John by Cynthia Lennon

Author:Cynthia Lennon
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9781444717273
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

12

BRIAN EPSTEIN HAD ALWAYS SAID that the Beatles would be bigger than Elvis, and at first everyone laughed. Elvis was securely on his throne as the king of rock and roll and no one had heard of the Beatles. But by 1965 his prediction had come true: the Beatles were the biggest pop act in the world, eclipsing Elvis and every other popular musician. Their faces were known in every country on the globe – Beatlemania was breaking out in places as far afield as Australia, the Philippines, Japan and Scandinavia.

Back in Britain we were at the epicentre of what became known as the Swinging Sixties. It was an era of unfettered expression, joyousness and extravagance. Suddenly people didn’t have to wait until Christmas to light the candles: they lit them every day, and frequently burned them at both ends. To us it felt as though the whole country was ready to party and we were at the top of most of the ‘in’ people’s invitation lists. Throughout 1965, and for the next three years, we went to hip restaurants and nightclubs, we were invited to celebrity parties, we shopped in designer boutiques and our pictures were in every newspaper and magazine.

My life then was full of contrasts. I might be at a première one night, with photographers snapping and crowds screaming, and the next morning I’d be taking Julian to school like any other mum. Or I would pop down to my local shops for some groceries – I was hardly ever recognised on my own – then meet John in the evening after his recording session. I’d go along with the other Beatles women to hear the end of the session, then spend the rest of the night in one of the hip London clubs, dancing and chatting to a host of famous faces, many of whom we counted as friends.

Despite our celebrity status we were still naïve. We had no sophistication or sense of style. Back in Liverpool our idea of a classy night out had been a Scotch and Coca-cola or a Babycham in the pub – even those were saved for Christmas or birthdays. Mostly we had beer or Coke and that was it. We hardly ever dined out and on the rare occasions when we had enough money to go to a restaurant, it was a curry house or a café for chicken and chips.

When John and I had first arrived in London we’d asked Brian to show us the ropes. He was already installed in a smart London flat in upmarket Belgravia and he’d wasted no time in acquainting himself with the best people and places. Since we hadn’t a clue where to start we were grateful to be swept along in his wake. To introduce us to London nightlife he had first arranged to take us out to dinner. We went to La Poule au Pot in Ebury Street, a restaurant run by a couple of French gays who were, to our eyes anyway, utterly flamboyant and decadent.

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