Why John Lennon’s obsession with getting naked irritated Ringo Starr: “We all have to answer for it”
The last few years of The Beatles were strange for all involved. They might have kept pushing forward creatively, but their personal relationships started to fray, as drugs, changing home situations, and a desire to do something else started to take hold. When making 1968’s The White Album, it became clear in the studio that the end was nigh; John Lennon released the experimental Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins with partner Yoko Ono less than two weeks before it arrived all but confirmed it.
Although this was the first substantial sign that Lennon’s perception was changing, it wasn’t just the music or Ono’s presence that made the other band members seriously consider their place; it was the front cover. Controversially, the cover shows both Lennon and Ono stark naked, demonstrating just how far Lennon was willing to delve into the avant-garde thanks to the influence of his lover.
While the music itself was challenging, the rest of The Beatles had mixed emotions about the cover, mainly because they knew it would garner much negative attention. After all, they were the biggest band on earth and knew the intricacies of public hatred better than anyone. It’s one thing to claim your group is “more popular than Jesus,” but proudly flaunting your member to millions was a different matter entirely, despite the intention of conveying your love and devotion to your partner.
Drummer Ringo Starr was most taken aback. When first presented with the nude duo, he instantly pointed to the newspaper in the image, concentrating heavily on it so as not to catch a glimpse of Lennon’s todger again. It speaks volumes about the day’s standards and that men had a problem with accepting nature back then.
“The cover was the mind-blower — I remember to this day the moment when they came in and showed me,” he recalled in The Beatles Anthology. “I don’t really remember the music, I’d have to play it now. But he showed me the cover, and I pointed to the Times: ‘Oh, you’ve even got the Times in it…’ as if he didn’t have his d*** hanging out.”
After the shock subsided, Starr began to get annoyed. The Fab Four were still active, and the fear came over him that the rest of them would have to explain Lennon’s latest artistic endeavour. He recalled: “I said, ‘Ah, come on, John. You’re doing all this stuff, and it may be cool for you, but you know we all have to answer. It doesn’t matter; whichever one of us does something, we all have to answer for it.’”
Starr was then calmed down when Lennon maintained that all he had to do was answer the phone when the press called his home. In the end, it wasn’t even as bad as he thought either, only two or three people phoned and he told them: “See, he’s got the Times on the cover.”
Interestingly, Paul McCartney, a man known for being open-minded, who wrote the album notes for Two Virgins, even found the cover a little bit shocking. His qualms also centred around the impending controversy, and as the other most prominent figure in the band, his thoughts came true. In Anthology, he claims an “oppressive” campaign started against the couple after the album’s release.
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