Behind Bedroom Doors

Passion. Affection. Kissing, hugging, making love… here we go! The subject was bound to be brought up, right? Yes, it is in the Too Much Information category, but I honestly don't care because 1) it proves they had a sex life as the same with John and Yoko who chose to publicized it. If you don't wanna know, feel free to go on the next post. Their sex life started the same day their relationship began at Stuart Sutcliffe's apartment after a college party that had an after-party at Ye Cracke. After that, John and Cynthia would have sex at every chance they had when opportunity presented itself. According to Cynthia, their first time lasted an hour. In order to be together, Stuart would have to leave- he usually went to his mother's house. I don't know how he could stand sleeping in the same bed afterwards… I just hope he thought of washing his sheets but I have a funny feeling he didn't. One day while Stuart was out, John and Cynthia gleefully took the opportunity to make love but Cynthia crumbled in pain- they quickly got dressed and John literally carried her to the train station to go home and then to the hospital: she had appendix removed. John would sometimes try to convince Cynthia to have quickies in alleyways but instead she stuck to kissing (although I wouldn't be shocked if a quickie or two happened), however they did had sex at the sand dunes with sand going into their clothes. 

"Stuart, when there were too many sleeping in his room, would sometimes come home, which was three miles away. He would also stay with us when John and Cynthia wanted some privacy. He wouldn't call it that obviously, he wouldn't say, 'I'm coming home, Mother, because I'm letting Cynthia and John have my bed.' My mother couldn't have cared less what the reason was, for she was always elated to have Stuart home."

Pauline Sutcliffe, Stuart's sister

In August of 1960 before John went to Hamburg, he was home in Mendips while Mimi went to visit her sister Nanny. He borrowed a camera and invited Cynthia over to take pictures to take with him to Hamburg. Cynthia modeled for him in sexy Brigitte Bardot-like poses. Where are those pictures now? I'm guessing either Julian or Yoko has them. After the photo session, John and Cynthia made love before putting on a fire and raided the refrigerator. Just before Cynthia was about to leave, Mimi called to say she'll be coming in the next day due to fog. John and Cynthia couldn't believe their luck! Cynthia quickly set up her alibi of lying to her mother that she's at Phyllis's house and then they went upstairs to John's single bed to squeeze together until early morning when she left before Mimi's arrival. 

After when Cynthia returned home from Hamburg visiting John in 1961, her mother moved to Canada and so Cynthia moved in with Mimi as a lounger paying rent. Whenever John returned, they couldn't do anything with Mimi around. Despite Cynthia's denials, does anyone besides me think otherwise? I suspect some sneaky lovemaking happened on a rare free opportunity! Mimi got difficult to live with and after living with a relative, Cynthia eventually found her own apartment. A perfect love nest where they could go on uninterrupted or worry about being caught: John and Cynthia finally had a place to be together. He did visit often and the only thing he didn't want was to have next door neighbor Dot Rhone to be walking in on them. 

"I don't like the idea of Dot moving in permanently with you 'cause we could never be alone really- I mean when I come home- can't she have another room or find another flat- imagine having her there all the time when we were in bed- and imagine Paul coming all the time … God I'm knackered it's 6 o'clock in the morning and I want you … I love you Cyn Powell and I wish I was on the way to your flat with the Sunday papers and chocies and a throbber! … I'm dead beat my sweet so I hope you don't mind if I finish now and have a lovely sleep (without you but it'll still be lovely- don't be hurt- but I'm so so so tired)"

John, April of 1962 in a letter to Cynthia while he was in Hamburg

Then, in the Summer of 1962, Cynthia got pregnant. It's a miracle that she didn't get pregnant sooner! They never used protection as it never occurred to them. They got married, moved into a new apartment, and started their new married life together. I don't know if John and Cynthia had sex while she was pregnant but she did confirm that their sex life didn't end there. They had holidays (aka vacations), film locations, and the first American visit. When John was home, he would gift Cynthia 'naughty nighties' and have a private fashion show that would conclude a dance before going to bed. I will later explain the naughty nighties further in another post but let's say it's not exactly the typical lingerie. 

