Some Forever: Shades of Life, Part Two

John Lennon Series #5.1

by Jude Southerland Kessler

Some Forever captures the whirlwind that was late 1965 and the first half of 1966. On 13 August, The Beatles landed in New York City to prepare for their incredible mega-concert at Shea Stadium. Ahead of them lay the 1965 North American Tour with raucous fans running onto the runway in Houston and attacking their stalled tour bus in San Diego. The four had a chance to “hang with” the Byrds in Los Angeles and to meet their idol, Elvis Presley! The tour left them breathless-a! But after only a few weeks respite, the lads were back in Studio Two, EMI, to record a pivotal LP that would revolutionize music, Rubber Soul. Also sandwiched into those busy studio weeks was the MBE awards ceremony, with the Queen presiding, and days later, John and Paul were fêted in a TV special called “The Music of Lennon and McCartney.” The instant that Rubber Soul was “in the can,” The Beatles left for the 1965 Homeland Tour, returning just prior to the Christmas holidays. That was ’65…and ’66 was no less eventful. After three months rest, The Beatles poured every ounce of creative energy into an incredible LP that they would eventually entitle Revolver. Without pause, they toured Germany (returning to their old haunt, Hamburg) and then, Japan where controversy erupted over their use of the Nippon Budokan Hall for a rock’n’roll performance. However, this hullabaloo hardly compared to the danger they faced in the hostile Philippines or in America when Datebook published an out-of-context quote from John Lennon about The Beatles and Jesus. As the boys endured the final leg of their 1966 North American Tour, they vowed never to tour again. Departing the States after San Francisco’s Candlestick Park show, George Harrison commented, “That’s it! I’m not a Beatle anymore!” But would this declaration last? Find out in Vol. 7, She Said She Said.

792 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

I was reared in Alexandria, LA and spent my teen years in the town where "Steel Magnolias" actually took place, Natchitoches, Louisiana. Louisiana was a great place to grow up in the 60's...and Beatlemania was everywhere! I grew up knowing that I wanted to be an author and that I loved The Beatles, and God has blessed me with a career that has encompassed both.

I have spent the last 38 years traveling to do interviews, researching, and writing The John Lennon Series, which will be a 9-book series on John's life (and of course, The Beatles' lives as well). The first 5 volumes are in print, taking the reader along with John up to mid-1965. In March of 2025, Some Forever will be released which will extend John's trek into 1966. The books are written as narratives (like novels) but each sentence is documented. I take great pains to tell only what The Beatles said, wore, ate, sang, and did. There are over 4,000 footnotes in each book as you walk with them, almost daily, through the rise to Beatlemania and its apex.

I am a proud mother to two...Cliff and Paige. (Paige is really my daughter-in-law, but she's my daughter.) They have two amazing sons, Maverick and Tucker, whom I adore. And I work side by side with my husband of 47 years, Rande. He does the cover art for each book and the entire business end of The John Lennon Series. Without him, The John Lennon Series wouldn't exist...he does the heavy lifting while I write.

I am blessed to be the official blogger for The Fest for Beatles Fans, and I'd love to see you there in New York and/or Chicago each year. I also write for Culture Sonar and host the podcast, "Tell Me Why." For the last 10 years, I've shared the "She Said She Said" podcast with my friend Lanea Stagg. And you're also invited to my free webinar "Focal Points."

For updates on articles, tours, webinars, and podcasts, join me at https://www.johnlennonseries.com

My passions are Christ, my family, John Lennon, The Beatles, Ireland, running, and reading. I welcome new friends on this site. Can't wait to meet and chat with you all!

Reviews

[Alex Robinson]

Continuing this fascinating series, Vol 5.1 (I cannot figure out its quirky numbering system) only covers about six months, mostly consisting of their second North American tour in 1965. The Beatles had grown bored with touring and the author does a good job conveying that by going into detail that only the most hardcore fans would find interesting (who drove them to what hotel, what they had for breakfast, the names of reporters, etc), detouring into the lives of local characters the author interviewed (fans who tried to see them, reporters or DJs who talked to them, etc) and lots of stuff other novelists typically would summarize.
But of course these are only novels in the sense that there simply aren’t receipts for every moment in John Lennon’s life so she had to construct the connective tissue between the established facts.*
Most of the fictionalized content is the relationship between John and Cynthia which Kessler portrays through somewhat rose-colored granny glasses, as if she’s going to be just as caught off guard as Cynthia will be when she walks in on Yoko wearing her bathrobe. Her Lennon is a sweetheart, heartbroken to find himself drifting from his family, groupies only mentioned in passing.
The Beatles use of drugs is also downplayed at the time they were having the biggest influence on their music. Cannabis and LSD are mentioned only when they’re unalterable parts of an established story (ie:She Said She Said) when it’s more likely they were stoned almost every day in 1965.
She does a great job conveying the excitement of big moments, like Shea Stadium or meeting the queen and her research seems impeccable. If anything, I hope she’ll cut back a little on the eyewitness backstories—generally the less they’re involved with the Beatles the less I’m interested.
While this installment didn’t have as much variety as their rise to fame it’s unlikely anyone making it this far will quit now. I’ll certainly be waiting for Volume 5.2, 6 or whichever comes next.

*there are over 2,000 footnotes in the book so the gaps aren’t as big as you’d think!