It must be good being a dead Beatle like John Lennon. As well as knowing that your ex-bandmate and your widow are in the middle of a faintly embarrassing public feud about who you liked more, you can also sit back and enjoy the fact that every single thing that you have ever owned will be flogged off at an auction at one point or another.
The latest piece of Lennon memorabilia to be hawked around a Las Vegas auctioneers was the iconic white suit that John Lennon wore on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
John Lennon (CDs) auctions are a bit hit-and-miss. People should never
assume that they’ll get rich from selling a piece of Lennon
memorabilia. Last month, Christie’s tried to auction off the
hand-written first draft of I’m Only Sleeping, but it didn’t even meet the
reserve price – mainly because it was a bunch of felt-tip scribble on
the back of a bill and nobody really liked I’m Only Sleeping anyway,
except maybe for Suggs.
But yesterday’s auction items were a real piece of history – the
white suit that John Lennon wore on the sleeve of Abbey Road – a sleeve
that has been copied and spoofed millions of times, made a genuine
landmark out of a studio and zebra crossing, and started off rumours
that Paul McCartney had died and been replaced by a lookalike.
Naturally, it made a lot of money – $118,000 (£66,385).
As well as the John Lennon Abbey Road white suit, the auction also
included the Austin Princess hearse that Lennon drove in the Imagine
documentary. That sold for $150,000 (£84,388) to Princess Tenko, a
bizarro Japanese popstar turned magician with her own cartoon.
John Lennon wasn’t the only star to have his stuff sold at the
auction – of which portions of sales went to Amnesty International.
Marilyn Monroe‘s appointment book and Elizabeth Taylor‘s headdress from
Cleopatra were also flogged off.
Read more:
Lennon’s Abbey Road Suit Sold Off – BBC
[story by Stuart Heritage]
Don Knutsen says
Nobody likes Shes Only Sleeping…….? I beg to differ..theres the good part of a few generations now who still feel the Beatles music was the pinnacle of whats come off as Rock for the last 45 years. Just because you are too lame to appreciate it dosent meant its a fact.
Steve Bleiler says
….and I predict prices for this stuff will only continue to go up. Most of us boomers played this album til it wore out….
Old Fart says
It’s “I’m Only Sleeping,” and it is a classic track from Revolver – one of the more seminal Beatle albums.
Michael says
Yer a Twat,
Fred Weiner says
I beg to differ–strongly–with Mr Heritage’s assertion that nobody liked “I’m Only Sleeping”.Like so many of the songs written and recorded by Lennon/McCartney in that now bygone era, “Sleeping” is completely unique. No song has ever sounded like it. The refrain might as well have been written in philosophic commentary on all of us who, at one time or another, find difficulty in engagement with the insanity in the world and space out instead. Also, the theme of the sleeping greatness in all of us. In other words, Beatle songs so often work at multiple levels, not the least musically, and with consummate originality. “Sleeping” fits this description perfectly, a great song, one of many.
KJ says
That’s one of Lennon’s best songs, for sure from the good days. I would rather have those notes anyday over the suit.
Scott says
Ya no wonder that song didn’t sell. not only was it a rip off buying felt scribbles; but music lovers had matured to the point where they saw the beatles’ “music” for what it was – overhyped and over rated hack-job crap. I wouldn’t pay more than ten bucks for “she’s only sleeping” any more than I’d pay more than twenty for an autographed danielle steele novel!
Dr. Love says
I love ‘I’m only sleeping’. I suppose if you are tone-deaf, it doesn’t sound to good.
nick says
scott:
go jump off a cliff. The Beatles are and were the most influencial music in the entire world.
They were some of the greatest people on earth, so dont back slap them!
Yours Truly
Nick
hippie says
i agree with nick. lennon is my hero, and a wanna be a guitarist just like him.
Rock on beatles,
peace to the world,
and peace in yourself.
–Your fellow hippie.
JBollocks says
Look at some Lennon interviews from that time.
He was a smartarse asshole.
True he could sing and play guitar. And write music. But, he was a twat.
Not putting him down musically. He was really a great and fantastic, world changing musician.
Dods Febro of Bataan says
i think some people are just sleeping while listening a BEATLE song…keep on sleeping