Eventually the sex dried up. Not sure when though- John did tour a lot, spent time in the studio, having a random affair, business meeting, photo session, and so on that it reached the level of leading separate lives under the same roof. They had irregular sleeping hours: after tours, John would sleep up to 3 days and then would stay up late until the sun comes up while Cynthia had the normal going to bed at a reasonable hour to get up early with Julian. The only times Cynthia stayed up late would be at an event, party, or keeping John company during his songwriting. My guess would be around the end of 1966 as John was heavily into LSD; that being said, according to Dot Jarlett's written testimony in the divorce, John's interest in Cynthia started to wane in the Summer of 1967. It could've been a gradual thing. 

"Cynthia was also out a good deal, especially in the evenings, and I soon noticed with surprise how very little time she and John spent in each other's company. In fact such was the irregularity of their respective comings and goings that they had agreed that whoever came home last would sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb the other. The master bedroom, which they normally shared, was actually a vast room on the first floor housing a massive eight-foot double bed and a sunken bath at the far end, and it was here that John loved to lie in till late in the morning."

Pauline Lennon Stone

By the time they were in India, forget it! Nothing! Within a few days of arriving, John got his own bedroom claiming not to be disturbed while meditating. Then he ignored Cynthia 95% of the time. You can see the strain in the photos. But they did managed to have sex in 1968… unfortunate timing as it was near the end of their marriage. It was after John and Yoko first had sex while Cynthia was in Greece and she came home unexpectedly to find them together in the kitchen wearing bathrobes; Cynthia left for 3 days before returning back to her husband. After a long talk, they made love. I suspect for the final time.

Drawing For Stuart

Early 1961, Stuart Sutcliffe made a life-changing decision to live in Hamburg with Astrid rather than go back to Liverpool. Until Stuart's death in April of 1962, whenever John returned to Liverpool, they would write to one another. Here's a drawing by John that was sent to Stuart of Cynthia, Aunt Mimi, himself, and other family and friends.

Drive to the Sea

Artwork by Klaus Voormann

Astrid driving in her Volkswagen with Stuart, John, and Cynthia going to the beach in April of 1961, Hamburg, Germany

Rest in Peace Stuart

Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr

Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe

June 23, 1940 - April 10, 1962

Cynthia met Stuart at Liverpool College of Art when they started in 1956 as classmates and became friends.

“Cynthia and Stuart got on much better, and Cynthia has told me many times how people couldn't help being aware of Stuart; she said he could always be found at work, always sketching something. She said it was clear to everyone that art was his whole life. By the time Cynthia began going out with John, they were both good friends of my brother. When John was difficult with either of them, they also had each other; Cynthia said she was so close to Stuart she instinctively turned to him and he her when John’s moods became too difficult to cope with alone. She also emphasized that John and Stuart had a remarkable affinity, each transmitting his own particular talents to the other.”

Pauline Sutcliffe

Stuart would encourage and help John with his art work. Cynthia would be in the corner, watching (and maybe doing her own work!). John moved in with Stuart and his roommate and friend Rod Murray.

“He was very spotty with horn-rimmed glasses and, just like John's, they were taped up at the edges. As a student, he was precisely the opposite of John, because he was working himself to death, totally dedicated. He wasn't eating properly and didn't have much to do with girls. His work was all-important to him. John needed Stuart really badly. He was going down the wrong road with these two characters, Tony Carricker and Geoff Mohammed, and he probably realized it because John wasn't stupid… Stuart was great fun in art and their minds were right for each other. John obviously looked up to him, and he was bringing John out as an artist.”

Cynthia, 1985

Stuart did have girlfriends in college: Susan Williams and Veronica Johnson. He was with Veronica by 1960 when they went to see Gene Vincent in concert with John, Cynthia, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Stuart briefly dated Susan but he left for Hamburg before their relationship grew to the steady phase; they remained friends and Stuart wrote to Susan often.

