorded a cash-in single "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)" at the end of 1965.
Furious at this perceived betrayal of trust, John broke off relations with his father. He also instructed Brian Epstein to do all he could to ensure that My Life never made the charts (mission accomplished).
Three years later Alfred reappeared at Kenwood. This time he was accompanied by his (very) young fiancee, the Rolling Stones-loving student, Pauline. Pauline needed work and a room, so John employed her as a live-in personal assistant, housing her in the attic until the couple married and moved to Brighton.
A primal scream
Filial relations remained tense but tolerable until 1970, when John and Yoko underwent the then voguish primal scream therapy in Los Angeles. This 'recovered' the hurt of John's childhood abandonment.
The resulting rage was unleashed when John invited Alfred, Pauline and their eighteen month, David Henry Lennon child to lunch on the eve of his 30th birthday. According to a legal affidavit Alfred a "loathsome tirade was uttered with malignant glee".
This would be the last ever meeting between father and son and the his only one John had with his half brother. John reaffirmed his resentment in the Lennon Remembers interview (1971) but then had second thoughts.
Five years later, when his father was terminally ill with stomach cancer, John movingly regretted his earlier harshness. Following an intervention from Pauline, he phoned his father on his deathbed. Apologies were given and accepted.
When Fred Met Julia - full 4 minute free read on Medium
When Fred Met Julia - full 4 minute free read on Medium
