A lot of buzz around the fact that John Lennon would have turned 70 yesterday (october 9). Interviews, blogs, reissues of all Lennon’s post Beatles recordings. A lot of the stuff redundant.

I always liked Lennon, because I thought he was the most creative of all Beatles.
That changed when Lennon’s Anthology was issued in 1998. Nothing wrong with the box, mind you (Anthology is of greater value than the signature box they are selling now). It’s about CD 4, song no. 3: Serve yourself. It’s a vicious parody on Dylan’s Gotta serve somebody. And more general on Dylan.

It’s for this reason a Dutch weekly (HP/De Tijd) headlines: “A brilliant asshole”. The article starts with a description of the documentary Gimme me some truth. George Harrison at unease playing slide guitar on Lennon’s How do you sleep? Obviously facing a conflict of loyalty.
Back to Serve yourself. Lennon did not understand Dylan’s move to gospel songs. He could not match that with the writer of “Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters.” Lennon said: “It’s the same man, but it isn’t the same man”.

The song’s ending:
Well there’s somethin’ missing in this God Almighty stew

And it’s your goddamn mother you dirty little git,

now get in there and wash your ears!

According to Yoko Ono it was all about fun. A proof of Lennon’s humour. Well, I don’t buy it. I think it’s a proof of Lennon’s sarcasm.

Of course this side of Lennon was crucial to the Beatles. In his excellent book ‘We can work it out’, Erik van Vooren states that the Beatles had an ideal mix of personalities that made the Beatles successful. And that many business teams can learn from that. Harrison is the inspiring thinker, Star the pragmatic doer, McCartney the ambitious organiser and Lennon to no surprise the rebellious critic.