In His Life: The John Lennon Story

2000; television movie

John… Phillip McQuillan 

Cynthia… Gillian Kearney

Based mainly during the late Quarry Bank years (meeting Paul McCartney, relationship with his mother Julia) up until 1964 before the Beatles visit America. It wasn't a bad tv movie- the Mendips set was actually Mendips.

Cynthia was first seen as a brunette saying hi to Stuart and quickly got quiet when she saw John; she wasn't too impressed. John checked her out but shook her off as he thought Mimi would approve. But John had a change of heart while at a party when he asked her to dance. Cynthia mentioned her fiance but John told her he didn't ask her to marry him. They danced, then they kissed.

Next, Cynthia was now a blonde. John was in Hamburg sending her letters, he even called her. Oh, speaking of her blonde hair, it looked fake on her. She looked like she was wearing a wig- the actress most likely was indeed. 

Anyway, later, John and Cynthia were walking on the dock where he noticed she was being quiet. Cynthia told him she was pregnant (error: Cynthia told John in her apartment). John and Brian talked about it and Brian's insistence of keeping the marriage a secret.

She was in the hospital after giving birth to Julian. John got out of a taxi under a disguise and entered the room. Julian was in the baby bed cart thingy where John picked him up (error: according to Cynthia, she was holding him when John came in). Julian got fussy was John was holding him and unsure of what to do so he gave Julian to Cynthia to calm him down. Cynthia spotted the onlookers outside her window, John closed the blinds and told her about going to Spain with Brian. Cynthia wasn't happy but understood.

In Cynthia's last appearance in the movie was during Paul's 21st birthday when a drunken John got into a fight with Bob Wooler.

While John was in Paris with the Beatles, newspapers featured Cynthia and outed John as a married man. Brian was furious while John didn't care (error: the marriage came out before the Paris tour).

Drugs and Alcohol

John at Brian Epstein's home in London on May 19, 1967 during the press launch of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Many people there have commented how John looked while stoned.

As mentioned quite a bit on this blog, drugs were part of the catalyst that broke up John and Cynthia. Drugs started to take hold on John since 1960 in Hamburg when he and the Beatles were playing long hours on stage to boost the energy. I will go through drug by drug in great detail but to say that in general, it affected their relationship greatly. Cynthia wasn't the far out druggie one, she did not get addicted; yes, she tried some (pills, marijuana, and LSD) but each one had a bad effect on her. Some she understood why John took them: pills boosted his energy, pot helped him relaxed, LSD he escaped mentally. LSD Cynthia hated the most- will explain momentarily. Because she was sober, Cynthia watched in great horror of her witty husband becoming a stranger living with her. During perhaps the last year of their marriage, John didn't look at Cynthia the same way as he got more and more deep- he wanted a partner of crime, but instead he got straight and narrow. John wanted pizzazz but was bored. If John had never got deeply involved with LSD, perhaps their marriage would have survived longer than it did. While John was high in the clouds, Cynthia was rightfully worried about her son. John would come in at the crack of dawn with his strung out "friends" that littered around the house, sleeping off their high after loud partying. Cynthia quickly realized that you can't have two drugged out "not there" parents- Julian was a toddler who demanded attention and needed guidance. John did noticed the rift; but his solution was to join him on his drugged out mental journeys rather than sobering up, or to cut off LSD entirely. John would try to convince her that it was really beautiful and wonderful but didn't fully comprehend that whenever Cynthia got high, she would get monsters and boogeymen while John would get flowers and laughter. It pulled John and Cynthia away into different directions. Cynthia felt helpless as she didn't know how to help him or put her foot down… if she did, John would have rebelled and sink further down. Cynthia was in a no win situation.

At the time of the 1960s, there were barely any rehabs- maybe anonymous meetings or hospital treatments, but no rehab. It started to boom out around the time United States First Lady Betty Ford admitted to drug use and seeked help, even forming her own rehab clinic center. By that time after Sean's birth in 1975, John kicked out most of his drug habits. Although I do think he had a couple of marijuana tokes up in his death.

"Which was the road of 'enlightenment' as far as drugs were concerned. John was in a more trapped situation than I was. Trapped in his own mind, and in the Beatles’ situation and the pressure of the music and the pop world. And I think he’d had enough and wanted to escape that. I had nothing to escape. I wasn’t looking for anything else. I wasn’t searching in my mind for new experiences on a mental state. That was the beginning. He was always searching, John. Always looking for the truth, an ideal, a dream. And I suppose once he’d got hooked on that situation and the mental state, he thought he’d found something new in life that nobody else had. I think that any drugs are destructive of anything and everyone. But the reality of life was slipping by John. He wasn’t aware anymore. He became less interested in the original dream of becoming famous and becoming wealthy, and that didn’t matter to him anymore. He had that, he had it all."

