Did John Lennon have a violent side?

Most people have heard about the allegations of domestic violence against Johnny Depp, and felt either confused or disillusioned. So far the popular movie star has remained silent about the accusations. 

John Lennon was yet another iconic star that had a much darker, more violent side, that didn't correspond with his 'peace and love image'. Of all the Beatles, he was the most complex and amorphous: the 'yin' to Paul McCartney's 'yang'. Here are the incidents that not everyone knows about...

Was Lennon a wife beater?

Reports of domestic violence are always disturbing, but Lennon wasn't consistently violent. That doesn't make it right, but Cynthia has stressed that he wasn't 'a wife beater' and that she wouldn't have stayed with him if he was. Nonetheless, he did violently slap her early on in her relationship, when they were still at art school. 

'John was in constant need of proof of love and security and he was constantly testing people for that proof.' (Cynthia Lennon). 

In her book 'John' published in 2005, she describes how he lashed out, when he saw her dancing with another man. He slapped her across the face and caused her head to hit the wall. Wisely, she ended the relationship, but he apologised profusely and she ended up forgiving him. From what I remember from the book, I believe he didn't touch her again after that.
When asked if she would marry him again, knowing what she knew later on, she said no.


However, she also said, 'Yoko had 10 years and I had 10 years. I would rather have the 10 years I had than the ones she did. I had the raw talent and the raw human being, before the sycophants arrived'. 

The Beatles met Muhammad Ali in 1964. I doubt Lennon would have picked a fight on this occasion!

In 1963 Lennon landed a man in hospital. Yes, really...

To say John Lennon nearly beat a man to death isn't hyperbole. It actually happened. 

Shortly after his wife gave birth, John went away on holiday with the openly homosexual Brian Epstein. It was dastardly enough to leave Cynthia with a new born baby, let alone what happened next. He spent 12 days away in Spain with a man that was rumoured to be in love with him (this has never been proven, but the rumours abounded). Many people thought that Brian Epstein's interest in The Beatles stemmed from his infatuation with John. 

When he returned, a close friend of the band, Bob Wooler, accused Lennon of being homosexual. To say Lennon didn't take this well was an understatement. Years later, he said he wouldn't care less if someone accused him of being gay. But at age 23 he was a heavy drinker and ended up in a blind rage. 

John and Paul with Bob Wooler in 1961

'I realised I was going to kill him,' Lennon said. 'I just saw it like a screen. If I hit him once more, that's really going to be it. I really got shocked and for the first time thought, 'I can kill this guy'.' 
To make matters worse, the incident happened at Paul's 21st birthday party. John eventually apologised to Bob saying, 'Really sorry Bob. Terribly worried to realise what I had done. What more can I say?'

'John Lennon had questionable politics. There was a flip side. He was all peace and love, but he was a very violent character.' Noel Gallagher, Oasis. 

So, was Lennon naturally violent, or did he just need to get it out his system? Like most pundits he didn't always practice what he preached. But like everyone, he had his faults and shortcomings and tried to make up for them. You only have to listen to 'Jealous Guy' to realise that he was aware of his problems, and felt remorse.