On the eve of what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, and with a re-issue of his entire back catalogue, Tony Clayton-Leatalks to five well-known Lennon fans about his legacy and what the past 30 years may have been like had he lived and continued making music
JOHN KELLY, Broadcaster, writer and presenter
I find it hard to separate Lennon from McCartney, The Beatles as a unity as opposed to Lennon by himself, so I could take my cue from George Martin, whom I interviewed. We were talking about classical music and what influence that might have had on The Beatles, and he said that was all Paul, that John was the rocker.
So I respond a lot to that side of Lennon, that he was into Fats Domino, Carl Perkins and so on – and that never left him. Yet by the same token, it would be a bit unfair to say that Lennon was just a rock’n’roller, because clearly a lot of the charm of The Beatles came as much from Lennon as it did from McCartney, although maybe Lennon’s posture was more leather and cigarettes.
If he were still alive? Assuming he were still in New York, and was healthy and in thinking mode, I suspect he would be working in that area of off-the-wall rock music where it meets avant garde and jazz. I could see him operating in the same orbit as Lou Reed, John Zorn and others. I really can't imagine him doing what McCartney is doing, enjoyable though it might be. He wouldn't have been on X Factor,that's for sure.
Favourite John Lennon songA lot of my favourite Beatles songs are Lennon's. There are the lovely ones – Girl, Julia– but my favourite of the lot is Happiness Is A Warm Gun, off The White Album. It's an amazing song; there's nothing like it. And it challenges the idea that he would happily have played Carl Perkins songs for the rest of his life.
PAUL DU NOYER, Music critic and writer of the sleeve notes for the John Lennon Anniversary re-issue series
The first thing that springs to mind is how autobiographical he was. It was around the time he wrote Help!in 1965 that he pulled the circumstances of his own life, his own feelings into the formula of the pop song, and from that point on, you can see clearly that the songs he wrote were songs drawn from his own life experiences. His debut solo album in 1970 was probably the rawest autobiographical album made before or since in rock music; the songs on the album attempt to exorcise the ghosts of childhood traumas that he thought were causing him unhappiness as an adult.
Even at the age of 40, the age at which he died, he was still writing songs about his life, and he wasn’t concerned about appearing to be hip or a rock star any more; he was quite content to be seen as square, a married man and a dad.
What would he have gone on to do? Well, the one thing we can speculate upon with a degree of confidence is that he would have gone on documenting his own life. What we can also say with some assuredness is that no one else of his era has done it. It’s one aspect of the tragedy of his death in that we never got to discover how he would have written about his life’s experiences. His contemporaries, Dylan, McCartney, Jagger and Richards, will occasionally write something about their lives, but they don’t document the process of growing older in the way that Lennon was doing – a universal diary, if you will – up to the age of 40. No one has picked up that particular baton since Lennon died.
Favourite John Lennon song Instant Karma– especially for that soaring chorus, "We all shine on", which is a masterpiece of democratic mysticism.
HANIF KURESHI, Writer, co-editor of The Faber Book of Pop
I've been fascinated by The Beatles from their very first album in the early 1960s. As for Lennon, the songwriter he was back then was one with an edge; he was brilliantly compatible with McCartney, who was sweeter and softer. And Lennon made fantastic use of the English language. I love I Am the Walrus, which came out of the English nonsense writing tradition of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear.
So Lennon was a clever fellow, with a great voice, too. He also dressed very well, looked incredible, dangerous and violent – that gave him a Dylanesque edge.
If he were alive today, I reckon he'd still have the same level of quality. He had the intelligence, the talent, and his work continue to develop. His first solo album, Plastic Ono Band, is a masterpiece, and even from The Beatles days, he was a very explicit songwriter. His songs were about his psychological pain; from Help!to My Mummy's Dead, he clearly wasn't ashamed or nervous about exposing himself. In that way he was an exhibitionist, but he told the truth about himself in the same way that Dylan did. A very honest songwriter that could have carried on had he lived; he would have remained a huge star.
Favourite John Lennon song Across The Universe– I love the atmosphere of the song, and I love Lennon's voice on it. I'm going to play that song now, actually, probably followed by Norwegian Wood.
MARK EVERETT, Frontman of the Eels
I’m a gigantic fan. If I had to pick one favourite musician of that 1960s/1970s era it would be him.
I'm a particular fan of his first solo album, Plastic Ono Band– that was a real major influence on me. As a 10-year-old kid, I would play that record over and over again. Looking back, it seems like an odd record for a young kid to be so into, but it obviously spoke to me. I was always happy to hear his voice.
What would he be doing now? Well, it’s amazing to imagine all the kinds of things he might be up to. I don’t think he’d be as active as Paul McCartney, but I reckon he’d have done stuff in a similar manner.
The autobiographical detail in his songs is amazing, and listening to that solo album so obsessively rubbed off on me in that way, for sure.
Favourite John Lennon songWhen he was in The Beatles, I'd pick Strawberry Fields Forever. Solo? I'd go for a number of songs on the Plastic Ono Bandalbum – let's see, Look At Me, maybe? Yes, let's go with that one. I like it so much because it always seemed to hit the spot for me.
NICKY WIRE, Lyricist and bassist with Manic Street Preachers
I’m a Beatles obsessive, but the thing I miss with Lennon is the ultimate sarcasm mixed with intelligence – you just don’t get that anymore in pop stars. The fierce, rampant ego mixed with severe smarts is an amazing concoction.
The Beatles are unsurpassable, and it was always The White Albumfor me. We did a cover of Working Class Hero– what a fantastic lyric.
He rediscovered his mojo towards the end of his life – can you just imagine what he could have come up with?
Favourite John Lennon songI love songs like I Found Outand Motherfrom the Plastic Ono Bandalbum, which is simply terrific.
