John in 1980

I was surfing on youtube a few days ago for some John music videos and came upon this nicely done fan compilation. The soundtrack is "You Can't Do That" and it has tons of pics of John and family in 1980.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ-rJj8vmZE
There are many, many great pictures, most I've never seen before--but I couldn't help noticing how skinny John was! Not even skinny, more like emaciated. I showed the video to my girlfriend who is a nutritionist and she even agreed that John looks considerably thinner than he did even in the 1970s when he was a pretty slender guy. What is up with that? Was he OK? I'm not at all referring to drugs because I don't actually think he looks like he's strung out in any of these pictures, but he just looks toooooo skinny (& hungry!) It made me realize I haven't looked at too many pictures of John in 1980. The ones I have seen, like the covers of Double Fantasy and Milk & Honey I think he looks pretty good. What's the deal on this??

I have the book



http://www.amazon.com/John-Lennon-Su...4231817&sr=8-1

^ That book is SO beautiful. Gorgeous pics.

on the end of this book are the lyrics of Double Fantasy

The whole "John was too skinny in 1980" thing is a huge debate/battle in the Lennon fan camp. I'm on the side of "he was way too skinny and unhealthy looking," but... then again, there are some photos where he looks okay. Here's an example where I think he looks thin, but definitely not emaciated:



My belief is that he was still doing coke (it was 1980, after all), but the "conventional wisdom" said it was the macrobiotic diet Yoko had him on. Who knows for sure? Personally, I think he may have had an eating disorder because John had a lot of issues, and when someone once called him "the fat Beatle" I think he took it very hard...

^ Maia, that picture you posted is simply gorgeous. He still looks SO skinny, but it doesn't look unpleasant on him [in this photo].

(Slightly OT but I love the way John dressed in 1980. I think that alone deserves a thread. Like, this monochromatic set with some yellow-toned wayfarers is hot. I can't even...)

I'm along the same line of reasoning as you on the matter. I do know that they found in John's system, upon his death, not a trace of any drug other than caffeine and nicotine. And cocaine normally stays in the system for days...so if he was doing coke, I imagine it was dabbling.

I agree that he was very insecure about his weight. He started becoming alarmingly thinner in 1966. Like, you can even see the difference in him when they were on their tour in '66. He definitely looks much thinner, and at that point he really shouldn't have lost any more weight. He was skinny enough right there. From that point on there were periods where he just looked alarmingly thin- and the late 70s/1980 is very much in that camp.

I also believe he was a very strict macrobiotic follower. He would pass along this book to people he knew:

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Blues-Wi.../dp/0446343129 and was obsessed with how many times he chewed his food: http://macrobiotics.co.uk/chewwell.htm

I read that Sean wasn't allowed to really eat any candy but was given things like Nori seaweed sheets or dried fish treats (um, ew). And John ate like miso soup for breakfast and tons of kale, brown rice, etc.

Yoko said he would cheat and have coffee and dark chocolate because he LOVED it, but even those things aren't exactly glazed in fat.

And also, what I never took note of but probably should have, is the fact that John's family (mom, dad, aunts, etc.) were all kind of slight/slender people. Like his sisters, for example, are pretty thin women. As are Sean and Julian (I met Sean in person and he was shockingly tiny). So maybe it was just John's natural propensity to be thinner. I mean, he wasn't really following his macrobiotic diet that strictly in the early 70s and he STILL was pretty skinny, so....

It amazes me that people (even "fans?") try to tarnish others'. I just don't get it. What is there to "gain" by "proving" John was using illegal drugs at the time he was killed. I can understand a positive effort, but I'm glad I'm not one all caught up in negative energy.

I thought John looked great. It kind of sucks that people who are thin through healthy diet and lifestyles are thought of as "sickly" or "unhealthy" by overweight people.

I appreciate the responses. I don't own this book but I certainly want it. Double fantasy is such an amazing, wonderful, beautiful creation that I can't get enough of it!

I think this macrobiotic diet is crazy restrictive. I was reading a little of what Apple Scruff linked and that seems like a very hard thing to follow. My girlfriend tells me, though, that it is extremely healthy if done correctly.

I recall reading a post from Sean on his board where he mentioned that he was raised macrobiotic and is still macro, but not as strictly. Anyway, check out these pics of John. I'm surprised there isn't much talk about it:

Hi

It's indeed an interesting debate, trying to find out, why John looked so thin in 1980. First, I don't think he must have been taken coke, just because he was thin. In 1965 John was already on drugs and looked chubby, so... He said personally that he was on a strict macrobiotic diet, which I think was the main reason. Generally, looking skinny doesn't have to mean being unhealthy . Finally, it also very much depends on his haircut, which he changed several times during 1980.

There are some pictures (like the one Maia shows in her posting) in which John really looks good; I mean "thin", but "okay" and not unhealthy at all. It's true that there are some pictures of this period in which he looks unfavorble and way too thin, like the one taken in the airplane, which you attached above. This (bad ) haircut made him look even thinner than he actually was. On the other hand, I think John looked very good with the haircut from the pictures of "Double Fantasy" and "Milk of Honey" .

Snoopy

John in 1980 is up there with my favorite period of all-time for him, artistically and physically speaking. I actually think he looked gorgeous 9 times out of 10 and so full of life in his interviews. I loved ALL the music he put out, I loved his style, his outlook on life...it's all very bittersweet for me.

I never go to the drug thing first in this case. Like I mentioned, there wasn't anything found in his system anyway so that's not typically the signs of a drug addict- but it can't be ignored that many cruel people have jumped to this theory alone as the reason.

