Journey to America

“Generally life became even more exciting. The Beatles grew more successful than we'd ever dreamed possible and by 1964 John had had enough of pretending that he wasn't married. Early in the year the group was due to tour the USA and John wanted me to go with him. He knew there would be reporters and photographers every step of the way so in effect he was saying to the world: ‘Look, whether you like it or not this is my wife and I have a baby.’”

Cynthia, 1994

John and Cynthia being driven to Heathrow Airport in London to board their flight for America

As early as January of 1964 when The Beatles song I Want to Hold Your Hand went to number one in America while they were in Paris, John was determined to do one thing: bring Cynthia along. I don't know how Brian Epstein felt or said when John first brought it up, but the outcome was that John got what he wanted. Tony Bramwell believes it was more done in rebellion, some others thinks that it turned out to be a mistake to bring her along… not that her company was unwelcome- but the pressure, the rush, it was the men’s world with addition of groupies hanging about, and Cynthia was basically extra baggage. It was a whole new world that Cynthia was not familiar with on a daily basis. It was one thing for a weekend visit, but almost a month? With her home and son an ocean away and being in a strange country on top of that. John, Cynthia, and Julian had just moved to London and already, the ball was rolling! On February 7, 1964, John and Cynthia, along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, hopped into the car and drove to Heathrow Airport to meet the Press about their upcoming visit and to board on the Pan Am Flight 101. Their son Julian, who was 10 months old, stayed in their new London apartment with his grandmother, Lillian Powell.

“Days after the move the Beatles went to Paris on tour, and there heard the news that I Want to Hold Your Hand had reached number one in America. They returned from Paris and went to America two days later. Cynthia got to join John on the trip, while her mother looked after Julian back in London.”

Julia Baird

“The crowds were always biggest at Heathrow when we flew off on tour or returned from abroad. The worst time for me was when the Beatles returned from their first trip to America. Four of us were each assigned a Beatle to take care of and I was there to ensure John and Cynthia got through Heathrow safely… The Beatles looked really scared as the crowd got closer and we could see policemen's helmets being knocked off as the coppers started to lose control. John, Cynthia, and I dived into the back of the faithful old Austin Princess.”

Alistair Taylor

“The day of our departure to America was finally upon us and we found ourselves with the thrill of the whole adventure. I think I must have been the most envious young lady in the British Isles and America that day. I felt like a billion dollars.”

Cynthia

John and Cynthia posing for photographers for the first time as husband and wife

“Come over here, luv.”

John

While at Heathrow Airport to meet with the press before going through customs and boarding their flight, reporters spotted Cynthia lurking in the shadows. They requested for her to join her husband for some photos… to Cynthia's surprise, John agreed and motion her over. It was the first time that husband and wife were officially photographed together in public in the VIP (Very Important Person) lounge.

“John and Cynthia had only recently got married, so she came too.”

Dezo Hoffman, Photographer

“John was particularly touchy about pictures on the New York trip because he had his young bridge with him and Brian Epstein had impressed upon us all the importance of keeping Cynthia out of media photographs. To my knowledge, Dezo Hoffmann never took any unwanted shots of Cyn, on her own or with John, but once the group had decided he was not to be trusted within the entourage, I knew there was no way I would be able to reverse their negative feelings.”

Tony Barrow

When it was time to go, John and Cynthia walked to the plane together. On the boarding stairs, Cynthia went up ahead to meet John inside while he posed with Paul, George, and Ringo to wave goodbye to their fans that were there to see them off.

Photographed by Harry Benson

On the plane, the atmosphere was nervous and excitement. Many people who were on board mentioned that John was very quiet and sat with his wife, holding her hand. It was a long flight, about 8 hours. All four Beatles took pictures; Paul even tried to nap with a napkin covering his head after being with Jane Asher the night before. Of course during those long hours, you are bound to talk to fill the boring void: John wasn't happy about his wife being wrapped up and hidden. He also was annoyed about how a few days earlier, a British photographer snuck up and took a picture of Julian; to Harry Benson, it was just the beginning of his life in the public eye.

“John Lennon brought his wife Cynthia, a nice blonde girl and she was horribly put out of sight and stayed home. I know it broke John's heart, John wasn't happy about it- because we spoke on the plane. I photographed her and them on the plane coming over. And you know, photographs don't lie. They tried putting on a black wig on her for a couple of days and that was the sad part that kept quiet because they wanted them to be, like, you know, fresh- which they were.”

