Hello! I found your post on Heather absolutely phenomenal. In reading the comments I found you mentioning John’s interesting and perhaps unhealthy behavior within his relationship with Paul. Would you be willing to elaborate on that?
Hi friend, thank you so much!
Caveat: John is not more crazy than Paul. Paul just keeps his crazy locked down with all his other feelings.
Crazy things John did at or about Paul
- putting Stu in the band
This one is only insane if you see Paul and John's early relationship the way I do: equal partners with a shared dream having already made special secret promises to each other and pushing toward their goals together.
It is my theory that something went wrong emotionally with Paul and John around the time of Julia's death and John really leaned on Stu (and/or John wasn't sure what Paul was up for sex-wise yet and Stu made it abundantly clear what he was up for). Paul won John back by mid 59 or so. John kept Stu around just in case things went bad with him and Paul again or Paul couldn't give him what he needed. But he puts him in the band. Something that makes absolutely no sense to anyone, including Astrid. It's partially for a security blanket for himself, partially to keep Paul fighting for him proving to him how committed he was, how much he loved him, etc.
- telling Paul he has to quit his job
This one is more insane if you think John understands Paul's financial situation and/or the abusive power Jim held over Paul. I don't think John could ever understand either of these things fully, but I think he was aware of them to a certain extent.
Either way, telling the person who already gave up being the first one in their family to go to college and get a job that pays decent and doesn't break a body down to run away with you, who now says he has to have a steady income after this stint in Germany ended with him in jail and deported, that he has to quit his job or you'll kick him out of the band he helped you build from a high school joke to a real functioning group is crazy crazy work. Even if you have no idea his dad told him he'd kick him out if he didn't get a job, even if you have no idea his dad is a violent gambling addict, that's insane. If you know those things? I mean ... There's no words.
Literally who in their right mind -- having a serious girlfriend, mind you -- gets $2,000 (maybe a birthday present maybe an inheritance) and says to their buddy "what are we gonna do with this money?" And then goes with the buddy's stupid, frivolous plan -- which, by the way, puts in jeopardy years of hard work and dedication by blowing off important commitments to the point that your band literally thinks it's over -- And takes the friend on an all-expense-paid trip to the most romantic city in the world. Who fucking does that? What the actual fuck???
This one depends on the reason you think John went to Spain.
John could've gone because he was into Brian. He could've gone to take advantage of Brian and get his name first on the songwriting credit. He could've gone because he felt pressured into it by Brian. I think it's all three.
So obviously before the Spain trip it's McCartney/Lennon on their first album but before that they'd write "Another Lennon/McCartney Original" in Paul's notebook so maybe Paul was playing with switching it up, John saw how the producer thought Paul was clearly the most musically talented, and he decides it's time to capitalize on the fact that the manager has been trying to get into his pants since day zero. John doesn't want the thought in Paul's mind that he might be fine without John to ever solidify. If it's Lennon/McCartney on every single song, it'll be that much harder for Paul to feel independent and strong. So one angle is John takes his pants down and tells Brian to "go on then" and stick it up his ass so he can keep Paul dependent and attached. I do think that's part of it and I do think that's absolutely insane.
I also think John would've felt pressured by Brian and interested in Brian. Those angles are not insane.
- his treatment of Yesterday
So John gets to write a book (with Paul's help and with almost no credit to Paul) and then a sequel. John gets to be marketed as the literary intelligent Beatle and bring up his book ("what about my book then?") in every interview. He even goes on TV shows about his book. And Paul is photographed reading John's book, talks about how John must be the intelligent one because he's written a book when a fan asks Paul if he's the smart one, talks John up every chance he gets ("isn't that John really something?") and writes a dedication. Very loving, supportive, kind. You can see how much Paul adores John's mind and looks up to him and is very happy for John to be perceived as better than him and have his own thing where he stands out.
VS John and Brian refusing to let Yesterday be a single, and John mocking yesterday so much Paul is visibly hurt by it, to the extent that it's taken out of their setlist even though it's their most popular song.
- pressuring Paul about lsd
No explanation necessary. It's crazy to bully your best friend/partner/boyfriend so he'll do this scary drug with you no one knows much about yet
- telling the world about their secret code and telepathy
I mean that Hunter Davies quote is really something. Letting the world know, in your authorized biography as the biggest band in ever who everyone's dying to know all about, that you have a secret language. That you don't even need to talk sometimes because you know each other so well. Just so everyone can get an idea of how special your bond is. And he tells the world too that he cannot stand to be without the others. If you think about the fact that it took Paul until this year to admit they had a secret code, John being so vulnerable and exposing himself like that is crazy.
The man wants them isolated from the world by an ocean with tunnels connecting their houses. I mean. And he throws out other locations, too. He's like 'and if we don't like Greece, I've got another island we could use, or we could do Ireland, or ... 'John wants all the access he can get and he wants Paul to himSelf.
Not really the fact that they made that but the fact that John was chill with it laying around the office where lots of people besides Yoko probably heard it.
