Obviously a great musician, but it's always interesting to me how some celebrities are excused for their bad behaviours while other are not.

Never ever go back to someone who smacks or hits you, belittles you verbaly or tries to control you!

This is... really important to hear. We can't read his mind to see if he's sincere, but the fact that he owned it publicly is at least something.

My father use to beat me and my mother. He was a drunk for years. Not going to lie it did scar me and effected me even into my late adult life *I'm almost 30* however, my father never lied about his wrongdoings. He admitted with a heavy heart his sins to my mother and I. He gave up drinking, humbled himself, apologized to us on numerous occasions and to this day he is still my hero. My father was also abused as a child by his father who was also a drunk. unfortunately generational curses are real. But the fact of the matter is my father admitted to his wrongs, owned up and strived to be a better man. Today he is the most loving and caring man in my life. Humans are fickle. There's is no black and white. A sinner can become a Saint and a Saint can fall from grace. It is how you repent for your sins, introspective as well as repent to the ones you hurt that shows your Character. Anybody can change their ways. Everybody can better themselves and do right. That's what matters.

Even tho he had a rough life... actually is not an excuse

John Lennon was honest about himself and was open about his faults, he did not claim to be an angel...it is other people who put him on a pedestal and perpetrated the myth that he was a peacenik.

The ignorance in this comment section is truly unmatched by almost anything I’ve ever seen. Most of the people in this comment section are missing the point of the matter. John Lennon was a violent young man at one point, learned from his violent past, and not only changed to improve himself, but to help others who were struggling with violence themselves. The only way that we will ever evolve as people is by noticing our wrongdoings and improving upon them. If we never learned, we wouldn’t be living and we wouldn’t be human. Please understand that John Lennon was a person. People aren’t perfect, but people can improve.

I’m glad to hear that after he’d put his hands on Cynthia, he didn’t do it again and this was later proved by Yoko saying he never put his hands on her. Now verbal abuse is another thing, but any step towards progress is significant.

1:58 "He was desperately sorry" "he didn't do it again"

People often call Lennon a hypocrite for being a peace activist while being a violent individual as well, but I don’t think that’s fair. I’m not trying to justify his violence, obviously it was wrong, but he publicly admitted his faults and tried to be better. He became a peace activist BECAUSE he regretted his violence so much. He didn’t even have to become a peace activist and probably could have gotten away with being violent forever, but he chose peace anyway. For that reason I believe he was a good person at heart.

" I used to be cruel to my woman I'd beat her and keep her apart of the things that she loved. Man I was mean but I'm changing my scene and I'm doing the best that I caaan." I'm glad for John that things were getting better toward the end of his life. Some lessons are hard to learned. The karma account is between him and his maker , but I believe that he repented.

Never ignore red flags.

John was obviously an introspective and intelligent person who was able to see his own flaws and change them. Not only did he see his violent side and change it but he recognised that being a homophobe is often a hatred of ones own ambivalent sexuality, which is an epiphany that not many homophobes have. Everyone has character flaws but few people see their own flaws and choose to change for the better. For this I respect him.

I hate how everyone labels him as a wife beater when it was only one event(that we know off). It was something Cynthia didn't think was all that relevant as she reviled him more for leaving her for Yoko and abandoning Julian. In the case of being hit, cynthia knew she was the one with the cards and subsequently broke up with him it wasn't really a situation where she was in danger like others like to make out. Obviously it doesnt excuse these actions in particular, but calling him a wife beater is like saying someone who murdered one person is guilty of Genocide. Its a balance we need to maintain, to make sure this stuff isnt lost to history and show how our heroes may be capable of bad things but also to be aware of distorting someones legacy and defining their life by something very small and insignificant in the long run. John is not a bad person nor is he a good person, he like all of us is Flawed.

He was young. He learned his lesson. He made amends and changed. He said it as it is in his interviews, proof that he wants to be held accountable for it. Parents with troubled kids who turned their lives around can understand. Does that make him a good or bad individual? Neither, it made him human.

at least John was man enough to admit his wrongs you gotta give him that nomatter what you think of him

i truly think he had changed people make mistakes but with time and experience they can become better people.

Love that he can admit his feelings and mistakes . He doesn't blame others. He wanted to change and better himself in the end. Genuine people can regret and admit their mistakes. He was probably was grieving his mum. He was self destructive at the time he was angry and lashed out. He wanted love and peace and got it before his death.