Harry Benson, Photographer, 2014

At around 1:20 PM Eastern U. S. time, the Beatles, along with Cynthia, Brian, Mal Evans, and Neil Aspinall, landed in John F. Kennedy Airport, New York City. They were given a loud and unforgettable welcome, much to their baffling surprise. After the plane landed, Brian sprung into action- Cynthia was left in the care of Mal Evans while her husband went off to be the star with his band mates for a press conference.

“As we were taxiing in, we could hear this screaming. We thought it was the engines, but the screaming was that of the fans.”

Cynthia

“In February 1964, Cyn went on the road with The Beatles to America for the first and last time, choosing to be at John's side for what turned out to be the most chaotic if not the most hazardous of the group’s four US trips during the touring years. One observer said she 'looked like a little child lost in a forest of giant ogres.’ She rang her mum in Hoylake most nights to ask after Julian.”

Tony Barrow

Another Girl: Olivia Harrison

Olivia Trinidad Arias was born on May 18, 1948 to Esiquiel and Mary Louise Negrete Arias in Los Angeles, California. Olivia has one older brother, Ronald, and three younger siblings, Linda, Gilbert, and Christine. Her father was a dry cleaner after working as a railroad worker as well as briefly a musician with his brothers and her mother a seamstress. In the 1950s, the family settled in Hawthorne, California and in 1961 until 1965, Olivia attended the same high school as The Beach Boys. She was a Beatles Fan, seeing them in concert twice in 1965 at the Hollywood Bowl and in 1966 at Dodgers Stadium. Olivia found work as a secretary with impressive shorthand and typing skills; by 1973, she was working at A&M Records.

In 1974, A&M Records won the bid to distribute George Harrison's Dark Horse solo records worldwide. During negotiations, George and Olivia spoke on the phone many times and George became curious about the woman on the other side of the phone and sent friends to check her out. Later that year, George and Olivia met face to face at a party and became inseparable and she accompanied George on his Dark Horse in America. George and Olivia welcomed Dhani on August 1, 1978 and they got married on September 2, 1978. Although they traveled and lived well, George and Olivia provided a private life for Dhani away from the public eye. Olivia was involved in charity and created her own project, Romanian Angel Appeal, to provide funds for orphanages and abandoned children's needs and well-being. In 1998, George was diagnosed with throat cancer and recovered. But he was soon diagnosed with lung cancer that spread to his brain; Olivia cared for him and researched for treatments from around the world. At the end of 1999, an intruder broke into their home, attempting to murder George and attacked Olivia, who managed to subdue the intruder until the police arrived. On November 29, 2001, George died with Olivia and Dhani at his side. Olivia and Dhani took on George's projects and updated his previous work to keep up with technology. Olivia met Julian in New York City while he was visiting John and May Pang; Julian went to George's concert at Madison Square Garden despite an earlier disagreement between George and John concerning the Beatles breakup legal documents and John's planned appearance during George's concert. It's not clear when Olivia and Cynthia met, however they last saw each other at the Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil opening premiere in Las Vegas in 2006. In Cynthia's second book John, she wrote about George's fling with Maureen Starkey but Olivia made clear she won't respond to gossip on behalf of George. After Cynthia's death in 2015, Olivia and Dhani released a statement and a photo of Cynthia taken by George; in 2017, the estate acknowledged Cynthia's birthday on their annual 'On This Day’ tweet.

"Cynthia has just written a book about John. That's fine, I just want to appear where I have to. I don't need to say anything about George to present him or preserve him because that's not what he would have wanted. I'm just trying to finish what he started."

Olivia Harrison

The Only One Married

“As the Beatles went to the top in both Britain and America with Can't Buy Me Love, my life and John Lennon’s suddenly seemed similar. He had been revealed as the married one of the group, a fact that their manager Brian Epstein had tried to keep secret but had to admit when they left Liverpool and the press caught sight of John's wife Cynthia with their baby son. On 11 April [of 1964], my marriage was revealed, so both top groups were seen to have one family man each… Lennon's marriage made no difference to the Beatles’ rising popularity and mine was not going to affect us either.”

