#stu sutcliffe

[reflectismo]

Paul McCartney’s thoughts from 1983 on Phillip Norman’s ‘Shout!’, marketed as the supposed ‘True Story of The Beatles’:

“My problem is to me, I come over as this very together guy, always got his finger on top of everything: the man with no problems. School – a doddle, got all the exams. This is the sort of image of me. Actually, I had murder getting through exams, like I was saying about being on tour during my GCEs. I was like the kid who was getting the cane. Just like John was, but he [Phillip Norman] makes me the very shrewd, always-going-to-succeed guy, and John is the kind of cute, working-class hero. In actual fact though, John was just as shrewd and ambitious as I was. What does me in is he adds to this image I’ve got; I resent that, because I know I’m not that, and I know I’ve never been that.

Like in the book, I almost kill Stu Sutcliffe. The way it comes over is that I used to really put Stu down, whereas in actual fact, I had a little bit of a thing against Stu, but that was for one reason – he couldn’t play bass. I had a purely musical thing about it ‘What are we going to do about a bass player who can’t play bass?’ And the other great legend is Pete Best – ‘Why did they get rid of this poor lad?’ Because George Martin told us – ‘Your drummer can’t drum. Get rid.’ What are we gonna do, try and pretend he’s wonderful drummer? We knew he wasn’t as good as what we wanted in the group, so we got another drummer that we wanted. He was called Ringo. It had got to the stage that Pete was holding us back.

You can’t help it, if there’s somebody in the group who doesn’t click. Like Stu. Stu was a great guy, a lovely guy, and I didn’t understand him, it’s true. There’s a lot of people in my life I haven’t understood; I’m not the world’s most psychic person. I make a lot of mistakes, and I misread people, I’ve read a lot of stuff about Stu since that I didn’t know about; I was taking him all wrongly. But it certainly wasn’t just me who was getting at him, everyone had their little goes. But I suddenly come out as the ‘go-getter’ and the ambitious one in the group. And John’s portrayed as the kind of nice guy who always falls into situations. And he has George standing there with his plectrum always waiting for a solo. Now that does George an injustice there’s a lot more to George – than just this idiot waiting for a solo.”

#Paul McCartney #The Beatles #John Lennon #George Harrison #Ringo Starr #Stu Sutcliffe #Shout! #1983 #Interview #Phillip Norman

[evrythingisabeatlesreferance]

#john lennon #paul mccartney #the beatles #george harrison #ringo starr #mclennon #everythingisabeatlesreferance #cavern club #stu sutcliffe

[nik-nefarious]

The Beatles before Brian Epstein cleaned them up as they appeared during their early gigs in Hamburg, Germany, and at the Cavern in Liverpool circa 1960-1962.

#the beatles #paul mccartney #john lennon #george harrison #stu sutcliffe #pete best #hamburg #germany #liverpool #england #star-club #the indra club #the cavern #rock 'n' roll #Spotify

[kaiserkeller]

MILLIE SUTCLIFFE, mother of STUART, alongside councillor ERIC FISHER, at an exhibition of her son’s paintings, 15 December 1969.

The painting they are standing in front of was considered the most valuable, at £300.

#bear in mind that £300 in 1969 is worth £6317 today #stuart sutcliffe #millie sutcliffe #the beatles #1969 #painting #stuart’s legacy #stu sutcliffe #1960s #60s #john lennon #george harrison #ringo starr #paul mccartney

[kinsfaun]

August 1960...

#these boys #the silver beatals #stu sutcliffe #pete best #always reblog hamburg beatles

[nevereverywhere]

Their name liveth for evermore... Stu looks like he belongs in another decade, George looks old and young at the same time and Paul clearly belongs in bed. Barry Chang took this photo at Arnhem War Memorial, 1960 (John Lennon stayed in the van)

#the beatles #john lennon #paul mccartney #george harrison #stu sutcliffe #1960 #pete best #baby beatles

[sleeper9]

Astrid and Stu energy

#personal #astrid kirchherr #stu sutcliffe #Beatles lore

[mclennonlgbt]

Friendly reminder that John Lennon grew up on Menlove Avenue...

#john lennon #lennon mccartney #mclennon #lgbtqia #bisexual #pansexual #the beatles #stu sutcliffe #elton john #brian epstein

[ultra-francesca-mercury]

april 10, 1962

Stu Sutcliffe, original bass guitarist for The Beatles, dies at age 21 of a brain aneurysm.