“He didn't work with us. We were in different departments. But he was the star student in Liverpool College of Art. And everywhere you went, if you went into Life class, there would be drawings or sketches by Stuart. He was a real star pupil. So, we were always influenced and always bumping into each other. Sort of not a lot and not very close friends in the beginning and then John and Stuart suddenly struck up this very bizarre friendship, because Stuart was so unlike John. I think John was desperate for some normality, or, I don't know, something straight in his life because he’s just lost his mother and his history is well known with his father and mother, his mother dying, and his father leaving him. I think there was some stability in Stuart and myself at the time.”

Cynthia

“I loved Stuart. He was really lovely. He was a good friend,a really good friend.”

Cynthia

“Stuart will always have a special corner in my heart. A sensitive, caring young man, he was my friend and supportive ally on many occasions. His talent was outstanding and, thank God, will endure as his memory endures me. His life was cruelly cut short but the legacy he left behind was his work- and his enthusiasm for life, truth, and love.”

Cynthia

While John was in Hamburg, Cynthia went to the funeral with Astrid. When he returned, John and Cynthia visited the Sutcliffe family.

Ying & Yang

John and Stuart playing in the sand by the Baltic Sea, April of 1961

Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr

“It was a very beautiful friendship John had with Stu. John, even though he’d gone into the music end of the art world and left his art behind, he still desperately wanted to be a painter, and Stuart was a fantastic and dedicated artist. It was like John was ying and he was yang. Stuart had the discipline, the talent, he was a genius in his own right. John was the outrageous musician, whom Stuart was fascinated by, and Stuart taught John many things. They totally understood each other and go to each other what they knew, what they had to offer. John helped Stuart to assert himself, and Stuart helped John to come down a little bit, to be less abrasive, less harsh. That was the beauty of their friendship.”

Cynthia, 1988

Short Time, Forever Love: Stuart & Astrid

A love story tragically cut short in less than 2 years. It was a whirlwind romance that could have lasted for years. Stuart changed his life for love, he made Hamburg his home. In late 1961, Stuart took Astrid to Liverpool to meet his family and see the sights as Astrid did with him in Hamburg. The second time Astrid returned to Liverpool was for his funeral. Astrid did marry -twice- but both ended in divorce. Stuart is the love of her life, he was hard to fill the void. Astrid remained friends with John, Paul, and especially George. She also remained friends with Cynthia and Dot named her first born daughter after Astrid.

Postman, Postman, Don't Be Slow

John and Cynthia on the beach of the Baltic Sea in Hamburg, 1961

Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr

The first ‘tour’ separation of John and Cynthia was when the Silver Beatles went to Scotland for a few weeks. John sent Cynthia a postcard or two. Then, in August of 1960, John, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and newly recruited Pete Best, embarked on a questionable extended residency in Hamburg, Germany.

“It was as if they’d gone off to war.”

Dot Rhone

“The group had started to get its own fans. I knew they had lots of girls hanging around them, but I never worried or got jealous. I seemed so much older than all the girls. I felt very secure. But I was much more worried about Hamburg. That seemed so far away and for such a long time. I knew the Liverpool girls, but I didn't know anything about the situation in Hamburg. Anything could happen to them in Hamburg.”

Cynthia, 1968

John promised Cynthia he would write every day. Sure enough, his letters arrived almost daily.

“Thanks sexiest letters this side of Henry Miller. Forty pages long, some of them. [To Cynthia] You haven't destroyed them, have you?”

John, 1968

“He’d written all the time he was away, of course.”

Cynthia, 1968

John filled the letters with the adventurers the band were having- playing at all hours and needed more songs. He would ask Cynthia for help. She would go to the record store, listening and slowing down the record to write down the lyrics to send to John. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues is one example. He would also write notes of love, how much he missed her, wanted her, and reassuring to be patient for him to come home. John would cover the envelope with more love notes, including SWALK (Sealed With A Loving Kiss) and a note to the Postman, “Postman, Postman, don't be slow, I’m in love with Cyn, so go, man, go!” There were also several lewd sexual references that made Cynthia blush and hide the letters from her mother.

