REPUBLICAN! John Lennon was a closet Republican, who felt a little embarrassed by his former radicalism, at the time of his death - according to the tragic Beatles star's last personal assistant. Fred Seaman worked alongside the music legend from 1979 to Lennon's death at the end of 1980 and he reveals the star was a Ronald Reagan fan who enjoyed arguing with left-wing radicals who reminded him of his former self. In new documentary Beatles Stories, Seaman tells filmmaker Seth Swirsky Lennon wasn't the peace-loving militant fans thought he was while he was his assistant. He says, "John, basically, made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on (Democrat) Jimmy Carter. "He'd met Reagan back, I think, in the 70s at some sporting event... Reagan was the guy who had ordered the National Guard, I believe, to go after the young (peace) demonstrators in Berkeley, so I think that John maybe forgot about that... He did express support for Reagan, which shocked me. "I also saw John embark in some really brutal arguments with my uncle, who's an old-time communist... He enjoyed really provoking my uncle... Maybe he was being provocative... but it was pretty obvious to me he had moved away from his earlier radicalism. "He was a very different person back in 1979 and 80 than he'd been when he wrote Imagine. By 1979 he looked back on that guy and was embarrassed by that guy's naivete." http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/28/lennon-was-a-closet-republican-assistant
I wonder if they have any other sources to back this up. Not that I'm calling the guy a liar, but it's hard to take one man's word for it.
I'm not surprised. Most people that come to understand that something earned is more cherished than something given to you abandon Left-leaning philosophy. Those fucking freeriders ruin the fun for the rest of us.
Given how she watches her husband's posthumous rights like a hawk, she probably would have said "Finally!"
Upon further reflection, I think Lennon was first and foremost an iconoclast. He shook up 60s society with his music. I could see him going to Upper West Side party after Upper West Side party listening to the "establishment" parroting left wing views and him saying to himself, "There's too much group think; I'm going to espouse conservative ideas just to fuck with people."
I think he was a true free-thinker and an independent, and allowed himself to be educated on all matters, and not just slogans and either/or arguments. Think of how shitty the Beatles would have been without Lennon. He would have made any other 3 guys a great band; I can't say the same thing about McCarthey, and although he was in his own right exceptional, he was not at Lennon's level as an artist.
I think that's probably the case, too. I argue with people in Seattle about politics (I'm too conservative) and with people in Florida when I visit my parents about politics (I'm too liberal). It might be that I have a unique set of beliefs, or it might be that I just don't like to agree with people who don't think things through... which is almost everyone (including me, quite often). Ed O.
I think Pete was the Best of the Beatles. I'm surprised that Lennon got along with McCarthey at all after the Army-McCarthey hearings. They must not have talked politics much. barfo
So that's why the Beatles broke up.... McCarthyism. If only Paul McCartney were a member of the Beatles, what could have been.....
Then either... 1. Christian extremist Mark Chapman, the Manchurian Candidate motivated by "We're more popular than Jesus now," killed him for nothing. 2. John was faking all the radical appearances he made throughout the 1976 presidential campaign with other radicals. His promotions onstage to get John Sinclair out of prison, to help Angela Davis, to get someone elected to the left of Carter, etc. were faked. 3. His great radical albums were and are blacklisted for nothing. ("Sometime in New York City" still hasn't sold much--I heard it my first time on acid months after it was released without media attention--I had no idea of its existence.) Or... 1. His butler Seamans, who went on trial in the early 80s for copyright larceny for passing out his writings, is as full of shit as the evil biographer Albert Goldman, who spread it around in the 80s that John was gay and had had a fling with Brian Epstein. John argued with Seamans' uncle. Whoopee. He was experienced at arguing from his radical group meetings. Next thing they'll come up with is that George Orwell wasn't a communist. He was writing against communism. Oh yeah I forgot, that's been their line for 30 years now. Just rewrite history.
