Philip Norman (1) (1943–)

Philip Norman's JOHN LENNON: THE LIFE (2009), at over 800 pages, could be - and is - a major undertaking, but if you read it in smaller bites over a week or two, It's actually kinda fun, especially if you were a Beatles fan from the very beginning, as I was. I first heard of the Beatles when they traveled to New York for their first American tour in 1963. News of the Beatles landing at La Guardia came across the teletype in our Operations building in northern Turkey where I was stationed with the Army. We all scratched our heads, wondering, What are Beatles? But our questions were answered soon after when the Beatles' first two British albums (on the Parlophone label) showed up in the base PX. I bought both of them. My roommates and I were at first kinda mystified by their raw sound, but, after a few plays, they kinda grew on us, and soon we were all singing or humming along. So yeah, been a fan ever since. And since then I've also read a couple Beatles biographies - Hunter Davies' early one, and, much later, the one by Bob Spitz, both of them very interesting. So a lot of stuff here in Norman's book I already knew about, at least vaguely, but much of the info on Lennon's life post-Beatles was new to me. For example, his so-called "lost weekend" - the fourteen month period when he separated from Yoko and cohabited (on both coasts) with May Pang, their 'personal assistant,' and apparently with Yono's approval. This was a time of much drinking, drugging and hanging out with Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon - both very bad influences. I also had several of John's post-group LPs, a couple of them products, I learned, of his Primal Scream therapy. Because it seems John Lennon was a bucket of fears, insecurities abd unresolved issues regarding his mostly absent parents. I also was very interested in learning more about the important role that producer George Martin played in the lives and musical successes of the group. And Lennon's shoddy treatment of his long-suffering first wife, Cynthia, and their son, Julian, is brought painfully to light here too - behavior he tried hard to rectify in his meticulous caring for Sean, his son with Yoko. It's all very complicated, and so was John Lennon, a confused and tortured soul, despite all of his wealth and success. And of course there is no happy ending, which we knew from the start.

But this is a damn good book, full of facts, myths and misunderstandings about Lennon - who was, after all, just a guy from Liverpool, very human - from before, during and after the Beatles. Philip Norman also wrote another, earlier book about the Beatles phenomenon called SHOUT. And now he has a new book, all about George Harrison. I enjoyed making my way through this massive tome, remembering the songs, the albums, those wonderful, strange and turbulent times. Thank you, Phil. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (mer)