John Lennon's Lawyer
Back in September, the weekend Hurricane Helene destroyed my town, I was off in Charleston at a book event where John Lennon’s lawyer was talking about his latest book. It was a fascinating story, and since we’re both guys from the New York area who relocated late in life to the American South, we hit it off. Jay Bergen later visited Asheville to do an event at the authors-in-conversation book chat my wife runs in our town. Jay was a hit, mostly because he’s a great raconteur and his book—about the intellectual property suit in which he defended John Lennon against a mobster—reveals him to be an equally fine writer.
I’m talking about his story today at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, which is right up our alley, seeing as we’re a website for people obsessed with crime.
I invite you to stop by and check it out. The article is entitled:
The Lawyer Who Saved Lennon!
Here’s a quick morsel:
When he enters the story, Mr. Bergen is a young but seasoned litigator. The lawyer and the musician are both in their thirties and conflicted fathers who long to make amends with the children from their previous marriages.
Consisting as it does of court transcripts, legal maneuvers, and scenes of the two men roaming Manhattan in between depositions and court appearances, the book shouldn’t work but does. As they walk the streets, visit New York landmarks Lennon has never visited, eat lunch in dives and legendary restaurants alike, they form an unlikely but charming bond. Lennon comes to life as a decent fellow who always has time to sign autographs for fans as long as they agree not to bug him when he’s eating or tail him everywhere he goes.
Summoned to Lennon’s Dakota apartment on the West Side, Mr. Bergen is grilled by Yoko Ono, who, while noshing on caviar, stresses that they must keep the settlement figure down…
I think if you are interested in the Beatles, the music industry, or even legal thrillers, you probably ought to check out the book, which is called: Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story, by Jay Bergen. (Affiliate link.)
It’s a cool story because it provides the only glimpse we’ll ever get of John Lennon’s songwriting process. Because of this frivolous lawsuit, which I discuss in my article, Lennon was obliged to take the stand and explain how he wrote songs, recorded them, and perfected them. Specifically, he had to explain to the court how he knew when a song was ready to be released in the world. All of this rich material was buried in mountains of court transcripts, which his lawyer kept in banker boxes in his home for decades.
When the book was finally published, Bergen donated his files to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s a great story, well worth seeking out. If you think you might like it, definitely check out my post to learn more.
I usually try to mention one of my books when I post here. Preferably, one that fits the topic I’m writing about. But I’ve never written a nonfiction book about the music industry. But I did write a murder mystery that deals in part with the murder of a sleazy record producer. That’s my cozy mystery, Murder on Book Row, (affiliate link) which has a great new cover.
Click for details (affiliate links).
Piano image copyright 2025 Joseph D’Agnese.
