Famous Little Rocker Like His Daddy

Right from the start, it was clear that Julian was destined to be a musician. His father was a musician, after all. On the day John met Julian for the first time when the baby was 3 days old, John said, "Who's going to be a famous little rocker like his Daddy?" John seemed to have predicted that Julian would follow his musical footsteps. 

"But if Dad was going to be a musician, then he obviously had to be away from home a lot. Nobody is blaming him. I just missed him and wished he was around more" 

Julian

"Whatever it is, I would, yeah. The only thing I hope is that it's something I like, but I know I've got to not do that. You know, I'm already sort of, 'Get on that piano,' and he's two. When he gets on, I mean he does it himself and all that kind of thing. But I don't know whether all kids at two and a half do. I mean, he's obviously going to be influenced by music, my kind of music that's on all the time at home. I think I'm just turning out like all other parents, but I try to think about trying to do it all right, but I'm just turning out the same. I'm going to try not to, you know, but at least I'm thinking about it now."

John, 1965

“It was weird to think that the man singing those songs was my father. Sometimes it’s still hard to understand.”

Julian, 1984

During those 5 years of living with John, Julian was surrounded by music instruments around the house: guitars everywhere, a piano in one of the entertaining rooms, and, of course, John's music home students the attic. When Julian turned 5, John got him a drum set. Then, John and Cynthia divorced and obviously John took his instruments with him and, at Tittenhurst Park, created a new recording studio where he recorded Imagine in 1971. Whenever Julian visited, he would play with the instruments. Then, John and Yoko moved to America and was silent for 3 years. In 1974, they reconnected. From then on until John's death in 1980, the only thing that could break the ice from the tension and nerves was playing music. That same year, John gifted Julian a guitar. He also included Julian's contribution on drums on Ya Ya on his Rock and Roll album. 

"I thought that's it, this is what I want to do now."

Julian (when he received the guitar for Christmas in 1974)

"He’s into guitar and piano and playing in this group.  He knew all the chords and all that.  I spent hours with him trying to work out the lick from My Sweet Lord and I couldn’t play the damn thing because I didn’t have anything to do with it.  It was George.  We had a terrible three hours with Julian furious at me because I didn’t know how to play it."

John, 1975

"He got me a drum kit when I was five and bought me my first guitar when I was eleven. When I saw him during school breaks we'd sit and jam on rock 'n' roll tunes and play some of his stuff too. I'd love it when we'd sing and play together. I felt real close to him then. If he were still alive, we'd be playing together a lot" 

Julian, 1985

"He likes Queen, though I haven't heard them yet. He turns me on to music. I call him and he says, 'Have you heard Queen?' and I say 'No, what is it?' I've heard of them...and then he tells me. His age group is hipper to music, at 11 I was aware of music, but not too much." 

John, 1975

Back home with Cynthia, Julian started his own band and had a music teacher that John acknowledged in an interview. 

“I think he likes Paul better than me … I have the funny feeling he wishes Paul was his Dad. But unfortunately he got me … It must be hard to be son of anybody. He is a bright kid and he’s into music. I didn’t encourage him, but he’s already got a band in school. But they sing rock ’n’ roll songs, ’cause their teacher is my age. So he teaches them Long Tall Sally and a couple of Beatles numbers. He likes Barry White and he likes Gilbert O’ Sullivan.” 

John, 1975

"He wasn't a great father. He was a great musician. That's always been a touchy one, and it will be until I can find the answer, but I don't know if there is one" 

Julian

"Yes, I think he was a great musician and undoubtedly the Beatles were an incredible influence in my life musically, and yet as a father he was not so great. But at the same time I loved him and I still do love him and I try to put away all that negativity about having him as a father and instead come to some kind of understanding about where he was coming from." 

Julian

"I hesitated to enter the music business because of who Dad was. I would send him the odd cassette of me playing live, or song ideas I had recorded on a little Sony Walkman he had given me. He warmly encouraged me to continue playing, but sadly, he never really got to see my career unfold, as he passed when I was just 17. When I did finally become a professional musician a few years later, I felt like I understood him better."