Cynthia, 1987

"John needed to escape his reality. I understood completely but I couldn't go along with him."

Cynthia

"Creatively, it’s very difficult to say. I think drugs were an escape at the time. And that’s my view, and they were still – no matter what they did, as far as drugs were concerned, I think they were creative in themselves. So the creativity would still be there. It might be heightened or lessened – but they were still very creative." 

Cynthia, 1982

Preludin

In 1960 while performing long hours at seedy clubs until the crack of dawn, John, Paul, George, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe would get obviously tired. In order to keep up their energy, someone offered up preludin. When Cynthia visited John in April of 1961, one of the first things she noticed was his energy and body build being skinny by barely eating while having the time of their lives despite living conditions. Cynthia did take preludin and had a bad reaction: it was as though she was feeling dizzy and the patterns on the wall went wild. I don't think Cynthia took those pills anymore after that trip. I believe John, Paul, and George stopped after their time in Hamburg ended.

"Nevertheless, exciting though those evenings were, I doubt whether we'd have been able to stay awake all night every night without a little help. We managed to get hold of some Preludin - speed - so there we were sipping beer and as the night wore on we'd take half a "prely" to keep us going. Soon my heart would be racing and I'd feel giddy and hyped-up and silly. Mind you, on one occasion the combined 'prelys' and booze had a dramatic effect. I woke up the next morning to find that the zig-zag wallpaper in my room was zig-zagging about in an alarming manner, every line dancing independently of the line next to it. And everything else I looked at seemed to be moving. I felt terrible and it took all day for things to settle down. I gave up the prelys after that. But this was my only unpleasant experience. Everything else was magical."

Cynthia, 1994

Marijuana

Although it made Cynthia sick, she didn't objected John to smoke. She saw that it relaxed him, put him in a positive mood, and helped relieve the pressure he was having. John had deadlines for books, films, albums, writing, demoing, recording, touring, photo sessions, interviews, oh my gosh I am tired already and ready for a nap! I believe John started smoking pot by 1964 during the Beatles actual first major tour in America with a visit by Bob Dylan. Bob misinterpreted the lyrics in the song I Want to Hold Your Hand as I get high instead of I can't hide so he thought that they were potheads. They definitely became potheads after that! They filmed Help! stoned, John had said that Rubber Soul was influenced by marijuana while Revolver was influenced by LSD, and Paul wrote Got to Get You Into My Life for pot rather than long believed Jane Asher. Paul was a longtime pothead until after his divorce in 2008 when he became a single parent to a toddler Beatrice. Cynthia claimed she didn't do much smoking but she could still get stoned by getting a contact high.

"Yet gradually, as the years passed, our relationship changed. John changed and drugs had a lot to do with it. It was inevitable that the pressure would mount. John had no control over his career. The lawyers, the managers, the record company - they were the ones who seemed to have the real control, who knew what was going on. John had to go along with what they said. There was so much money around, yet the Beatles were so young and vulnerable. The stress grew and John wanted something the help him to relax. At first it was pot. Gradually I noticed that every party you went to, people were passing reefers round. The first time I'd come across it was in a record producer's flat. Somebody had introduced him to pot and he wanted to introduce it to everyone else. 'It's fun,' he told us. 'It's relaxing.' So we all tried it. Within minutes I realised it was a mistake. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were giggling and happy but after just a couple of puffs I felt paranoid. Someone was playing a hideous trick on us, I decided. I didn't trust anyone. All around me the others seemed to have turned into idiots. Somebody would stand up and point to something, some ordinary everyday object and everyone would fall on the floor laughing. I couldn't understand it. 'It's not funny,' I wanted to tell them. 'What's funny about a table lamp?' But it was useless. They only giggled all the more. You couldn't get through to them. They'd gone stupid. I'd always been keen to try new things but that night I ended up with my head down the toilet for about two hours. Pot was a big mistake. John, however, enjoyed it, but he confined his smoking to the studio. There it calmed him down and helped him to enjoy the music. It didn't seem such a bad thing."

Cynthia, 1994

"John kept a big box on a convenient shelf filled with pot. He often stayed stoned or dropped acid, something else that terrified Cynthia."

