John Lennon's sister on recreating his childhood bedroom in London – and her problem with biopics
John Lennon‘s sister Julia Baird has spoken to NME about the launch of a new London exhibition space that features a recreation of the icon’s childhood bedroom, as well as opening up about her issues with the upcoming Beatles biopics. Check out footage from the launch and our interview with Baird below.
Having launched this week at Camden’s Stables, Live Odyssey has been previously described as “a celebration of the rich tapestry of British music, offering a unique experience for music lovers of all ages” through “a groundbreaking tribute to the sounds that shaped Britain”.
The attraction – which combines live music, an exhibition museum, and a hologram performance from The Libertines – will take fans through six decades of music via a two-and-a-half-hour adventure that captures the evolution of British pop, from the early anthems of the ’60s and ’70s to the Britpop explosion of the ’90s and today.
This week saw Baird will unveil a multi-sensory immersive exhibit dedicated to the late Lennon which “details the early years that shaped Lennon through to a life of stratospheric fame with The Beatles” through artefacts, paintings, drawings, writings, moving photographs, provided by James Wilkinson.
This includes a recreation of Lennon’s childhood bedroom, which Baird described as “very moving”.
“If you’re a Beatles fan you’ve either been to Mendips or seen a picture of John’s childhood home, where he had what is known as ‘the box room’,” Baird told NME. “You couldn’t fit much in there. You had six inches to move everywhere. It’s very true to life: the bed, the red quilt, the lot. It’s a good imitation of what his room was like. He was in there writing all the time and doing his cartoons.”
Source: nme.com/Andrew Trendell
