When Dreams Fail

"John would have been 50 this October but the main reason is that, as his friends and family couldn't attend his funeral, we wanted to pay tribute, in our own way, to the life and death of John Lennon. You can't just erase so many years of living together, or the memories, and we wanted to offer him this final homage."

Cynthia, 1990

May Pang, Cynthia, Mike McCartney and Sid Bernstein at Mike's The Macs book party on November 23, 1981 at the Horn of Plenty Restaurant in New York City.

Photographed by Ron Galella

In January 1989, Sid Bernstein had a brilliant far out idea: an ultimate tribute concert for John Lennon. Sid was a music promoter, managing musicians to perform at venues, like Carnegie Hall, Shea Stadium which was exactly what he did for The Beatles. Now, for some reason, instead of turning to John's widow, Yoko Ono, Sid reached out to Cynthia instead. Because she felt that Julian, his family, friends, and herself never got the opportunity to say goodbye to John in form of a funeral, this concert idea would be a way to go. For the record: there's was no funeral for John other than a worldwide silence for 10 minutes per Yoko's request. Sid and Perry Muckerheide visited Cynthia at her home in Isle of Man to discuss their tribute idea for John and her support. The original idea was to have a rock symphony based in Milwaukee and televised around the world. The ideas got extended into not only would it provide a celebration for John's life and career, it would also benefit saving the environment as well as united for peace during the aftermath of the Berlin Wall. Cynthia thought long and hard about this until she agreed.

"I can only tell you that I loved John. He was a friend of mine. We talked occasionally. And I just hope he would have approved.''

Sid Bernstein, 1990

"At first I thought, well, I'm not really into tributes. The marriage of the environment and the music and the celebration, to me, is a very good marriage, and it can only be good for the future.''

Cynthia, 1990

''It's a concert celebrating the unfolding progress thoughout Europe, Latin America and Southern Africa toward freedom. We feel that were John alive, he would have made a point of celebrating this unfolding and making sure we never go back in time.''

Perry Muckerheide, Promoter 

''I felt that it would be wonderful if we could 'come together' and close the chapter of the book, as it were. There are a lot of words that haven`t been said and a lot of feelings that haven`t been expressed. It's like saying, OK, we've had all the books, we've had all the trash, now let's celebrate the man's life and let it rest. The things that linger are the words and the music and the memory of a man who really cared, and let's just end it on that note.'

Cynthia, 1990

"Because she was offered $1-million to approach the Beatles, and she told us she needs the money. As for memorializing John, she wrote a book about him after he divorced her, he sued her when it was published, and they weren't on speaking terms for 22 years."

Sam Havadtoy, 1990

Cynthia with Willy Brandt, the former Chancellor of Germany, on June 22, 1990

By July of 1989, things were shaping up. 

The original planned October 9, 1989 with the performance from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Milwaukee Ballet didn't happened, but instead got rescheduled for next year that would be John's 50th birthday. Sid and Cynthia held a press conference in Los Angeles on December 11, 1989 to announce a show of the century in Milwaukee on March 12 and 13th, 1990.

"I've had a feeling for the past 10 years that I wasn't able to pay my last respects to John. I wasn't there when he died. There was nothing I could do to say goodbye, so when this cropped up I thought this would be my way of saying goodbye to John."

Cynthia, 1989

Cynthia met with Rudolf Nureyev and Michael Jackson to dance together. There was talk to do the dance at the White House. However, Michael was recording an album and Rudolf wasn't participating, according to Sam Havadtoy, Yoko's companion. 

''In my opinion if Michael Jackson were going to participate in an event, it would be one with Yoko's permission and not one sponsored by Sid Bernstein.'' 

Peter Shukat, Yoko's lawyer, 1990

''As Michael Jackson said, although he is close to Yoko and Sean, he feels Cynthia and Julian are the root of the Lennon legacy.'' 

Perry Muckerheide 1990

''She can't do it. Sid Bernstein, who brought the Beatles to America, offered her $3 million to get stars to a 50th tribute. The Beatles are Sid's mission in life. Cynthia said she had Nureyev, but Nureyev told me, 'I'm not participating.' It's a puff of smoke.''

