Paul McCartney on John Lennon
That’s why he lost his glasses complex
Paul McCartney (l.) still remembers the insecurities of his bandmate John Lennon.
© imago/ZUMA Press
John Lennon used to be ashamed of wearing glasses, according to Paul McCartney. One person made the Beatles icon feel confident:
Beatles legend John Lennon (1940-1980) hated wearing his glasses – until rock’n’roll star Buddy Holly (1936-1959) shook up the music scene with thick horn-rimmed glasses. Bandmate Paul McCartney (81) reveals this in a new BBC Radio 2 documentary, as the Daily Mail reports.
“John had these horn-rimmed glasses back then, and when a girl came by, he would take off his glasses, put them in his pocket and squint as she walked by,” the British musician said in the documentary. “And I said: ‘You look pretty good, the glasses are good.'” But that didn’t interest the “Yesterday” interpreter at the time.
Buddy Holly inspired John Lennon with his look
It was US musician Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holly who gave John Lennon courage. “When Buddy came, the glasses stayed on,” says Paul McCartney. “It was like Harry Potter with all the children.” Since the “Peggy Sue” singer’s trademark was thick, black horn-rimmed glasses, Lennon dared to stand by his. The Beatles were all enthusiastic about Buddy Holly’s talent at the time. “We thought, this is what we have to do,” says the singer-songwriter.
During his time, Buddy Holly also appeared in the opening act for Elvis Presley (1935-1977). On February 3, 1959, he died in a plane crash at the age of just 22.