Maureen Cleave

Maureen Cleave (born 20 October 1941) is an English journalist. She worked for the London Evening Standard from the 1960s[1] conducting interviews with many prominent musicians of the era, including Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Over 40 years, she continued as a distinguished interviewer of people in all walks of life, in the Standard, the Telegraph Magazine,[2] Saga magazine,[3] Intelligent Life magazine[4] and elsewhere.

Maureen Cleave
Born (1941-10-20) 20 October 1941
United Kingdom
NationalityBritish

In her Standard interview with Lennon on 4 March 1966, titled How does a Beatle live?, she quoted him as saying that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now".[5] Five months later, on the eve of a 14-city US tour, an American magazine reproduced that remark, which led to a wave of anti-Beatle sentiment in many parts of the US, especially the South and Midwest.[6][7]

According to the Bob Spitz biography of the Beatles, Lennon claimed a liaison with Cleave, inspiring the band's song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)".[8] Pete Shotton, a friend of Lennon's, also suggested Cleave,[8] though Cleave has said that in all her encounters with Lennon that he made "no pass" at her,[9] and Lennon claimed he could not remember whom the song was about.[10] It has also been claimed that the woman in question was Sonny Freeman, wife of photographer Robert Freeman,[9]:329, 387–8 who shot the photos on the covers of the Beatles albums With the Beatles, Beatles for Sale, Help! and Rubber Soul.

References
  1. "Why The Beatles Create All That Frenzy. By Maureen Cleave : Articles, reviews and interviews from Rock's Backpages". www.rocksbackpages.com.
  2. "Telegraph magazine - Jewel cover (27 February 1999)". crazyaboutmagazines.
  3. Barber, Lynn (1 December 2002). "Grey mischief" – via The Guardian.
  4. "Intelligent Life - The Economist Spring 2008". allearchiwum.pl. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. Cleave, Maureen (4 March 1966). "How does a Beatle live?". London Evening Standard. Via "'Bigger than Jesus'". 47 Shoe Lane. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  6. Cleave, Maureen (5 October 2005). "The John Lennon I knew". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  7. "'Bigger than Jesus'". 47 Shoe Lane. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. Bob Spitz (2006). The Beatles: The Biography. Back Bay Books. ISBN 9780316013314.
  9. Norman, Philip (2008). John Lennon: The Life. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0007197411.
  10. Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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