"In 1974, after my divorce from Roberto, Julian and I headed north. I bought a bungalow in
Meols, a village in the Wirral, close to Hoylake. It was good to be home again. I was now just
down the road from Mum and it was lovely to be able to see her as often as I liked. I enrolled
Julian at Kingsmead School, which was close to home. I was conscious that this was his fifth
school and he was not yet eleven - an awful lot of change for any child to cope with -- but he
was happy there, and immediately made a lifelong friend in Justin Clayton."
1976: "A few weeks later, John rang and invited Julian over for a holiday and to meet Sean. Julian
was thirteen now, at Ruthin School, just into north Wales. His friend Justin was there too, and
Julian seemed happy, doing well in art." It's not written in the book, but in an interview, Julian said that he disliked John Twist very much, which is why he could run off to Justin in the middle of the night.
*After John's death*
"That morning Julian woke in our home in Wales and knew that something was wrong. I was
away from home, and as he looked at the reporters gathering outside our door, he knew that
something must have happened to John. He went to find John Twist, who told him, as I had
asked, to wait for me to get home from London. But Julian was devastated.
When I arrived home we cried together, each trying to comfort the other. Julian was
determined to go to New York but I was reluctant to let him be on his own. In the end he
insisted and I took him to the airport."
*Julian is in New York, staying with Yoko*
"Yoko also suggested he might like a friend to keep him company, an offer he accepted gratefully and asked for Justin. The whole thing was arranged speedily and Justin was soon in New York. Then she came up with the idea that Fred should take Julian and Justin to the house at Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island that she and John had bought the previous year. She thought it might be nicer for them to be away from the crowds surrounding the Dakota building. She and Sean would join them later so that Sean didn't have to see the crowds gathered outside their home for the silent vigil in memory of John on 14 December. In the Dakota building the apartment next to the main one was used solely for John's instruments. It held the white piano on which he had composed 'Imagine', at Tittenhurst, as well as dozens of guitars. Julian and Justin spent a lot of time in there, listening to John's music."
When I asked Justin, who is still a close friend of Julian, for his memories of that time, he wrote: (I've only left out what's related to Julian.)
"We stayed in the apartment where John, Yoko and Sean had all lived. Julian and I slept on white Japanese futons in a big white room.
I remember Julian giving me a copy of Mind Games. His dad had given him some copies on one of Julian's previous visits. I loved that album, especially the title track. While at the Dakota I remember Julian and I going into the apartment next to theirs that they also owned. John used this one for storage for his musical instruments and to write and make rough demos. There was an upright piano that Julian would tinker on. There was a record player that we placed on the floor in the middle of the room and I remember we put on the Plastic Ono Band album. We sat on the floor and listened over and over to some of the tracks and we cried. I shall not forget that. At other times Elliot would take us out and show us the sights in New York -- I had never been there before.
We also went to John and Yoko's other house in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, at the edge of the sea, for a week or so. It was a very cold winter, the sea was frozen over. We would swim in the outside pool which had a plastic bubble over it to keep the heat in,
it was like a sauna. We had fun running from the house through the snow into that. There was a pool table at the house. We'd play pool and listen to the jukebox a lot. I think Fred was staying with us there. So it was all a curious mix of terrible sadness and loss, and in a way adventure, for me and possibly for Julian. He seemed like he was keeping it together and I think Yoko felt that we should try to make the most of the trip, get out and do stuff. I don't know how Julian was feeling inside, though I can only imagine. My feelings then and in retrospect were that it was so sad for him because he was just starting to develop a better relationship with his dad, they were becoming friends. From the outside it seemed that John was wanting to re-connect with Julian and be more available to him. That is conjecture on my part, but I believe it to be true."
"In many ways, Justin's description sums up that time for Julian. He was miserable about his father's death but Justin's presence allowed him to have some fun -- they could almost forget, for a few hours, what had happened, and just be kids in America."
*Julian returned home, 1981*
The press were still turning up daily and I was still working in the bistro with John Twist and Angie. Julian was at a loose end, spending his days sleeping or going over to Justin's house a couple of miles away. I watched him closely, worried that he would sink into depression.
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