Julian, 2020 

When Sean was born in 1975, John took a five year break from the music business. Whenever Julian visited, there were no visits to the recording studio, but there were jam sessions at home in The Dakota and Cold Spring Harbor. In 1980, John returned to the recording studio, and while recording Double Fantasy, John would call Julian and have him listen to his new songs. Then, tragedy happened: John died. I think that was the moment for sure Julian became determined to become a musician. Cynthia tried to help with little connections she had: she called George Martin, but no luck. She tried Ray Cooper, a percussionist, who told her to send Julian to him. 

"Well, the first time I heard him sing, after John had died, really freaked me out. Because it just sounded unbelievably like his father" 

Cynthia

"It's up to one to try to keep the name Lennon going in music, I just want people to judge the music without prejudice. I can ask for no more."

Julian, 1985

“Actually he taught me how to play guitar” 

Sean, 2010

“The truth is that Julian was like my hero. He still is. He sings much better than I do.” 

Sean, 2010

Long story short, Julian's first album Valotte was produced by Phil Ramone in 1984. It was a big hit! 

“There were times when I’d work something out that Phil would say was too Beatle-ey. It was like, enough is enough. But I can’t change the sound of my voice. Anyway, I’m proud of it."

Julian, 1984

“I wanted to get it out of the way. I had these songs that were written from experience, things I had gone through. It was just having them there and wanting people to listen to them. Now that I’ve got it off my chest, I feel fine. But now I’m worried about the next album, ’cause I don’t know what I’m going to come up with. I’m not sure which road I’m going to take. I’ve got to sit down and think.” 

Julian, 1984

"Julian is the reason I started playing music actually because when I was a kid, I remember when his first record hit the charts and he was, you know, the biggest thing that existed in the world.” 

Sean, 2009

“Julian’s first record was great but it was produced in a very similar style to his dad, and consequently everyone compares it. You're never going to come out of that well. So I kept my head down.” 

Dhani Harrison, 2012

"But Zak, who’s Ringo‘s son, seems to think he’s all right. And Zak’s a very, very harsh critic."

Pete Townshend, 1982

“My dad was like the wise old man to me. It was like the grasshopper and the ant. I learned a lot from him, looking at what he’s done and what I’ve got to go through and how I’m going to present my case. That’s why I really worked on this album to make it stand by itself, on my merit, though it’s still carrying on, I hope, in the same sort of vein as his. Not the political side yet — I’m too young for that now.”

Julian, 1984

Now, the music business is a very cutthroat - much like film, modeling, culinary, any kind of business, to be honest. They can build you up, believe in you,give you confidence, so much so you believe they will always have your back. But, not always. They can also knock you down, chew and spit you out, destroy your career, and blackball out - making sure you can never work again no matter how talented you may be. It may be all glamorous, and it can be torture. That's what happened to Julian. Except it was based on his father. Many thought, and wanted, Julian to be John Lennon part two. Julian sounded like his father, looked like him, his music resembled John's, and they pigeonhole Julian as such. 

"I'm thrilled with the success of Valotte. I know a lot of people compare me to my father. It drives me mad sometimes, thinking about it. I just want people to judge the music without prejudice. Sure, we sound alike. I open my mouth and that's what comes out. I don't force it. I didn't study my father's sound. It's all natural. I've been through periods when I was confused and didn't know what to do. I've made mistakes. It's just living, that's all."

Julian, 1985

"At first people thought I was jumping on the bandwagon but it's up to them to come along and have a look for themselves. I think people had it in for Julian," 

Zak Starkey 

"You should take him for what he is, by himself. He's very good by himself. Take away John Lennon and he'd be greater. You can't do that. He's the son of a famous father." 