Tony Bramwell

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

How John and Cynthia first experience with LSD will have its own individual post but for short story: a dentist spiked their sugar cubes with it during a dinner party with his girlfriend, George, and Pattie in 1965. The first experience was terrifying! But once John, Cynthia, George, and Pattie got back to reality, John was eager to try again. George too but not as far as John got while Pattie went with the flow. Cynthia? Not so much. She claimed to have had only three trips: dentist, carried away, and 'Mission Cynthia'. Since the dentist one will have a post all on its own, let's go into the carried away and 'Mission Cynthia': carried away was quite simple- John and Cynthia were with a group of friends, someone had LSD and because everyone was in such a jolly randy good times mood, Cynthia participated in and… she did not have fun. The third and final time was Mission Cynthia: it was John's way to fix their marriage for the better to have his wife with him on the hallucinating adventure. Cynthia was for it; they set the date, time, where, who could come, and the acid was laced into a drink or food so Cynthia couldn't back out at the last minute. Once again, Cynthia had an awful time. Later in 1976 in an open letter, John wrote of Cynthia seemingly forgot about other subsequent trips… I don't think John was lying as he was pretty open about the drug taking. Maybe there were more than three drug-trips but those definitely stood out for Cynthia.

"It was at this point in our marriage that I realized that unless I joined the club, we weren't going to survive, so I succumbed to one of John's never ending requests to take LSD with him. I didn't want to but I felt that I had to save our marriage. I also believe John in his own way was doing the same. During my trip John was marvellous. But whatever happiness and awareness John gained through it, I didn't. I hated every moment. It was hell on earth. The hallucinations sent me into a panic. Through my tears and fears I would look at John in the hope that he could in some way help me out of the prison my mind had become, only to see the man I loved turn into a giant mule with razor sharp teeth leering and laughing at me. All the time John kept telling me he loved me and would never leave me. All I could reason was that I was definitely going mad. It was something I never wanted to experience again." 

Cynthia 

"I knew I had to keep away from the stuff for everyone's sake, but mostly for Julian's. I thought John could take care of himself, but he couldn't. Luckily for me I had a strong instinct for survival. But I was an absolute bore to everybody. They did their utmost to get me to go on it. 'Oh, it's beautiful,' they'd say. 'Come on, let's be brothers and sisters.' I always hoped John would understand that you don't have to do these things to be yourself. They all thought drugs would enhance something in their lives. I suppose I thought that just by being me I'd make some sort of point. But it didn't work. I could see John being sucked away into a dream world. I tried to fight it but the dream world won. All the big guns were on the other side."

Cynthia, 1976

"The Indian period was very relaxing, we were away from all the screaming and pressure. Brian Epstein had just died and we each needed to gather our thoughts. But the Beatles began dabbling in drugs when we went out with a dentist friend and he spiked our drinks. It was a night of absolute horror for all of us - probably the worst thing that's ever happened to me. After that, John got really into experimenting with drugs and because he was having a good time he wanted me to join him, but I hated it. And that was the end of the end of our relationship which was very sad." 

Cynthia, 1995

"She had been persuaded to drop acid at a dinner party where she, John, George, and Pattie had been introduced to it, and had such a bad trip that she wouldn't use it again. She was convinced that sooner or later John would literally lose his mind, that his brain cells would melt and dribble out through his nose. The way in which he lay for hours on a wicker sofa in the sun lounge sleeping or gazing into the sky ignoring her and Julian convinced her that the rot had already started. She would hover helplessly over him, telling him to stop, watching him like a hawk in case he died- all of which wound him up, pissed him off, made him even more paranoid."

Tony Bramwell

"After the LSD incident, I was not dealing with a rational person. I lost John to drugs, not Yoko."

Cynthia

"When John discovered drugs I lost him. He had decided his path in life and there was nothing I could do about it. He would just take acid every day in the hope of escaping from me, from Julian, from the Beatles. I tried acid twice but it just made me feel sick. My priority was Julian, while John had no interest in responsibility at all."

Cynthia, 2000

Heroin

In his new relationship with Yoko Ono, John started taking heroin probably around May or June of 1968. Yoko was taking it and introduced John to it; I don't know if John was still taking LSD at the time unless he dumped it in favor of heroin? Can you imagine doing heroin and LSD at the same time? That would have been quite a trip! A trip I wouldn't go on! Heroin scares me and LSD is hardly available anymore. John must have known it was bad as he didn't see Julian until he settled in Tittenhurst Park in 1969 and got cleaned, going cold turkey. I've heard Yoko continued to dabble with heroin longer but this isn't about Yoko- this is about John (and Cynthia).

Cocaine

I don't know when John tried cocaine but I am definitely guessing during his Lost Weekend while he hung out with Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon who were taking it at the time. Cocaine was definitely popular in the 1970s. 

Julian has had his own fair share of doing drugs- I know he did cocaine in the 1980s, early 1990s. Marijuana, too. Not sure about heroin- maybe a dabble here and there. 

