SOLD SI 8 A Phenomenal Two Page Letter Handwritten By John Lennon To The Quarry Bank High School Student Who Sparked The Impetus For John’s Masterpiece “I Am The Walrus”

The first recording session for John Lennon’s masterpiece “I Am the Walrus” took place on September 5, 1967. The genesis of the non-sensical lyric lines in this amazing song had only come to fruition a few days earlier, when John received a letter from a then current Quarry Bank High School student, who after asking a series of questions related to writing (the student later became a journalist), also told John in the letter that the literature master at the school was debating in class the “hidden meanings” behind some of the songs on the recently released Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. John’s best friend Pete Shotten was there at John’s home in Surrey at the time and recounted the story in his book “John Lennon In My Life”. In this extremely revelatory passage he wrote:

    Though John was naturally pleased and flattered to have his work taken seriously, he often found that the critics’ interpretations of his lyrics fell woefully short of the mark. It particularly irked him to see his own songs subjected to the same sort of heavy-handed analysis with which our schoolmasters had ruined his own appreciation of, say Shakespeare and Keats.

   One afternoon, while taking “lucky dips” into the day’s sack of fan mail, John, much to both our amusement, chanced to pull out a letter from a student at Quarry Bank. Following the usual expressions of adoration, this lad revealed that his literature master was playing Beatles songs in class; after the boys took their turns at analyzing the lyrics, the teacher would weigh in with his own interpretation of what the Beatles were really talking about. (This, of course, was the same institution of learning whose headmaster had summed up young Lennon’s prospects with the words: “This boy is bound to fail.”)

    John and I howled with laughter over the absurdity of it all. “Pete,” he said, “what’s that ‘Dead Dog’s Eye’ song we used to sing when we were at Quarry Bank?” I thought for a moment and it all came back to me:

    Yellow matter custard, green slop pie,

    All mixed together with a dead dog’s eye,

    Slap it on a butty, ten foot thick,

    Then wash it all down with a cup of cold sick.

     “That’s it!” said John. “Fantastic!” He found a pen and commenced scribbling: “Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog’s eye…” Such was the genesis of “I Am the Walrus.” (The Walrus itself was to materialize later, almost literally stepping out of a page in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.)

    Inspired by the picture of that Quarry Bank master pontificating about the symbolism of Lennon-McCartney, John through in the most ludicrous images his imagination could conjure, He thought of “semolina” (an insipid pudding we’d been forced to eat as kids) and “pilchard” (a sardine we often fed to our cats). “Semolina pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower,…” John intoned, writing it down with considerable relish.

      He turned to me, smiling. “Let the fuckers work that one out, Pete.”

In response to Quarry Bank student Stephen Bayley, John composed and sent him this stunning two-page letter. He wrote out the envelope as by hand well, and most likely he also applied the slightly crookedly placed stamp himself. The post mark on the envelope is September 1, 1967, from Weybridge, Surry at 9PM. This was just 4 days before The Beatles starting the sessions for the “I Am The Walrus. Here is a transcription of the letter in its entirety:

                                                                                     Kenwood

                                                                                        Cavendish Rd.

                                                                                           St. George’s Hill

                                                                                              Weybridge

                                                                                                  Surrey.

Dear Stephen,

As Quarry Bank was never really a very High school the change comes o.k. – o.k.?

How about sending me a copy of that magazine.

Answers – all of my writing (including H.Fred). has always been for laughs or fun

or whatever you call it – I do it for me first – whatever people make of if afterwards

is valid, but it doesn’t necessarily have to correspond about my thoughts about it

o.k.? This goes for anybody’s ‘creations’ art poetry song etc. – the mystery and shit

that is built around all forms of art needs smashing anyway – it must be obvious by

todays trends. Enough said

The song of Mr. Kite is taken almost word for word from an old theatrical poster-

including the ‘Hendersons’. Pablo Fanque was the name of the circus. Not it’s not

that Mr. Shears with his coulored pens. I remember Sprechen Ze Deutsche very

well – not giving him presents however – but it may be true. Is Mr. Burton

(English) still there – if so say hello – he was one of the only teachers who dug me

and vice versa. Russian eh? Not in my day – how we progressed – don’t tell me they

let you into Calder as well these days for Experience Lessons. Getting Better

reflects both of our views (Paul and mine). I think they asked year ago rather

vaguely if I would like to go back and look – but I saw enough of it when I was

there – I have fond memories not too fond though!

-I have the same trouble as you in writing but the answer is just let it roll-

LOVE (no I’m not queer!

                          John Lennon

P.S. I don’t want to start a rash of letters from little Quarrymen – so play it a bit

Cool as they say in ‘Swinging London’ but do say hello to any of those teachers

(not quite the right word) even Pohjoy who got me into art school so I could fail

There as well – I can never thank him enough.

The magazine John references early in the letter refers to the fact that Stephen Bayley mentioned that he had discovered John’s earliest known published work in the school magazine, and in fact Bayley later deduced “Goodness only knows why he replied, but I suspect it may have been because I mentioned my discovery of his first published work in the school magazine.”

Stephen Bayley’s letter sparked John’s genius and inspired him to write a song what he was sure would be baffling not only the teachers and students at Quarry Bank High School, but also literally anyone else who heard it. Over the past 60 + years, nothing like this letter has surfaced where John gives his personal insights into his songwriting and other writing, admitting to occasional writer’s block (“I have the same problem as you in writing but the answer is just let it roll”), mentioning specific Beatles songs…..and off of “Sgt. Pepper” no less”! – as well as intermingling now 10 year old reminiscences of Quarry Bank High School and various teachers there – and ultimately in the end asking for discretion so as not to be inundated by mail from the students there.

Of all of the Lennon handwritten letters in existence, this one stands clearly at the top of the heap for its content and the significance of the history of how it plays into the creation of one of John’s definitive masterpieces. This World Class museum quality letter and the story behind it is heavily intertwined with the history and creation of “I Am The Walrus”. Without Stephen Bayley’s letter to John at that precise moment in time, “I Am The Walrus” would not exist as we know it. It is mind blowing to know that in 1967, after The Beatles became the most popular and influential foursome in history (before and since), John took the time to answer Bayley’s letter in such detail. John’s response, written in black felt tip marker on two separate sheets of white paper measuring 8 ½” x 11”, is without question right up there the Cream-Of-The-Crop of existing John Lennon handwritten letters ever written by him during ANY period, and the fact that it was THIS period, in 1967, adds greatly to desirability and value.

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