Sam Havadtoy, 1990

George Lucas agreed to provide the special effects. Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Bee Gees, and The Moody Blues agreed to perform as did Paul McCartney, alongside with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of George Martin. Cynthia also reached out to Ringo Starr (she spoke to Barbara Bach as Ringo claimed to have laryngitis) and George Harrison. It would've been a Beatles reunion. Cynthia hoped Julian would be part of it.

"Miracles do happen. Who knows what they'll all decide at the end of the day?"

Cynthia, 1990

"It would be wonderful but at the moment it's just a plan."

Cynthia, 1990

''I've written to all of them. I've spoken to Paul, and Paul was very warm to the idea.''

Cynthia, 1990

''My concert has to be the three and Julian. My feeling is it must be all of them or it's not what it's supposed to be. Yoko should be there. It's a real celebration of peace, brotherhood, love, and it's time they got back together again.''

Hans Janitchek, President of the United Nations Society of Writers, 1990

''Julian's position is that due to his personal relationship with his brother and due to his decision not to have his career confused with the mystique and spirit of John Lennon, he is supporting Cynthia from a distance on this. It's a very sensitive issue, to be honest.''

Perry Muckerheide

''Julian has been approached, and obviously he has managers to negotiate with. I'm not interfering with Julian's career, but he supports whatever I do anyway.''

Cynthia, 1990

Cynthia traveled around, meeting government tops for their support and funding, like Willy Brandt (as pictured above) in Germany, Coretta Scott King and Mikhail Gorbachev in Washington D. C. Instead of March, it was announced in May of 1990 that the "show of the century" was pushed to October 9th at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin instead of Milwaukee.

There were many ideas for this big concert. I personally think everyone bit off more than they could chew. Many other idea events came up to make way....

March 20th - Cynthia and New York Mayor David Dinkins ringing the United Nations Peace Bell (probably the only event that successfully went through).

July 4th - United States independence day bash on the White House front lawn with a dance performance by Michael Jackson and Rudolf Nureyev to John's music. Michael also had a choice to sing with a choir, or to just be present. Instead, that idea fell through and to be included for the October 9th show.

Unknown date - an event in Kenya with its government support to honor the emergence of Africa and liberalization in South Africa.

September - John and Paul's induction into the United Nations Society of Writers Hall of Fame. According to Perry Muckerheide, Cynthia would accept the award on John's behalf.

October 9th - the Come Together concert dedicated to John Lennon at Berlin Wall's Brandenburg Gate in Germany.

"So many of us in John's family were never given the chance to say good-bye properly. But what has started out as a tribute to John has grown, I think, into something much more important. The world is changing so fast on the one hand, but conversely, we are destroying ourselves environmentally. The world is certainly bigger than two women who loved the same man."

Cynthia, 1990

"I wrote to her a year ago to ask her if she would like to join in the homage but she replied saying she had her own plans - amongst them a concert in Liverpool. I think the important thing is to remember John and I don't think it matters who actually organises the homage. However the American press have distorted the facts and are saying that there are disagreements and discord between Yoko and myself. My response is that the only thing that divides Yoko and myself is the Atlantic. There's no point always going over old ground."

Cynthia, 1990

Yoko, Julian, Sean, and Cynthia at the Hard Rock Cafe on August 3, 1989 after Julian's concert at the Beacon Theater. Earlier that day, Cynthia and Yoko met earlier in the Dakota about the John Lennon tribute concert.

