Author comments on Beatles' spirituality
BY ALLISON KENNEDY
Staff Writer
"All You Need Is Love."
"Oh My Lord."
"Slow Train Coming."
If nothing else, the Beatles were spiritual seekers. The seeking comes through in much of their music, including these songs. They sought religion in both traditional ways (Christianity, and Eastern religions) and nontraditional ones (drugs, namely LSD). John Lennon investigated Zen and the occult. George Harrison meditated regularly and read books on Eastern philosophy. Paul McCartney's interest in formal religion ended in the late 1960s, after he left the Maharishi's ashram. The closest thing to religion in his life, according to a new book, is vegetarianism. Ringo Starr has long claimed to be agnostic, neither hostile to nor embracing the Church in which he was raised. All four were baptized, either as Anglicans or Catholics.
Paul and Ringo are the only two living Beatles.
Following several years of books linking spiritual teachings to popular culture, Beatles expert and writer Steve Turner of London has written "The Gospel According to the Beatles" (WJK Books $37.50). Similarly named books -- with no connection to Turner -- include "The Gospel According to Spider-Man" and "The Gospel According to The Simpsons."
Turner has written about rock music for more than 30 years. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone and Paste. Previous books include "The Man Called Cash;" "Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye;" and "Hungry for Heaven: Rock 'n' roll and the Search for Redemption."
Following is an e-mail interview with Turner.
First, an obvious question -- what kind of religion/spirituality did the Beatles have? And are people put off by the suggestion that they were spiritual guides?
The Beatles were most interested in what
you might call "altered consciousness" and so they were interested in anything that enabled them to achieve this whether it was drugs, chanting or Eastern forms of religion that involved techniques that promised "enlightenment." John once even considered having a hole bored in his skull, the theory being that this relieved pressure on the brain and increased the blood flow thus allowing a greater awareness. At the time (the 1960s), a lot of young people actually wanted the Beatles to act as spiritual guides and I'm sure great numbers of young people took drugs and explored Eastern religion because of what the Beatles had done.
Since your first research, and writing about the Beatles in 1969, how has your view of the Beatles changed? I have a far greater perspective now, obviously, and far more information has come out. It was only in writing this book that I became completely aware of the extent of their church backgrounds, for example. I've also had the
privilege of meeting John and Yoko, Paul and Linda, producer George Martin and many other people in the Beatles' camp.
Talk about John Lennon's religious explorations, particularly about his alleged conversion to Christianity. What do you think he was looking for?
I think John was looking for security and guidance. He tended to vacillate between outright denial of the spiritual realm -- as in his song 'Imagine' -- to acceptance of almost any occult mumbo-jumbo. In the 1970s, he tried everything from the advice of psychics to astrology, numerology and "directionalism." I think what he knew of Christianity from his childhood kept coming back to haunt him so he never quite got rid of the claims of Jesus. I was surprised to discover that he had corresponded with Oral Roberts and that he'd later gone through a period -- maybe no longer than two months -- where he considered himself to be a born-again Christian. In his final interview, he said that
he was still reading the Bible and finding new meanings in the parables so I think it was unfinished business.
Given their political leanings, what would John, Paul, Ringo and George be speaking out about today? Or singing about? Would their message be different for the States than for the U.K? Paul's big concern for a long time has been environmentalism and he does speak out about that. Ringo is more likely to stress love and peace in a very general way. George never deviated from his devotion to Krishna but he, as a great nature lover, was concerned about the environment and pollution. I'm sure that if John could have been coaxed away from his TV in the Dakota Building, he would be criticizing President Bush and the war in Iraq just as he criticized President Nixon and the War in Vietnam. I'd like to think that he'd be friends with Bono (of U2), and that Bono would have gotten him to play more of an active role in relieving injustice. I hope they'd
also be singing about love, cars, paperback books and all the other good things in life.
Is there any individual musician or group today equal to the Beatles in talent and/or political/religious activism? U2 comes to mind.
The Beatles were unique in that they were groundbreaking. No one else can break that ground again. They set the template that even hip-hop follows in its own way. So, I can't imagine someone coming along in music and having the same impact -- not because they are necessarily musically inferior -- but because of the way history has moved. However, I think U2 occupies the role of being the best contemporary act that combines a hummable, danceable music that is laced with social concern, spiritual wonder and an observation of everyday delights.
The Beatles' religious searchings led obviously in many directions. What do you think were they searching for? How did the drugs play into this search for meaning and
understanding?
I suppose that they were searching for answers to the age-old questions -- "Who am I?", "Where do I come from?", "How should I live?" and "Where am I going?"
These questions were particularly pertinent in the early 1960s because they were part of a generation that had broken free from the certainties that the Christian story had offered people. Initially that seemed like freedom, but after achieving success and financial independence so early in their lives, I think it raised the question -- "What next?" In secular terms that had achieved salvation -- money, fame, success, travel, sex, pleasure -- but it didn't satisfy their deeper spiritual selves. Drugs came into their lives at that time and gave them the feeling that there were many levels to their own minds that they hadn't yet discovered. This caused them to revise all that they had held to be true until that time. LSD also gave them experiences that they felt they understood
better when they read the scriptures on Hinduism and Buddhism.
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