#stu sutcliffe #stuart sutcliffe #beatles #the beatles #almanaccomercury

[get-back-homeward]

Spring 1961: Stu vs Paul fight

“At the start of the year the Beatles didn’t have one bass player and now they had two, and comments were surely passed. Although Cyn would write of how Stu “restrained himself” when Paul was niggling him, there was one occasion when he didn’t, when the Top Ten witnessed an explosion, and yet another fight: Beatle on Beatle this time, Stu on Paul.

The fight’s origin is vague or varies in the telling, but everyone agrees that a tease or derogatory mention of Astrid set it off. Klaus says Stuart owed Paul some money, and Paul, nagging to get it back, made a flippant remark about Astrid being able to afford it. As Paul would remember, “I’d always wondered, if he and I ever had a fight, who would win? He was probably wondering too. I assumed I’d win because he wasn’t that big, but the strength of love or something entered into him because he was no easy match at all.”

Everyone was amazed by the manner in which Stu, so manifestly puny, could summon up such power, as if his every muted response to eighteen months of snipes and gibes accumulated in one eruption. As George put it, “Stuart suddenly got this amazing strength that Paul hadn’t bargained for.” Klaus says Stu “picked Paul up and put him on the piano.” Pete says Stu “landed Paul such a wallop that it knocked him off his stool. [They] began struggling on the floor, rolling around locked in the most ferocious battle … a fury of flailing fists.” Paul always speaks of it being “a silly fight—you just stay locked for about an hour, with nobody doing anything. All the old German gangsters were laughing, but it was very serious for us.”

It has never been explained how the fight ended or how they were able to work together afterward, because this wasn’t a skirmish that cleared the air and left the protagonists friends again. The situation remained awkward, and it was just as well Stu’s remaining days in the Beatles numbered in single figures. He, not Paul, was now the spare part on stage, and it was Paul, not Stu, who played bass when the Beatles went off to make a record.”

—Mark Lewisohn, Tune In (Ch. 19)

#paul and stu #man i had no idea they actually threw down!! #mark lewisohn #tune in #stu sutcliffe #1961 #and paul lost #the fight he won the bass only bc stu was moving on to art things #also the fight before this is tony vs pete and john clearly manipulated them into it #so im just reading this seeing johns smirk over seeing them throw down over him lol #also the cause being about stu owing paul money #and jealousy over astrid as this upper class mothering type tomboy ideal #showing how class and money anxiety heightened their rivalry #the drama of the rectangle stu-astrid-john-paul in 1961 is wild #and thats not even factoring in klaus and jurgen and george which make it more like an octagon lol #reading tune in #hamburg era #fisticuffs #class and the beatles #bug fights #i feel like this is the first physical fight ive read #besides the john vs george one that wasnt ever confirmed #and im actually surprised by that #considering how bonkers everything else is #like paul driven to correct the record that john never hit him

[anotherkindofmindpod]

There is speculation about John's relationship with Stu having a sexual/romantic element. According to one quote by John allegedly, Stuart went down on him. I'm not sure what to think because if true why would he have such trouble with Brian, to the point that he talked about the Wooler incident as internalized homophobia? And if not, then what's with that quote? If not for that, I would dismiss the claim because Paul's rivalry with Stu is not evidence that John and Stu had a sexual relationship

Hi Anon, I’ve read about John’s alleged claim that Stu went down on him once. To be totally transparent, we don’t have a clear source on this. Stu’s sister repeats it in her book as something she heard John had allegedly claimed to a third party, so it’s hearsay, and therefore we cannot verify it in any way. So again, just to be crystal CLEAR, without a direct quote from the person John allegedly said this to… it’s JUST a rumor.

That said, if you want my OPINION (speaking just for myself, not the entire AKOM cast), I personally find it completely plausible. Not for the veracity of the source but because it just… sounds believable?  In my personal experience at that age (high school & college) it was extremely commonplace for both girls and boys to experiment sexually, whether they were gay, straight or bisexual (yes, including straight guys who blew each other), so this idea is not at all shocking or unusual to me.  Sure, the ‘60s were a different time, but I was a teenager in the 1990s which is the relative Stone Age to kids in 2022. So my point is: horny teens have always fooled around and fluid sexuality is nothing new.

John said about the Barcelona trip that “it was my first experience with a homosexual that I knew was homosexual,” which to me indicates that he’s making a distinction there. I am definitely NOT attempting to speak for all bisexuals or queer ppl or women (etc) when I say this, but from my personal experience as a young woman, I can confirm that, for me and my friends at least, fairly or not, queer sex with a straight person (who presumably is viewing the experience as a experiment in the first place) was not taken especially “seriously.” So John experimenting with Stu, who was presumably “bicurious” (i.e. “straight”) may be relatively low stakes as compared to Brian, which would probably feel more “real.” 

