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TL;DR:

  • John Lennon, son, Sean Ono Lennon, implied The Monkees influenced him more than The Beatles.
  • He later said he was joking and he only made the claim because it was funny.
  • He discussed a Monkees movie that gained a cult following despite its initial failure.
The Monkees with a drum
The Monkees | NBC Television / Handout

John Lennon‘s son said The Monkees’ only theatrical movie was his greatest influence. Subsequently, he said he was just joking that The Monkees inspired him more than The Beatles. Notably, the Monkees movie in question has a following that includes some celebrities.

John Lennon’s son said he doesn’t have a choice about making music inspired by The Beatles

Fans of Sean’s work might notice parallels between his style and the Fab Four’s more avant-garde songs such as “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “I Am the Walrus.” During a 2019 interview with The Arizona Republic, Sean was asked whether his father’s music inspired his psychedelic sound and his vocals.

“I definitely think about it,” he said. “But it’s hard, because the music just kind of comes out the way it comes out. It would be hard for me to be a Berlin disco artist or something because it wouldn’t come out naturally.

“Intellectually, I understand how I could choose to do something that was far from anything my dad ever did,” Sean added. “But it’s hard to fake music. All those chord changes, The Beatles stuff, I’ve internalized it so much. It’s such a part of why I play music, it’s really hard to pretend it’s not there. So I don’t really have a choice.”

John Lennon’s son said his statement about The Monkees and The Beatles was obviously false

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Les Claypool said watching The Monkees’ only theatrical movie, Head, inspired the band he formed with Sean: the Lennon Claypool Delirium. “Head is, like, my Bible,” Sean said. “Any project or important thought I’ve ever had was inspired by Head.”

When The Arizona Republic asked Sean about the quote, he laughed. “I was just totally joking, actually,” he said. “I just thought it was funny for people to think The Monkees influenced me more than The Beatles. Because obviously, they didn’t.'”

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How The Monkees’ ‘Head’ failed at the box office and still had an impact

According to a 2011 article from The Guardian, Head wasn’t exactly a juggernaut when it came out. Peter Tork said the movie did worse than a rock sinking to the bottom of the ocean. He said Head performed more like the ball of a dark star.

The film is surreal and has several unsettling moments, such as when fans of the band start ripping them to pieces. Reflecting on it, Micky Dolenz noted the members of the Prefab Four had no control over the project. He wished the band made a movie more akin to Ghostbusters. Because it’s a crowdpleaser, Ghostbusters is arguably closer in tone to The Monkees’ television show than Head is.

Nevertheless, the film has found a fandom. Quentin Tarantino admires the film, as does Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. In addition, the musicians DJ Shadow and Saint Etienn worked dialogue from Head into their work.

While Head is not Sean’s Bible, it has a legacy of its own.

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