“...the love and warmth of his letters made me feel wonderful and miserable at the same time.”

Cynthia, 1985

Cynthia realized that she and John didn't have any photos of one another. However, she did share a story that John borrowed a camera to take pictures of Cynthia to have with him. Maybe he had pictures of her, but she didn't have any of him? Well, Cynthia dolled herself up and went to the photo booth. John sent back his own strips with Goofy and disgusting faces to make Cynthia laugh. Although he missed Cynthia, the boys were having a time of their lives. George was 17 and lost his virginity while the others pretended to be asleep but cheered after he finished. I will discuss John's affairs in another post. Anyway, they slept behind the theater and shared the bathroom with the customers. One night, Klaus Voormann took his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr to see the Beatles perform after seeing them on a previous night after they had an argument. Astrid became a fan and, during their break, asked the Beatles for her to take photos of them. Klaus and Astrid were modern beatniks, dressed in leather and velvet in black, very fashionable, and in the art scene. The Beatles were quite impressed and attracted of Astrid. However, she took quite a liking to Stuart and vice versa. Cynthia took notice on how often John wrote about Astrid in his letters. She became quite jealous and expected a break up letter at any time but was relieved when she read about Stuart and Astrid.

“I was very curious about this Astrid. She’d cropped up again and again in John's letters home. Everything was Astrid this and Astrid that. Astrid was taking wonderful photographs of them, Astrid had such good taste- until I’d become quite jealous.”

Cynthia, 1994

“You know what I have written- carved- on a church in Hamburg? John loves Cyn. That was my first going out with her at the time. A church that overlooks just outside the Reeperbahn. But out right in town, and it's got a big green tower that you can walk up in. And we all carved our names on there. You can have a look. There will be John & Cyn, Stu & Astrid, Paul & *what the hell was that girl at that time? I think Stu & Astrid is up there but I know John & Cyn is. We stuck our names up there with whoever we were hanging on then.”

John, 1975

*The girl was Dot Rhone. And unfortunately, I heard the carved names are now long gone.

“I loved his mentality, not because I thought he was a sexy boy. That was reserved by me for Stuart, whom I adored and fancied right from the start. John was pleased for Stuart. Also, John told me he had left his girlfriend at home in Liverpool, so that was that.”

Astrid Kirchherr, 1985

“John and I would go and have a couple of quiet beers, just to sit down and chew the fat. And he’d talk about Cynthia and how much he missed her.”

Pete Best

In late November of 1960, the Beatles wanted to break their contract to play at another club with better pay and living conditions. But it was discovered that George was underaged, so he got deported. Paul and Pete got into trouble by lighting up a condom that ignited a fire in the club with some damage. They were thrown in jail before being deported back to England. John drifted around and eventually returned back to England, arriving late one night. Cynthia came over the following day. He kept a low profile before getting in touch with Paul, George, and Pete. Stuart stayed in Hamburg with Astrid. They regrouped and started to play at the Cavern on a regular basis in between trips to Hamburg, including the Casbah, the Jacaranda, and other clubs near Liverpool.

“Well, it was something that you didn't sort of go to see the first appearance of the Beatles together. We all drifted into it from before. Before the Cavern, they played at the Jacaranda. So we had a sort of build up to the Cavern. It wasn't the first time I’d seen them. I’d seen them in all sorts of situations, ridiculous places. They were trying to earn a crust, earn some money. That was when they were students. And then of course when they started to expand and improve, then watching them in the Cavern was no different for me than seeing them starting out. For other people it was amazing. They were rough. They were rugged. They didn't give a damn about anybody. They just blew away everybody, compared to all the rest of the music that was going on at the time.”

