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7th out of 21 books
—
9 voters
The Lives of John Lennon
The result of six years of research and some 1,200 interviews, this book takes fans deep into Lennon’s secretive world, from his traumatic childhood to his Beatles days to his hidden life with Yoko Ono. While the Lennon of legend enjoyed a gifted and inspired life, the private Lennon lived in torment, poisoning himself with drugs and self-hatred. The Lives of John Lennon e...more
Paperback, 720 pages
Published
September 1st 2001
by Chicago Review Press
(first published 1988)
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If you're going to read this you need to have a sick bag ready. But Lennon fans probably owe it to themselves to chomp through this pile of bile, this ream of spleen, these 700 pages of hate-mail, as a cold turkey shock therapy corrective to the meretricious Saint John vomitoriums usually coughed up by the hacks, half-friends, distant relatives and showbiz bindweed who throng the Beatley shelves. It's entrancing to read a book of such unmediated contempt, for according to Goldman, Beatley John w...more
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This came out in 1988 and caused a huge scandal because it suggested that Lennon helped murder a Hamburg sailor he was rolling, and also killed Stu Sutcliffe by kicking him in the head, that he had a long-term homosexual affair with Brian Epstein, etc. etc. I’d avoided reading it because Paul McCartney told me to back then. The book is and is not what I expected. Goldman shamelessly over-writes, throwing about nasty characterizations that wind up looking pretty ridiculous. But his facts feel str...more
This book casts a giant shadow over the legend of Saint John of Liverpool. Being a Lennon fan myself, I bought into the myth of the Ballad of John and Yoko, the peace-nic image and the devoted house husband that gave up his career to be a house-husband. What is presented here is a gifted musician who wants to be an in-your-face bad boy but needed to depend on others for support; first, the Beatles then Yoko, who sold out his black leather biker and ducktail to the Beatle bangs and suits and his...more
While the Lennon legend enjoyed a gifted and inspired life, the private Lennon lived in torment, poisoning himself with drugs and self-hatred. The Lives of John Lennon exposed for the first time all of his various lives, from idealist to cynic, from ascetic to junkie. It is a lasting tribute to his brilliant achievements and a revelation of the price he paid for them.
For many years I refused to read this book because I did not want to blot or tarnish, with content that had been repeatedly descri...more
For many years I refused to read this book because I did not want to blot or tarnish, with content that had been repeatedly descri...more
As a Beatles fan, I really appreciated reading this piece of rock de-mythology. After his death, it was considered heresy to see John Lennon as the nasty, irreverent rocker he had always been instead of the cuddly peacenik martyr he became in rock legend.
Goldman was a jazz fan who took a dim view of the teenybopper music of the Sixties. But as in his biography of Elvis, the most impressive parts here are his descriptions of the musical milieu of his subject. He notes that Liverpool was a backwat...more
Goldman was a jazz fan who took a dim view of the teenybopper music of the Sixties. But as in his biography of Elvis, the most impressive parts here are his descriptions of the musical milieu of his subject. He notes that Liverpool was a backwat...more
Well, here it is, the book that Beatles fans have been warned about. There’s no doubt Lives is entertaining and readable, but it’s also ridiculously over-the-top. Many Beatles fans have pegged Lives as a character assassination of Lennon. In some ways it is. Goldman is relentlessly harsh on his subject, claiming that Lennon abused his wives and children, stole his songs, murdered Stu Sutcliffe, was ugly and kept a filthy home. If you take it with a grain of salt, however, I found Lives to be oft...more
I like this book probably more than I would ever admit out loud, and that's because it's just a great story. It reads almost like a John Irving novel (without the intricate twists and coincidences). It's just awful and full of hatred, but damn...is it fun to read!
