Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon

by Jeff Burger (Editor)

Overview

John Lennon was a highly opinionated and controversial figure with a commanding personality and quick wit. And he made a point of living his adventurous life as openly as possible.

Whether he was experimenting with LSD, Transcendental Meditation, primal therapy, macrobiotic diets, or recording techniques, the public was on board every step of the way. He spoke candidly about his intense, sometimes tumultuous relationship with Yoko Ono, his split with the Beatles, his squabbles with Paul McCartney, and just about everything else, baring his emotional ups and downs for all to see. By the time he granted his—and this book’s—final interview, only hours before his death, he had become one of the most famous people on the planet and an articulate commentator on politics, human relations, and world peace.

Lennon on Lennon is an authoritative, chronologically arranged anthology of some of Lennon’s most illuminating interviews, spanning the years 1964 to 1980.

The majority have not been previously available in print, and several of the most important have not been widely available in any format. Interspersed throughout the book are key quotes from dozens of additional Q&As.

Together, this material paints a revealing picture of the artist in his own words while offering a window into the cultural atmosphere of the sixties and seventies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780912777696
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Series:	Musicians in Their Own Words
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jeff Burger is the editor of Springsteen on Springsteen and Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen. He has contributed to Barron’s, Family Circle, GQ, the Los Angeles Times, Reader’s Digest, and more than seventy-five other magazines, newspapers, and books. He lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface Jeff Burger vii

Radio Interview Doreen Kelso

June 21, 1964, St. George Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand | Broadcast date unknown, 22B (Wellington, New Zealand) 1

Press Conference

August 11, 1966, Astor Towers, Chicago 6

Radio Interview Fred Robbins

October 29, 1966, Carboneras, Spain | Broadcast date unknown, Assignment: Hollywood, syndicated (US) 13

TV Interview Joe Garagiola

May 14, 1968, NBC Studios, New York | Broadcast May 14, 1968, The Tonight Show, NBC (US) 26

Conversation Maurice Hindie & friends

December 2, 1968, Kenwood (Lennon's home), Surrey, UK | Brief excerpts published January 1969, Unit (UK) 44

Press Conference

March 31, 1969, Hotel Sacher, Vienna, Austria 84

Conversation Timothy Leary Rosemary Leary

May 29, 1969, Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal | Published June 25, 2012, Timothy Leary Archives (blog) 94

Radio Interview Howard Smith

December 17, 1969, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Broadcast December 1969, WABC-FM (New York) 104

Conversation Tariq Ali Robin Blackburn

January 21, 1971, Tittenhurst Park (Lennon's home), Berkshire, UK | Excerpts published March 8, 1971, the Red Mole (UK) 153

TV Interview Dick Cavett

September 8, 1971, ABC Studios, New York | Broadcast September 11, 1971, The Dick Cavett Show, ABC (US) 195

TV Interview Dick Cavett

September 8, 1971, ABC Studios, New York | Broadcast September 24, 1971, The Dick Cavett Show, ABC (US) 228

Radio Interview Howard Smith

January 23, 1972, 105 Bank Street (Lennon's home), New York | Broadcast January 23, 1972, WPLJ-FM (New York) 246

Press Conference

February 1972, Philadelphia 293

TV Interview Dick Cavett

Early May 1972, ABC Studios, New York | Broadcast May 11, 1972, The Dick Cavett Show, ABC (US) 302

Radio Interview Dennis Elsas

September 28, 1974, WNEW-FM studios, New York | Broadcast live, WNEW-FM (New York) 319

Long Night's Journey into Day: A Conversation with John Lennon Pete Hamill

Early February 1975, the Dakota (Lennon's home), New York | Published June 5, 1975, Rolling Stone (US) 353

He Said, She Said Frances Schoenberger

March 1975, New York | Published October 1988, Spin (US) 375

The Real John Lennon Barbara Graustark

Circa August 1980 | Published September 29, 1980, Newsweek (US) 391

John Lennon: The Man, the Memory Dave Shoun

December 8, 1980, the Dakota (Lennon's home), New York | Broadcast December 14, 1980, RKO Radio Network (US) 399

About the Participants 443

About the Editor 447

Credits 449

Index 451

Editorial Reviews

"John Lennon loved to talk. He talked about almost everything and always in his own inimitable style: a combination of biting satire and wicked wit with ample doses of intelligence. He never held anything back. And now Jeff Burger’s in-depth collection of print, radio, and television interviews is here to remind us just how much we lost when his life was cut short those many years ago. . . . An indispensable volume.” —June Skinner Sawyers, editor of Read the Beatles and Racing in the Street



“In what surely took countless hours of research and with great attention to detail, Jeff Burger has preserved the thoughts, emotions, humor, and humanity of one of the twentieth century’s most transformative figures. In page after riveting page, John Lennon, in his own words, takes us on his unforgettable journey with the media.” —Dave Sholin, West Coast radio personality and the last person to interview John Lennon



“A wonderful addition to the Lennon library and a pleasure to finally have all these interviews (including my own) presented in their entirety.” —Dennis Elsas, Sirius XM and New York–area radio personality



“Lennon’s sardonic humor, intelligence, and honesty are displayed in these revealing discussions.” —Library Journal


“Beatles' fans know their Beatles' quotes. So it's great fun to pick up Jeff Burger's book and dive deep into a wealth of material, some of which even the most ardent follower might not know and most of which had never been transcribed.” —The [NJ] Star-Ledger

From the Publisher