The moment John Lennon told The Beatles he was Jesus Christ and predicted his own death: “Right, meeting adjourned”
John Lennon and The Beatles were not internationally famous for their drug-taking per se. Their music and their output as artists always trumped the fact that they experimented with drugs during the 1960s; considering the vast amount of records they sold and box office tickets they filled, this is a given. However, the band’s connection to the burst of creativity that erupted out of the counterculture of the decade, and the neat line which can be drawn between it and the proliferation of both marijuana and LSD during that time, is a difficult thing to untangle from their legacy.
The group, like the decade itself, started with a pop of energy. They were a British incarnation of the solid rock ‘n’ roll that had emerged from America. They relined the fabric of their suits with a shimmying skiffle and went on stage to become the biggest band on the planet. As the ’60s moved on, so did The Beatles, and the pop group of old began to disappear.
Despite their previous clean-cut image, the band became well known for narcotic experimentation, especially John Lennon’s love affair with LSD. Lennon and Harrison experienced the drug together for the first time, and their experiences would not only form how the Beatles would approach their songwriting but, by proxy, also shape the general culture around drugs in Britain and beyond. LSD would become a sincere part of their recreation, if only temporarily.
Harrison’s dalliances with the drug are well known, and he would often elucidate on the benefits of such a mind-opening experience. However, Lennon would also be shaped by the experience, having much of his work at the time coloured by the drug. One only needs to read the lyrics of ‘I Am The Walrus’ for proof of that. One night, specifically, during an extreme trip, the guitarist and songwriter found himself with the undeniable feeling that he was not only finding his spirituality within himself but that he was, in fact, at that time, during an acid trip, Jesus Christ himself.
According to Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With The Beatles from Tony Bramwell, the story goes that Lennon was out of his mind on a strong tab of acid when he called an emergency meeting of The Beatles. As the moustache searchlight hit the night’s sky, calling the Liverpudlians toward it, the tensions in the air must have been palpable for the three members of the band. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison soon rushed over to Lennon and met in the boardroom of their label, Apple Records, in London.
As with most rock tales, the exact ins and outs of the story are unknown, lost in a haze of hash smoke and broken memories. But I like to think of Lennon standing before his bandmates and declaring: “I’ve got something very important to tell you,” letting the energy of the statement circulate the room, “I am Jesus Christ. I have come back again. This is my thing.” Rather than being shocked or surprised or indeed committing Lennon to the medical professionals, the group took it in their stride, perhaps having seen it all before.
In fact, the only member of the group to utter a single word was Ringo. The drummer let out a sigh and said, “Right. Meeting adjourned, let’s go have some lunch.” He quickly took Lennon to lunch, but while the ‘Imagine’ singer continued to spiral into the idea of singular spirituality, a fan rushed to their table and was besotted with meeting the incredible John Lennon.
The guitarist soon corrected the gushing fan: “Actually,” Lennon said, “I’m Jesus Christ.” Although the fan was stunned, they were perhaps expecting as dumbfounding a response as they got. The fan replied: “I still liked your last record,” the night wouldn’t end there, however, and Lennon’s journey would spiral further down the rabbit hole.
Lennon would soon tell friends that he must be productive in creating music as he felt that his days as the Liverpudlian Messiah were numbered and he would soon be taken out. It was a solemn proclamation that would sadly come true in 1980.
He told a friend: “They’re going to kill me, you know. But I’ve got at least four years to go, so I’ve got to do stuff.” Of course, today, with the murder of Lennon in our memories, this message can feel strangely prophetic. The night would also provide not only a vision of his suspected death but a reason for living.
That night, John Lennon would call up an artist he had recently met named Yoko Ono. They would spend the night together and become one of the most iconic couples the world has ever known.
They may not have been bigger than Jesus, but at one time, in one dimension or another, John Lennon was, in fact, Jesus Christ himself, whether you want to believe it or not.
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