I read this a few times when I was in high school and had an unhealthy obsession with the Beatles. Needless to say, I was shocked and inspired. It wasn't a turn-off to read horrible things about someone I admired, because (even if they...more
I read this a few times when I was in high school and had an unhealthy obsession with the Beatles. Needless to say, I was shocked and inspired. It wasn't a turn-off to read horrible things about someone I admired, because (even if they...more
Goldman's biography of John Lennon is entertaining but there is a sinister undertone throughout the book. I've read that the author started out with admiration for the musician but ended up feeling increasingly negative about Lennon. Personal feelings are no doubt an occupational hazard of writing about the life of a public figure but a biographer has a responsibility to remain objective to the best of his/her ability. It's pretty evident that Goldman was unable to do that. In addition, Goldman'...more
Albert Goldman made his career at what it could be considered being a hack writer and only going after the subjects of his books as a rabid dog would do towards unprotected school children. Anything negative about the subject was all he wanted to hear and use. Yes, he claims it took six years to gather the information (that he wanted to use only) in putting together this terrible offering. He approached (or found) people who had nothing nice to say about Lennon (the same as he did on his Elvis a...more
I found this book entirely readable. Even with thousands of interviews and years of research, I was still suspicious of the author's intentions. This is a controversial book in that it puts Lennon in a very bad light, but Yoko Ono comes off as the real villain. Like any piece of history, a writer chooses a specific interpretation and this is why one must read other sources or viewpoints to balance the overall account. I am doing that now as I read another Beatles book. But let's get back to Live...more
Take everything it says with a grain of salt...actually don't believe any of it, but the claims are so outrageous that it is hard NOT to be drawn in. (For example, did you know that John Lennon killed a guy? No? Then you must read this book.)
I learnt Lennon had a pretty sad life shot through with anger, violence and insecurity. He leant heavily on Yoko and bought the myth they fabricated about their relationship while at the same time resenting her domination of him. Surprisingly little examination of his relationship with McCartney. Goldman jut states they were hostile towards each other. But reading between the lines it looks like Lennon wouldn't have written half the stuff he wrote without Paul there to compete with. He seems lik...more
This is the first really disrespectful biography of John Lennon I've ever read, but not (always) in a bad way--which gives it its surreal trash-eating value despite the whole ethical quandary of truth vs. falsehood. I guess it has both. It seems very well-researched; paying attention to characters I've only ever heard about tangentially before, and all (or most) of the hardcore allegations it makes are believable if horrible--for instance, it claims John had a relapse after famously kicking hero...more
Apr 21, 2010
kate
added it
john lennon's music saves my life over and over again. i relate so strongly with his journey through life, his anger, his childishness, childlikeness, his idealism and his humor. he touches generation after generation.
his art transcends his death and his voice in the world is one that, i feel, is greatly absent. he was also a viciously honest and naked creative force.
this book fails to capture all of that.
I would suggest other sources, including john lennon interviews, if you can find them - to...more
his art transcends his death and his voice in the world is one that, i feel, is greatly absent. he was also a viciously honest and naked creative force.
this book fails to capture all of that.
I would suggest other sources, including john lennon interviews, if you can find them - to...more
If I had to choose my all-time favorite book -- biography or otherwise -- this would probably be it. Certainly, the fact that it's about a Beatle automatically moves it toward the front of the line. But why choose this particular book -- which I've re-read more times than I can count -- when there are so many other Beatle bios out there? Simple: this one's terrible.
No, really. This is a train wreck. Goldman has a major axe to grind, and over the course of 700-plus pages, he grinds his axe to iro...more
No, really. This is a train wreck. Goldman has a major axe to grind, and over the course of 700-plus pages, he grinds his axe to iro...more
This came out a long time ago (the late eighties or early nineties) and Goldman, like Lennon, is dead, too, now.
His book on Elvis didn't hurt Elvis's reputation because Elvis's fans love Elvis all the way. The book on John Lennon is another matter entirely.
I've read bits and pieces and, certainly, when the book came out, the media coverage was inescapable. A lot of people, among them people who knew John or worked with him, condemned the book immediately.
