FEATURE FRIDAY: Julian Lennon

 You may remember Paul McCartney's written work titled "Hey Jude", well this actually references the son of John Lennon. Julian Lennon, also known as "Jude" as a nickname, is a child from John's first marriage. John divorced Julian's mother at a mere 5 years of age, after the infidelity with Yoko Ono. It was not until the 70s that Julian even contacted his father much after the divorce.

Their relationship was strained most of his adult life. In interviews, he mentioned feeling more connected to Paul than he ever was his own father. He preached of John being a hypocrite, standing for all this love yet having a private life full of mistreating people and adultery. He said his father's time with May Pang (which occurred in a brief breakup with Yoko Ono) were the best years of his life. He has said in recent years he chose to let go of his anger towards his father, due to not wanting to commit to a cloud hanging over his head in such a way.

Julian has spent his life dabbling in many fine arts. His music career hit a good start with Valotte being nominated for a grammy even. His second album, The Secret Value of Daydreaming, was panned by critics but gave him the first billboard number one song of his career. His future releases have been less successful, but critically well received. His most recent album includes a documentary on the making, which includes interviews with Bono and Steven Tyler. 

He also spent a majority of his adult life doing photography, and film. His films are mostly documentaries, aiding his philanthropy work that has brought him great happiness in his life. He has often been outside Hollywood to focus on this, especially in Australia. He has also recently released a graphic novel for children.

Musician's children can sometimes fly or fall when competing, but I do hope you will take a try at Julian's work this week. Just try not to compare him to the father that he seemed to want to be separated from. He does not want included in the John Lennon controversial narratives.