Cynthia

Cynthia and John in Hamburg, April of 1961

Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr

The Beatles managed to get back up to Hamburg to continue their reign. This time around, John wanted Cynthia to come up to visit him during her Easter break from college. Cynthia remained a student while John basically left, abandoning his studies. John was still jealous and possessive of Cynthia. Cynthia and Paul's girlfriend Dot traveled by train after being dropped off by Lillian and Paul's father Jim McCartney, with sandwiches and water. During the ride, they stayed in the train during rest stops because they were afraid to miss the train because of the foreign language. Cynthia and Dot arrived in Hamburg very late at night/early hours of the morning; John and Paul, wired from excitement, alcohol, Preludin pills, and lack of sleep, greeted them at the station. John and Paul took the hungry girls for breakfast before settling in. Dot stayed at a houseboat owned by the Hamburg barmaid who befriended the Beatles while Cynthia stayed with Astrid.

“Our weeks in Hamburg with Stuart and Astrid and the rest of the boys were so special. It was a brilliant, exciting time. Everything seemed to be exciting then.”

Cynthia

“Anyway, we strolled back to the Top Ten Club and as we arrived outside, a little Volkswagen pulled up beside us and a beautiful girl got out. Slim and graceful, she had very short blonde hair, perfect features, and her clothes were sleek and elegant. I studied them discreetly… I was impressed and when Astrid spoke the effect was even more charming. She spoke English with a German accent to which had been added a twang of Liverpool. She was very sweet, she was always laughing and smiling and within minutes I forgot my fleeting jealousy. I liked her.”

Cynthia, 1994

Cynthia was very impressed by Astrid's home, her bedroom especially, with all black furniture and silver walls. In between his playing, John showed Cynthia the sights of Hamburg. On one (or more) occasion, Stuart, Astrid, John, and Cynthia went to the beach.

“It was when Cynthia visited John and I had the idea to take them out to the Baltic Sea for the day. We went in the morning and came back at night because they had to play then. It was just a beautiful day and they enjoyed it very much. That was the first time John and Cynthia had been to the Baltic Sea and they were having a lot of fun playing in the sand and having a swim in the sea and they were just like children enjoying themselves. Stuart and John played in the sand building little castles and things by the sea.”

Astrid Kirchherr

There were times when Astrid, Cynthia, and Dot went out themselves, doing girlie things and going through Astrid's wardrobe. Astrid gave Cynthia a blouse that she would later wear for her wedding to John by the following year. They would doll themselves up to watch their men play. There were a couple of times when John wanted Cynthia to stay with him overnight rather than going back with Astrid, squeezing into John's small bunk bed.

“But there were nights when the two girls trooped upstairs to our dormitory and on these occasions, George and I would be instructed not to claim our bunks until 4:00 in the morning. If the holiday-makers, weary of sightseeing, came into our quarters during the afternoon, George and I would be requested tactfully to look the other way. There was little to occupy Cyn and Dot once they had done the sights and visited the shops in the more respectable area of the city, guided by Astrid who drove them around in her grey VW beetle. In the evening, the girls had a choice of either sitting around in the T Ten and watching us 'making show’ with Tony Sheridan for 7 or 8 hours, or wondering off to the dormitory to escape the ear-splitting noise. When they did choose to take refuge upstairs, John and Paul would drift off during a session to visit them, then rejoin us on stage later.”

Pete Best

“Oh, that was brilliant, but again it was very violent and very dangerous. But then again, I had Astrid Kirchherr as my sort of escort. Astrid and Klaus who they met when they first went to Hamburg and became friends with, who were German and knew the ropes and knew everything. So when I went, I was well-protected. I had no problems. But the performances there were completely different to the performances in England. Obviously it was the Reeperbahn, where it was very rough and rugged… drugs, lots of murders. Sounds good, doesn't it? But they were also protected because they had people who lived around Hamburg. They had to perform every night of the week, 8 hours every night.”

