Julian Lennon Exclusive Interview Featured on

Peter Blachley's R-TOWN Radio Show on KVMR

June 20, 2022 - Nevada County - As a preview to the release of his album JUDE, tune in to an exclusive interview with musician and artist Julian Lennon from 8-9pm on Sunday, June 26, on Peter Blachley's R-Town Radio Show on KVMR.

“Julian has a very rich music history, not only as the son of John Lennon, but more importantly as a gifted musician and writer in his own right who has proven his own style and earned a vast fan base,” says Blachley.

Blachley and Lennon have worked together over the years, beginning in 1986 when Blachley executive produced John Lennon’s Live In New York City concert film for Showtime, and continuing today as he represents Julian’s photography through the gallery Blachley founded, the world-renowned music photography gallery, Morrison Hotel Gallery.

“Julian’s agents recently sent me a copy of his new album titled JUDE and I was thrilled with the direction he has taken in this new effort,” says Blachley. “In our interview, Julian is candid with me as we talk about a number of his new songs delving into his mindset and the formation of his music and lyrics.”

“When an artist like Julian Lennon decides to release a new album, he always faces the issues of being the son of a Beatle, and on top of that, the subject of a very famous song,” Blachley says.

The album’s title is a reference to the Beatles’ iconic song “Hey Jude” an ode penned by Paul McCartney with the aim of cheering up a then five-year-old Julian following his parents' separation. McCartney originally titled the song “Hey Jules,” Julian’s nickname, but then later changed the title to “Hey Jude.” The new album cover, a photograph of a young Julian, accompanied by McCartney’s handwritten title, illustrates how Julian has come to terms with his past as he looks to the future.  

Through Blachley’s exclusive one-on-one interview, listeners will have the opportunity to hear many insights and emotions directly from Julian about this life and music, some very specific to his experience of being Jude. 

“I always had a love/hate relationship with the song, because as much as it’s a song of support, it’s also a dark reminder of what actually happened to my life and Mum’s life, during the breakup and divorce of my parents,” Julian says. “There were a lot of questions and a lot of answers that came out about that over the years. After so long, I just felt like I had become Jude. Many of the songs on the album are me trying to get to a place of peace and forgiveness on so many different levels.”

While JUDE is a deeply personal album, it also reflects on some much larger themes. Songs like “Every Little Moment” and “Freedom” deal with the collective anxiety felt, during times of love and war. The songs on the album offer a sense of wonder, encouraging the listener to ask those questions that need answers, for us to be able to move forward. “Stay,” an ambient ballad, is about being there for someone struggling with mental health, while the piano-driven song “Breathe” is Julian finding peace and balance in a time of emotional upheaval. For the evocative closing track, “Gaia,” Julian collaborated with Paul Buchanan and Elissa Lauper for a reworking of a favorite instrumental of his, Bill Laurance’s “Cables,” a poetic conversation between Mother Earth and humanity that embodies the album JUDE as a whole.  Everything Julian does, comes back to the same thing: connection. Whether it’s writing and recording songs, taking photographs, or working on philanthropic projects with his Foundation, he hopes to create a sense of relatability and collective union. With JUDE, Julian offers both solace and hope, learning from the past, and focusing on a future that is bright, for all.

He may not have all the answers, but the songs suggest that we can find them somewhere, together...

In an excerpt from Blachley’s interview Julian says, 

“I hope that all the work I do, has some element of connection with people. For me, that’s part of what writing/creating is all about, connecting and coming together with your audience. I think this album is as deep and self-reflective as one can get. It’s about taking a look inside—a look in the mirror, but also acknowledging that everything around you, can affect you greatly too, along with how you react… Action reaction…Writing this album, helped me see things that were hiding in the shadows before, that have now come to light.”  

Hear more of Julian's thoughts through Blachley’s exclusive interview on R-TOWN Radio.

JULIAN LENNON INTERIEW WITH PETER BLACHLEY

JUNE 26, 8-9pm Pacific

R-TOWN RADIO

KVMR 89.5 FM

Stream Live on KVMR.org

Or access R-TOWN Radio Archives at kvmr.org

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MORE ABOUT JULIAN LENNON

Born in Liverpool, England, Julian began his artistic trajectory at a young age with an inherent gift for playing musical instruments, which broadened into the cinematic and visual arts. His melding of uplifting introspection and thoughtful social commentary with refined hooks, has made for a compelling seven-album body of work. Outside of the seven albums, Julian has continuously contributed to musical projects that resonate with his artistic vision and core values. He’s since found a career of self-expression through photography, documentary filmmaking and philanthropy. He’s the author of several books, including the New York Times best-selling Touch the Earth trilogy, completed in 2019; and the children’s graphic novel The Morning Tribe in 2021. In 2015, through his nonprofit, The White Feather Foundation (TWFF), in honor of his late mother, Julian launched The Cynthia Lennon Scholarship for Girls, a scholarship program for girls in Kenya. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over 40 scholarships to girls throughout Africa, and in 2021 expanded the scholarship to art students in the U.S. In September 2020, Lennon was honored with the CC Forum Philanthropy Award in Monaco, and was named a UNESCO Center for Peace 2020 CrossCultural and Peace Crafter Award Laureate. The following year, he was honored with the World Literacy Award for his humanitarian work through TWFF.

MORE ABOUT R-TOWN RADIO

R-Town Radio is a bi-monthly radio series produced by media executive Peter Blachley in conjunction with KVMR radio. With a long and wide-ranging career as a musician, record producer and artists representative, Blachley is well-versed in music, be it his own lifetime of singing and songwriting, his decade long career as the head of music video at Capitol Records having worked with bands like Duran Duran, Bob Seger, The Judds, George Thorogood and so many more iconic artists. Blachley pulls from his hands-on music industry experience with his own singer/songwriting/touring career (his own albums include Nevada Sky and Let's Bowl) and fine art music photography entrepreneur as the founder of Morrison Hotel Gallery to create meaningful interviews featuring world-renowned music artists in his R-Town series. Guests on his show have included Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, Robby Krieger of The Doors and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. Blachley lives in Grass Valley with this wife Susan and dog Rossy.