Bill Wyman from The Rolling Stones

John on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 

From August 23, 1962 until February 10, 1965, John was the only married Beatle in his group. There were constantly rumors about the other three, especially Paul, that were also married but all of them consistently denied it. Ringo, George, and Paul did have steady girlfriends: Maureen Cox, Pattie Boyd, and Jane Asher. As mentioned in previous posts, while John's family was kept under wraps, at first John supported the secrecy but eventually he became against it. By January of 1964, just about everyone in England knew John was married. On February 9, 1964, while appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, everyone in America knew John was married after a tagline under John's introduction name came on screen saying 'Sorry girls; he’s married’. From what I heard, Brian was livid by that announcement while Cynthia felt relieved. I don't know how John felt. I don't know who thought of doing that or why but I do know that it created a standout memory for viewers who watched the show. We will get more into the First U. S. trip later on in it's own post…

"Well, you know, it depends. We needn't always go to the same places together. In earlier days, of course, when we didn't know London, and we didn't know anybody in London, then we really did stick together, and it would really be just like four fellows down from the north for a coach trip. But nowadays, you know, we've got our own girlfriends... they're in London... so that we each normally go out with our girlfriends on our days off. Except for John, of course, who's married."

Paul McCartney, 1964

Cynthia and The Beatles at the London premiere of A Hard Day's Night on July 6, 1964

Here are some snippets of press conferences and interviews that The Beatles have done explaining that John was the only one married:

We’re talking about personal questions. Do they ever bother you? (Interview with John and Ringo, 1964)

“Yeah, this one. You know all the rumors that have been going around America. Ringo, you know all those mad ones about me leaving, you leaving, everybody's married. I'm the only one who’s married, folks.”

Were any of you in love? (Interview, 1964)

“Me!” John

“Yes, he’s married.” Paul McCartney

“That's right!” John

Would you get married to the others?

“No, I don't like marriage, no good, no good marriage.” Paul

“It's good! Hmm-mmm-mmm” John (pretending to rock a baby in his arms)

Was it quite expensive?

“Quite, quite.” John

“How much did she cost when you bought her?” Paul

“She was 50 pounds in Nairobi.” John

Little did Paul know that he would get married three times!

We heard that you were all married (Press conference, August of 1964)

“Only John.” Ringo Starr

You're not married?

“No, John's the only one.” Paul McCartney

Which one is married?

“John is married. We’ll all get married in the end.” Ringo

“Will you?” John

“In the end. Two or three years, you know. Plenty of time.” Ringo

Little did Ringo know that he would get married 6 months later!

Paul, you're the only unmarried Beatle, or are you the only married Beatle? (Press conference, 1964)

“You’ve got it mixed up, Jean. John's the only married one. All the rest of us are unmarried and single and free, and everything.” Paul McCartney

And you're the married one, right?

“That's me, Jean.” John

John's autograph for Sgt.. Buddy Dresner who was the head of security for the Beatles while in Miami, February of 1964

Right of Family Privacy

John and Cynthia at his In His Own Write luncheon, April of 1964

Early on, John must have known how difficult fame could be on Cynthia and Julian. Girls (and some boys) would not only scream and make a grab on John, they were also voyaging to wherever he lived. Obviously they would encounter his wife and baby. Same with reporters/photographers hoping for a front page attention money grabber shot… much like today! However, in 1964, it wasn't as bad as it is today. There was no social media, no TMZ… there were photographers floating around the streets but I don't think the term paparazzi came about until around the time Princess Diana died in 1997. There was a time where there were a few and far between moments, there was obsession, yes, but not as tense and there was a respectable limitations in 1964. People knew things but kept their mouths shut. Now? 6 or more digits of a check dangling in your face hoping for a juicy piece of gossip to put out there. Now, I don't know how John would really know this: to be honest, I can't think of anybody in John's position to know what to do. He may have gone with his instincts. John didn't exactly have anybody in his position to look up to: Elvis Presley wasn't married until 1967, Buddy Holly was married but wasn't exactly a 'dreamboat’ despite being 22 before his death, Bill Haley was married but was practically a middle-aged man, Ricky Nelson was a dreamboat but his girlfriend/wife was integrated into his family's TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Same with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Fabian, Jerry Lee Lewis, you name them, none of them weren't exactly in John's level: a handsome young dreamboat that can make girls swoon with a bonus talent of being a talented musician who had a wife and baby at home. John also quickly learned the line between public and private lives. To us, the fans, John was a musician, songwriter, author, actor, a place to showcase his talent through music, films, and art. To Cynthia and Julian, John was a father, husband, the breadwinner who wore his glasses that majority of the public didn't know until a few years later behind closed doors. I suppose going through magazines with celebrities posing at home with their families was a turn off for John, although he did participate on rare occasions (1965 and 1967, but more about those at another time). In 1966, after John made his The Beatles were more popular than Jesus comment, there was a kidnapping threat on Julian that understandably upset John and especially Cynthia; it does explain why John tend to keep Cynthia and Julian away from The Beatles’ popularity. John continued to dislike seeing his children in magazines and newspapers up until he died in 1980. John also must have known that his fame would be hard on Julian, and later Sean. Nevermind that both boys would be following their father’s musical footsteps and would be constantly compared to John.

