John Lennon and Brian Wilson were contemporaries, releasing cutting-edge music with their respective bands that influenced the industry for years to come. Wilson saw Lennon and The Beatles as a major influence. Therefore, he was excited to meet him. At a party, Wilson asked Lennon’s friend Bernie Taupin to introduce him to the Beatle. Then, he asked him to introduce him again. And again. While Lennon had a reputation for being prickly, particularly at this time in his life, he was kind to Wilson.
John Lennon was gracious to Brian Wilson at a party
In the early 1970s, Lennon and Taupin attended a party at Jeanne Martin’s house. This was during Lennon’s “lost weekend,” a period of time when he made headlines for heckling comedians and getting into drunken fights. In short, he was not at his most patient or understanding.
As Lennon and Taupin mingled, Wilson asked the latter to introduce him to the Beatle. While Taupin felt certain that Lennon and Wilson had met, he agreed.
“So naturally, I acquiesced and turned to John relaying that Brian would like to say hello, and of course, he did gently and pleasantly with no hint of surprise at the request,” Taupin wrote, per The Times. “They conversed briefly and very soon John and I found ourselves in some other corner of the room where Brian found me and whispered once again into my ear that he’d like to meet John Lennon.”
Taupin relayed the information to Lennon, who once again greeted Wilson. It happened once more, and Taupin introduced a “straight-faced and unwavering” Lennon to Wilson. As they left, Lennon revealed that Wilson had wanted to discuss “Across the Universe” with him.
“‘Sorry about that,’ I said. John looked at me, smiled, and in that unmistakable Liverpudlian drawl just said, ‘Bless him, he’s not well, you know.’”
John Lennon was a huge influence on Brian Wilson
Lennon’s kindness was likely much appreciated by Wilson, who looked up to the Beatle. He also counted “Across the Universe” as his favorite Lennon song.
“My favorite Lennon song is ‘Across The Universe,’” he told Uncut. “It had a great guitar sound. It flipped me out when I first heard it. And I thought his voice was especially good. He must have either taken some drugs or really concentrated hard because he got a very special vocal sound on that one. The other thing was the lyrics. They were so heavenly [sings the chorus]. And they were most likely drug-inspired. I thought they were really great. People say that song reminds them of The Beach Boys, but not to me. It’s unique.”
The Beatle admitted to feeling starstruck at the party
It’s possible that Lennon treated Wilson kindly because he was also starstruck at the party. Lennon heard that Elizabeth Taylor was in attendance and eagerly waited to meet her.
“We slowly made our way through the house, chatting with whoever approached us,” his girlfriend May Pang wrote in her book Loving John. “‘Where’s Elizabeth?’ John asked. ‘I want to see Elizabeth.’”
When she arrived, Lennon and Elton John nervously approached her.
“Like teenage boys, John and Elton nervously approached her,” Pang wrote. “She beamed when she saw them. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I’m so pleased to meet you.’ John and Elton responded to her genuine delight. They both did their best to amuse her. She laughed merrily at their lines and threw in a number of her own.”
Taylor lived up to Lennon’s expectations. The whole way home, he spoke excitedly about her.
“On the way home John and I talked about how much we had liked Elizabeth Taylor,” Pang explained. “‘She’s not rock ‘n’ roll,’ said John. ‘She’s not liked us. She comes from another school. We get crazy as we get older. She’s been trained to deal with things.’
