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.