A 'paparazzi' shot of Cynthia outside her London apartment, 1964

"I like to keep my work and my private life separate, which is why I keep Cynthia out of the picture. I took her to America because a trip like that comes once in a lifetime, and she deserved it. I'd dearly have loved to take her to Australia, but the schedule looks too grueling."

John, 1964

“I want my wife to lead a normal life and not be pestered night and day just because she’s married to one of the Beatles. My wife married me, not because I’m a Beatle, but because she loves me. Why should she have to be bothered by publicity?”

John, 1964

“I think Cynthia brought out a soft side to John we didn't see very often. He really protected her and Julian in the early days and made sure they weren't being harassed or bothered so he denied he had a family. She was a really nice girl, always made me feel like I wasn't the runt of the band.”

George Harrison

“Mum and I really lived an isolated life, away from the madness of the Beatles. Dad protected us from a lot of that for a long time.”

Julian

"At first it was quite easy-going because I was kept away from any publicity; so much so that once I was left standing with all our luggage whilst John and the other Beatles pulled out of the station on the train! I was surrounded by the fans and nobody recognised me. A policeman thought I was another fan and stopped me getting on the train. And that wasn't the first time it had happened!"

Cynthia, 1999

I have to say, I saw your wife on TV and she is very, very lovely (Interview, April of 1964)

“My wife? What was she doing on television?”

Filmed with you in New York. You didn't know, but you were

“When was she on?”

At one particular time when you were making a guest appearance in the U. S. and they panned the cameras off on her.

“Oh! Sneaky.”

You didn't know a thing about it, did you?

“No!”

Why do you prefer not to talk about your marriage? (Interview, June of 1964)

“For only one reason- that sort of thing is personal. It's really private business.”

But what if your fans want to know?

“For the record, here are the facts: I met Cynthia in Art School and I flipped for her. Soon, we were married. We now have one 8 month old son, Julian."

Where do you live?

“For the time being, we stay with Aunt Mimi or Cynthia's Mum when we're not traveling. I try to take Cynthia everywhere I go.”

Does she like the notoriety of being your wife? (Interview, 1964)

She prefers to just stay in the background as long as the people know that I'm married. She just wants to be a normal housewife as much as she can be, married to a Beatle, mind you.

You've kept your son out of, uh - out of the press. Has that been your own doing, or is it that the press is not really interested in your son? (Interview, February 1965)

“I don't know, you know. They want pictures, I suppose, but - you know, I just - he's gonna have enough problems as it is being my son, getting pictures in when he's a kid, y'know. I don't like family pictures, anyway.”

Is Julian ever bothered, John, because having a, obviously, very famous father? (Interview, September of 1974)

“Well, ‘cause he doesn't know anything different, you see. You know, if you are the 'son of’, I guess you're lumbered with it, you know? He’s very normal, in the nicest sense of the word. And I think that's probably due to his mother who sort of, you know, put him - we made sure he went into ordinary schools, you know. And mixed with ordinary kids. So I think he’ll survive it as well as you can survive being the son of Dracula or whatever.”

“Before we got to Disneyland, John said firmly, ‘We have to watch out for photographers. I don’t believe in having a kid’s picture taken just because he has a famous dad. I hate all those stars using their families to get free publicity by having themselves photographed with their children. If I see a photographer, I’ll break his fuckin’ camera.’”

May Pang, 1983

"It's nice of them to show just the back of the baby. I don't want pictures of Sean going around. Most stars, as soon as they have a baby, put it on the front page: 'I've just had a baby!' I'm not interested in that. It's dangerous. You know, we make no pretense of being average Tom, Dicks or Harry – we make no pretense of living in a small cottage or of trying to make our child into an average child. I tried that game with my son Julian, sending him to a comprehensive working-class school, mixing with the people, but the people spat and shit on him because he was famous, as people are wont to do. So his mother had to finally turn around and tell me to piss off: 'I'm sending him to a private school, the kid is suffering here.'"

John, 1980

Interestingly enough, as much as John wanted to keep Cynthia (Julian and Sean) away from the spotlight, he had no problems with flaunting his relationship and marriage to Yoko Ono to the press and public. I’ll save this thought for another post.

