John Lennon Genetics: Julian and Sean
As any parent will tell you, their kids, whether still growing up or adult, are the unique. Parents look for traces of genetic sameness in their kids, whether it is physical looks, personality, inate talent, traits or whatever. Some are shocked when their kids seem to have no or little genetic similarity to them. Well, genetics is roulette with total unpredictable results. Sometimes, a parent see's their own parents traits in their kids or an old photo taken 75 yrs ago of some relative.
Beatle genetics is fascinating. Here you have four of the world's most famous men in music, now old men or dead, and their offspring are walking in their footsteps and always being compared to their famous fathers. It is a lot of deal with all your life, especially, when fans come up to them and rave about their dad's (John, Paul, George or Ringo) and not their own accomplishments.
Julian was John's first son, now in his 40s. John was married to Cynthia Powell. They had just got married just before Beatlemania swept England. At the time, The Beatles were still the "up and coming" band. Then, her pregnancy more or less forced John to marry her, even though they did love one another. John kept it a secret and most of his fans did not know he was married. Brian Epstien, their manager, made sure the fans did not know John was married when Beatlemania swept England in 1963 and America in 1964. Gradually, it did leak out, but nobody cared. Julian inspired Paul to write "hey Jude", one of the band's biggest hits in 1968.
Julian physically looks like John in many ways, yet also like his mom. He is musically inclined like his dad, yet, has never been able to reach the sort of fame his dad did. He has released several CDs\LPs beginning at age 18 or so, fame was and remains fleeting for him. His voice,at times, can be a dead ringer of John. Julian did play on "walls and bridges" LP released in 1973 by John. Whatever inate talent John Lennon had, Julian simply is not as gifted as a songwriter or performer. Maybe some of this ability is environmental and how one grows up. Julian did have real angst in not feeling loved much from John. Julian battled with this for much of his adult life and has only recently come to terms with his Dad.
Uncannily even more is the fact that John's father left when he was 5 yrs. John did not see his dad again until 1965, when his father was a dishwasher at the height of Beatlemania. John later said that he felt sorry but no connection to him (even though he looked like him). John bought his dad a house and they never saw each other again. Ironically, both John and Julian suffered the same angst in different environments. John, had it not been for music impacting him in the 50s, could've ended up just like his dad-poor and nobody. John was angry and jealous at anyone better. Julian's angst was not as bad and buffered by his famous dad's band and he was always taken care off. Not so for John. Perhaps that is the reason John's innate talent blossomed in the Beatles' creativity and Julian's did and has not. John had lived way more personal pain than his son, julian.
Sean Lennon is John's second son. His mom is Yoko Ono born in the late 70s. He is in his early 30s. Sean, like Julian, resembles his dad, especially, in the 1968 time. Like Julian, he plays guitar and released a few CDs. Sean has proven to be even more unsuccessful than Julian with his music. Julian did have a few hit records, Sean has none. Like Julian and his dad, he also has angst from being without a father. John was murdered in 1980 outside of the recording studio. Ironic. Yet, each of them had a different environment to grow up in. Sean is simply a product of a rich family, never really lacked for much because of his Dad's legacy and his mom's. That is not to say he is not a great musician, because he is, but real pain creates many great artists. Sean, more than Julian, seems to be "riding" on his father's coat tails of success and famous name. Sean, like his dad, seems to be artistically inclined in pencil drawings but also has more esoteric art talents that others may find hard to relate to. Some of his music reminds one of what John and Yoko did in the late 60s with experimental music (similar to on the Beatles White LP, "No.9") which comes across as mostly junk. It did when his dad and yoko did it, it does so now.
Both sons of John inherited many of John's physical traits and each seem to have inherited the musical talent to some degree. Sean also has more of the artistic abilities that John had with his own witty drawings (In His Own Write). But, perhaps, more than anything else, it was their safe and secure environments while they grew up that prevented them from becoming a real artist that the world would love. Safety sometimes muffles raw talent because there is a lack of need. Perhaps neither were deeply moved by external sources as John was when Elvis Presley came out in 1956. From time on, all of the Beatles knew what they really wanted to do in life and suffered for years, enduring a lot of pain, hardship, rejection.
This was not the case with either of John Lennon's sons. They did it for legacy reasons and it was expected. Both are still under this expectation from the public.