Cynthia

“Right from the start in the Casbah, John was always very jealous whenever Cyn was around. If anyone tried to talk to her while he was playing, Lennon would try to wither them with a laser like glare. Once off stage, they would be abruptly told to fuck off. It was plain that night in the Top Ten that the two girls were now a little scared. At the end of the number, the heavy mob of Lennon and Best hurried down from the dais and sailed in to save them. In his usual blunt manner, John handed out a verbal lashing and for a few moments a nasty scene threatened to develop. 'Why are you butting in?’ one of the Germans asked arrogantly, sparring for trouble, which resulted some pushing and jostling. 'That’s my girlfriend you're messing about with,’ John snarled at him. The situation immediately began to cool and the apologies followed. The Germans explained that they thought the girls were simply British tourists looking for fun; what's more, they went on, they themselves were Beatle fans and would never think of trying to upset us. After the near-miss, the waiters, ever dutiful, made a point of hovering near Cyn and Dot like watchful guard dogs. There was never any more trouble after that one incident.”

Pete Best

“... Cynthia managed to join John during the Beatles’second German jaunt. He later told me that it was on her account that he once very nearly placed his own life in jeopardy. This uncharacteristic display of gallantry occurred in the throes of a Beatles performance at the Top Ten Club, when John spied a formidable looking gentleman in the act of pawing his Cyn. In a flash, heedless of the consequences, John threw down his guitar, leaped from the stage, grabbed a bottle, and cracked it over the skull of Cyn's admirer. To John's astonishment, his rival didn't even flinch but merely stared back, motionless and expressionless with the blood, glass, and booze spilling down his face. This apparition lasted a full minute, but the end of which John felt utterly unnerved, convinced he was looking death right in the eye. Yet when the wounded tough finally spoke, all he said was, 'I’m sorry I was annoying you.’ 'Well then,’ John snarled as menacing as he could under the circumstances, 'don’t do it again!’ Whereupon he stalked back onto the stage, desperately hoping nobody noticed he was shaking as he strapped on his guitar.”

Pete Shotton, 1983

“John took Cynthia with him for part of this second trip over Easter holiday in 1961. He had been bragging so much about it at home that he really had no choice but to take her along. I'm sure that Cynthia would have heard about the girl groupies from the others and from general gossip and excitement that surrounded the group, and that this probably strengthened her determination to be at John's side during the next trip. Tables were turned, however, with a singular incident in Hamburg’s Top Ten Club, when someone in the audience tried to attach himself to Cyn, while she was watching John play. In the middle of a number, John leapt right off the stage to hit the chat-up man who was trying to get close to his girl. He must have been wearing his glasses!”

Julia Baird

That's a good point Julia made… John was literally blind as a bat without his glasses on, how could he see who was making the moves on Cynthia? I can only guess that maybe Paul or George whispered to him or John can make out Cynthia's bright blonde hair and see shadows around his girlfriend or he has a radar sense of a guy interested in his girl.

When Cynthia returned back to Hoylake, her mother had news: Lillian was moving to Canada to act as a nanny for her niece's new baby. The Powell family home was to be rented out, which meant that Cynthia had to move out and fend for herself. She was being trained to be an Art teacher, being an assistant at a school while still attending Liverpool College of Art. Cynthia moved in with Mimi. John returned and they did not dare to be passionate under Mimi's roof. Maybe elsewhere, but definitely not Mendips. Eventually, when John went back to Hamburg, Cynthia found Mimi to be difficult to live with and moved in with her Aunt. It was across town which meant Cynthia had to take more than one bus to her destinations. She looked into the classifieds and found an apartment within her tight budget. It wasn't luxury but it was hers and Cynthia tried to make the best of it. Not surprisingly, John was thrilled. They could be together without pressure or interruptions, despite the No Overnight Guests rule (betcha Cynthia broke that one!) Soon, Cynthia's weird lady next door neighbor mysteriously disappeared, so Cynthia took over her apartment while Dot moved in Cynthia's. Since living with Mimi, Cynthia got a 'vacation’ job at Woolworth's, where John would pop in to say hello when in town.

“I became pregnant before I could finish my teaching. I did teaching for a while. Then I became pregnant and following the Beatles and everything else that happened. But, no, I haven't had a job. The work I had as a student was working in Woolworth's. On the perfume counter. The cosmetics counter. But, that was when I was a student during holidays…”

Cynthia

“I believe we are going to Berlin after Christmas, but don't mention this to Cynthia yet in case John hasn't told her, because in a letter he received today she says she can't wait for Xmas and him.”