As far as Paul McCartney goes, I don’t really think his jealousy of Stu proves anything one way or another. Paul was jealous of Stu’s status as John’s BFF- a role that Paul felt was rightfully his and that he'd earned. It’s hurtful when your BFF gets a new bestie (even if he stays besties with you too), especially when he connects with that new friend in a different/exclusive context (i.e. art college!). This is such an incredibly common phenomenon, something even children experience and can relate to. Here’s the thing though. It doesn’t matter how much John likes Paul - if John makes a new friend who is bicurious and potentially down to clown, he’s going to get super excited by that prospect and want to explore it. Paul would really have nothing to do with it (sorry Paul!).

"Romantic" feelings are an entirely different conversation. I personally wouldn't consider a single BJ a "sexual relationship" - to me that's just a sexual encounter that can exist in relationships that are otherwise platonic. I also wouldn't necessarily consider it "romantic" - Sex in and of itself is not an indicator of romantic feelings. But again... eye of the beholder. Having said all that, something being plausible certainly doesn't make it true! I don't actually think there's any evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, that points to this John/Stu BJ story being credible... I'm just saying it sounds to me like... a normal teenage thing?? So I wouldn't be shocked. And it wouldn't change the story much, if at all, for me (but I guess maybe that's b/c I already consider it a likely possibility, lol). Just my 2 cents! -Phoebe

#queer stuff #John Lennon #Stu Sutcliffe

[beatlepaul4ever]

It’s not very often I see a photo and think “I don’t think I’ve seen that one before” but this is one of those!

#the beatles #stu sutcliffe

[wrence]

Stuart Sutcliffe was an important member of The Beatles. He helped come up with the name and was always the first to adopt a new clothes or hairstyle. He was also John’s closest friend. John and the others would be forced to endure an unexpected tragedy on April 10, 1962. In this episode, we’re talking about the circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the death of Stuart Sutcliffe.

(Larry notes: This covers events of three weeks ago. Sorry for the delay in postproduction. I took some time off in April. It's an hour long! Perfect to take with you on a hike, or something.)

#stuart sutcliffe #stu sutcliffe #John Lennon #the beatles #beatles60 #year: 1962 #hamburg #another kind of mind #astrid kirchherr #klaus voormann #Pete Best #yoko ono #paul mccartney #allan williams #horst fascher #manfred weissleder

[theresnothingformehere]

Happy birthday +3 days, Stu I see this picture (that I have never seen in such hd !! until a couple of months ago) and I see your beautiful face and I just want to give you a tight hug and a sweet kiss on your cheek♡ You always make my heart happy. I want to keep knowing and enjoying your art, sharing it, talking to people about you. I love you and I miss you, Stuart♡ #stuartsutcliffe #stusutcliffe #painter #artist #thebeatles #happybirthdaystu #82yearsomg https://www.instagram.com/p/CfSzrcju-iC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#stuart sutcliffe #stu sutcliffe #painter #artist #the beatles #Beatles #happy birthday stu #82 years omg

[natalieapalumbo]

The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate retweeted my #MST3K snowglobe post with a beautiful sentiment. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you. 🥰

I love my brother. 💙

#ilovemybrother #lowverbalautism #siblingadvocate #brotherandsister #thebeatles #siriusxmthebeatleschannel #stuart sutcliffe #stuart sutcliffe estate #stuartsutcliffeestate #stu sutcliffe #the beatles #mst3kshowmaker #mst3kturkeydaymarathon #makemoremst3k

[beatleshistoryblog]

LECTURE 8: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC: Give a listen to this fascinating interview with Astrid Kirchherr (1938-2020), who famously had a relationship with Stu Sutcliffe (1940-1962) during his short life. The interview originally aired on National Public Radio’s popular Fresh Air program on January 15, 2008. Hamburg-born Kirchherr first met The Beatles in 1960, as she discusses in this conversation with interviewer Terry Gross. She fell in love with Sutcliffe, who eventually put aside the bass (he was never particularly strong at playing it) and became a painter, which he felt was much more suited to his talents. His death from a brain hemorrhage on April 10, 1962, left Kirchherr and the members of The Beatles, particularly his close friend John Lennon, devastated.

#Astrid Kirchherr #The Beatles #Stu Sutcliffe #John Lennon #interviews #NPR #Terry Gross #1960 #Hamburg