How can people still talk crap about Lennon after hearing this. Atleast he was honest about his past and was makin an effort to change. He was maturing and became a better person in his last years. He was even hanging out with julian and trying to be a father to him. I don't understand why people focus on his negative past but not the positives he has done

As a huge Beatles fan i have to disagree completely with these commenters excusing his behavior. He clearly says "any woman", implying that Cynthia wasn't the only one. With that said, the good thing is that he changed completely and recognized his mistakes, no need for this hatred.

He had a great wife and son and he blew it his fault entirely simpathy for Cynthia and Julian none for him

Married Yoko dated John Lennon when he was married to Cynthia

John Lennon was a very wounded man,he was badly wounded by his parents and the horrible experiences of his youth and that's why he was so angry,what's a real shame is that when John Lennon had finally gotten himself together and finally attained some peace of mind he was brutally murdered. Bob.

I already knew this...at least his admiting the truth

In the Interview shortly before his murder John Lennon admitted to his violence against women (and men) but that he had changed. Then he died shortly after saying this so the question is, can an abusive partner really change? While people do have the capacity to change, they need to deeply want to and be committed to all aspects of change in order to begin to do so - and even then, it’s a lot easier said than done. Did John Lennon change? We can never know for sure, he didn't live long enough.

That was very honest of him. Its easy to notice other peoples flaws and not acknowledge our own, and that's what he's doing here. We all expect our heroes to be on their best behavior. He made a mistake and anyway look at all the good the guy did, a lot, a fucking lot; He was a great guy.

I thought it was really crazy when he said he was a violent man that made music about peace when he was a violent man. Says a lot about human psychology

And Paul protected his name when Stern asked about this

He preached exactly what he wasn’t because he wanted change. The bad things he did are inexcusable but it takes a lot to admit you have a problem and to put all you effort into changing if

TY, #CharlesH., for posting. c:

Can people not change? If he stopped beating people and regrets his decisions why does everyone still shit on him. I mean yes it was horrible, but young and dumb.. Is everyone with a bad past just destined to be pieces of shit forever even post mortem? Some people don't change, but what if he did?

I dont get why people are still bashing john lennon for his abusive behavior after all these years. Its bullcrap.

Went from a violent hitter to a peace activist people change and I’m glad John did

John was a confused angry young man who matured into a good man. He was honest and authentic. Also a highly intelligent man, who was a musical genius.

I think it's only recorder that John hit Cynthia and he only did it right around the time his mother died, he was getting into fights, constantly drunk, and took his anger out on everyone and everything around him. I'm not saying that's an excuse, but it certainly does give a little window into the place he was in when he did it.

As much as I love his music, what he did was completely wrong and unacceptable in any context. At least he recognized and admitted to his faults and weaknesses. The past is the past I suppose.

I’m going to be completely candid here, I love the Beatles and John is my favorite Beatle. I love his song writing, his wit, and his inquisitive mind. However, I refuse to completely excuse the fact that he was a very violent man. Just because he had a very sad childhood doesn’t excuse the trauma he caused Cynthia or Julian. And I do believe that if he were alive I would find the courage to tell him so. However, he did admit to his wrongdoings and I am glad because a lot of men do not. He seemed to just begin to come around towards the last couple of years before his life ended. I do respect him for that, but then again I hold him accountable but I’m also a very forgiving person by nature. I find it really hard because when you’re a Beatles fan (not the obsessive kind) you’re in a bit of a pinch. I’m always trying to make sure I do the right thing as to not seem insensitive about anything but, being a Beatles fan is really hard considering that you love them so much but then you also have to deal with the fact that they were terrible at one point in their life. I hope that makes sense and doesn’t seem stupid

That really goes to show how empathetic Cynthia is. She said she nurtured John and helped him through his pain even though it's not her responsibility

really interesting interviews thanks 4 putting this up. interesting stuff. of its time probably. in a sense. ⚽️

Love how the people in these comments that claim to be against domestic violence and sexism and misogyny by just stating the same thing over and over such as "John Lennon was a wife beater and a horrible person and a hypocrite" but they don't acknowledge the fact that at this time period men could and beat their wives and got away with it because sexist was misogynistic and they don't call out all the other men at the time that did this and the sexism and misogyny. You can say we're not talking about that, but I just think it's hypocritical and stupid.

This is important, men grow and learn to be violent for a reason, yes patriarchy, misogyny is a crime, but is also a social construct, as men, it's important to recognise, just as Lennon did, that this behaviours come from not knowing how to express, manage feelings, and repressing all inside, all because of the models of masculinity we take on from a violent machistic society. Accepting this is also important in the sense that we can evolve, being an abusive man is revolting, but it's not something given by nature, taking therapy, assuming one's responsibility, making amends and paying one's crimes can lead to redemption, there's no need to eternally condemn a person that has assumed and payed for his responsibility, I think that's the lesson Lennon can teach, aggressors as we know, most of the times were raised in abusive families, is a deep and wide problem that concerns us all, we can all evolve and become better

important passage.