Belated Honeymoon in Paris

Paris, France

September 16, 1963 - October 2, 1963

John in Paris, September of 1961

Photographed by Paul McCartney

In September of 1963, the Beatles had two weeks off between tours and recording. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr opted to go to Greece with their girlfriends, Jane Asher and Maureen Cox. George Harrison went to Benton, Illinois with his brother Peter to visit their sister Louise. As for John? He decided that it was now time to take Cynthia somewhere on their belated honeymoon. They couldn't do it after they got married: John was on tour. They couldn't do it after Julian's birth: Cynthia was still recovering from birth and John used that break to go to Spain with his manager. September seemed like the right time: Julian was now on the bottle, Cynthia was fine, so honeymoon was a perfect time to go. Cynthia arranged for Julian to be with Aunt Harrie and his young Aunts, Julia and Jacqui. Nevermind Aunt Mimi… bet she was happy to have the house to herself while everyone was away. Lillian was still in Canada.

On the day of their departure, a very excited Cynthia came down with probable food poisoning and had the taxi cab driver pull over countless times. So much so that John was at the verge of cancellation. But Cynthia said No! We are going, end of story. I bet she would still go if she had been in a coma. She was not going to let this opportunity to be with her husband slip through her fingers! By the time she got on the plane and in Paris, Cynthia was fine. John and Cynthia stayed at George V Hotel. Their room was beautiful, Cynthia felt out of place… she felt it was too fancy for what she was used to. Maybe felt like she might break something expensive. She was used to small cramped up spaces that were dark and weary, rather than bright spacious room with expensive antiques. It was certainly a Wow factor, impressive and exciting. She was finally exposed to John's growing wealth. John wanted to spoil his wife. He had been to Paris an over a year before during his 21st birthday and went with Paul. I guess Paris impressed John as well: not only Cynthia but he also took Yoko Ono there for their own honeymoon in 1969. I wouldn't be surprised if John had picked Paris to live rather than New York if it wasn't for Yoko and her love for the city.

Cynthia wearing her white beret and coat John bought her in Paris during their honeymoon in New York City on February 7, 1964

John took Cynthia to the sights: the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Le Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and walked along the embankment. He bought himself a movie camera (where are those home movies?) and bought Cynthia a white beret, a gray coat, a leather skirt, and Chanel No 5. among other things.

John, Cynthia, Astrid, and Astrid's friend in Astrid's hotel bed after a night of drinking in Paris, September of 1963.

Artwork by Cynthia

About mid-way into their time in Paris, John and Cynthia arrived back to their hotel  after sightseeing and a receptionist handed them a note. It was from Astrid Kirchherr. She somehow heard that John and Cynthia were in Paris… how did she find out? The only culprit I can think of is Jürgen Vollmer. Jürgen was a Hamburg friend who moved to Paris; during John and Paul's trip to Paris, they met up together and he cut John and Paul's hair into the 'Beatle’ hairdo. John and Cynthia could have met up with Jürgen and he told Astrid when she also saw him (or by phone?). Astrid was also in Paris for a quick holiday with a girl pal. She suggested to meet up and left her number. They immediately went to their room to call and that night went out until the wee hours and drank. Then the happy foursome went to Astrid and the girl’s hotel room and drank some more- yeah… John and Cynthia weren't going to go anywhere in their state of mind; they were so drunk. They all piled into Astrid and the girl's single bed and slept it off.

At some point during the trip, Brian Epstein also joined in… uninvited. Why Brian decided to go to Paris and crash John and Cynthia's honeymoon is a mystery. I wouldn't be surprised if John and Cynthia weren't happy about it- I certainly wouldn't! However, that being said, Cynthia did not ever mentioned Brian being there in her two books or her HELLO! 6 installment magazine issues. Maybe he left them alone and only joined up for coffee and same air flight back to London.

John and Yoko in Paris during their honeymoon, 1969.

Same city where John took Cynthia for their own honeymoon in 1963

The only gripe I have is Cynthia's date confusion. She had the right month, but not how many days she was in Paris. In her first book, A Twist of Lennon, she wrote one week. In her 6 HELLO! magazine issues and her second book, John, Cynthia wrote 3 days. However, in every chronologically date books out there, it's said 17 days in Paris. So, that's what I am going with- 17 days of honeymooning.

I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

OK, before we go along with the Lennons to London, we are slightly getting ahead of ourselves here. Two “monumental” things happen in 1963 (besides the birth of Julian).