George Martin, 1999

"Julian happens to be a very talented young man. He's got a lot of good tunes. But apart from physically looking like John, with his glasses and long hair, he really isn't anything like John. He's more like his mother- he's much gentler, softer. John was very tough and gave the Beatles their hard edge" 

George Harrison, 1982

"For me as a songwriter it’s all about either the music, the melody or the lyrics, all have to be equally as strong, equally as poignant in what they’re saying and what they’re reflecting. The melody has to say the same as the lyrics and say the same as the music and if they don’t it doesn’t touch you in the way that it should. So for me it was all about making sure whatever I was doing at that point in time was going to be relatable to everybody else. Although it came from very small and focused feelings and emotions, it was written in a way that absolutely anyone and everybody could understand those emotions that I was feeling at the time. I just felt that was necessary. In order for people to understand where my head’s at, it has to be totally relatable. It’s not depersonalizing it either because it’s still something we’re all feeling. I’m having a tough time finding the exact word. But it all comes back to being relatable. You can make what you want from the lyrics that you read but there’s nothing that’s hidden within that. There’s no hidden agenda. It is what it is and that’s it. It’s telling a story."

Julian, 2013 

"I took a backseat and walked away from the business again because I’d just had enough of it all. I just wanted some new experiences. I’d been doing it for twenty plus years at that point. For me, I want a bit more than that out of life. I think that’s why a lot of other artists have gone on to do photography as well, like Bryan Adams, Dave Stewart. They’re all feeling different elements of photography. I think it’s all down to the fact that now I’m not tied into any time constraints or contracts, whether it was studio or otherwise. I have a tiny home studio that I know gives me everything I need to achieve what I want. It’s a small room but it’s a home away from home. It’s actually across my drive so I have to walk out of the house to go to work, so to speak. Just having that availability plus the fact that I love this little room. It’s a room of joy and creativity."

Julian, 2013 

For his part, I do believe Julian got a better understanding of what his father went through, why John missed so much of Julia's childhood. I'm sure it was a big awakening "Ohhhh" moment. Julian toured, did recording, TV appearances, photo sessions, and so on. I'm sure having a life as a musician solved a lot of issues Julian had with his father, giving him a sense of peace.

Julian eventually got fed up with the music business. His albums after Valotte (The Secret of Daydreaming, Mr. Jordan, and Help Yourself) didn't do so well on the charts. He created his own record label, Music From Another Room, and released Photograph Smile in 1998. After the tour, Julian (temporary) quit music but he never really went away: in 2002, Julian sang The Beatles' When I'm 64 as an advertising jingle for Allstate Insurance.

"It's a dumb move on the publishing company's part because I don't think it helps the songs in the long run. But if anybody's going to do it, I'd rather it be Julian. I've got to laugh at that." 

Paul McCartney, 2002

"I needed to find out who I was outside the music industry, and for the first time in my life I found true peace of mind" 

Julian 

"I've found constancy and balance between creativity and normality" 

Julian

"I was very much a kid. That was all out of my control. There were labels, management involved, and there was little say. I was 20 years old – a young, ignorant 20 years old at that point. I was living in the countryside with my mum, for Christ’s sakes. I’d only seen London when I was 18. Then to be hit with that kind of attention, it was very exciting, but also very scary. I know what that has done to people. There were a few occasions when I was physically afraid and very scared – even leaving hotels or gigs and your hair being ripped out and your clothes ripped off. Just insanity. I respect other peoples’ work, but I don’t quite get that, and that side of it scared me. That scared me a lot, especially with what happened to Dad and many others."

Julian, 2013

"After doing the promo tour for the last album, Photograph Smile, I basically said, 'I’ll do everything and anything', which I did. I went around the world, which felt like several times. It was a non-stop experience that was very exhausting in the end. And I just thought, after all that work, I’m just not seeing the results I had hoped for and felt, ‘Screw this, let me turn my attention to other things, other things that inspire me.' I’ve always been involved in restaurants one way or the other. Had I not been involved in taking the direction of music or now with my interest in photography I certainly would have been a chef, no question about that."

Julian, 2013

"I truly love Photograph Smile too. That is a very very special album to me and I think there’s some classic songwriting on there and production. I love what Bob Rose and I were able to achieve on Photograph Smile. Just on a slightly personal level this new album is really my baby. As every artist says each time they do a new one, this is my favorite album. But for me right now without question it’s my favorite. The telling point for me is if there’s a moment where I cringe when I listen back to it. Did I really want that chord or do I really want that song on the album? Could I have done that song a different way? This is the only album where I’ve said, “I love every aspect of it, nothing bothers me”, which is a rarity, let me tell you because I’m a perfectionist in that regard."

