“Michael Hill, who like John came to Quarry Bank from Dovedale Road, says that though John and Pete were close, John was definitely the leader. ‘It was always “Lennon and Shotton,” never “Shotton and Lennon.” Pete wasn’t without talent of his own but he was an acolyte of John’s. We all were.’”
Page 96
Author interview, June 1, 2005 (footnote 47, p1199)
“Colin Hanton, the drummer…was 18, and joined through Eric Griffiths, but knew to whom he must answer.
‘John didn’t say “I am the leader,” he just led, and we just followed him,’ he recalls. “There was never any discussion and it was never a problem. We just assumed John was the leader. He was the singer and whatever he wanted to sing we played.’”
Page 160-1
Interview by Spencer Leigh (footnote 42 on p1209)
“Pete Best watched the three lads who, with Ken, were looking around the cellar of his house. He noticed how the arty one, John, ‘looked and acted the leader from the start,’ and how he alone decided where they would play ‘while Paul and George hovered in the background silently agreeing.’”
Page 341
Beatle! (footnote 11 on p1240)
“Though John was indebted to Tony [Carricker] for broadening his musical horizons, Tony gained most from the friendship.
‘I was an acolyte of John’s, it was an acolytish relationship, because he had the personality. He was very much a force of nature—he was frightened of far fewer things than most people, he had no social fears, wasn’t constrained by all the silly little things in life and had tremendous self-confidence and good fun. He was a very, very good mate.’
All the friendships in John’s life were like this: he was the leader, respected and gratefully followed by others. But perhaps for the first time here at college there was an exception: John found a friend he revered.”
Page 258
Carricker’s quote from: Author interview, 2004 (footnote 41 on p1227)
“Cyn observed how [Paul] ‘tried hard to impress John, posing and strutting with his hair slicked back to prove that he was cool, because John was very much the leader.’”
Page 350
John (footnote 26 on p1241)
“A Wirral newspaper reporter spoke to them on their opening night at Neston Institute on,Thursday, June 2—the Beatles’ first headlining and advertised performance anywhere—and the resulting article had it right: they were the Beatles with an ‘A.’ As for their individual names, though, the Scotland legacy was (mostly) lingering on: ‘John Lennon, the leader, plays one of the three rhythm guitars, the other guitarists being Paul Ramon and Carl Harrison. Stuart Da Stael [sic] plays the bass, and the drummer is Thomas Moore.’”
Page 479
Birkenhead News and Advertiser (Heswall & Neston edition),
June 11, 1960 (footnote 6 on p1259)
Pat Moran:
“‘John was the leader. He used to talk to Paul and then they’d play something, but Paul was also the leader in a way because he was very much part of it. Certainly it was between Paul and John as to who took the lead. Paul was my favorite. I can still picture him at the front with his guitar, left-handed. He was on the left side of the stage, then George alongside him, then John, and Stuart on the right.’”
Page 493-4
Author interview, July 17, 2006 (footnote 30 on page 1261)
“[W]riter, Derek Runciman, liked the Beatles and what they had to say, and it was here (in the November 1 issue [of Dance News]) that they were first quoted in a national publication. John was identified in print as ‘leader and founder of the group’ (which they’d agreed to say, if anyone asked) and this time, on his 22nd birthday, he did all the talking.”
Page 1078
“June Harris was another writer to scent originality.
‘The Beatles were new to London and hadn’t really acquired any sophistication or expertise yet, but they certainly struck me as having more substance, more purpose, than a lot of people I’d interviewed. George was very sweet and kind, a nice young man, Ringo didn’t say much, Paul was sensible and taking things in his stride, and John just got on with it, like “I know where I’m going and what I want to do with this group.” The others were deferential to him—he was the leader and had a sense of direction for all of them, and when he had something to say he said it, and why not? He wasn’t going to take shit from anyone.’”
Page 1128
Author interview, April 6, 2004 (footnote 4 on page 1359)
ANOTHER KIND OF MIND 