Quoted from harihead

So it's not surprising to me if John was intrigued by homosexuality or experimented with it. I'm told a lot of people do.

Now that would be a fun poll.

Quoted from harihead

So it's not surprising to me if John was intrigued by homosexuality or experimented with it. I'm told a lot of people do. Didn't you ever go through that age where your friends/parents/teachers said, "It's okay if you're attracted to someone of the same sex?" Such a notion floored me (ragingly het, remember?) but apparently it's common enough that they discuss it in school. Considering the variety of experience that many people crave, it doesn't strike me as inconceivable that John was pulled in this direction or experimented with it. But he defined himself as het, and had tons of het relationships, so calling him "gay" just doesn't work. At most he'd be bi. Anyway, just my thoughts.

i agree 100%  

*blows komakino a kiss*

Quoted from Kevin

Now that would be a fun poll.

Who would answer it?  

The line "If she's gone I can't go on" seems a bit... hmm-like. Even if you change the she to he, it wouldnt be the end of the world for Brian if his partner leaves him because the Beatles were his passion. Unless the partner is John.  

True, but you'd have to read the lyric as a literal event in John's life. I don't think it was meant to be a literal description of anything. I think he took the inspiration and composed a pop song out of it-- that means basically a boy/girl love song.

Of course this is just my interpretation. It's my experience that, when people write, they typically bend the words and ideas to fit their creation. It's not like a news report. "He blew his mind out in a car" is not a literal description of how Tara Browne died. Yes, he died in a car crash, but he did not blow out his mind, he hit a parked van. John crafted the words to make his song more effective.

Quoted from harihead

Of course this is just my interpretation.

I completely agree with your interpretation.

You know, i have always wondered why the Beatles never wrote a song about Epstein (a thank you song or a "we are missing you" type of song). I think i know the answer but... i stil wonder

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

You know, i have always wondered why the Beatles never wrote a song about Epstein (a thank you song or a "we are missing you" type of song). I think i know the answer but... i stil wonder

Ooh, I have to say, I never thought about it. Would you mind sharing your speculation? Cheers.

my speculations... hmmm... *to tell the truth i forgot what i had in mind yesterday* but i'd imagine John not writing about Eppy becuase it was too painful perhaps? Or he had other things to worry about, like it-aint-working-with-cyn situation. You know, maybe they still felt uneasy writing a sincere song about a homosexual....? Oh I dunno... But they could have done it later....

I've heard it before...

  I'm pretty sure it was written about him... because of his "preference"...

Quoted from harihead

So it's not surprising to me if John was intrigued by homosexuality or experimented with it.

Yeah, I definitely agree with this. John, as was previously mentioned, has always come off as 'sexually confused' to me, so I think that it might have been possible that he experimented with it for personal reasons - because he was frustrated with his current relationship, because he wanted to try something different, because he was just curious, perhaps. I wouldn't put it past him, really - I don't think he'd be very squeamish about anything having to do with sex , and if he and Brian did actually end up doing anything (and I do think this is debatable, I was just citing the Spanish vacation as a possibility), it was Brian, after all, someone he knew and trusted.

I think if John was privately intrigued by homosexuality, it would make sense that he would write a song about it with Brian in mind, as the closest person to them who was gay. (And then disguise it, of course, by doing some switching of pronouns, because the other way around could be potentially disasterous at the time).

I think John was the kind of guy that went out to beat up gays.

Well, he certainly gave Brian quite a bit of flak, but that was verbal only...do you mean physically? Because I definitely wouldn't write him down as that kind of person.

i kind of agree with Bobber.... at least in his early years.... before the whole PEACE thing....


    maybe he just tolerated brian b/c he was a good manager....

i can't even begin to try and explain john'smind....

Quoted from DarkSweetLady

i kind of agree with Bobber.... at least in his early years.... before the whole PEACE thing....
maybe he just tolerated brian b/c he was a good manager....
i can't even begin to try and explain john'smind....

Certainly in the early Beatles days, John Lennon could be a terrible pain in the a**. Even Stuart Sutcliffe suffered John's neverending sarcasm. And John could be physically violent too. He even beat up his own girlfriend once.

I love this "John was intrigued" by homosexuality stuff. I think you're allowing John a bit of grace denied to others. Intrigued?
Re his homophobia (physical and verbal) have you heard the saying "sir - you doth protest to much!"
I quote: "Hompohobia....attitudes serving an ego defensive function lower a person's anxiety resulting from her or his unconscious psychological conflicts, such as those surrounding sexuality or gender."

I think it would be very much in keeping with John's character to use his wit and sarcasm (and violence) to mask an uncomfortable truth.
ASnd it's not as if Brian was an isolated incident. Was john still intrigued in '66 when he climbed into bed with very openly gay Mr Royston and "Pam?"