Is there a full version of the interview where John talks about his self destructive college days? Good stuff!

I believe at the time this was something extremely common and for a man of his power to stand up and admit that back then is incredible as it was such a normal Hong for men to do to their partners. However, if this was something that happened in the modern day I would understand completely how you wouldn’t forgive a celebrity for this behavior as people in the modern age know now how to have a healthy equal relationship (at least most do)

It's beautiful when John Lennon says "I WAS THE FIRST LENNON HIT OUT HISTORY,YOU KNOW." In my point of view,it is a beautiful conscience.

Yoko deserves credit for making John turn a new leaf in regards to his actions and mentality regarding women.

It's ironic that Ike Turner was a pioneer in music (he wrote the first Rock and Roll song "Rocket 88") but most people only talk about his domestic violence and drug abuse. John Lennon was a talented musician but he was a wife beater and abused drugs as well. He also neglected his son Julian but many people excuse his dark side because he sang about peace. John himself said its the most violent people who go for love and peace.

GREAT VIDEO ! SUNDAY 6/4/23 JUNE 4, 2023

His faults are not to be forgiven and his contributions are not to be dismissed, there are both criticism and compliment for most individuals who’ve ever lived. In this comment section there are two sides to the story and both are correct. Both sides of the argument here contain worthwhile information. Everyone would do good to listen to everyone else, accept the parts of the information that are enlightening and dismiss the ones that are not. You can’t cancel John Lennon, you can’t lift him up, he isn’t here anymore, but if you feel it’s important for the actions of his life to face condemnation to inspire and educate, I do not disagree and I applaud your love and concern for the other people of this world. If you choose to illuminate the positive evolution of his personality to inspire and educate, I do not disagree and I applaud your love and concern for the other people in this world.

These are the quotes that have been used to character assassinate Lennon decades after his death claiming he was a "wife beater" despite the wife he supposedly beat denying such claims. Really it is him exaggerating his dark past and trying to frame old lyrics are autobiographical not realizing that the internet would latch on to those quotes in the future to demonize him.

Well, at least, if nothing else, he learnt from his mistakes. I've been in a violent relationship. It gives me some hope that someone who was so wealthy, and in many ways could've have pushed his "power" around, done what he wanted and become absolutely horrid, was able to grow and not make excuses for his awful behaviour and just stop.

Y’all forget that artists are people too they make mistakes but that does not excuse the violent person he is. And listening to a band or an artist does not define who you are...

Lennon's relationship with Julian was already strained, and after Lennon and Ono moved to Manhattan in 1971, Julian would not see his father again until 1973.[168] With Pang's encouragement, arrangements were made for Julian (and his mother) to visit Lennon in Los Angeles, where they went to Disneyland.[169]Julian started to see his father regularly, and Lennon gave him a drumming part on a Walls and Bridges track.[170] He bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul guitar and other instruments, and encouraged his interest in music by demonstrating guitar chord techniques.[170]Julian recalls that he and his father "got on a great deal better" during the time he spent in New York: "We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general."[171] In a Playboy interview with David Sheff shortly before his death, Lennon said, "Sean was a planned child, and therein lies the difference. I don't love Julian any less as a child. He's still my son, whether he came from a bottle of whiskey or because they didn't have pills in those days. He's here, he belongs to me, and he always will." He said he was trying to re-establish a connection with the then 17-year-old, and confidently predicted, "Julian and I will have a relationship in the future."[132] After his death it was revealed that he had left Julian very little in his will.[172]

I think he needed to be in a good place to create the music he did, allowing Yoko to take over the business side allowed him to concentrate on the thing he did best make music, I would imagine he had more money than he knew what to do with anyway.

There's one thing about treating your wife like crap, but your own _child_ who hasn't so much as chosen his middle school subjects? Bloody fucking Hell, Mr Lennon, that's not a fault, that's straight up _evil,_ that is.

