Additional Quotes: Dating to Marriage

“My impression when I first met John- he was outrageous. At art school, his work was innovative- totally different from everybody's else's. I was an art student who followed the rules, but John wanted to break all the rules, and that's what made him such an individual and such a terror. With John, there was an element of fear. He really quite frightened people, including me in the beginning, because of his attitude. He was rough-ready, and not my type at all, to start with. But this enigmatic character you couldn't resist. He walked around without his glasses, because you know there were lots of rough characters in Liverpool, and wearing glasses he would be picked on. And because he couldn't see, he felt that he was being attacked, so he was always on the run. Even though he’d come from the middle-class, his dress was very Teddy Boy, his hair slicked back with grease, no glasses, a guitar slung over his shoulder, and a look that said 'kill’... I think after losing his mum- which had only just been a year before I met him- his whole world had collapsed and this was his battle. He was a mixture of war and peace. There was a lot of battling, and the peace eventually came out.”

Cynthia, 1988

“Well, for me, he wasn't because I was brought up very conservatively and John was the exact opposite. John was a Teddy Boy. He was a rebel. He was outrageous. That was something I hadn't experienced before the age that I was,which was about 16 or 17. I’d had quite a normal, straight-forward life. There was something about John that fascinated me. I just wanted to know him more. I didn't know about anything. I just instantly attracted to him.”

Cynthia

“When she took a shine to him, it did his confidence no end of good. And that calmed him down letting us live and learn in peace.”

Ann Mason

“John was absolutely the dominant figure in that relationship. He was like most Scouse men, who demanded a subservient mate. Cynthia was a doormat. But she was very influential in keeping him under control.”

Bill Harry

"The Beatles, by this time, were surrounded by girl's. Except for John, they dropped their steady girls and started dating their fans, although I must say it was kept reasonably discreet. There were many rumors about who was going with who."
Bernadette Farrell, Cavern Club regular and George Harrison's girlfriend, 1989

“I watched his face drain of all its color, and fear and panic creep into his eyes. He was speechless for what seemed like an age. 'There’s only one thing for it, Cyn, we’ll have to get married.’”

Cynthia

“John was a typical Northern male of the time. He didn't do much about the house but then being a typical Northern girl, I didn't expect him to. 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.”

Cynthia, 1994