What was John Lennon's adult life like?

Answer 1

John Lennon's father Alfred Lennon (1912-1976) abandoned Julia and john when he was an infant. Alfred was known to be very witty and musically inclined but not very dependable. John didn't see his father again until after he became famous. Alfred Lennon died of stomach cancer April 1, 1976.

John Lennon's mother Julia Lennon (1914-1958) was known to be very outgoing, high-spirited and as having a strong sense of humor. She taught John to play the Ukulele and banjo, She also encouraged John to pursue music as a career. Although John lived with his aunt Mimi from the age of five, John stayed in contact with Julia and sometimes stayed overnight in her home until Julia was killed by a drunk off duty police officer July 15, 1958.

Answer 2

A long, slow process of growing up. He had an admitted chip on his shoulder from his parents' absence in his childhood, and tended to take it out on girlfriends (and later his wives). He said in his 1980 Playboy interview "I will have to be a lot older before I can face the way I treated women as a youngster." He could also turn violent when drunk, even toward people he loved. (Publicist and friend Elliot Mintz described him as "The worst drunk I've ever seen. He could not hold his alcohol.") May Pang told stories of how he trashed a house they were staying in, after a night of drinking. LSD helped him become more self-aware (and less aggressive), but it caused fertility problems for him later. Yoko Ono was a strong-willed woman like his mother and Aunt Mimi had been; she refused to take any crap from him, and it grew him up a lot. Primal Therapy also helped him come to terms with the pain of missing his parents earlier. Julian Lennon said later he resented how John more or less turned his back on him, after John and Cynthia divorced and she got custody. He thought John was hypocritical for preaching publically about love and peace, while he was neglectful toward them in private. Lennon always regretted not taking a more active role in Julian's life, and said so. Becoming a father for the second time (to Sean) turned the trick for him in a lot of ways, but he could still have his moments, and lose his temper. (He wouldn't lash out physically anymore, but could still be verbally abusive.) "I am a violent man, who has learned not to be violent, and who regrets his violence."

Answer 3

He lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George (Smith), but his mother Julia visited frequently. (Mimi told John she lived "far, far away"; he only learned later that she lived a short walk from Mendips, the Smiths' home.) His father Alfred wasn't around; he had tried to stay in touch, but Mimi threw away his letters, and threatened legal trouble when he tried to visit. John only found this out after his father's death.

'John did actually have a brief relationship with his father after he first found fame with The Beatles. John, for example, paid for his Dad to get his teeth fixed. Fred Lennon also claimed to be a better singer than his son.

Answer 4

His father (Alfred) left his mom when John was 5 years old, and Alfred made John choose between going to New Zealand with him or staying with his mother. John originally chose his father, but when he saw his mother crying he changed his mind. Alfred disappeared from John's life until The Beatles made it big, and John wanted nothing to do with him by that time.

Answer 5

A rebel, misfit. Got in trouble at school.

Answer 6

His father was often not there because he was in the navy, but he saw his mother often until her untimely death when he was 17.