Cynthia wanted one meaningful endorsement: Yoko's. After all, Yoko was indeed the widow, and had the rights to use John's music. Another thing was that the press was having a field day of ex-wife vs. widow over their tribute concerts. Cynthia called her for a meeting; Yoko agreed. During this time, Julian was to perform at the Beacon Theatre with Sean making an appearance on stage (which I already posted, Stand By Me). On August 3rd, the day of the concert, Cynthia and her boyfriend/manager Jim Christie went to the Dakota for their meeting with Yoko. Cynthia found it almost unbearable to walk on the spot where her ex husband was gunned down. Cynthia was hoping that this tribute to John as well as their sons appearing on stage together that this would lead a friendship and to honor John. When they got to the apartment, Jim didn't remove his shoes and didn't want Cynthia to remove her shoes either (which is a no-no, it's Japanese custom to leave the shoes by the door. Heck, a friend of mine isn't Japanese is like that! I have to take my shoes off whenever I enter her house). Jim and Cynthia were led to the kitchen and sat at the nook area with cushioned benches. Cynthia was a little started by seeing a replica of a gun that had shot John sitting on a nearby shelf. Yoko and her companion, Sam Havadtoy, came in to talk business. Cynthia explained about the concert and the ideas attached to it. After Cynthia finished, Yoko told her she would consider it and get back to her. Later that evening, it was Julian's concert with Sean and then the after party at the Hard Rock Cafe. Yoko's lawyer said to have contacted Sid and Peter of their plans but Yoko held back her endorsement.

"Realistically it's about what you'd expect. We have spoken over the years. We have stood together and watched our two boys on stage. We are both part of John's family."

Cynthia, 1990

"I want to stress that in my heart I truly believe it is really time to bury the hatchet, I'd like to see us all come together for the good of everyone involved."

Cynthia, 1990

''Cynthia made her personal overture after a very emotional decision to walk over the steps for the first time where John was killed and into the home of the woman who was very much the reason for the end of her marriage to John Lennon. She said, 'On behalf of our sons I think we should do this together and not separately.' She offered to exchange endorsements of the events, and Yoko insisted she would not collaborate, period.''

Perry Muckerheide

There was supposed to be a lunch date two days afterwards between Yoko and Cynthia, but because Cynthia was accompanied by Sid, Yoko cancelled the lunch date.

A few days later, Sam contacted Cynthia to tell her Yoko refused to take part in the tribute and was planning her own tribute concert set for May. Yoko knew of this tribute around July of 1989 when she decided to do her own tribute show and sent Sid and Perry the cease and desist letter to stop their Lennon activities. Obviously that didn't happened as Sid and Perry were determined to do this show of the century.

Yoko claimed in an interview that Cynthia planned to make millions from this concert yet it was for charity. When the printed interview reached Cynthia, she knew the plans were doomed. The ugly rumor that the money was going to Cynthia instead circulated and seeds of doubt happened. While I do believe the intention to give to charities, Sid and Perry had no charities set up other than their production, We Believe. Sid, Cynthia, and everyone else attached to this had to abandon the project. Yoko's tribute to John, also called Come Together, went ahead on May 5, 1990 in Liverpool where John's family were in the audience after buying their own tickets and not invited backstage. Proceeds went to John and Yoko's Spirit Foundation.

"I object to two men wanting to stage a show for commercial benefit and bringing another woman into the picture as a smoke screen unsuspecting Cynthia Lennon and saying: 'Let's see the two women fight.' Whatever the smoke screen, they're not going to get my permission. The whole thing is a hoax."

Yoko Ono, 1990

'Sid Bernstein, Perry Muckerheide and Cynthia are in this to make profit. Yoko is in this to raise money for charity in John's memory and in his honor. Yoko does not want to do business with them. That is the bottom line.''

Peter Shukat, Yoko's lawyer, 1990

"Yoko's response reflects very much what I think has come about in the last 10 years, which is that it's impossible for her to share even the memory of John Lennon. All the money goes from Yoko and comes back to Yoko and is controlled by Yoko. It remains a Yoko only event. It's very easy for a wealthy woman to do a tribute to John Lennon with money that he earned.'' 

Perry Muckerheide 

''She has the right to prohibit the use of music in connection with an event regarding John Lennon. Sid Bernstein has been told that from the start.''

Peter Shukat, Yoko's lawyer, 1990

''It's my belief that there are songs that aren't necessarily hers alone.''

