A deep dive into the music and complex psychology of John Lennon, featuring interviews with such noted authors and podcasters as David Bedford, Dan Richter, Jude Kessler, Kit O'Toole and Ken McNab, as well as ex-Quarrymen bandmates Rod Davis and Colin Hanton
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 22/10/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Episode 117: John & George discuss meditation on the David Frost show 1967 (Part 1 of 2)
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 • Duration 01:02:13
The podcast finally makes its (not-quite) comeback with a welcome returning guest, Dave Thurmaier of 'I've Got A Beatles Podcast'. Dave & Antony's main topic is the appearance of John Lennon and George Harrison for 2 shows in September/October 1967 on the Frost Programme, hosted by genial host David Frost, to discuss their then-current 'new thing', namely Transcendental Meditation.
We don't quite get to the actual shows here in Part 1 but there is discussion of the remarkable development of the Beatles in 1966-67, meditation itself (including a remarkable, life-changing moment of clarity for Antony's father), David Frost and his history with the Fab Four, and the Beatles' relationship with classical music
Episode 116: John Lennon's Jukebox with Matt Williamson
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 • Duration 01:46:01
To celebrate the recently-passed 7th anniversary of the first episode of Glass Onion way back when, we welcome Matt Williamson of the 'Pop Goes The 60s' you tube channel to discuss an intriguing and entertaining documentary from 2004.
From the long-running UK arts and culture programme 'The South Bank Show', which had earlier brought us 'The Making of Sgt Pepper', comes an exploration of John Lennon's influences and musical loves by way of the portable jukebox he apparently brought on tour with him in 1965 and 1966, having loaded it with 40 of his favourite choons.
Matt and Antony also touch on the argument and fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, and the differences between 'black' and 'white' voices and music, both of which the documentary explores in a fairly gentle way. We also assess how John's own music stacks up against some of his idols, a lot of whose songs he covered
John Lennon's 1975 is mostly remembered for being the year that he became a father for the second time and dropped out of the music biz for 5 years, apparently to become the most famous househusband in the world (the jury's still out on that one).
Before he did that though, he front-loaded the year with the usual frenetic activity you'd expect from a year in the life of our hero. There were albums and singles of his own, musical collaborations with others, his final ever live appearance, interviews for TV, radio and print, lots of written letters to friends and family, some Beatle contact, a public appearance here and there, lawsuits and his ongoing fight with America's powers that (probably shouldn't) be.
Oh, and he also found time for a sudden change in his lovelife, his past lover quickly consigned to (Lennon) history.
For our final offerings of the year, we present a 2-part look at 1975, the year of Antony's birth. As is traditional, we first cover the year itself in terms of world events, births & deaths, films and (non-Lennon) music, before turning to the John Lennon events of the year.
The Vietnam War is finally winding down, and there are numerous other examples of progress and destruction in another memorable 12 months on our blue planet. Ali & Frazier fight the fight to end them all and there are great films, singles and albums galore.
We'll look at John Lennon's part in all this fun and games in December
Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching)
Episode 113: Lennon Naked with David 'Ghosty' Wills
Thursday, October 23, 2025 • Duration 01:39:04
David 'Ghosty' Wills is back once more to look at another biopic that's not really very good (we'll do something classic next time, I promise!), though our levels of (non-)appreciation of 2010's 'Lennon Naked' differ slightly
Christoper Eccleston gives something of a powerhouse performance as a very brutal and cutting version of John Lennon, starting in 1964 but mostly focusing on the 1967-71 period. All the main events of that time in John's life are covered here, with a soap-opera style reminiscent of the previously reviewed 'John & Yoko: A Love Story'.
Antony and Ghosty also discuss biopics in general, and the difficulty in capturing charismatic figures and writing dialogue worthy of them
There'll be another Glass Onion 2-parter to round off 2025, the first part due to come out in November
Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching)
Episode 112: Birth of the Beatles (Part 2 of 2)
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 • Duration 01:25:21
We complete our look at 'Birth of the Beatles', the 1979 biopic which holds a unique place as the only one of its kind made while all 4 Beatles were still alive.