I mean straight-faced, in a business meeting, just. I am the second coming of the Son of God. I died for all of you and I'm back now to run a rock and roll communist business set up to avoid taxes. Knowing how Paul felt about John he was probably sitting there like actually contemplating that this might be real, no drug trip needed, but the thing about Paul is he's not going to say it in front of God John and everyone, you know?
And then when he gets no reaction, John goes and hooks up with his stalker for the second time in his life. (First stalker->wife was Paul but who knows if John knew that at the time. He does know Yoko's been stalking him.)
- bringing Yoko to the studio
Similar to the thing with Stu but much more blatant and much harder for Paul to fight.
At a business meeting. Again. John, time and place. He's just trying to provoke Paul and it's just not working. Pulling out every move he's got, poor guy. Kudos to Yoko for not coming with him to that one.
Bonus Points: "did you dream about me last night? . . . . I was touching you." Right after talking about Paul's "strong left arm".
Bonus Points: deep throating a mic while making direct eye contact with Paul and alluding to more sex tapes between them two while cameras are rolling recording their every move
When John's late to the studio and no one can contact him, Paul's terrified because he's just lost Brian to an overdose and he knows how John is with drugs and he knows heroin is serious even if he doesn't understand it the way we do now. And still he does Nothing. Because Paul is the opposite kind of crazy. He just sits there "on pins and needles" shaking and tearing up because he's scared he might be losing John.
VS John, when Paul doesn't come in on time during their next album and when called says he's celebrating with his wife, John sprints down the street, jumps the wall, and potentially throws a brick and/or breaks a painting. I personally don't believe the brick or the painting bit, but it could've happened, it's not too out of character for John, it's just disputed between sources. I do believe the rest of it. Thank you apple scruffs!
VS John, when George quits the band: well we'll just get Clapton in. (Don't at me I don't think he meant it but it's still very very different)
Getting George and Ringo to agree to go with a known conman is crazy, but I don't think that was directed at Paul. Just magic Alex typical John craziness.
No the Paul-crazy thing is John inviting Paul to come play with them during the legal proceedings even though that was a major betrayal of their friendship because that way Paul would be trapped, unable to break off legally from the rest of them and Klein. John wants Paul chained to him whether he likes it or not. And I think that's crazy.
- taking a swing at Linda
This one is contested. The source is an apple scruff who says she saw it through a window at Apple. She says Paul stepped in front of Linda and John stopped himself. I doubt John actually tried to hit pregnant Linda. I could see him getting in Linda's face and Paul being worried about his wife and baby, given John's track record, and getting between them and that being like a cold drink in John's face.
It's crazy that he has to lock himself in an impatient facility for months right after the loss of "Paul and the Beatles and the relationship with Paul". It's crazier if you see it as I do. I don't think the timing was a coincidence. Yoko said John's screaming was all about Julia, Mimi, Alf, and Paul. I think John used primal scream as a means of coping with the loss of Paul, of detoxing, of trying to rid himself of that desire to be with Paul, of that intense love for Paul that was now bringing him so much pain.
So many crazy things said during this time. Paul is characterized as an emotionless conservative money hungry cunt who writes muzak for "tarts and fags." Paul is also a drug comparable to heroin that John has had to force himself to quit, as well as of course a God John used to worship the way some people worship Jesus. Paul could choose to come be a working class hero if he wanted to join John's higher cause but he won't because he's a whipped Mama's boy evil person who shouldn't be able to live with himself because he sucks at writing songs. Paul is also John's best friend, why are people being so weird about that?
Predicting when Paul will leave Linda multiple times to the press.
What's libel about calling Paul camp?
Posing with that pig even though he was scared to death of it
"I wish I was back with Paul!" Insane behavior. You don't shout that at your wife during a party, especially when you've worked so hard convincing the world your wife and your magical connection to her freed you from the mundanity of working with such a loser.
"when I look at Jack Lemon, I'm in love again. I feel him coming all over me." An insane thing to say the minute your ex walks into a room full of your friends and with his wife.
John was gung ho about going to New Orleans and working with Paul again until he did this hypnotist "smoking cure" and came back from it smoking cigarettes, talking about throwing up after someone would "do it to [him]" and how it was just like primal scream. He decided not to go, got back with Yoko, and isolated himself. I think this is the second time John got scared of his love for Paul and decided to try and cure himself of that.
It is insane to turn your best friend, who lives in another country and shows up at your door, away. I have been the mom of a new baby with no help. I know John was not too tired to talk to Paul. If my best friend lived across the ocean and showed up randomly I wouldn't care what was going on, we'd be hanging out! Unfortunately, John can't be normal about Paul. That's some kind of like 'it hurts too bad to be around him' craziness going on.
During this time, John also has tarot readings about Paul's marriage, he's filling diaries with thoughts about Paul, telling people about their psychic bond and how if he hears Paul's music it means Paul is close by. He also is too scared (that Sean will love Paul the way John fears Julian loves Paul?) to let Paul hold Sean. He installs a whole new home stereo system to better experience Paul's new single. Continuing to oscillate between singing Paul's praises and tearing him down in the same interviews all the way until he died
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