John Lennon [music]

Calvin

Welcome to Headstones and Microphones where we use AI to step into the past through a researched, first-person simulation of history's most interesting people. I am your host, Calvin. While we’ve added some creative storytelling, our goal is to inspire your own study of these fascinating lives. Now, let’s meet our guest.

Calvin

I am beyond thrilled today. We have a legend in the studio. For those who may somehow not know who you are... who are you?

White Male Guest

Hello, Calvin. I’m John Lennon. I played a bit of guitar, wrote some tunes with my mates, and tried to spread a little peace and love around the world while I was at it.

Calvin

A "bit" of guitar! That’s the understatement of the century. Let’s go back to the beginning. When and where were you born?

White Male Guest

I arrived during a bit of a ruckus! I was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, right in the middle of a German air raid.

Calvin

That’s quite the entrance. What was your given name at birth?

White Male Guest

My full name was John Winston Lennon. My mother gave me the middle name Winston after Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister at the time. Very patriotic, wasn't it?

Calvin

Definitely. So, what was your hometown of Liverpool like growing up?

White Male Guest

Liverpool was a gritty, soulful port city. It had a real character to it. Growing up in Woolton, it felt like a world of its own—lots of red brick and green parks like Strawberry Field, which was just around the corner from my house.

Calvin

I've heard that name before! What was your family life like?

White Male Guest

It was a bit unconventional. I lived with my Aunt Mimi and my Uncle George at a house called Mendips. Mimi was strict but she loved me dearly. My mother, Julia, lived nearby; she was the one who really fueled my love for music. She was the "rock and roll" spirit in my life.

Calvin

And what kind of kid were you? Were you a troublemaker?

White Male Guest

Oh, I was a handful! I was the class clown, always drawing caricatures of the teachers and writing silly poems. I wasn't much for the rules, but I had a lot of energy and a very loud imagination.

Calvin

What were your biggest fears growing up?

White Male Guest

I think, like many kids in that situation, it was the fear of being alone or misunderstood. I hid behind a lot of bravado and jokes, but I was always looking for where I belonged.

Calvin

What did you dream of becoming as a child?

White Male Guest

Before the music took over, I wanted to be an artist or a writer. I loved Lewis Carroll—Alice in Wonderland was a huge influence. I just wanted to create things that made people see the world a bit differently.

Calvin

What were some of your favorite activities in school?

White Male Guest

Art was the only thing that truly grabbed me. I spent most of my time in the back of the class drawing in my "Daily Howl" notebooks. Anything that wasn't math or science was alright by me!

Calvin

What was your first job?

White Male Guest

I didn't have much of a "career" before the band, but I remember helping my Uncle George with the gardening. Though I think I spent more time daydreaming than pulling weeds!

Calvin

Was there a moment where you realized you were different from everyone else?

White Male Guest

I always felt a bit of a "misfit" energy. I remember thinking, "Either I’m a genius or I’m mad," because I didn't see things the way the other boys did. I felt like I was tuned into a different frequency.

Calvin

What’s a decision that changed everything for you, but felt small at the time?

White Male Guest

Picking up the guitar my mother bought me. It was a cheap little thing, and Aunt Mimi used to say, "The guitar's all right, John, but you'll never make a living with it." That little guitar changed the entire course of my life.

Calvin

That is iconic. What would you say was your biggest break?

White Male Guest

Meeting Paul McCartney at the Woolton garden fete in 1957. I was playing with my band, The Quarrymen, and this lad comes up and shows me how to tune a guitar and plays "Twenty Flight Rock." I knew right then I needed him in the band.

Calvin

What were your biggest struggles before success?

White Male Guest

We were just kids from Liverpool trying to get anyone to listen. We played these tiny, sweaty clubs in Hamburg for eight hours a night, sleeping in the back of a cinema. It was exhausting, but it’s where we really learned how to be a band.

Calvin

Did you ever consider quitting?

White Male Guest

Never. Even when things looked bleak, there was this drive. We had this saying when we were down: "Where are we going, fellas?" and the answer was "To the top, Johnny! To the Toppermost of the Poppermost!"

Calvin

To the Toppermost! I love that. Are there any daily habits or routines that you feel were essential to your success?

White Male Guest

Reading and writing. I was always scribbling down thoughts or lyrics on napkins or envelopes. And later on, meditation became a very big part of staying grounded when the world got too loud.

Calvin

What job would you have had if fame never happened?

White Male Guest

I probably would have ended up in art school or perhaps trying to be a novelist. I had to be doing something creative, or I’d have gone completely spare.

Calvin

What was your life like right before the fame hit?

White Male Guest

It was chaotic and exciting. We were playing the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and the crowds were getting bigger and bigger. You could feel something in the air—like a storm was about to break.

Calvin

How did relationships change after success?

