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POP PICS SUPER: BEATLE JOHN LENNON
HIS LIFE STORY / HOROSCOPE / FUTURE PLANS
By John Lennon, 1963
John's Life Story first
appeared in Mirabelle, October 12, 1963
As a child I lived a life of uninterrupted calm. I don't recall feeling
desperately sad or unusually happy. Unfortunately that calm was suddenly
shattered when my mother died before my fourteenth birthday. Only those who have
experienced such a tragedy can imagine how awful it is. I don't like talking
about it because it's too great a sorrow to be publicized, but I hope all of you
who have two parents living will appreciate them.
After Mum died, I went to live with my Aunt Mimi. She's the greatest, bless
her heart. We have a little house, with frilly curtains at the windows, and an
old apple tree in the front garden. When I'm away from home, I think about Aunt
Mimi and her frilly curtains and her apple tree, and I realize I'm fortunate,
because though Mum was taken away from me, I was given something precious in
return.
Growing up in Liverpool isn't much different from growing up in any other
part of the country. Life there is a bit tougher than in the south, because jobs
are sometimes hard to find. It isn't a beautiful city architecturally, but it's
got great atmosphere. The huge grey buildings that merge with the River Mersey;
the cobbled streets; the unsightly tracks that used to carry the old trains; the
countless jazz cellars beneath the warehouses around the dockland.
If you are in the heart of Liverpool very late at night, you might hear a
girl singing with a group of fellows harmonizing for her, as they make their way
through the narrow streets between the high buildings to the coffee stall down
by the Pierhead.
The Pierhead is where the boats come in from Birkenhead and Tyneside, and
where the tramps and the teenagers, the young and the old meet in the early
hours of the morning.
I went to school at Dovedale Primary, and Quarry Bank Grammar. Reading,
writing and 'rithmetic over, I went on to the Liverpool College of Art. Art was
always my best subject at school. I failed miserably at maths and science, and I
wasn't too hot at history. According to my school reports I could have done
better if I'd tried harder, and I wish now that I had. I think kids go to school
too young. At 14 or 15 I couldn't have cared less whether Richard II and
Bolingbroke were having a burn-up, or how many square Xs I'd need to solve my
algebra problem. I cared about music and girls, and saving up for a packet of
fags (cigarettes).
When I was at Dovedale, I knew George Harrison but only by sight, because of
our age differnce of nearly three years. A big gap when you're as young as we
were. Later George went on to Liverpool Institute and I went to Quarry Bank. It
was several years later that we got really keen on music, and Paul and I started
teaching ourselves the guitar. After school each night, we'd rush through our
tea and then meet, and practice our act. When we felt we were good enough, we
went for an audition, calling ouselves The Nurk Twins.
"Very good," the agent said after our performance. "I'll book
you for a show in Reading." "Great," we yelled, going potty with
joy. We sang several songs in that show and a small proportion of the population
of Reading went mad on us.
It was then we started dreaming of a future in show business. Before that, we
hadn't dared to think about one. Unfortunately, though, the Nurk Twins didn't
altogether catch on, and we felt we'd do much better in a larger group rather
than as a duo. So we started and finished several groups until we got one
together that had the beginnings of a new sound.
By then George had joined us, and so had a pal of ours, who is now dead,
Stuart Sutcliffe. We began to do well as semi-pros. Then one day our big break
came with an offer to appear at The Star Club in Hamburg. This is a kind of
super-Cavern, where just about everyone who is anyone on the Liverpool scene has
played at some time or another.
On our first visit there, George became very interested in the frauleins, and
learned to speak their language in a fantastically quick time. I think by the
way Paul's eyes kept flashing, he too liked the German girls, but me, I had
different ideas. My girl was at home in Liverpool. I'd met her one day and we'd
suddenly fallen in love. A little while later, we were married. I love her. As
I'm away such a lot, she lives with Aunt Mimi. I'd like to tell you more about
her, but I've this old-fashioned idea that marriage is a private thing, too
precious to be publicly discussed. So forgive me and understand.
As I was saying, we appeared at the Star Club three times. The second time,
another group were on the same bill, and we were all very taken with the style
of their drummer. He had a special feel for his rhythm, and was the greatest
drummer we'd ever seen perform. His name of course, was Ringo Starr.
We didn't get to talk to him during that show, and it wasn't until a few
months after, back in Liverpool, that we actually met him. After our first visit
to Hamburg we came home without Stuart Sutcliffe, because he had decided to stay
in Germany permanently. It was a sad blow to us when we heard of his sudden
death.
When we were in Germany we thought up the title Beatles, but the Germans
couldn't pronounce it, so they called us the Beat Boys and it wasn't until we
tied up with Ringo that we officially joined the ranks of the creepy crawlies.
WHAT THE STARS KNOW..LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
Libra subjects are artistic, pleasure-loving, but also ambitious. They are
gay, easy-going, and anxious to please other people. They like to be well
thought of and thus sometimes lack self-confidence.
Their highly-sensitive natures cause misunderstandings - jokes about
themselves are sometimes taken as a personal insult instead of a good rag.
They are even tempered, and when it comes to an argument, more often than not
they will give in because they prefer a peaceful life.
BEATLE PLANS FOR 1964
January 15th to February 4th, John Paul, George and Ringo are appearing at
the Olympia, the famous Paris music hall in France. February 7th to February
17th, the Beatles will be in the United States, appearing in two TV shows in New
York, then one in Florida plus a few days holiday. Then the Beatles come home to
Britain to make their film for United Artists. Also in 1964, they will be
touring Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. And another big one-night-stand
tour of Britain is planned for them.
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