Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

John's first wife releases her on book on Lennon the end of this month. Might be a decent read from the standpoint of her first hand experience with him during the early years, other than for his band mates.

Cynthia already authored "A Twist of Lennon" back in '78. Will this new book just be a rehash of the old one?

Stan: Many years ago I read her first book on the topic, 'A Twist Of Lennon'. I don't recall anything particularly interesting in the book. If the new book is very different, it could be either an example of recovered memory or more probably Jerry Springer syndrome.

Seems like she was going by the name 'Cynthia Twist' when the first book was published (hence the title) and John was still alive. If that's true, I find it curious that the new book jacket has her reverting back to 'Cynthia Lennon'. When I get home, I'll have to take a look at the first book.

Ah, forgot about "Twist". This one is likely a 'rehash for more cash'.
Never read the first one, but if you check out the Barnes and Noble site you can get a brief, broad, synopsis of the new.

Cha Ching

Who said capitalism was dead?

She might be freer to say things she couldn't or didn't want to say when John was alive. Maybe a clause somewhere that said she couldn't say certain things til, oh I don't know, say 25 years after his death?

We'll see if consumerism (for all things Beatles) is still alive!

May have something there, Jerry, but of course the release couldn't be 'til after Dec. 8th of this year, to make it an exact 25

Right you are.
Read the "Twist of Lennon" book. Very mild, yet interesting, as she was there. Nothing truly new or shocking in that one. She and Julian have a "Lennon's of Liverpool" website. I doubt she would write anything scathing.

I looked at my copy of 'A Twist Of Lennon'. Although the book cover credits Cynthia Lennon, inside the copywrite goes to Cynthia Twist in 1978. I suppose the publisher figured that reverting to her famous married name would move more books.

As long as she doesn't show up on VH1's "Before They Were Rock Stars," I'll be able to sleep.

Did she just record a tune in the cavern too?

Yoko's claiming that John slapped her around. She's probably fabricated other tidbits to make it more fascinating.

A little pre-publicity. Some 'hawking' for the press.



MetroSource News 09/13/2005 02:09:00
Cynthia Lennon Book

London) -- The late John Lennon's first wife is offering a different view of the rock legend. While the former Beatle is remembered as a peace activist and devoted family man to second wife Yoko Ono and their son Sean, first wife Cynthia details her relationship with an angry and possessive young man in her book, "John." In an excerpt, posted on London's "Sunday Times" website, she describes Lennon's temper as "frightening," and says he needed her to reassure him on a daily basis that she was devoted to him. Cynthia recalls one instance in which his insecurity turned into violent rage. One night she had been dancing with Stuart Sutcliffe, one of Lennon's best friends. Reading from her book, Cynthia tells of how he exploded at her outside the women's bathroom at school the next day.


Cynthia says she left him after the incident, but three months later he apologized and asked her to once again be his girl. She also notes it was the only time Lennon was physically abusive to her, but admits he continued to be, quote, "verbally cutting and unkind."

Cynthia tends to attribute Lennon's unsavory behavior to his difficult childhood, and specifically to the way his aunt Mimi raised him. She says Mimi was very strict and demanding, that she was very difficult to please and showed her nephew little affection. She adds that Lennon's family never openly addressed difficult or painful situations, and as an adult Lennon, quote, "had an astonishing ability to ignore anything that distressed him." Their son, Julian, was just five years old when John and Cynthia split up, but she says Lennon "ignored" the boy for "several years" after the divorce. Cynthia Lennon's "John" is due in stores on September 27th, a couple of weeks before what would have been the late Beatle's 65th birthday.

Well, none of that is news. Even the book written by his friend, with help from Eliot Mintz (and probably Yoko) talks about Lennon bashing his women.