And then there was John's drinking. That was around since the beginning of John's relationship with Cynthia. Well, before that: Paul recalled smelling beer on John when they first met in 1957. John did drink a lot… it couldn't have been the aftermath of his mother's death as she died in 1958 he was already drinking… but I do think his nasty drunken temper really came out after Julia's death. He was a regular at Ye Cracke bar in Liverpool near the art college. During Paul's 21st birthday party in 1963, John got very drunk by getting into a fight with Bob Wooler, and a few heated exchanges. Tony Bramwell has said that John would be happily jolly in two drinks but afterwards John would be not happy. I, honestly, know someone like that… after several drinks, this person becomes miserable company. In 1974, John's drinking went on a binge; even getting kicked out of a club for heckling. Was Cynthia a drinker? I would say definitely yes but not as an alcoholic. She did loved her wine. 

Furniture Buggy

This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story

The original cast of This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story, including Javier Parisi

In recent years since her death in 2015, there's been a petition for a movie idea featuring the life of Cynthia Lennon. You can check it out here, sign it if you wish. The difficult thing about this idea though is that if there's a movie idea, I want it to be right: as you probably know this from the blog that I am rather protective of John and Cynthia's love story. In my opinion, it has to be done right and not fall into the cliche trap of the general perspective of "got together, got pregnant, John wasn't happy, Cynthia too clingy, loveless marriage, drugs, hello Yoko" deal. I would want someone to hear Cynthia's voice and show for it: show the tenderness, innocence, affection, make their private love story turning into public, the depth, and care. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no connections with the entertainment business. 

Anyway, the good news is that instead of a movie, there is a play. Bad news is that it's only in Liverpool. I am in America and money is tight- I just can't magically get a plane ticket, transportation, hotel, food money, play ticket, and, as it's performing during Beatles International week, souvenirs! As well as buying a new suitcase just for souvenirs. All I could do is find reviews online from those who have seen it and pray for an international tour. Doubtful, but who knows? The playwright is Mike Howl, who is from Liverpool and witnessed John and Cynthia during their dating years as a Cavern regular. 

“I want to get across how important she was in John’s life, and not just because of their son Julian. John used to write to her every single day while he was out in Hamburg, playing in the nightclubs of the Reeperbahn. Her friends told me they saw some of these letters. I do think that without Cynthia’s love, John would have gone completely off the rails. Their relationship helped to keep the Beatles together for as long as they were.”

Mike Howl, 2019

“The key point for me is that they both fell madly in love when she was 18 and he was 17. It was equal on both sides. I was in the Cavern Club a lot as a teenager and saw them there. I was in the right place at the right time, so it has always bothered me that no one has looked at Cynthia’s influence before.”

Mike Howl, 2019

“I was told lots of lovely stories, including how Cynthia went out to Hamburg to visit as a naive teenager. The first half of the play is snapshot moments from their lives together, with some original songs. There is a scene in which John is working on the song You’re Gonna Lose that Girl in their home and Cynthia joins him to sing it. She would have been 80 this year, and I feel she must take her place in the Beatles story now."

Mike Howl, 2019

Mike reached out to Julian and got his approval; he also got support from John and Cynthia's friend, Helen Anderson who was originally going to do the backdrop and costume designs before resigning by August 19, 2019- a few days shy of it's debut- for professional and creative reasons. 

“He said he was pleased someone was finally writing about how talented his mother was, since all the world has written about his father and no one has paid her any attention.”

Mike Howl, 2019

Another blunder was the resignation of the actor playing John Lennon who had spent 3 months in England rehearsing and posing for publicity photos, a great impersonator, Javier Parisi, from Argentina. After being immediately cast for the play (also to mention that he's Julian's favorite 'Dad' impersonator as well as Helen's), he was saddened that John's music and legacy wouldn't be included (probably due to licensing and publishing copyrights) as well as other internal and contract problems and misunderstandings on the same day Helen announced her departure. It's a shame, really, sounding like he spent three months in England to do something but turned out to be for nothing other than learning more about John in his home country. Jordan Barkley also dropped out for unknown reason.

Anyway… This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story was held at Hope Street Theatre from August 21 until the 26th.

The cast of This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story

Cast:

Cynthia … Christina Rose and Mikyla Jane Durkan

John … originally Javier Parisi … Adam Byrne and Peter Durr

Stuart Sutcliffe … Lew Freeburn

Helen Anderson/Astrid Kirchherr … Florence King

Mimi Smith/Doctor … Karen Sharples

Dot Rhone/Maureen Starkey … Ciara O'Neill

Phyllis Mackenzie … Rachel McGrath

Julian … originally Jordan Barkley … Ginger Lee and Lee Clotworthy

Jonathan Hague … Lee Clotworthy

Lillian Powell … Maggie Green

Paul McCartney … Louis Holmes

Brian Epstein … Mike Sanders

Jim McCartney/Roberto Bassanini … Kevin Thomas

Noel Charles … Addae G.