Julian, 2013 

In 2009, James Scott Cook and Julian released a song called Lucy, inspired by Julian’s childhood friend and James’ grandmother, both were battling with Lupus. Proceeds of the song were donated to Lupus charities.  

Julian decided to take his time with music and focus on other projects, photography and his White Feather Foundation. In 2011, Julian released Everything Changes. He also re-recorded his 1991 song Saltwater in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, Julian teamed up with Mons (Ondableu Art Space) for Merry Go Round project of experimental genres of music.

"It's been ready for over three years but it never felt like the right time. Now I've been thinking that I've never had such good publicity in my life, so why not capitalise. Maybe it will be available before Christmas, who knows. After the exhibition and the book, a hat-trick would be great."

Julian, 2010

“I’m probably more comfortable with this album than any other in the sense that there’s not one thing on this album that I twitch about. There are mistakes on the album, but I like the mistakes. They’re part of the truth of the songs.”

Julian, 2013

"I got sick of the business. On the last album, which I worked very hard on – I spent a year around the world promoting it, doing anything and everything. I just felt that all the other people I was hoping to be supported by just didn’t come to the fore. I just said 'I’m done with this'. I got busy with other businesses and other projects, eventually photography. After a couple of years I started tickling the ivories again and bought myself a little computer setup and started, slowly but surely, putting ideas together. But it was only in the last five years that I locked down and got what I thought was pretty reasonable material."

Julian, 2013

"I co-wrote the title track, Everything Changes. For me it was modern in regards to how I’ve written songs before, involving newer production than I’d ever considered using. That was down to [producer] Pete Vettese, and that song is what drove the rest of the album and the mood and sound and production. It’s that buzz you get. It’s that adrenaline you get. Normally you get it onstage, with applause. It’s that moment you get goose bumps and you say, God, I love that. That drove me to finish the album."

Julian, 2013

"I’ve always felt that I’m a songsmith. That’s been my priority. Songs are a true marriage in that the musical content, lyrical and melodic, have to tell the same story independently, but once it’s together it’s a real marriage. That’s when I get goose bumps. When I work on something, it has to have that effect on me. Otherwise it doesn’t go anywhere – it doesn’t leave the room."

Julian, 2013

"I’ve done every kind of touring known to mankind. I’ve played the big and the small places. I don’t fancy doing that again. One gig on the last tour was part of a festival in Hong Kong. It was with the Hong Kong Philharmonic behind my rock band, and it was the best show I’ve ever done in my life. For me, goose bumps on crack. If I do it again, I’d do one-night-only in major cities around the world, with either partial or a full philharmonic. That’s what I’d love to do as a musician, as an artist, as a singer. I’d be out there in a heartbeat doing that."

Julian, 2013

“I don’t know about touring. I’ve stated many times that I’ve pretty much played most size venues around the world in one way, shape, or another. I’ve done the lowest to the highest. If I did go on the road again, it would really be in my mind sort of a one night only in major cities around the world for charity. The White Feather Foundation maybe in conjunction with another and with a full or partial orchestra. That is what as an artist and as a humanitarian I prefer to do.”

Julian, 2013 

"I’ve just refurbished my little home studio, so that means I will get around to it. I’m not sure I’ll do another album, but I’ll certainly release an EP or singles in the future. Photography and the work with the foundation has certainly taken up a great deal of my time over the past five or six years and continues to do so. So, it’s just balancing it all out and finding the right time and what feels organic to get back in the studio and do some more music. But, it’s in the cards, for sure."

Julian, 2017 

"It's like children of famous actors- they're born with the gene. You either say, 'No, I can't top that' and move into another field or you just go with it. You've had Julian, Sean, Dhani and my son James, who is a great musician. I'm doing an album with him. And Ringo's kids are all great drummers." 

Paul McCartney

1984- Valotte

1986- The Secret Value of Daydreaming 

1989- Mr. Jordan

1991- Help Yourself

1997- Photograph Smile

2011- Everything Changes

2022- Jude

Well I Don't Know (1984) was written for John

Beautiful (2011) was written for Cynthia

Julian can play guitar, drums, harmonica, piano, bass, mandolin, sitar, tambourine, and maracas