The timeline goes somewhat awry but we go from the boys having departed Hamburg in late-1960 to the tragic death of one of their band members and then the arrival in the story of their well-groomed, well-spoken but also fragile guardian angel. From there, destiny takes its course…
Before this, Antony offers a short item on 'The John Lennon Letters' print/audio book, a fine entry in the canon of Lennon/Beatles books that offers us personal and valuable insights into the eternal enigma that was and is John Lennon. The voice of Christopher Eccleston, who portrayed John in the TV film 'Lennon Naked', can be heard reading some of the letters
Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching)
Episode 111: Birth of the Beatles (Part 1 of 2)
Thursday, July 17, 2025 • Duration 01:13:40
Following our last exploration of a biopic of dubious quality, Antony flies solo this time to explore another one which, despite having some sense of time and place, is also somewhat lacking and to some extent unintentionally comedic.
'Birth of the Beatles', which came out in 1979, will always hold a unique place as the only Beatles biopic made while John Lennon was still alive. Considering that he'd reacted negatively to Cynthia's apparent rewriting of history in her book 'A Twist of Lennon' in 1978, it's quite something to ponder what he might have thought of this Dick Clark-produced TV film.
Preceding this, Antony offers a guitar lesson for the Bob Dylan song 'Masters of War' and then the song that it inspired (musically at least)- John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero.' There are also pre-outro Easter Eggs to be found in this episode…
Episode 110- John & Yoko: A Love Story and more... with David 'Ghosty' Wills (Part 2 of 2)
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 • Duration 01:29:49
Ghosty joins Antony once again to wrap up our dissection of 'John & Yoko: A Love Story', and there is also some discussion of two other presentations from 1985.
'John Lennon: A Journey In The Life' is a 'cheap and cheerful' trawl through the Lennon story, with another Liverpudlian Bernard Hill portraying our hero in John's own words, and 'John Lennon Remembered' is a short documentary featuring two of the other 'frontline Beatles' (sorry Ringo) plus other talking heads who knew Lennon at different stages of his life.
Ghosty will be back later in the year for another documentary review, and the next episode will be a review of another slightly hilarious Beatles biopic.
Antony's website (music, podcasts, blog, life coaching)
Episode 109- John & Yoko: A Love Story with David 'Ghosty' Wills (Part 1 of 2)
Saturday, April 26, 2025 • Duration 01:22:57
We're happy to welcome back David 'Ghosty' Wills to discuss John & Yoko: A Love Story, a 1985 biopic starring Mark McGann and Kim Miyori that was very dear to our hearts, at least until we rewatched it!
We discuss some of the better scenes and also the unintentional comedy and 'TV movie tropes' of others. We cover about two thirds of the film here, and next time round we'll complete our review and also look at a couple of other presentations from the same year.
The conversation is preceded by Antony's thoughts on two recent John & Yoko documentaries, namely 'Daytime Revolution' and 'One To One: John & Yoko'
Episode 108: The Gospel According To John Lennon (Part 4 of 4)
Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Duration 01:21:04
Another podcast journey comes to an end as we conclude our look at John Lennon (and The Beatles') religious, spiritual and philosophical journey by use of Steve Turner's excellent book 'The Gospel According To The Beatles'
After a brief recap of the previous episodes, Part 4 picks up from the formation of Apple in 1967, our four favourite rock gods soon discovering that utopian ideals, while often a good thing for the world, usually run into problems when they rub up against harsh reality. From there we cover the break-up of the Beatles, John's psychic solo adventures (therapy, zen, astrology, magic) and an encounter that Steve Turner had with John & Yoko in 1971.
We hope you've enjoyed this alternative look at the many changes that John and his bandmates went through in those crazy and remarkable years up to 1980, when one quarter of the famous foursome was gunned down by an individual who was apparently grappling with the forces of light and darkness in his head, even possibly praying to Satan himself.
Like everything else, an exploration of the world just beyond visible light can be used for good or bad. If nothing else John Lennon was mostly striving, through various means, to improve his life and make himself a better person, which is something we can all aspire to.
Discover shows related to Glass Onion: On John Lennon, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