Play in Park

Cynthia, Julian, Aunt Mater, and cousin Stanley at a local park in Surrey, March of 1967

Photographed by Dorothy Jarlett

Behind Bedroom Doors

Passion. Affection. Kissing, hugging, making love… here we go! The subject was bound to be brought up, right? Yes, it is in the Too Much Information category, but I honestly don't care because 1) it proves they had a sex life as the same with John and Yoko who chose to publicized it. If you don't wanna know, feel free to go on the next post. Their sex life started the same day their relationship began at Stuart Sutcliffe's apartment after a college party that had an after-party at Ye Cracke. After that, John and Cynthia would have sex at every chance they had when opportunity presented itself. According to Cynthia, their first time lasted an hour. In order to be together, Stuart would have to leave- he usually went to his mother's house. I don't know how he could stand sleeping in the same bed afterwards… I just hope he thought of washing his sheets but I have a funny feeling he didn't. One day while Stuart was out, John and Cynthia gleefully took the opportunity to make love but Cynthia crumbled in pain- they quickly got dressed and John literally carried her to the train station to go home and then to the hospital: she had appendix removed. John would sometimes try to convince Cynthia to have quickies in alleyways but instead she stuck to kissing (although I wouldn't be shocked if a quickie or two happened), however they did had sex at the sand dunes with sand going into their clothes. 

"Stuart, when there were too many sleeping in his room, would sometimes come home, which was three miles away. He would also stay with us when John and Cynthia wanted some privacy. He wouldn't call it that obviously, he wouldn't say, 'I'm coming home, Mother, because I'm letting Cynthia and John have my bed.' My mother couldn't have cared less what the reason was, for she was always elated to have Stuart home."

Pauline Sutcliffe, Stuart's sister

In August of 1960 before John went to Hamburg, he was home in Mendips while Mimi went to visit her sister Nanny. He borrowed a camera and invited Cynthia over to take pictures to take with him to Hamburg. Cynthia modeled for him in sexy Brigitte Bardot-like poses. Where are those pictures now? I'm guessing either Julian or Yoko has them. After the photo session, John and Cynthia made love before putting on a fire and raided the refrigerator. Just before Cynthia was about to leave, Mimi called to say she'll be coming in the next day due to fog. John and Cynthia couldn't believe their luck! Cynthia quickly set up her alibi of lying to her mother that she's at Phyllis's house and then they went upstairs to John's single bed to squeeze together until early morning when she left before Mimi's arrival. 

After when Cynthia returned home from Hamburg visiting John in 1961, her mother moved to Canada and so Cynthia moved in with Mimi as a lounger paying rent. Whenever John returned, they couldn't do anything with Mimi around. Despite Cynthia's denials, does anyone besides me think otherwise? I suspect some sneaky lovemaking happened on a rare free opportunity! Mimi got difficult to live with and after living with a relative, Cynthia eventually found her own apartment. A perfect love nest where they could go on uninterrupted or worry about being caught: John and Cynthia finally had a place to be together. He did visit often and the only thing he didn't want was to have next door neighbor Dot Rhone to be walking in on them. 

"I don't like the idea of Dot moving in permanently with you 'cause we could never be alone really- I mean when I come home- can't she have another room or find another flat- imagine having her there all the time when we were in bed- and imagine Paul coming all the time … God I'm knackered it's 6 o'clock in the morning and I want you … I love you Cyn Powell and I wish I was on the way to your flat with the Sunday papers and chocies and a throbber! … I'm dead beat my sweet so I hope you don't mind if I finish now and have a lovely sleep (without you but it'll still be lovely- don't be hurt- but I'm so so so tired)"

John, April of 1962 in a letter to Cynthia while he was in Hamburg

Then, in the Summer of 1962, Cynthia got pregnant. It's a miracle that she didn't get pregnant sooner! They never used protection as it never occurred to them. They got married, moved into a new apartment, and started their new married life together. I don't know if John and Cynthia had sex while she was pregnant but she did confirm that their sex life didn't end there. They had holidays (aka vacations), film locations, and the first American visit. When John was home, he would gift Cynthia 'naughty nighties' and have a private fashion show that would conclude a dance before going to bed. I will later explain the naughty nighties further in another post but let's say it's not exactly the typical lingerie. 