Saw someone say that John Lennon was violent and rich on CP24 (news station in Toronto). I find this shocking, given his music? Damn. Why does this society elevate people like this?

john obviously did some shitty things, i just don't like when people point it out. like i remember there was a post on instagram for john lennon's death and the comments were full of like "omg you support a wife beater??" "ew he's an abuser". people, first of all, he wasn't a wife beater, he did some other bad shit, but that's wrong. second, i really can't understand why people care so much about what celebrities do- especially in their private lives, why do you care so much? i seriously can't excuse john for the shit he did but man i surely do not care about all that, i just love him for his talent, his wit, his thinking, not for some shit he did. and people need to learn that he changed, he really changed (unfortunately on the year he died). so, stop getting mad about a genius musician who died 40 years ago. do you really expect celebrities or "regular" people to be perfect? nobody is, in the end.

Yoko Ono also neglected her daughter!

just think he was a human. he did many awful things but he regretted and stopped.

Thus were the 60s. Unfortunately this was so common back then. This isn’t an excuse for John either - he should’ve been sent to prison and I’m a massive Lennon fan. Abusers are abusers and giving people like Lennon excuses gives over abusers an excuse

you know The only reason people know about him hitting his wife is because he told everyone that obviously shows that he’s remorseful what is wrong with people these days there’s a thing called redemption stop attacking this mans corpse

Wow he was human and sinned like we all do.

Hardcore John Lennon fans: 1) 'He made a few mistakes' 2) Ahh well at least he is being honest 3) He is still perfect and cannot be criticised. You hypocrites wouldn't be making such excuses for other domestic abusers, would you? But Lennon gets a free pass because you worship him.

you have to be extremely close minded and bitter to believe that it isn’t possible for someone to grow and become a better person like john did.

In his last interview on 8 Decenber 1980, Lennon said he was going to live down his abuse of women for the rest of his life. He wasn't making excuses or justifying the abuse. He was doing the honorable thing, being a better human. The haters here need to accept that people change for the better because they want to be better people. You can find fault with that if you want, but you're really not furthering your own cause of being better, are you? Maybe self improvement isn't your thing, and that's fine, but I refuse to find some of the hateful remarks here acceptable. If you don't approve of the main tenet of a certain faith , well, pity that...you're not exactly any better than they who you are critical of.

I started to think he was cursed by someone because he isn't abusive

He knew violence which actually should increase his credibility when it comes to his peace activism. Being abusive to his first wife? The guy practically confessed to it. Being abusive towards Yoko Ono? I believe it was the other way around. Yoko Ono was always close to him and she forcibly interfered even in his artistic endeavours. She was smug and bossed him around ..... and the guy seemed to actually enjoy it. Perhaps he needed that kind of relationship to keep his violent streak in check. I don't know : it's a sad thing that we're talking about a guy who's not alive to defend himself.

He only hit Cynthia once , people make it seem like he beats her everyday when they were together , he was state where he couldn’t control himself and just slapped her yes that’s terrible but he never hit her again and she even forgave her after 3 months

Look how he lived & treated people as LL facts don't be rude

John, life is terrible. I’m not trying to take it for it but still he had no he was never around his mom only for a few years. His dad left him before he could even remember things. His aunt treated him with no respect at all his uncle died. He wasn’t smart and he was brought up into all the fame drugs such young age. then they went to Hamburg and he was 19. he got married to the youngest to avoid having a child before marriage. One of his closest friends died at age 19. I know he didn’t terrible things, but give the guy break. He was so young when all this happened and he was still growing and learning. He was terrible, but in the end he learned from it but sadly, he never got to continue

It was a different time , and thats not an excuse . What was acceptable and what was intolerable were different standards . Im not advocating domestic abuse . Its just not the same anymore. I often compare this with drunk driving. Back then you were often told to drive home and park it. Even when you were clearly over the limit , which didnt even exist yet. And now we know better. Its the best i can do to describe it

If Cynthia can forgive him why can’t you

The story behind the song Woman was atrocious! Yoko should never had gone back to him after that!

ringo did worse. He wasnt a wife beater. Women slap men and think its acceptable. John did some bad things just like most people...

okay... i see alot of people commenting about john lennon like its their friend or something... just to get things clear John Lennon is JOHN LENNON. He is a man remembered as a legend, he was an artist only by that he was not an ordinary person like you and me... his mind was different than us second he was in the beatles in the biggest band in the world at the time and even today... and final it was a different era... today is the era of people who act like they've just had lobotomy... that was the era where it was more acceptable because he is the man... im not saying thats a good thing but even then and after all of these he regretted his actions and became better... i personally believe after 1968 he got a little insane from drugs and all but even then he is a legend you cant judge him because someone uploaded a video on youtube for you to comment on... like hate other people hate putin or someone else you cant hate the man who wrote so many songs and made so many people happy... but i get it its a time passer when you are bored and got nothing else to do to start a conversation about how bad john lennon was. its an easy thing to talk about because you dont really and i mean "really" think.

