John Lennon Wanted to Be Any (And All) Kinds of Artistic

John Lennon was a songwriter, author, visual artist, and even an amateur actor. Still, this artist wanted to explore everything from painting to writing. Here’s what this Beatles member said about trying out other creative projects. 

What instruments did John Lennon play?

In addition to his role as a Beatles songwriter, Lennon played the rhythm guitar and sang most originals for this rock band, sometimes also playing the piano. According to IMDb, he became proficient in over 40 other musical instruments. For one of the Beatles’ first hits, “Love Me Do,” Lennon even played the harmonica. 

John Lennon wanted to see which artistic avenue ‘turns [him] on’

Lennon appeared in a Look Magazine interview on set for How I Won The War, a film released in 1967. This wouldn’t be the first movie the songwriter acted in, later elaborating on his interest in most creative avenues. 

“I feel I want to be them all — painter, writer, actor, singer, player, musician,” Lennon said (via Beatles Interviews). “I want to try them all, and I’m lucky enough to be able to.” 

“I want to see which one turns me on,” he continued. “This is for me, this film, because apart from wanting to do it because of what it stands for, I want to see what I’ll be like when I’ve done it.”

Alongside the other Beatles, Lennon acted in music movies like Help and A Hard Day’s Night.

Did John Lennon write his own music?

Lennon appeared as one-half of the songwriting duo Lennon-McCartney. These two were credited as co-writers on Beatles hits like “Come Together,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “She Loves You.”

Lennon is credited as the sole songwriter for “Imagine,” with Yoko Ono and Phil Spector credited as co-producers alongside the former Beatles member.

In addition to his role as a songwriter, Lennon is a published, best-selling author. He released the nonsense book In His Own Write, following it up with A Spaniard in the Works. Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings was published posthumously, featuring an afterword from Yoko Ono.

“I hardly ever alter anything because I’m selfish about what I write or bigheaded about it,” Lennon said during an interview for The World Of Books. “Once I’ve written it, I like it. And the publisher sometimes says, you know, ‘Should we leave this out, or change that?’ and I fight like mad ‘cuz once I’ve done it I like to keep it.” 

“I might add things when I go over it before it’s published, but I seldom take anything out, he noted. “So it is spontaneous.”

Even before he was a musician, Lennon was a visual artist who attended the Liverpool Art Institute. His doodles appeared throughout his career, punctuating Skywriting by Word of Mouth.