Eventually the sex dried up. Not sure when though- John did tour a lot, spent time in the studio, having a random affair, business meeting, photo session, and so on that it reached the level of leading separate lives under the same roof. They had irregular sleeping hours: after tours, John would sleep up to 3 days and then would stay up late until the sun comes up while Cynthia had the normal going to bed at a reasonable hour to get up early with Julian. The only times Cynthia stayed up late would be at an event, party, or keeping John company during his songwriting. My guess would be around the end of 1966 as John was heavily into LSD; that being said, according to Dot Jarlett's written testimony in the divorce, John's interest in Cynthia started to wane in the Summer of 1967. It could've been a gradual thing. 

"Cynthia was also out a good deal, especially in the evenings, and I soon noticed with surprise how very little time she and John spent in each other's company. In fact such was the irregularity of their respective comings and goings that they had agreed that whoever came home last would sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb the other. The master bedroom, which they normally shared, was actually a vast room on the first floor housing a massive eight-foot double bed and a sunken bath at the far end, and it was here that John loved to lie in till late in the morning."

Pauline Lennon Stone

By the time they were in India, forget it! Nothing! Within a few days of arriving, John got his own bedroom claiming not to be disturbed while meditating. Then he ignored Cynthia 95% of the time. You can see the strain in the photos. But they did managed to have sex in 1968… unfortunate timing as it was near the end of their marriage. It was after John and Yoko first had sex while Cynthia was in Greece and she came home unexpectedly to find them together in the kitchen wearing bathrobes; Cynthia left for 3 days before returning back to her husband. After a long talk, they made love. I suspect for the final time.

Bournemouth

A day after the Help! premiere (July 29, so it was on July 30th), Mimi was staying in Weybridge during a visit [don't ask me if Mimi went to the premiere as I honestly don't know], she was with John for his usual late breakfast of his cornflakes. For a time, Mimi refused to leave her beloved Mendips home in Liverpool but was also getting fed up by fans visiting. She then got to the point of wanting to leave. John asked her where she was willing to move to and the first place that flew out of her mouth was Bournemouth. After breakfast, John and Mimi were driven by Les Anthony to Bournemouth to check out houses, especially the ones that look out to the sea. Mimi fell in love with a house that wasn't for sale. So, in his 'weekend' wear of jeans with holes, a shirt, and a cap, John went to the door and convince the starstruck owners to sell their house to him… they did! Few sources, including Cynthia, say that it was indeed on the market and it was the fourth house they looked over that won Mimi's approval. Mimi happily moved in by September of 1965 and remained there until her death in 1991.

There's a known record of two times that John, Cynthia, and Julian visiting… well, actually three minus Cynthia. Although according to Cynthia, she thought only once but, sorry Cyn, pictures don't lie.

The first visit was in 1965 after Mimi moved in… unfortunately I don't know the exact date but let's say in September after she settled in, while it was still summer and the beach was full of people. John understandably didn't want to be recognized and wore a big hat. Luckily for him, he wasn't bothered at all. So far, no photos are publicly available, if taken. Mimi, John, Cynthia, and Julian had a picnic on the beach, swimming, and playing in the sand. 

"When we bought her the house down in Poole in 1965, we went to visit and she was all over him then, but apart from that there was no contact."

Cynthia, 2005

Again, sorry Cynthia, there were more contact than she either realized/didn't know or had forgotten about.

Julian in Bournemouth, 1966

(top) Julia Baird's collection

(bottom) Yoko Ono's collection [perhaps photographed by John?]

John and David hanging out on Mimi's balcony in Bournemouth, 1966

From Julia Baird's collection

The second visit was in 1966. Again, unknown date. However, this time around it was a family gathering. John, Cynthia, Julian, sisters Julia and Jacqui, Aunt Harrie, cousin David (Harrie's son), those are who I know of were there. 

John, Julian, and Mimi at Sandbanks Ferry, 1967

Photographed by Betty Derrick

In April of 1967, John and Julian went to Bournemouth to visit Mimi (where was Cynthia? I don't know… could be somewhere with her mother Lillian) and they took Sandbanks Ferry to Studland and Shell Bay.

Those times weren't the only times John visited- he actually came around quite often when able to where he could get away from being a celebrity and pressures. Even after his divorce from Cynthia, John continued to visit Mimi with Yoko. In fact, while Paul McCartney was marrying Linda Eastman and George and Pattie Harrison were being arrested, John and Yoko were with Mimi and decided that they were going to get married. In 1972, John and Yoko left England for good for New York City and Mimi wouldn't see John again although they did talked on the phone often. After John's death in 1980, Mimi discovered that she wasn't the owner of her beloved house: John was and now Yoko. In fear that Yoko would send her people over to check in on Mimi, she quickly put down display photos of Julian and replaced them with Sean. Wow. That's definitely not a favorable point for Yoko! By the way, Mimi only met Sean once but we will get into that some other time. Cynthia did later started visiting Mimi on occasion. Anyway, immediately after Mimi's death and funeral, her house was sold. It was soon demolished and was replaced with a more modern home. 

