Lennon Remembers

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The following is a series of excerpts from
"Lennon Remembers" that briefly addresses the Beatles' performances and guitar playing from John's point of view. This is offered here by way of review.

Let's re-approach that. The Beatles were talked about as being four parts of the same person. What's happened to those four parts?

They remembered that they were four individuals. You see, we believed the Beatles myth, too. I don't know whether the others still believe it, but we were four guys that - I met Paul and said, "Do you want to join me band?" and then George joined and then Ringo joined. We were just a band who made it very, very big - that's all. Our best work was never recorded.

Why?

Because we were performers in spite of what Mick [Jagger] says about us, in Liverpool, Hamburg and around the dance halls. What we generated was fantastic when we played straight rock, and there was nobody to touch us in Britain. But as soon as we made it, the edges were knocked off. Brian Epstein put us in suits and all that, and we made it very, very big. We sold out. The music was dead before we even went on the theater tour of Britain. We were feeling terrible already, because we had to reduce an hour or two hours' play - and which we were glad [to do] in one way - to twenty minutes, and go on and repeat the same twenty minutes every night. The Beatles' music died then, as musicians. That's why we never improved as musicians. We killed ourselves then to make it - and that was the end of it. George and I are more inclined to say that. We always missed the club dates cause that's when we were playing music. Then later on we became technically efficient recording artists, which was another thing. Because we were competent people, whatever media you put us in, we can produce something worthwhile.

How do you rate yourself as a guitarist? As a musician?

Well, it depends what kind of guitarist . . .

Rock & roll.

I'm okay. I'm not technically very good, but I can make it howl and move. I was rhythm guitarist, and it's an important job. I can make a band drive.

How do you rate George?

He's pretty good. I prefer meself - I have to be honest. I'm really very embarrassed about my guitar playing in one way because it's very poor. I can never move. But I can make a guitar speak. I think there's a guy called Ritchie Valens - no, Richie Havens? Did he play very strange guitar? He's a black guy that was on at the Isle of Wight concert, sang "Strawberry Fields" or something.

Oh, Richie Havens.

Yeah, he plays like one chord all the time-pretty funky guitar. He doesn't seem to be able to play in the real sense. I'm like that. But Yoko's made me get cocky about me guitar cause she keeps saying - Okay, see, one part of me says, "Yes, of course I can play because I can make a rock move." But the other part of me says, "Well, I wish I could just do it like B.B. King." If you put me with B.B., I'll feel silly. But I'm an artist and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it.

You said that you can make the guitar speak. In which songs do you feel you've done that?

"I Found Out," I think it's nice. It drives along. I don't know, ask Eric Clapton, he thinks I can play [laugh]. A lot of you people want the technical thing, then you think, oh, well that's like wanting technical films. Most critics of rock & roll and guitarists are in the stage of the Fifties where they wanted a technically perfect film finished for them and then they would feel happy. I'm a cinema verite guitarist-musician. You have to break down your barriers to be able to hear what I'm playing. There's a nice little bit I played on Abbey Road. Paul gave us each a piece, a little break where Paul plays, George plays and I play. When you listen to it you know . . .

Which is that?

There's one bit, one of those where it stops, on "Carry That Weight," then suddenly it goes boom-boom-boom on the drums and we all take it in turns to play. I'm the third one on it. I have a definite style of playing, always had. But I was overshadowed. They call George the invisible singer, I'm the invisible guitarist.

You said you played the obligato on "Get Back"?

I played the solo on that, yeah. When Paul was feeling kind, he'd give me a solo. Maybe if he was feeling guilty that he'd had most of the A sides or something, he'd give me a solo. And I played the solo on that. I think George produces some beautiful guitar playing, but I think he's too hung up to really let go. But so is Eric, really. Maybe he's changed. They're all so hung up. Well, we all are, that's the problem. But I really like B.B. King.