Stuart Sutcliffe (in a letter to ex-girlfriend and friend, Susan Williams)

Astrid, Stuart, and Cynthia at the beach of the Baltic Sea, April of 1961

Photographed by John

By late 1961/early 1962, Stuart and Astrid got engaged after he quit the Beatles and enrolled into an art college in Hamburg. Paul and Dot were also engaged- even after a very close call of marriage and baby (more on that in another post). John did suggest getting engaged to Cynthia but nothing came of it. They were happy the way things were.

In April of 1962, Stuart died in the ambulance in route to the hospital in Astrid's arms. Stuart had been suffering headaches in the last couple months. He died of a brain hemorrhage. His body was sent back to Liverpool; Astrid stayed with Cynthia. On the day Stuart died, John, Paul, George, and Pete arrived and were greeted by a grief-stricken Astrid who told them the news. John was devastated.

Rock 'n’ Roll Girlfriend

Paul, John, Cynthia, Val Christie (later Carter), and unknown 

at the Casbah Coffee Club on August 29, 1959.

“Cynthia's grown up with it, with me.”

John

“John was very wayward in those days, he didn't want to work, he wanted to play his guitar.”

Cynthia, 1995

Right from the beginning, Cynthia knew music was John's first love. When he entered their Lettering class, his guitar would be hanging over his shoulder. John idolized Elvis Presley and his mother also loved him- it was their bond that got stronger through music. When Cynthia entered John's life, she knew nothing about rock 'n’ roll. She was more into classical music. Rock and roll was still in its infancy; it wasn't long that Cynthia got quite an education on the genre by John, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.

In a way, Cynthia was the original Yoko Ono. Yoko is famous in the Beatles’ history of sitting in during the recording sessions every day. John wanted her there and they received glares from Paul, George, and Ringo Starr. Rewind 10 years in the past since 1968, 1969: John wanted Cynthia there during practice sessions during lunchtime. This time, Paul and George did not shoot out glares. Instead, it was more friendly and all very new, plus they were all still teenagers rather than near 30’s when Yoko came along. Unlike Yoko, Cynthia kept out of their jamming and spoke when it was appropriate or offer support.

“It was a beautiful period. It wasn't just a musical convenience that put them together. By the time I saw them playing at the college, they were friends, at one with each other. They seemed to have been friends for many years. It was intuitive. George, being younger and not writing songs, didn't have the communication with them, but John and Paul couldn't stop playing together, practicing the cords of the latest Elvis Presley song, the Everly Brothers, and getting the confidence to try writing their own words. I sat there, on these 'away days’ of rehearsals, absolutely mesmerized. Their harmonies were so beautiful. John had this image of being the toughest boy in college but his music showed what all of us knew underneath. He had a gentleness that needed to come out and it did in those songs.”

Cynthia, 1985

“Right next to the art college where John and I studied was the school Paul McCartney and George Harrison went to. They were so young that they wore shorts and ties and school caps then. They used to come and we’d sit around eating fish and chips and playing the guitar together.”

Cynthia, 1996

“In those days, there were frequent meetings and practice sessions. Sometimes we’d go to John's stepfather's house when he wasn't home, climbing in through the downstairs bathroom window which John knew he'd always left open. We’d then make our way to the sitting room. There the boys would feed records into the record player and attempt to play along to the music. I was always terrified of getting caught but the boys seemed quite unworried. As for John was concerned, the only drawback was that there was never any food in the fridge and, like typical students, we were always starving.”

Cynthia, 1994

“I always got on great with the others. I was a little bit older than them, so I had that edge, and I was also John's girlfriend, so we had a lot of fun together. What John did was accepted and if I was John's girlfriend that was accepted as well.”

