Should I be scared that Julian is now 35 years old? Should he?
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Q & A With Julian Lennon
Aidin Vaziri
Sunday, February 21, 1999
©1999 San Francisco Chronicle
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/02/21/PK86643.DTL&type=music
After a seven-year sabbatical, Julian Lennon returns to the record racks on February
23 with his fifth album, ``Photograph Smile.'' Released on his own independent label,
the disc is an autobiographical work from the 35-year-old son of the late John Lennon.
Introspective songs such as ``Day After Day'' and ``I Should Have Known'' meditate on
his tumultuous experience with the music business, beginning with the 1984 release of
his debut album, ``Valotte.'' Judging by the new material, the young Lennon did not
come out unscathed. Meanwhile, on ``I Don't Wanna Know,'' he finally concedes his rock
'n' roll lineage, paying homage to the mid-'60s-era Beatles. We spoke with the
singer-songwriter from his home in London.
Q: Was there a lot of channel surfing going on during your time away from the
limelight?
A: Sometimes. It was bliss. There was a lot of re-evaluation. I felt there were many
things I needed to resolve, not only personally but professionally. One of the most
important things is I have found balance and peace in my life to a serious degree,
which there never was before. Music was 100 percent of my life every day for over 10
years. It felt good to finally put into perspective that music is important, but there
are other things that are just as important.
Q: What drew you back to making music -- the money?
A: No. The only reason I started writing again was a purely natural process. I was not
writing for an album or a contract. It was just for the sake of writing. It was the
first time I had an opportunity to sit down and enjoy what I was doing without anyone
knocking at the door saying, ``It's not commercial enough,'' or whatever.
Q: Did you fall for all the traps when you first became successful?
A: Absolutely. I was young and naive, so I signed my life away. Unfortunately, the
first album will quite possibly never be mine, which sickens me to death. But when
you're vying for your first album deal, you'd just about give up your mother.
Q: How much did drugs affect you?
A: They didn't, really. There was never a time when I lost sight of what I wanted to
do and what I wanted to achieve. I feel that it was the people I was working with that
were on their own agenda.
Q: Is it boring being straight?
A: Not at all. The most enjoyable part of this is the writing process. It's an art
form, and it takes time to nurture. Part of those seven years off was following other
creative endeavors, which I just put to the side for 10 years. I was just trying to
catch up with painting and photography. I feel it's important to set aside that time
because it's an important part of me that makes me happy. I want to experience the
whole gamut.
Q: You're 35 now. Do you buy into the belief that we all eventually become our
fathers?
A: Don't even say that. All I heard from my mum was, once you hit 35, that's when your
life begins and when you start understanding who the f-- you are. I wouldn't and
couldn't become like my dad. I have made a clear and conscious decision not to do
that. Otherwise I would have divorced somebody, had a kid I didn't pay attention to
and would have done all sorts of other things. On a personal level, he taught me what
not to do as a father. On an inspirational level, he taught me a great deal.
Q: No plans to marry a shrieking Japanese performance artist?
A: Not in the near future. I'm not going to say anything on that, except if I wanted
my mother to have a heart attack, all I would have to do is bring home a Japanese
girl. Not that I have a problem with that, but I think once in her lifetime is enough.
Q: Are you friendly with your brother Sean?
A: Yeah, sure. Sean is in the middle. I have no problem with him. I love him to death.
He's blood to me. He's a good kid.
Q: Were you bummed he released his record the same day as yours in England?
A: It was not only England, it was many other countries. I don't think it was his
responsibility, to tell you the truth. I think there was a master plan at work by,
should I say, the greater mother ship that was overseeing a lot of what happened to
him. I know for sure that Yoko had a great deal of influence in not only a lot of the
articles that came out, but the timing, what was written, what was said and how it was
said. I think it would be nice if she left him to his own. She's already screwed one
Lennon's life up, as far as I'm concerned. She should get on with her own life and let
Sean get on with his.
Q: So there's no bad blood between you and Sean?
A: It was nothing to do with him. From his point of view, it was a coincidence. But I
have fact and documentation contrary to that. I didn't want to spill the beans to him
about his mom. He's got to find out things for himself. The things that happen around
him happen for a certain reason, and he's got to find that out. I don't want to step
in the middle of that.
Q: If deserted on an island, would you rather have his record or something by Oasis?
A: That's very funny. I'd probably rather have Sean's.