Member of the British Empire

On June 11, 1965, The Beatles were on the Queen's Birthday Honours List to receive Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.). John was at home with Cynthia and Julian and he had let the phone ring and ring- much to caller Brian Epstein's dismay. When John eventually got to the phone, he was given the news. John later claimed that he only accepted the honor after Brian pursued him to do so. Cynthia claimed that John was actually thrilled. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. However, it was a positive sign that his Aunt Mimi was thrilled and finally saw that John was doing all right after all. Cynthia was very happy for John but was disappointed that she couldn't come along to see the ceremony. Today you can come along- the honor guest can bring limited three people and the ceremony is now filmed unlike 1965. If John was able, I am sure Cynthia and Mimi would have gone… don't know the third guest (not Julian as he was only two years old then). 

John followed by Cynthia, Alf, and Brian after arriving late to Twickenham Studios to give a press conference about being honored with the MBE on June 12, 1965

Cynthia did accompany John to Twickenham Studios the following day for his interview with Paul (who cut his Portugal holiday short with Jane Asher), George, and Ringo for their reactions. John and Cynthia were late as John overslept and his hair was messy in protest while Brian and chauffeur Alf Bicknell went over to pick them up. They also screened a preview of their new movie Help!

The Beatles showing their medals on October 26, 1965 at Buckingham Palace

On October 26, 1965, John, Paul, George, and Ringo went to Buckingham Palace to receive their medals from Queen Elizabeth II. Before meeting their Majesty, they received the typical protocol lecture of what to do and not to do in her presence. John later claimed that they were so nervous that they smoked marijuana in the bathroom… George denied it, saying it was actually a cigarette. Maybe John was trying to be controversial? Seriously, if they did smoke pot, that smell is undeniable. The security, guards, etc. would have noticed! Afterwards, John took it to Bournemouth to present it to Mimi, who displayed it proudly above her television in her living room.

In 1969, John returned his MBE back to the Queen as his way to protest over wars and that his song Cold Turkey wasn't doing well on the charts… rather lame excuses! John could have just simply said, 'I don't want it.' It was located in St. James Palace's vault in 2009. He had sent Les Anthony to Mimi's house, telling her that John needed it. Regrettably, Mimi said sure but when she found out what John did with the medal, needless to say she was not pleased.

The Longest Relationship

"Jim Christie and I have been together for many years. He is my companion in every sense of the word - we're always together and we share everything but we're not thinking of getting married. Who knows what will happen in the future, but the important thing is to live for the present."

Cynthia, 1990

Cynthia and Jim

Out of all the relationships Cynthia has had, she was with Jim Christie the longest: 17 years.

Alan Price - 2 days (circa 1950); boyfriend

Barry - approximately 2 years (1956 - 1958); engaged.

John Lennon - 10 years (1958 - 1968); married.

Roberto Bassanini - 5 years (1969 - 1973); married

John Twist - 7 years (1975 - 1982); married

Jim Christie - 17 years (1982 - 1999); boyfriend

Noel Charles - approximately 14 years (1999 - 2013); married

Let's talk boyfriends of Cynthia's, except for Barry as you can check the Labels ➡ for more about him, Alan Price and the main topic Jim. Alan did not last long at all.

"My first boyfriend was called Alan Price. He was in my class at Primary School. I was 11 years old and besotted with him and it looked as if he felt the same about me. He wrote me a letter in which he'd placed a half crown piece. 'Right in this letter,' he scrawled in painstaking print, 'is half a crown for you.' True love. Unfortunately, the next day he was out with someone else and I was heartbroken. My first experience of the fickleness of men. Despite the flirtation with Alan, my main interest was art."

Cynthia, 1994

Cynthia and Jim at the London premiere of Imagine: John Lennon on October 7, 1988

James Christie was born circa 1943 to Hal and Sonny Christie. Hal and Sonny were in show business as a musician and cabaret-style performer, touring in hotels and such. They also ran a restaurant business and divided time in Liverpool. Sonny was best friends with the mother of Tony Bramwell (later became one of The Beatles' associates), Tony and Jim were obviously best friends. In 1974, Cynthia had recently divorced Roberto while living near London and moved back to Wirral where she grew up (Hoylake). Jim was a neighbor, I believe he was married at the time (… just don't ask me if he had children as I honestly don't know; Cynthia never mentioned it but that doesn't really mean much as it could be a private personal matter) and was working as a chauffeur. Her son Julian had met Jim first. How? I don't know but Jim taught Julian how to ride a motorcycle. After Cynthia married John Twist by 1977, Cynthia moved house yet again, settling in Wales for a time until they divorced in 1983 after separating in 1981. By 1982, Cynthia reconnected with Jim who also recently divorced.

