Movie: Nowhere Boy (John Lennon)

 

John Lennon of The Beatles (a four-piece beat group, m’lud) was perpetually in detention or being sent to the headmaster’s study for a caning at Quarry Bank Grammar School, Liverpool.

According to Philip Norman in his book, Shout (Simon and Shuster, 1981), the school punishment book records the offences for which John and his pal Pete Shotton were beaten: “failing to report to school office”; “insolence”; “throwing blackboard duster out of window”; “cutting class and going absent without leave”; “gambling on school field during house match.”

Some of this spirit of John Lennon is captured in the 2009 movie Nowhere Boy which covers Lennon’s adolescence and his time at school in the days before the Beatles. Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Lennon and Josh Bolt, Pete.

Here are some short scenes edited together into one clip. The DVD of the film made by Film 4 is available to buy here.

John Lennon wasn’t the only member of the Beatles to be caned as a schoolboy. In 1984 Paul McCartney told the chat show host Russell Hartey, “I did occasionally get caned, yes, your honour. My mates were caned, yes. I remember this time George got caned. George Harrison, cos we were mates at school, and I mean we never really did anything wrong but we might have like tight trousers and ted hairdos, so that pointed you out as somebody who is a trouble-maker.

“So George got done once and the teacher missed him, and got him here [wrist] so he had a couple of big weals here, you know, those rash things. And he went home and was having his tea with his dad and they were all chatting about how it went at school. And his dad said ‘what’s that?’ and George said, you know ‘teacher did it’.

“So the next day they were in class and somebody poked their head round the door, ‘urrm, Mr’ whoever the teacher was who caned George, ‘come out for a moment please’. And he came out and it was George’s dad there. And he said ‘did you do that to my son?’ and he goes ‘yes I did’ and he goes ‘well’ WHACK! [makes punching movement]” (laughter)

“Oh! Right there. Oh, he was a hero. He was just the school hero then, George’s dad. I used to tell my dad, you know, ‘I got caned dad’ and he said ‘well you probably did something wrong.’ Dad –hit him!”

Ringo Starr wasn’t exempt either. In January 1996 the Sunday Mirror ran this snippet: “Ringo Starr can expect the thrashing of his life if he ever returns to his old school in Liverpool.

The ex-Beatle was never punished for writing his name on a school desk and his old headmaster says Ringo can ‘expect a caning’ if he ever returns. But there’s no need to complain. Auctioneers Christie’s say the desk, which was to be thrown out, is worth about £4,000.”

Pictures and video credits: Film 4.

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