Nowhere Man: Robert Rosen

Bob Wilson welcomes Robert Rosen to Don't Pass Me By. Rosen is one of the few people outside John Lennon’s inner circle to have read his personal diaries, Nowhere Man reveals an emotional truth about the ex-Beatle that can’t be found in any of the approximately 400 other Lennon biographies currently in print. Twenty-one years after its publication, the book is an acknowledged cult classic in the U.S. and U.K. It has been translated into many languages, and the Spanish Web magazine iLeon has chosen it as one of the “10 essential music biographies of all time.” The “official” version of Lennon’s five-year tenure as househusband was one of domestic bliss. In reality, his daily life at the Dakota drifted between contradictory desires and minor obsessions—all magnified by the tedium of isolation. Nowhere Man is an intimate journey through Lennon’s last years, carrying us from his self-imposed seclusion to his re-entry into public life with the making of Double Fantasy. Each chapter offers a glimpse into a different aspect of Lennon’s life, including his relationship with Yoko Ono, parenthood, drug use, and his pseudoscientific, esoteric, and religious forays. The portrait that emerges is a life during a time of turmoil that is just reaching creative renewal, only to be cut short by an act of delusional violence. Nowhere Man reveals a very human side of a beloved cultural icon, giving the reader a compelling account of John’s solitary struggle to create a meaningful life in the glaring spotlight of fame. Robert Rosen does not let us go until we’ve faced the abrupt and tragic fate of one of the most creative minds of our time. ~Lend us your ears, and we'll give you a show.