I think 4iiiis that the fact even Sean mentions macrobiotics being such a major part of his lifestyle is a good enough indication that John had adapted a very strict plan. I'm a huge health advocate and I have personally studied various healthy lifestyle approaches- especially macrobiotics. It is strict but incredibly rewarding if you can handle it. The benefits ate extraordinary, not just weight-wise. :)

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

I'm a huge health advocate and I have personally studied various healthy lifestyle approaches- especially macrobiotics. It is strict but incredibly rewarding if you can handle it. The benefits ate extraordinary, not just weight-wise. :)

Obviously, it has done well by Yoko... she looks great at 78!!

Like I mentioned above, this whole issue is a big debate and it stirs up a lot of emotions in people. As a life-long Lennon fan, I find nothing offensive when other fans wonder if John did drugs... after all, 96.2% of all rock stars in 1980 were regular drug users. No judgment, just being realistic.

And sometimes I wonder why some of those who think John looked perfectly healthy in '80 get so upset when someone even mentions that he looked slightly unwell. I mean, George was a very thin guy, but you don't hear people talk about him looking unhealthy. Why? Because he didn't look unhealthy. To many of us, John did... and why is that so wrong?

But, then again, who knows? There's so much about John and the three other Beatles that we'll never know. But because they mean so much to us, we all have our opinions and theories...

I find it an interesting topic. John was extremely insecure. He had a lot of insecurities he wrestled with yet he was this beautifully gifted man who wrote music that brought so many people happiness, love, warmth, and made people feel stronger and more confident. Artists like John create for the people. Their work becomes other people's anthems. It's natural to feel protective and want to know as much as you can about someone who has impacted your life in that way. I don't think it's strange and I appreciate this topic.

Also, I have NEVER seen that pic of John in the airplane! Where/when was it taken?

Originally Posted by darkhorse23

It amazes me that people (even "fans?") try to tarnish others'. I just don't get it. What is there to "gain" by "proving" John was using illegal drugs at the time he was killed. I can understand a positive effort, but I'm glad I'm not one all caught up in negative energy.

I thought John looked great. It kind of sucks that people who are thin through healthy diet and lifestyles are thought of as "sickly" or "unhealthy" by overweight people.

The women who have opined that John went through periods of looking skinnier than is healthy have all established on other threads that they are devoted fans and supporters of him. Not to speak for anyone else, but I am confident that the last thing they would want to do is "tarnish" him. And please don't assume that people who are concerned about John's weight are themselves overweight. As a person who is on the low end of "normal," I get that thinner people often are unfairly maligned. But I do agree that there were times when John looked alarmingly thin. (And I agree it's natural to feel protective.)

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

I find it an interesting topic. John was extremely insecure. He had a lot of insecurities he wrestled with yet he was this beautifully gifted man who wrote music that brought so many people happiness, love, warmth, and made people feel stronger and more confident. Artists like John create for the people. Their work becomes other people's anthems. It's natural to feel protective and want to know as much as you can about someone who has impacted your life in that way. I don't think it's strange and I appreciate this topic.

Also, I have NEVER seen that pic of John in the airplane! Where/when was it taken?

Thanks for all of your great comments AppleScruff The picture of John was apparently taken as John was leaving South Africa in June 1980 to return home to New York. I found it in this great Beatle Px website:
http://beatlephotoblog.com/tag/1980/page/2

Originally Posted by 4iiiis

Thanks for all of your great comments AppleScruff The picture of John was apparently taken as John was leaving South Africa in June 1980 to return home to New York. I found it in this great Beatle Px website:
http://beatlephotoblog.com/tag/1980/page/2

Thank you!!! Omgosh! There are sooooooo many cool pics on that link. Thank you 4iiiis!!!

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

Thank you!!! Omgosh! There are sooooooo many cool pics on that link. Thank you 4iiiis!!!

You're welcome AppleScruff! Here's some other pictures of John in 1980 that show John looking very good, imho. What do you think?











Man, he really looks like Julian here, no?

Originally Posted by 4iiiis

Man, he really looks like Julian here, no?

There are some pics where Julian's resemblance to his dad is SO uncanny. Like this one:


(Look at the chin, nose length, eyes, hair color, etc.)

But back on-topic. Like I said earlier, I believe John looked really beautiful for the most part in 1980. But he was very thin. He just looked...delicate. Kind of fragile, which in retrospect is very poignant considering what was to happen. :(

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

John was extremely insecure. He had a lot of insecurities he wrestled with yet he was this beautifully gifted man who wrote music that brought so many people happiness, love, warmth, and made people feel stronger and more confident. Artists like John create for the people. Their work becomes other people's anthems. It's natural to feel protective and want to know as much as you can about someone who has impacted your life in that way.

Beautifully said!!

Originally Posted by AeolianCadence

The women who have opined that John went through periods of looking skinnier than is healthy have all established on other threads that they are devoted fans and supporters of him. Not to speak for anyone else, but I am confident that the last thing they would want to do is "tarnish" him. I do agree that there were times when John looked alarmingly thin. (And I agree it's natural to feel protective.)

Also beautifully said!!

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

But back on-topic. Like I said earlier, I believe John looked really beautiful for the most part in 1980. But he was very thin. He just looked...delicate. Kind of fragile, which in retrospect is very poignant considering what was to happen. :(

Hi

Me too; I think John looked mostly very handsome during his comeback in 1980 and also shows a relaxed attitude which is quite surprising after 5 years of retirement. He really seemed to be in a mood like "starting over" Sometimes I got the feeling that maybe he felt a bit too secure , especially on the streets of N.Y.

Snoopy