Abandonment issues make a man jealous! Hitting is another story .

John almost ended the Beatles legacy beginning in a blink of an eye because without him that was the building block frontman...

In the film Backbeat he is shown not trying to fight the blokes beating on Stu; was Stu not his mate?

women hit men John wasn't perfect. He could be a bastard so what; he didn't deserve to be killed, He exagerated to make a point. And he was sincere about peace...

But he didn't look how he treated his family and former band mates

Just listen to his music... He was an angry man, inmature, rebel, a dick sometimes, violent, etc. But he was a Beautiful person who suffered all his life. Like "How" says "How can i give love when i don't know what it is i'm giving? how can i give love when i just don't know how to give? how can i give love when love is something i ain't never had?" You know, nowadays everybody criticize him for what he did...just the bad and stupid Things he did. But if you really want to understand his chaotic life and personality...just listen to his music. He was a Beautiful man with a horrible past, dificult life and yes unfortunately a selfish mind. But How can he go forward when he didn't knew which way facing? how can he go forward when he didn't knew which way to turn?

John On Violent Lennon His Past

He never committed any Domestic Abuse. He never beat anyone in a bad way.

Who is the interviewer of Cynthia?

Yeah he had it so rough.I know many who had it worse and didn't do any of that.But even though i applaud john for admitting this.He didn't exactly change that.He was overly controlling and possessive.He just flat out abandoned his son Jillian and made some very messed up comments regarding the situation.

Let’s say one thing, I was born in 1965 and I never liked the guy even in my time. Put it this way if he wasn’t known for being a famous musician and well every human being really knows who he is, you wouldn’t put sympathy on him, say he has changed and learned from his mistake. I’ve known men like him and well you could image what type of individuals they are. His a weak man and always will be. Now you can say “Oh he grow up a hard life” yeah yeah yeah… so did I love, I never put hands on my wife for over 30+ years. Lastly, If he said all these things to say his a better man. You never know what happened behind closed doors, we are nothing well his a rich famous boy.

Liverpool is a rough blue collar town. I just think he was born high strung. There is not much you can do about it.

Hilarious racing all the judgmental comments on here! Lennon admitted his poor behavior and changed his ways! Let me say though, the stuff he talks about is quite tame for that generation. I was a generation after in then UK. Fistfights, misogyny, stereotyping (still very popular) were ubiquitous! What he refers to in his interviews is just him doing a “mea culpa”. He acknowledged it, changed his ways and moved on! For those who judge, perhaps post your own “mea culpa” with all the shit things you’ve done (and there are plenty), then we can line up to condemn you. That’ll be fun,

I like steah and so did John.

To everybody saying that having a rough life is no excuse you’re right but he’s trying to say that he regrets it and he’s admitting to it and he was trying to be better and he did do better so why the fuck are you still coming after his corpse

Ngl came to this video trying to confirm hate for him but it just made me think of how much hes like x, fucked up in the past and tried his best to turn around. If x didnt get shot when he did he wouldve made imagine 2

half of the commenters must've watched an entirely different video cause they clearly don't get it.

Beatle mania almost never happened with that close shave of his personal showcase of madness

John was crazy but he and George were the only Beatles with any real talent

Overall he seems a moody, brooding person with interludes of sociability providing you are listening to him (and not the other way round) caustic sense of humour and that sums him at his best. His worst is ego, incompetence, forever blaming others for things he should have had a handle on and bad judgement. Then at his very very worst, a total bas...d, beating women, men and incredibly a slew of spiteful comments.A very talented performer and song writer. Glad I never knew him.

😮If you're born mad, you'll grow up angry; 🤨If you're raised in a culture that supports anger by example 🤕 then one way or another, you'll have to deal with violence. ["In peaceful times, a war like man will set upon himself"] -Nietzche

There are people saying he didn’t hit his wife but this video exists 🗿

I wish Lennon had lived long enoigh to formally make amends with the ones he wronged.

I really can't respect him as anything more than a musician and a political figure. Perhaps he regretted it by he end but somehow he couldn't/couldn't be bothered to tell his wife and son. Maybe, given more time he would, but in his lifetime, I see a selfish violent, scary man and selfish, violent scary men tend to not be very good men.

Thank you JPEGMAFIA for letting me know this was an actual thing John used to do. The "All You Need is Love" era really erased his abusive and manipulative behavior. lol How ironic.