Cynthia, 1988

“The four of them always seemed to me very vulnerable. I was older than all of them and I felt like their big sister. I thought they needed one, although I'm pretty sure they didn't think they did. The Beatles were married to each other, and in many ways, the girls were superfluous.”

Cynthia, 1976

“I was proud of him, because I’d been there right from the beginning, whilst John and the boys were still at school and college. So it seemed wonderful what was happening to them, but John just didn't have time for us [Cynthia and Julian]. It's as simple as that. Six years’ solid work and that was as long as our marriage lasted.”

Cynthia, 1999

Whenever John, Paul, and George performed at the Jacaranda, Cynthia would hold broomsticks with microphones taped on. If a club or the neighborhood was too rough, Cynthia wasn't allowed to attend- John didn't want to worry not just for himself but for Cynthia too.

“It was pathetic, but it showed how basic it all was. There they were, about to embark on a four week stint in Germany, which was really a big deal, really something, and they were crammed against the wall in Allan Williams' club with their girlfriends holding these brooms with microphones shoved on the top.”

Cynthia

There was one interesting thing Cynthia learned about John: despite his tough guy attitude, he was a coward.

“I think because he was afraid the other Teddy Boys would beat him up. John was always a bit of a coward, you know.”

Cynthia, 1999

There was one incident where a couple of guys ragged on John and his looks. Cynthia wanted to confront them…

“I had no fear so I went for them. He dragged me out so quickly. He said, 'Don't ever do that again, they'll kill you.’ I thought it would have been him confronting them. But he always backed off from real aggression.”

Cynthia, 2005

In August of 1959, a new club in the domestic area opened up for the fledgling Beatles (not yet their band name) to play in. It was the Casbah Coffee Club, run by Mona Best. It was held in the family basement. The neighbors must have loved the noise and crowds! Mona had three boys: her eldest was Pete, who became friends of the Beatles through George and Neil Aspinall. Mona enlisted John, Paul, and George for their help to set up the new club by painting the walls and ceiling. John came with his girlfriend, who also contributed her art talent.

“It was the first step to reality of life: Mo [Mona] in her home, with a club underneath it. Any kid would have loved to have that in their house. A normal household upstairs and a rave going on downstairs.”

Cynthia

John, Cynthia, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paul, his brother Mike McCartney, George, his brother Peter Harrison, Ken Brown, Pete, and his brother Rory Best cleaned, decorated, setting up the coffee bar with coffee and soda. Because of his weak eyesight, John used a different kind of paint that did not dry quickly; it was still wet on opening night.

“I think because it was a home set-up, a home situation, it wasn't like a commercial club. It was very special. When we went downstairs, the whole set-up was wonderful- for an aspiring young rock'n'roller to have that on their doorstep and to be able to perform safely… it was safe and secure, it was part of Pete’s mum’s house. It was Pete's mum's situation, it wasn't some person from afar that was running the club. It was just a very homely, homey situation.”

Cynthia

“I remember Cynthia Lennon sitting there. She only had eyes for John.”

John Miller, a Casbah regular

“I remember the Casbah night, opening night, because we were upstairs in this house in West Derby with John and Paul, then Pete came in and I thought how much he reminded me of the film star John Chandler. What a handsome man, but so quiet, there with his mother.”

Cynthia

A year later, in August of 1960, after going through a number of stand-in drummers and Paul drumming often, The Silver Beatles needed a fifth member to go to Hamburg, Germany. Stuart was already in the band at John's insistence- despite the fact that Stuart couldn't play, but he was good-looking. Pete joined. The Jacaranda club owner, Allan Williams, was managing their gigs. Before Pete joined, Allan sent the band to Scotland as a backup band. It was John and Cynthia's first separation. Cynthia was still in art college. It was only for a few weeks; John sent her postcards. Then Hamburg. Back in Liverpool, the Silver Beatles continued to regularly play at the Jacaranda, the Casbah, and the Cavern (which will be included in the Hamburg post).

While John's music career was starting to pick up, he rarely attended college. His relationship with Cynthia was solid and steady (despite his wondering eye- more about that in another post). It got to the point to meet the family.