The ultimate flaw of this book is the hat...more
His book on Elvis didn't hurt Elvis's reputation because Elvis's fans love Elvis all the way. The book on John Lennon is another matter entirely.
I've read bits and pieces and, certainly, when the book came out, the media coverage was inescapable. A lot of people, among them people who knew John or worked with him, condemned the book immediately.
The ultimate flaw of this book is the hat...more
As much as I love John Lennon, the real John Lennon was a selfish jerk. He was always using drugs, and always had lots of casual sex.
This book, published in 1988, is a lot about Yoko Ono. It shows what a media hound Yoko is.
Most of the recent biographies of Lennon have been written with Yoko's "cooperation," so they portray the Lennon-Ono marriage as true love and happiness, and John as a contented "house-husband", taking care of Sean full-time. This book shows the other side of that scenario....more
This book, published in 1988, is a lot about Yoko Ono. It shows what a media hound Yoko is.
Most of the recent biographies of Lennon have been written with Yoko's "cooperation," so they portray the Lennon-Ono marriage as true love and happiness, and John as a contented "house-husband", taking care of Sean full-time. This book shows the other side of that scenario....more
Oct 27, 2009
Denis Farley
added it
At 700+ pages of a seemingly well researched, diverse chronology of the artist's life and work, with the added psychoanalytic slant, I can only speculate that the aphorism, 'truth is stranger than fiction' might still apply.
Whether or not Mr. Goldman's truth is important would depend I suppose on how much you like the incredible catalog of songs Lennon left behind.
Whether or not Mr. Goldman's truth is important would depend I suppose on how much you like the incredible catalog of songs Lennon left behind.
I found the book fascinating..not sure how accurate it is. Some of his assertions have been verified, some denounced. I have long had my own intuitions and opinions about the image John and Yoko seemed to want to project the world.. that behind that facade was something else..so..this book held my interest all the way through to the end.
Typical Goldman-style bio. Lots of sensationalism that diminishes the subject. Lennon, like prior Goldman subjects Elvis Presley and Lenny Bruce, doesn't come off all that well. Granted, I like an honest biography, but I read this with a major grain of salt.
i read this back in high school during my beatles craze, and i think this was an unauthorized bio. reveals dirty secrets like drug use and extra-martial affairs, but i guess most of us already knew lennon was into drugs . . .
Dec 08, 2010
David Melbie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Not recommended
Recommended to David by:
some neighbor handed it to me. They must hate me.
I am not sure just how factual this nasty little book is, but it was a good read. There has got to be a better-written story of this famous person. I will find it, someday. --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
how many stars should i give this book?
yes, it was riveting...but i was also a second-semester 8th grader interested not only in the Beatles but also in 8th grade shit like drugs and eating disorders.
yes, it was riveting...but i was also a second-semester 8th grader interested not only in the Beatles but also in 8th grade shit like drugs and eating disorders.
Albert Goldman paints a very unflattering portrait of legendary rock icon John Lennon. This was a hard read for me, as Lennon is one of my all-time favorites. Goldman's research has been called into question, and I am naturally inclined to side with those who think this is a scurrilous, irresponsible hatchet job on a dead and defenseless genius. I did like, however, the scene where Lennon is portrayed as one who was ranting about the obvious conspiracy behind the death of Martin Luther King, Jr....more
Read this when I was deep in my Beatles stage of life. I remember being shocked by all of the accusations. But for a junkie wanting to learn as much as I could about one of my musical idols it fit the need.
A very readable life history of John Lennon. Many interesting facts of which I had been unaware.
Garbage. Filled with errors, gossip from dubious sources, innuendo and outright lies.
Interesting read but possibly a negative bias from the author?
John Lennon said Elvis was his distant father figure. He was mine.
Jul 06, 2012
Barbara
added it
A real hatchet job on Lennon. Don't waste your money.
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