Sid Bernstein, 1990

"But when you have more than one person selling two similar events, all you do is detract from the value of the event, and it makes it difficult for either party to go and sell their event. Every time we turn the corner to talk to someone about a television deal, there's another article saying that Sid Bernstein has George Martin, Rudolf Nureyev and Paula Abdul.''

Peter Shukat, Yoko's lawyer, 1990

''I feel it's available to everyone to honor this guy just as it's available to honor Martin Luther King,''

Sid Bernstein, 1990

"Yoko was approached by us, but she has her own event. You can see that the people on her roster (Terrence Trent D'Arby, Roberta Flack, B.B. King, Cyndi Lauper) meant nothing to John personally or to his life. Even the date, May 5, has no personal significance. The performers we are dealing with are all the ones you would expect to be at such an event -- the peers who knew John and worked closely with him."

Perry Muckerheide

"Nobody's angry at Cynthia Lennon. Unfortunately, Mr. Berstein is in my opinion using her.''

Peter Shukat, Yoko's lawyer, 1990

"Cynthia Lennon is an innocent party. There's a Milwaukee promoter, a former waiter, named Perry Muckerheide, working with Sid Bernstein, and his mission in life is to reunite the Beatles. But the Beatles aren't interested. George has always said: 'As long as John is not alive, the Beatles cannot reunite.'"

Yoko Ono, 1990

''I have a job to do, and that's all I want to be involved in. I don't want to be in Star Wars and all that lunacy. I'm sure if you're talking about the essence of John Lennon, that's the last thing he'd want.''

Cynthia, 1990

Cynthia and Sid at Julian's Timeless photography exhibition opening at the Morrison Hotel Gallery on September 16, 2010 in New York City

While the surface looks like Yoko purposely sabotage Cynthia's tribute to John, I think it was more towards Perry Muckerheide and Sid Bernstein. I don't know why but Yoko must have known something was fishy with the men. Especially Sid. Granted he got The Beatles into Carnegie Hall and Shea Stadium, but Sid was literally obsessed getting The Beatles reunited like in 1976, he offered $100 million for a single concert (to be fair, there were a lot of other offers, including Saturday Night Live, trying to get The Beatles together). In 1979, Sid tried again offering The Beatles to perform on behalf of South Africa but instead ABBA took the spot. As for Perry, he was a waiter before becoming a promoter. Other than that I can't find much more about him -- I don't know if he's alive or dead! I don't know the history between Sid and Yoko; as for Cynthia, they may have met in 1964 while in New York for the first time when The Beatles played Carnegie Hall. Definitely for sure met again in 1981 for Paul's brother Mike's book release party. Was Sid using Cynthia, as Yoko believed? I can't say for sure, although I admit having Cynthia in the forefront of John's tribute is weird. An ex wife? Perhaps Sid felt sympathetic with Cynthia... It's one thing to use for support, I don't think that's weird, but to use Cynthia as the face? Whatever it may have been, it didn't falter Sid and Cynthia's friendship as it was evident when Sid went to Cynthia's book party in New York in 2005 and at Julian's first photography exhibition in 2010, with Yoko also attending. Sid died on August 21, 2013.

Isle of Man

Cynthia and Jim in Douglas, Isle of Man, where they lived for many years in 1988. They had a small yacht in Castletown, and had five cats (Daisy, Gin Trap).

Also to note that I updated Cynthia and Jim's relationship regarding their breakup in The Longest Relationship post as I have found out more details since I last published the post almost 3 years ago. 

Imagine These Premieres

Julian and Cynthia attended the documentary film premiere of Imagine: John Lennon on  October 7, 1988 at the National Theatre in New York. Yoko Ono and Sean also attended as did Cynthia boyfriend Jim Christie and Julian's girlfriend Fiona Flanagan. There was an after party at the Russian Tea Room. This was really the first time Yoko and Cynthia were together since 1970.

"It doesn't exist really. I don't hold any bad feelings towards her. If it hadn't been her, it would have been somebody else. It was something that happened. For the film about John we had tea at the Russian Tea Rooms in New York. There was Yoko and Sean, Julian and  his girlfriend of the time, Jim and me. It was a bit strained, but we don't really have anything in common. All that time isn't really part of my life now. I still keep up with Maureen and Pattie occasionally. But I don't see the others."

