Lennon Revealed [With DVD]

This fellow, Larry, first met John and the other Beatles at the start of it all. He has seen every Beatles concert in America, and was on every tour. And he always traveled in the official Beatles party, with them. No other person, living or dead, other then the Beatles themselves and their road group, can make this statement. Read where John actually went to the TV station Larry was broadcasting from and did a telethon with him! He went to see Larry, by himself, by himself! by train, from New York to Phil. Read this part and watch part of it on the DVD which comes with the book. If also features Larry interviewing John and Paul in the 60's. Awesome! John went to work with Larry on the telethon because there was clearly was a mutual respect between these two. Also, Yoko does not give interviews to just anyone - and she spoke with Larry. Why? Because she knew he had integrity. Mae Pang also spoke with Larry for the same reason. I don't understand why Paul did not speak with Larry, but nonetheless, the book was fair and honest with Paul, no axe to grind on Larry's part. And overall, the entire book was not written in a "Howard Stern" mode, but rather, a "Walter Cronkite" mode. It was a sincere, fact filled, and I must say, respectful and admiring look at John, from someone who knew him and cared for him as a person, first as a person, and then as an artist. And more significantly, Larry as the book shows, was someone John knew as well, and respected over many, many years as a person. Be sure to read the part about the telethon at the end and also see John on TV with Larry. Great! A great read. A "Magical History Tour"!

This is one of those fascinating reads that you don't want to put down until you've finished it. Kane's account of Lennon is both intimate and revealing, yet he has respect for John Lennon and the people in his life. He tries to give a fair, well-rounded portrait of a complex man, discussing his strengths as well as his faults. He is also fair and objective when talking about the three most prominent women in his life: Cynthia, Yoko Ono, and May Pang. Often Yoko is villified but the author recognizes her positive influence on John. He is also kind to May Pang, who has been dismissed by Yoko-Sychophants as nothing but a fling, recognizing May's value and influence on the rock star as well. He feels that all three contributed and influenced John's music, which is refreshing. Other biographers tend to bash one or more of these women, producing a sometimes unfair and distorted view. The book is well-written and enjoyable to read.

Larry Kane's professional involvement with John Lennon lasted for fifteen years. During that time he travelled with the band on their first American tour. He had over 100 interviews with John's friends, family and associates to create a portrait of Lennon that comes the closest of all of capturing the man's essense. The close personal relationship between Larry and John comes across clearly in the interview recorded on a DVD that is included with this book. The story of John Lennon's life has been filled with allegations, rumors, stories. Here, carefully researched as well as filled with personal memories, is as accurate a story as is possible to write. Most of the most outrageous stories are put down. But enough remains to see a life filled with sadness and frustration combined with love and greatness that it comes across as a life that would be difficult to live. You come away from this book thinking that you now have a better understanding of the man that was John Lennon rather than just the legend. And to think that if he were alive, he would be elgible for Social Security and Medicare. And to think that it has been twenty-five years since his murder. Where has life gone? Couldn't it ahve been different?

There have been many books written about the life of John Lennon. They tell you about major milestones, facts and fiction, bed-ins, lost weekends and bread baking. They tell you everything imaginable about John down to his preference of breakfast cereal. But Larry Kane's Lennon Revealed is different from these books. It portrays John's sensitivity, compassion and his insecurities. It portrays John as a living, breathing human being, faults and all. The retelling of stories from Ticket To Ride gives the reader a bit of deja-vu in Lennon Revealed. But with the mix of great interviews and the author's exquisite writing, your deja-vu will be a distant memory. Now to the good stuff... The interviews in Lennon Revealed were a wonderful glimpse into the world of Lennon. From the obvious candidate, Yoko Ono (who isn't the horrible monster that nearly every Lennon book portrays her to be) to an ordinary young man who met and was fortunate enough to befriend his idol, the reader gets an honest and truthful glimpse into the life of John Lennon through those who knew him the best. Another enjoyable aspect of Lennon Revealed dealt with Lennon's generosity and charity and his constant plight for the "working class hero". From the days of "hair peace" to Mr, Kane's insightful story of John's assistance with a Philadelphia fundraiser for charity. Those stories told volumes about how much he cared about the human race. Each of his contributions made the world a little bit better. The final chapter is a first for any of the Lennon books I've been fortunate enough to read over the years. It is filled with stories from the fans; the people who Lennon would inspire and touch in so many ways. From teenagers who weren't even alive when we lost John, to those who were there from the beginning to the tragic end and everyone in between. Their words of joy, grief, inspiration and love are a fabulous addition to a very candid, honest and beautiful book. I am honored to be one of those fans who are included in the book. There are many more gems in Lennon Revealed about Lennon's life and I urge everyone to give it a read. It's insightful, honest and leaves the reader with a better sense of who John Lennon really was; a father, a husband, a friend, a lover, a New Yorker, a poet, a musician, a humanitarian and a human being.

Author Larry Kane knows his stuff. He knew John and was a friend of his for a long time so it's not like he had to do research to remember what happened and when. He was there recording and filming interviews with John and all the Beatles. Though obviously Kane and Lennon are very different, John seemed to genuinely like Larry and was very honest with him. I appreciate Kane's candor and the fact that he lived the details. Kane was there through the Cynthia Lennon days AND the Yoko days. I don't want to give anything away but the opening chapter with new eyewitness accounts of the end of John's life is sad but riveting. I was also surprised how open both Yoko Ono and May Pang were in this book. I don't recall them ever both agreeing to participate in the same book, so Kane must have pulled a rabbit out of his hat for that to happen. There's more I didn't know - and I thought I was a pretty serious fan: the secret jam sessions with Paul, John's trip to Philly for an MS telethon, and more. Saving the best for last, the DVD with John doing the weather forecast on Action News- even though it's a short piece - and the last recorded interview of John and Paul together is worth the price of the book. It's sure to become a collector's item.