The 7 Shocking Facts About John Lennon’s Life

While John Lennon was universally recognized as a musical genius, celebrated by millions as an idol, and held in high regard for his role as a peace activist during the counterculture era, he was also seen by many as a problematic and controversial person. His life spawned a narrative that was more complex than any other rockstar’s life, encompassing violence and extremely inappropriate remarks.  The story of John Lennon, which is rife with apparent inconsistencies and bizarre incidents, will undoubtedly be remembered for decades to come. Below are the 7 shocking facts about the legendary John Lennon.

He Was Always Jealous of Paul McCartney

John and Paul would go down in history as the greatest songwriting partnership of all time, forming The Beatles, and achieving massive success out of it. Yet, as time progressed, their friendship would turn upside down and both would remember the times they were together out of spite. Post-Beatles, the two would even release unpleasant songs against one another. Lennon had always been open with explaining how he didn’t like Macca’s domineering side during recordings, yet obviously, one could identify how someone as poetic yet as lazy as Lennon, would still be jealous of McCartney’s talents in songwriting, as the latter could just magically create a song in just minutes.

He Was a Cheater

With the excess of drugs, alcohol, and women in the 60s, it doesn’t seem too shocking that the most famous person Lennon would cheat on his wife, Cynthia. The story of how Lennon met Yoko Ono during an Avant Garde convention might be endearing, but we’d take note that he was still married to his first wife, before leaving her for Ono. Moreover, who could ever forget Lennon’s lost weekend, wherein he’d trade his wife Ono for a year-and-a-half affair with May Pang?

He Was Considered a Hypocrite

John Lennon’s hypocrisy has been cited as an important point of criticism. With his reputation for violence, many found Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-in for Peace in 1969 too much. He admitted to abusing his first wife, Cynthia Powell, both physically and verbally. More surprisingly, he’d allegedly also been violent to his wife and muse, Ono. not only that but he’s also been known for his violent outbursts in public – as recalled by his closest peers.

He Neglected Being a Father to His First Son, Julian

While Lennon did settle on being a house-husband in the 70s and lovingly raised his 2^nd son Sean Lennon, he didn’t deserve the “Father of The Year” award still, given how much he neglected taking care of his first son, Julian Lennon. There is evidence that, despite Julian’s mild nature, his father would chastise and even physically assault him on even the most trivial things, such as table manners.

He Never Left Much Money for Julian’s Trust Fund

John always fantasized about a world with no religion, no heaven, no countries, and no possessions. But when the time came for him to write his will to be distributed in his family, his greed came in handy when he cut his first son’s inheritance to merely £50,000. Given how much money he’s worth while still alive, this was a bit too harsh.

His Famous “Jesus” Comment

In the 60s, absolutely no one could compare to the level of popularity the Beatles had achieved with their music. But nothing lasts forever, so when Lennon remarked how intensely popular they were, perhaps even more popular than Jesus, it offended thousands of people and led to the downfall of Beatlemania.

Here’s what he had to say: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right, and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

The Lost Weekend

Just in case you’re not updated on the adventurous life of the late Lennon, the term Lost Weekend referred to the 18 months (between 1973-1975) of the musician’s life just living in excess. Around this time, Yoko Ono gave her blessing for John to leave her temporarily and enjoy singlehood. He had an affair with May Pang, was known to have consumed enough alcohol and drugs he could ever lay hands on, and partied hard with several other famous stars (Harry Nilsson, and Elton John, among others).