Cynthia, 1988 

Cynthia was referring to any kind of rift between her and Yoko... I'll be exploring that soon (it's in the process of writing at this time!). Personally, I really do not like this outfit on Cynthia! She was usually great on fashion style, but this? Blah... Makes her look frumpy. The London premiere 18 days later looked better: 

Cynthia and Jim on October 25, 1988 for the Imagine: John Lennon documentary premiere at Canon Cinema in London. Yoko and Sean were also there, but I don't think Julian attended this one. 

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

Restaurant Entrepreneur

I wouldn't call Cynthia a kind of person to be in the kitchen, at least not as a little girl. I don't think Cynthia helped out her mother Lillian with the family meals. It wasn't until much later, while married to John Lennon, Cynthia realized her cooking skills were limited. Once she got married, reality set in. It was one thing as a single college woman living on fish and chips and boxed/packets of food to quickly cook. But once the ring was on her finger and a baby growing inside her that Cynthia would be in the kitchen more. Vesta Beef Curry, sausage and mash, and cheese on toast were what Cynthia could manage in 1962; she would try to twist the Vesta Beef Curry up with rice or bananas.

"I was happy enough battling with the washing and ironing and teaching myself to cook.  I'm afraid I wasn't much good in the kitchen but fortunately John was easy to please.  His favourite meal at the time was Vesta Beef Curry- a dehydrated powder to which you just added water - followed by a banana sandwich and even I could manage that."

Cynthia, 1994

While pregnant with Julian and living with Aunt Mimi, Cynthia mentioned on the good days with  Mimi, she was taught how to make apple pie, among other things.

"When John was there Mimi was fine but when he was away she could be moody and sharp-tongued and in my over-sensitive pregnant state I frequently retired hurt.  Admittedly on good days she helped me with my cooking and taught me to make apple pie but, on balance, it wasn't a happy arrangement."

Cynthia, 1994

Especially once the Lennon family moved to Weybridge and started to host parties with other celebrities and well-to-do visitors, Cynthia bought lots of cookbooks to expand her repertoire when entertaining at home. Because her kitchen was designed by an interior designer as very modern with gadgets that freaked out Cynthia- there would be someone that would have to go to the house to teach Cynthia how to use a mysterious kitchen gadget. If it was too complicated, then it would be on the shelf gathering dust. When they wanted to go out and not be mobbed, Brian Epstein provided a list of places to go... in one restaurant, John and Cynthia were introduced to garlic. John also loved a roast of lamb.

“His favorite must have been lamb. When he came home to Harrie's with Yoko in 1969 she cooked him a leg of lamb when he was all macrobiotic and he loved it. When Cynthia and he were entertaining at Kenwood he particularly wanted her to cook a leg of lamb.”

Julia Baird, 1986

"He loved corn flakes and banana for breakfast and roast lunches on Sundays."
Cynthia, 1994

There was a time, probably around 1967, when John went vegetarian but it didn't last very long. When The Beatles’ biographer Hunter Davies stayed with the family, he observed that Cynthia does all the cooking while John sometimes makes tea; on one particular occasion, Cynthia served a slice of melon as a starter/appetizer and then cold meat with mashed potatoes and cauliflower along with milk by 6:30 PM. John didn't eat the meat because of his newfound vegetarianism. I'm also sure that dinner wasn't served often at 6:30 if John was in a recording studio.

Cynthia and Roberto dining, probably taken at Da Bassano restaurant in 1969

Fast-forward to Cynthia's time with Roberto Bassanini, her second husband. Roberto’s family owned and ran hotels and restaurants in Italy- it's how Cynthia crossed paths with the Bassanini family while on vacation with Julian in 1966, staying and dining there. In 1968, Roberto moved to England to woo a newly-separated single mother Cynthia while becoming a restaurant manager for his father's Da Bassano at the time. Unfortunately, Roberto was an immature partygoer who wanted to be loved and very generous to his friends, letting them fill up the restaurant and eating for free, which was bad for business. It wasn't until after their divorce that Roberto grew up and became a successful businessman.

