While there may be some confusion about which Greek island the Beatles wanted to buy in 1967, there’s little doubt that most enthusiastic of the group about buying one was John Lennon. And from writing about these events, I’ve realised that Lennon’s interest in islands went way beyond this. He seems to have been fascinated by them. And I think examining that fascination might tell us quite a lot about John, and how his personal relationship to islands forms part of wider cultural patterns.
Exploring Lennon’s interest in islands, for example, might help us understand how he thought and felt – including his utopian and idealistic tendencies. It could give us some clues about his reading habits. It might give us a new way of looking at the Beatles song, Dr Robert. It can help shed light on his apparently nonsensical literary writing. And I think ultimately, it can help us understand Lennon’s relationship with his father.
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However unrealistic Alfred’s plan was, in John’s young mind that decisive parting with his father may have been associated with the idea of moving to an island.
Idealised lifestyles
These themes become clearer when we look at the various ways Lennon’s interest in islands manifested. It was of course the mysterious figure of ‘Magic’ Alexis Mardas – the electronics whizz introduced to the group as John’s “new guru” – who persuaded the Beatles to visit Greece in search of an island. But the idea of them living communally seems to have been under discussion already. And we can see from the comments made by John that he in particular was considering the possibility in some detail. This is what he said to a journalist while the group were in Greece: