John Lennon’s Musician Son Julian, 62, Talks Being a ‘Pioneer’ of ‘Nepotism’

Was John Lennon’s firstborn son Julian Lennon the OG nepo baby?

In an interview with Rolling Stone, published Friday, October 24, the 62-year-old musician looked back on his early childhood growing up as the son of the late Beatles member, who was assassinated at age 40.

“Some have said that, with nepotism today, I was a pioneer,” Julian told the publication. “There weren’t many around, really. I was certainly one of the first in that field to deal with what I had to deal with. But I’m here. I’ve survived, and I’m okay. I’m alive and kicking. I’m pretty happy with my life and my work.”

Julian, whom John shared with first wife Cynthia Lennon, made his musical debut at age 11 on his father’s Walls and Bridges album by playing drums on “Ya-Ya.” He released his debut album, Valotte, in 1984 when he was 22 years old and went on to have a successful career as a musician, photographer and author.

Still, growing up, “People only knew me as John’s son,” he said.

Looking back, Julian recalled how he was even associated with his father when he went to school.

“I was a pretty shy kid and had to go to a new school in the north [of England], where my mother partially lived, when I was 12 or 13,” he remembered. “I recall going to the morning assembly, where you’d sing a couple of hymns and teachers would say a couple of things. It was the first day of school and I’m crapping myself anyway because I was very uncomfortable being in a position of not knowing anybody. And the headmaster gets up at the end of the session and says, ‘We’d like to introduce some of the new staff members. And we also have Julian Lennon, the son of John Lennon from the Beatles.’ And I’m going, ‘You motherf**ker.’

“Sorry for my French, but really, you just did that to me in a brand-new school, and now I’m going to have to deal with that sh**?” he continued. “Fortunately, most kids of that age, it went over their heads.”

In fact, he said that people are “very confused” about how he lived.

“Mom and I made our own way most of my life,” said Julian. “Dad did help with food and clothing and school. But many people misunderstand that and believe that I’m still and always have been in the mix and that I’ve been swimming in mountains of money. That’s never been the case for me.”