Julian outside of Oliver's Bistro in 1981

The restaurant business must have grew on Cynthia when after she married her third husband, John Twist, and trying to make ends meet, that they opened restaurant and inn Oliver's Bistro in Wales in 1980. It was also perhaps a way to try to survive a failing marriage that was doomed from the start (more on that later!). It was Cynthia and John, along with Angie McCartney (Mike McCartney's ex-wife; former sister-in-law of Paul's) and John’s parents helping out.

"We both do the cooking and I do everything from spud-bashing to waitressing. We work well together and we work hard. We're learning as we go along but I think we've achieved something.”
Cynthia, 1980

“I waited tables, cooked and worked from 7 each morning to 2 a.m. the next.”
Cynthia, 1981

“Eventually towards the end of 1979 we opened a restaurant in North Wales. We called it Oliver's, as in Oliver Twist, and Mike McCartney's ex-wife Angie, who was a great cook, came to work with us. It was bistro food and we took it in turns to make our specialties. Angie would do Navarin of Lamb, John did Chicken Paprika which he was very good at and I did Spaghetti Milanese - a legacy of the Italian cooking I'd learned from my Italian mother-in-law. The three of us did everything. We cooked, we waited on tables, we worked and worked. It nearly killed us. But the business grew. Sadly, as the business flourished, my third marriage began to disintegrate.”
Cynthia, 1994

But the inn and restaurant phase didn't last and neither did the Twist marriage by 1981.

Cynthia and her second restaurant, Bunter's, in 1988

In 1988 and now with longtime boyfriend Jim Christie, Cynthia found herself in her second attempt of running a restaurant business: Bunter's in Isle of Man.

"For the last six months we've had the restaurant. It was fate that we got it. When we first  came to the island we stayed at a bed-and-breakfast place with a lady called Mrs Jennings.  Within walking distance was this restaurant called Bunter's; we fell in love with the  atmosphere, but didn't have any ideas about running a restaurant, none whatsoever. We got very friendly with the owner, who was 60 at the time. He decided he had had enough of it and said we were the people he would love to buy it off him. So we started thinking about it. We'd only come here for a sabbatical, to take a year off and that's what we were doing before we got started to get bored stiff and this came along. Now we are there every evening. I tried running a bistro before in 1978, but it didn't really work, and my marriage to John Twist had broken up. Then it was time to change direction. It led to my first exhibition of cartoons and drawings in America and led me more into the artistic side of life. But as Jim's parents had run restaurants, we decided to give it a go and we're really doing okay with it."

Cynthia, 1988

Cynthia found herself doing exactly what she was doing a few years prior but didn't mind- she did enjoy the work. But the Bunter's experience didn't last long, only for a year. I guess Jim and Cynthia sold it before moving on to something else. They did continue to live on Isle of Man for a number of years until moving to France before eventually breaking up by 1999.

Lee Starkey, Cynthia, Julian, and Maureen Tigrett in Lennon's, 1989

In 1989, Cynthia gave the restaurant business a third and final try: Lennon's in London. The walls were decorated of articles on the Beatles, with memorabilia and dishes like Rubber Sole and Sgt. Pepper Steak. At first it seemed successful… Maureen was a frequent customer during its short life. But competition in the neighborhood was tough: it rivaled Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers that is still in business to this very day. Cynthia left the business; Lennon's did try to continue on but not long until it finally folded. However, Cynthia carried on her love of food and cooking until her death.

“Noel and I love cooking. He does his cooking and I do mine. I’m the traditional English cook, with a twist now and then. Because I was married to an Italian, I’m also pretty good at Italian food. Noel, he can cook anything, so can Julian.”
Cynthia, 2005

“She was a real good cook. She was the one who got me to like roasted lamb with potatoes. In the early days at my house, she would say, 'Let's have a bacon butte.’ They were always so delicious and I'm surprised I wasn't 300 lbs by the time she went home! When I last saw her at her home in Spain, she had had a pot cooking on the stove for days, making her amazing gravy. Any food that wasn't used or leftover went into that pot. I got a little taste of it the day I was heading back to London. I had so wished that the gravy was ready before I left. The taste lingered on my palate for a while.”

