| ~ From the New York Times - April 24, 1964 ~ |
JOHN LENNON IN HIS OWN WRITE. 79 pages. Simon & Schuster. $2.50
The author is a Beatle, a kind of upperclass choir boy with a churl's haircut, and he writes like a Beatle possessed. What he is possessed with is the feeling that if there isn't a word like the one he needs to use, there should be one. He has the touch of inspired nonsense and a gift for illustrating his notions with strangely funny drawings, even though his taste runs to the weird.
In jolly little tales and verses he deals with subjects like wife murder, doing away with a dog, pulling teeth, skin growths, a killing at Christmas time, cannibalism, race hate, drug addiction, the loss of a hand or two, selling the old home along with mother, and death on the railroad line. The world these days is full of great comic material.
What is Mr. Lennon up to? As he writes, "You might well arsk." Anyhow, his publishers know. Learning that this literary work is selling as madly in Britain as other Beatle merchandise, Simon & Schuster jumped the advance printing from 10,000 to 50,000 copies. Change that line about Beatle Lennon having the touch of inspired nonsense. He has the Midas touch.
~ Harry Gilroy ~
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