What? John Lennon a Republican?

If his personal assistant is to be believed, the Beatles founder famous for supporting leftist causes was in reality a closet Republican.  John Lennon’s assistant says at the time of his death in 1980, Lennon was embarrassed to admit he was so radical when he was young.

In the new documentary Beatles Stories, Fred Seaman tells filmmaker Seth Swirsky that in his final years Lennon wasn’t the peace-loving militant his fans thought he was.

via drinksmachine 

Seaman worked for Lennon from 1979 until Lennon’s death in 1980,  and he reveals Lennon privately admired Ronald Reagan, and he enjoyed picking arguments with left-wing radicals who reminded him of his former self.

Seaman says during the 1980 Presidential campaign Lennon made it clear privately that if were American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on Democrat Jimmy Carter.

He says by 1979 and 1980 Lennon seemed to have changed his views on many things, and he seemed to be embarrassed at how naive he was in his young years, when he wrote the idealistic song Imagine.

via Lennon was a closet Republican: Assistant | World | News | Toronto Sun.

It's well known that people do get more conservative as they get older, so it wouldn't have been unusual for Lennon's political views to change over time.  It happens all the time.

But if this story is true, one has to wonder why Lennon never “outed” himself as a conservative.  He was never the least bit shy about speaking his mind on political and social issues.