1) John's fight with Bob Wooler at Paul McCartney's 21st birthday party

2) John and Cynthia's honeymoon in Paris… but honestly I want to use that for a post entry on it's own.

Paul and his new girlfriend, Jane Asher

Photographed by Mike McCartney

Bob Wooler was a local Disc jockey, host announcer at the Cavern Club, and a contributing music writer/journalist who believed in the Beatles. He became a friend, until one night...

On June 18, 1963, Paul turned 21. His Aunt Gin threw a family and friends party in the backyard of her home. I can imagine that it got rowdy with drinks, laughter, and yes, a fight. Before we get into that, let's do the positive side of the party first: at the birthday party, Cynthia met Paul's new girlfriend Jane Asher for the first time. More on Jane in another entry! Cynthia was still a secret wife but since 99% of the party goers knew that John was married, it was hardly a big deal so John took his wife. It was also Cynthia's first outing since giving birth. Pete and Beth Shotton, Ringo's and George's parents were also there. It's a very impressive guest list. I don't know if Maureen Cox was there but I wouldn't be shocked if she was. Anyway, John and Brian Epstein had recently returned from their vacation in Spain and, as Brian's homosexuality was an open secret, there were jokes and gossiping going about.

Cynthia and John along with Louise Harrison (George's Mom) and Harry Graves (Ringo's stepfather)

Photographed by Mike McCartney

At the party, John was getting drunk and had little to eat- poor Cynthia with a difficult drunk on her hands- and then Bob Wooler said something in reference to John and Brian’s Spain vacation that John did not respond well to… John tackled him down, punching and hitting, until he was pulled off and away. Brian drove Bob to the hospital and I am sure he ordered John to go apologize. It did become news, I suppose, John's first controversy scandal. Bob suffered a black eye, bruised ribs, and torn knuckles. John did rough up his finger and hid his injury from his Aunt Mimi so she wouldn't go on and on about it.

“John said: 'He called me a queer so I battered his bloody ribs in.’”

Cynthia, 1985

Right after John was pulled off of Bob, he grabbed a nearby girl to lash out. Billy J. Kramer intervene and John insulted him by saying he was nothing while The Beatles were at the top. Billy got offended and a few days later, John apologized to him. What about the girl John lashed at? Whoever she may be…

"John had really had a skinful, and he grabbed the girl. She shoved him away and he swore at her so I persuaded him to calm down. Cynthia came out and she was in tears and she asked us if we could put John in a taxi. So we did."
Billy J. Kramer, 1989

“By the time we finally left the party at day-break, John appeared to be having the time of his life. He was also so drunk he could barely walk- as, indeed, was I. While we waiting for our long-suffering Beth and Cyn to fetch us, John launched into a discussion of wife-swapping, a phenomenon that we'd only just begun to read about in the tabloids. As he spoke, the concept seemed to excite him more and more.

‘Well, how about it then, Pete!’ he finally exclaimed. ‘Fancy swapping wives tonight?’

‘You mean you want to swap the girls for the night?’ I said incredulously

‘Yeah, yeah,’ John enthused. ‘Great! Let's do it!’

‘Oh, no, John. You can just go on and fuck off. I'm not getting into any of that kind of nonsense.’

‘Oh, O.K. then,’ he laughed. ‘Only kidding, Pete.’

Only he wasn't kidding. John was always read and more than willing to try anything- any new chemical, any new variation of sex, any anything- at least once.”

Pete Shotton, 1983

According to Cynthia in her second book, John, after a day or two John felt remorse and regret and sent Bob a telegram of an apology. Meanwhile, according to Tony Barrow, John muttered he wasn't that sorry, wasn't really that drunk, and Bob deserved it while both Brian and Tony were trying to do damage control. Maybe John did felt remorse, as Cynthia wrote (after all, she lived with him; Tony did not) but whatever Bob told John that night, it rattled John. It's been said that Bob called John a 'queer’ which offended John. I do wonder if John got offended because he was there with Cynthia. Or maybe John was offended simply because he didn't like to be referred as being gay? I doubt Bob knew John was married but at least knew Cynthia. Well, that's something that will never get answered.

“Although Julian was two months old by then, the news that John was married, let alone a father, was still a secret. Some fans in Liverpool knew, but nationally it was still unknown.”

Tony Barrow, 1985

Bob Wooler

Bob died in 2002 and from my perspective, Bob long ago forgave John and continued to help launch the Beatles success from Liverpool.