absoluteelsewhere.netJohn Lennon Absolute Elsewhere The Spirit of John Lennon

Welcome to AbsoluteElsewhere.net...the John Lennon website where "Nothing Is Real" Beatles Forever! Lennon Lives! ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE: THE SPIRIT OF JOHN LENNON is a multimedia website exploring the life and times of John Lennon and The Beatles through original articles, exclusive interviews with Yoko Ono and others who played a role in the life of John Lennon. There are also text and photo archives illustrating major aspects of John Lennon’s life, rare John Lennon photos and photo albums, special features on the world of John Lennon, a John Lennon Facebook discussion group and other related resources. Overall, this website takes an in-depth look at John Winston Ono Lennon, one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century. We hope you enjoy your visit to Absolute Elsewhere: The Spirit of John Lennon MyHomeworkDone.com Do my assignment online for me please. Get the best paper writing help at Paper Written and let the experts work on your project. Homeworkhelpdesk.org is the best company when it comes to homework. Writing-Expert.com can write your original essay about John Lennon. Visit LegitimateEssayWriting to know what to choose for your academic paper. Although no one knows for sure, the story goes that on the night John Lennon was born, at 6:30 p.m. on October 9, 1940, Liverpool, England was being bombed in a German air raid, which had become commonplace during that phase of World War II. The newborn baby John was simply tucked under one of the hospital beds for protection. That scenario certainly makes for an ironic, and should I say, fitting, start to the life of John Winston Ono Lennon: a youth prone to expressing violence, who evolved into a man who would be remembered for asking the world to “give peace a chance.” John Lennon’s mother, Julia Stanley, came from a family of five strong sisters, something that John would reference later in life as having been a major influence on his character. As Julia lay in Liverpool Maternity Hospital, giving birth to her first child, her husband, Alfred Lennon, a Merchant Marine, was away at sea. Though the danger was great, Julia’s sister, Mary Elizabeth Smith (affectionately known as Mimi), hurried to the hospital that night to offer her support. Upon seeing the infant John (whose first name came from his paternal grandfather, with the middle name given in honor of the great British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill), she fell immediately in love. "I knew the moment I first set eyes on John that he was going to be something special," said Mimi. And whether or not her fleeting thought was premonition or simply gut reaction, it would certainly prove to be true. Julia Lennon was a carefree, fun-loving woman. She was sometimes irresponsible and quite often eccentric, which was in sharp contrast to the reserved manners and serious attitude of Mimi Smith. “Julia was witty and full of fun,” said Mimi. “She never took life or anything seriously. Everything was funny, but she couldn't see into people until it was too late. She was more sinned against than sinning.” Julia was working as a movie usherette when she met Alfred (Freddie) Lennon. She married him, almost on a whim, on December 3, 1938. They were both in their mid-twenties, and although they were initially very happy together, neither one of them were ready, emotionally or financially, to bring up a child. Freddie's father, John (Jack) Lennon, had been born in Dublin and toured the United States as a Kentucky minstrel during the 1890s. He returned to Liverpool to retire, and after his death in 1921, nine-year-old Freddie made an attempt at his family’s show biz tradition, when he ran away from his orphanage to join a children's performing troupe. The authorities soon put an end to that, however, and by the age of 15, Freddie was well-educated and working as an office boy. It was at around this time that he met Julia Stanley. A year later he went off to sea, finding employment first as a bellboy and then as a waiter. By the time John Lennon was born, some twelve years later, Freddie was serving as headwaiter on a ship bound for New York. Family life didn’t suit him, and in spite of an occasional visit and a postcard or two, Freddie Lennon kept busy over the next few years sailing his way around Canada, France, Italy and North Africa. Although he had sent regular payments home to Julia, who was then living with baby John at 9 Newcastle Road, the checks stopped coming when Freddie Lennon went AWOL. With Freddie away, Julia made no real attempt at tying herself down. Having handed over the responsibility for John's upbringing to Mimi and her husband George (when Liverpool Social Services intervened), she lived the life of a single woman, much to Mimi’s dismay. In 1944, two years after her separation from Freddie, Julia Lennon met a young military man with whom she fell in love. Shortly thereafter, they separated and she once again found herself pregnant. The child, who was a girl named Victoria, was adopted shortly after her birth on June 19, 1945. After the adoption, Julia got a job at a cafe on Penny Lane. It was there, in 1945, that Julia met John Dykins. They fell in love and moved in together in a small apartment in Gateacre, Liverpool. Just as they had been in regard to Freddie Lennon, Julia’s family was against her relationship with John Dykins. The situation became very complicated, however, upon Freddie’s return to Liverpool, shortly after five-year-old John Lennon had been enrolled in Dovedale Primary School. Needless to say, he came back too late to save the marriage, for Julia was not interested in patching things up with her first husband. Around this time, July 1946, an event occurred that would emotionally scar John Lennon for life. Freddie Lennon visited Mimi Smith and proceeded to take young John on an outing to the nearby coastal resort of Blackpool. His true intention was to emigrate with his son to New Zealand, where they could start a new life. Julia must have sensed that something was wrong, for she arrived in Blackpool and demanded that John return to Liverpool with her. In a ludicrous attempt to throw their responsibility as parents onto their young son, Julia and Freddie left it up to John to decide which one of them he would stay with. The terrified, sobbing child first chose his father, but upon seeing his mother walk out of the door and down the street, he quickly changed his mind and ran after her. Freddie Lennon later said, “That was the last I saw or heard of John until I was told he'd become a Beatle.” Sadly, young John’s choice was not a valid one, for on returning to Liverpool, he did not stay with his mother, but was again taken to live with his Aunt Mimi. There, John was offered the comfortable, and relatively safe setting of “Mendips,” the Smith’s semi-detached home at 251 Menlove Avenue, located in the middle-class suburb of Woolton. Uncle George, who John adored, was employed at a local dairy. It was here that John Lennon grew up, playing with friends, indulging his passion for drawing and reading books and newspapers in his small bedroom above the front porch. Among his favorites were “Just William,” “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,” and “The Wind in the Willows.” It was during this part of his childhood that John would spend time climbing the large trees at Strawberry Field, a charity home that was adjacent to Mendips. By the time he was seven, John had compiled his own series of jokes, drawings, and cartoons, under the title of “Sport, Speed and Illustrated. Edited and Illustrated by J. W. Lennon.” Possibly influenced by his visits to the local movie house, each edition ended with: “If you liked this, come again next week. It'll be even better.” It was clear that John Lennon was an intelligent, artistic-minded child, but his talents were lost on the straight-laced, practical Aunt Mimi. The periodic visits that Julia Lennon made to Mendips, and John’s regular visits to her home at 1 Blomfield Road, ad...