May Pang, John's assistant and former girlfriend, 2015

Julian cooking at home in 2011

"The first thing Julian wanted to do in life, well, before he wanted to be an artist and then a musician, was to be a chef. He'd come home and say 'Why don't you bake cakes like my friends' mothers?' I'd say, 'Oh, Julian, go out and buy a Mary Baker cake mix and do it yourself!' That started him off! By the time he was 13, he'd disappear into the kitchen whenever we had visitors and emerge with beautiful canapes. Now he thinks nothing of cooking for ten or 15 people, and he does it so calmly."
Cynthia, 1999

"I probably have more of a passion for cooking than I do for music. I love traveling and finding great little hideout restaurants and little villages and going to the open markets. Eventually I must admit I want to do a cookbook, though people might think it a bit gimmicky - the musician turned cook. Cooking and music, they're very much the same sort of therapy. Both depend on adding the right ingredients to come up with a product that not only you, but everyone else, enjoys. A friend of mine in the South of France has a house with an enormous kitchen. When I'm staying there I tend to find myself less in the sun than cooking for about ten people every day. Music might give me a couple of hits a year, but in cooking, depending on how many meals I cook, I can get three hits a day!"
Julian

“If I hadn't gotten involved in musical photography, I would've been a chef. Food is one of my number one things in the world; I absolutely adore it and have been involved with several restaurants. I was living life a little bit, because when you're on the treadmill of the industry, you literally don't have much of an outside life.”

Julian, 2014

“Of course, my initial choice before music was to be a chef. I am a closet chef! There’s a great similarity between all of that. It’s mixing it up in the pots for the finished product. I like to do fusion and a little bit of everything.”

Julian, 2016

“Cooking. Well actually, I’m such a food lover I’m not sure I ever could. If I hadn’t gone into music, I would have been a chef.”

Julian, 2016

Julian did follow in his mother's footsteps but is more of an investor and part owner of several restaurants. Here's what I know of:

1995- The Revolution in San Francisco, California

2003- Red Bar & Grill in Mallorca, Spain

2004- Blowfish Sushi To Die For Restaurant in San Francisco, California

"This is something I've dreamt about for six years with my old songwriting partner Todd Meagher. He now lives in San Francisco and it seems as if he may have found some people to support our ideas. People will tie the name in with the Beatles but there is no connection. It's similar in concept to 'Planet Hollywood' or the 'Hard Rock Cafe,' but instead of displaying memorabilia from the film or music industries it will be tied in with men, women and companies who have made a change for the positive in this world. For instance some of the pieces may come from Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa. For the rest of the displays we hope to hang work from artists and photographers in San Francisco and part of the money raised from the sale of these works will go back into local charities. It will be a socially-conscious, awareness-raising venture. The idea is for people to come and enjoy themselves, and leave with more than just a full stomach."

Julian, 1995 about Revolution

“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. When I was living in Spain I opened what was probably the first of its kind lounge bar/club with fusion food. They’ve never seen anything like it. In the polls we ranked three years in a row, one, two and three. So we did pretty well with them and I oversaw the whole putting together of it. That was one of my desires. It was just a nice escape from the industry and everything I knew. So to be able to go and open that lounge bar/club on this beautiful Spanish island was wonderful.”

Julian, 2013 about Red Bar & Grill

As far as I know, Blowfish is still in business. I don't know about Red nor Revolution, it doesn't really show up when I Googled it to see if it was still open. So far, Julian doesn't want to do a cookbook as he wants to keep his secrets of cooking tight-lipped. He did reveal that there was an idea of musicians doing a cooking show but it was never materialized other than being an idea … who knows? Maybe one day Julian will share his cooking wisdom with us. Never say never!