"Jim was a neighbour and was interested in motorbikes. He taught Julain to ride the little  motorbike that John had bought him. It was about 1974, I was married to Mr Twist at the time and he wasn't really interested in Julian. We didn't get together for a long time, not until 1982. We're not married and we're not planning to get married. I think the reason is that I'm a serious person. I would never have affairs. After John and I broke up, as Julian was growing up, I wanted him to have a father and so I married the men in my life. Now Jim and I are partners, we live together, we work together and we have a stronger relationship than any marriage. The situation is accepted by everyone; Julian accepts it and we've reached a time in our lives when we don't need to get married. We feel right as we are."

Cynthia, 1988

Probably because of his parents in show business, Jim became Cynthia's manager and spokesman. Jim and Cynthia moved to Cumbria around 1985 while she started her new career in textile design and trying to get away from John Lennon/The Beatles hunters.

"We came here from Cumbria to escape from being at the end of a phone. When anything was on about the Beatles or Julian, I was always being pursued and harassed. I was getting really fed up with it because I was trying to do my textile designs."

Cynthia, 1988

“There have been some very tough times, but now I am very happy, contented and settled. I’m having a great time, I’m so lucky to have come to the kind of peace of mind I have now. I didn’t expect it four years ago.”

Cynthia 1985

While there, Jim and Cynthia held a garden party fundraiser that was record-breaking on behalf of their local community Hall in July of 1985. Their time in Cumbria didn't last long- Jim and Cynthia moved to Isle of Man where they briefly ran a restaurant Bunter's (and later Lennon's in London in 1989).

"Jim has never felt he's living in John Lennon's shadow. He's four years younger than me and wasn't really part of that whole Beatles scene, though his parents were in showbusiness. He knew Julian before he knew me and, in fact taught him to ride motorbikes - and we became friends as a result. He's slotted so easily into my life it really is a miracle for me. And living here on the island for the last nine years feels like I'm finally at rest. After I found out about John and Yoko and we split up, I seemed to be constantly on the move. I'd move house every three years, which was ridiculous, but for many different reasons - all of them some kind of search for peace. Here I think I've found what I was looking for and Julian has a bolt hole in a place where we can just take a flask and go walking across the hills."

Cynthia, 1995

Cynthia and Jim at home in Isle of Man, 1994

"We have no plans to marry - everything is just fine as it is. Jim is great. He's 47 years old - I'm 52 this year. It's a good working friendship, relationship and partnership, without  the need for marriage. We have a great life and lovely home."

Cynthia, 1991

"Yes, Jim and I have been together for 14 years and we're doing fine."

Cynthia, 1996

After Jim and Cynthia had their fill with Isle of Man, they moved to Normandy, France. Unfortunately, they were soon over: Jim broke up with Cynthia. Actually, she broke up with him! Rightfully so... Jim and Cynthia took in a woman whose parents were going through a well publicized scandal in England. Next thing Cynthia knows, at a party that she and Jim were hosting, Jim and this woman decided it was time to reveal their love affair and declared their love for each other! Cynthia was humiliated! It was bad enough to be humiliated in her own home when she caught John and Yoko together, but only two other people witnessed; this, I think, is much worst than what John did. There were definitely more than two people in this room. The party quickly left, Jim and this woman reassured Cynthia that they could still remain friends, but Cynthia, understandably, did not. She asked them to leave. Cynthia was devastated and Julian drove all night from his home in Italy to France to be there for his mother. It was her first time alone since her divorce from Roberto/relationship with John Twist in the mid-1970s until she started her relationship with Noel.

"It's wonderful. Life begins at whatever age is good for you, and 60 certainly seems as if it's going to be good for me. Eight months ago I found myself finally on my own, which may have been horrendous at the time, but has done me the greatest favour. To be alone but not lonely, to be unburdened by responsibilities, to have my own space - truly, it's the first time in my life I've felt such freedom. It's brilliant. I've never experienced it before because at 23, I had a baby - Julian - to look after, and I then cared for my mother when she had Alzheimer's disease. After that one marriage followed another - Roberto Bassanini being the best of the three, because the others were influenced too much by the Lennon legacy. So I never knew how good independence could be."

Cynthia 1999