White Male Guest

It gets tricky. People start looking at you like you’re a statue instead of a person. You have to find the people who really know you, like Yoko, who saw me for who I was, not just "John from The Beatles."

Calvin

Did fame bring happiness?

White Male Guest

It brought freedom and opportunities, but it also brought a lot of noise. True happiness for me was always in the quiet moments—baking bread at home or playing with my son, Sean.

Calvin

What was the downside of becoming famous?

White Male Guest

The loss of privacy. You become public property. You can't just walk down the street and look at the trees without it becoming a "moment."

Calvin

What misconceptions did people have about you?

White Male Guest

People often thought I was the "angry" one or the "cynical" one. I had a sharp tongue, sure, but it was usually a defense mechanism. Deep down, I was always a dreamer.

Calvin

What was your darkest moment?

White Male Guest

Losing my mother, Julia, twice—first when I moved in with Mimi, and then when she passed away when I was eighteen. That was a hole in my heart that took a long time to heal.

Calvin

What past regrets did you carry?

White Male Guest

I regretted not being there more for my first son, Julian, during the height of Beatlemania. I tried to do better later in life, but those early years were a whirlwind I didn't know how to handle.

Calvin

What’s something people misunderstood about your life?

White Male Guest

My relationship with Yoko. People wanted to blame her for things that were already happening within the band. In reality, she saved my life and opened my eyes to so much art and activism.

Calvin

Tell me about a time when everything went wrong and how you handled it.

White Male Guest

The "bigger than Jesus" comment. It was a complete misunderstanding of what I was trying to say about how people were obsessed with pop culture, but it blew up into this massive thing. I just had to face the music, apologize for the hurt caused, and keep moving.

Calvin

Who had the biggest influence on your life?

White Male Guest

My mother for the music, Aunt Mimi for the discipline, and Yoko for the soul. And Elvis, of course! Without Elvis, there would be no John Lennon.

Calvin

What was life like in your final years?

White Male Guest

It was wonderful! I took five years off to be a "house husband." I learned how to bake bread, I looked after Sean, and I found a peace I’d never known. I was just starting to feel like myself again.

Calvin

What were you working on right before you passed?

White Male Guest

I had just released the "Double Fantasy" album with Yoko. It was a celebration of our love and our life together. I was so excited to be making music again and sharing that joy.

Calvin

When and where did you pass away?

White Male Guest

I was shot outside my apartment in New York City on December 8th, 1980. I was 40 years old.

Calvin

What’s a random fact about you most people have never heard?

White Male Guest

I was actually quite a fan of Monopoly! I used to get very competitive about it. Also, I was legally blind without my glasses—I couldn't see a thing!

Calvin

What’s the craziest rumor ever told about you?

White Male Guest

There were always rumors that we were replaced by doubles or that we hid secret messages in every single song. Sometimes a song is just a song, you know?

Calvin

What was your most unique habit?

White Male Guest

I used to love cats. At one point, I think I had about ten of them! I’d also collect weird bits of memorabilia and books. I was a bit of a packrat for things that inspired me.

Calvin

What was your favorite food?

White Male Guest

I loved a good curry. But toward the end, I was very into macrobiotic eating—brown rice and vegetables. Though I still had a soft spot for chocolate!

Calvin

Did you have a favorite book?

White Male Guest

Anything by Lewis Carroll. "Jabberwocky" is just brilliant. It showed me that you could play with language and make your own rules.

Calvin

Did you have any known rivalries?

White Male Guest

The press loved to pit me and Paul against each other, especially after the band broke up. We had our public spats, but we were brothers. You can't go through what we went through and not have that bond.

Calvin

Tell us a story nobody talks about.

White Male Guest

I remember being in the studio during the "Sgt. Pepper" sessions and accidentally taking something I shouldn't have. George Martin took me up to the roof of Abbey Road to get some fresh air, not realizing why I was acting so strange! We stood there looking at the stars, and it was the most surreal, beautiful moment.

Calvin

What advice would you give people chasing success?

White Male Guest

Don't chase the fame; chase the truth in your work. And remember, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." So, enjoy the journey while you're on it.

Calvin

John, do you have any closing remarks about the interview or the stories you’ve shared today that you’d like to leave with the listeners?

White Male Guest

Just that it’s been a treat to chat! It’s lovely to see that people are still listening to the music and thinking about peace. My message is still the same: give peace a chance, and love is the answer. Thank you so much for having me, Calvin. It’s been a blast!

Calvin

What an absolute honor. We just spent time with John Lennon, talking about everything from Liverpool air raids to baking bread and the power of love. Thank you, John, for joining us and sharing your story. And that wraps up another conversation from beyond the grave. Thanks for joining us on The Headstones and Microphones Podcast. Remember—legends may die, but their stories never do. Please help spread the word by sharing and following the pod.