Lewisohn apparently didn’t think the “Where are we going, fellows?” quote was quite good enough. So after making some minor alterations like changing “yell out” to “say,” adding an extra “Johnny,” and eliminating some bits he didn’t like, he really dressed it up. (Read: altered John Lennon’s words to make them Lewisohn’s words that he thought were better.)
STEP ONE: Set the scene: “a shitty deal in a shitty dressing room”
First, let’s make it more specific to grubby Hamburg and set the scene: “this is a shitty deal and we’re in a shitty dressing room.” That really helps immerse us in the story.
STEP TWO: Set the theme: “thinking we’re going nowhere”
And as the theme is that they always believed, no matter how low they got, let’s repeat that theme as if it’s coming from John Lennon’s mouth every chance we get. He should articulate it: “thinking the group was going nowhere.”
STEP THREE: Overcome the obstacle through John’s leadership and group belief: “That was our little mantra that got us through”
And then let’s reinforce it at the end and show how it worked, how it always worked. How John was their leader and made them all believe, no matter how shitty the deal and the dressing room was: “I’d say, ‘Riiiight!’ and we’d all cheer up. That was our little mantra that got us through.”
It’s like he’s writing a script based on fact instead of writing history.
Here are the quotes side-by-side:
*NOTE: All the Sheff finds come from Sharon/@wingsoverlagos on tumblr who has done an immense amount of work.
LEWISOHN – Tune In
“When we were all depressed—thinking the group was going nowhere and this is a shitty deal and we’re in a shitty dressing-room—I’d say, ‘Where we going, fellers?’ and they’d go, ‘To the top, Johnny!’ in pseudo-American voices. And I’d say, ‘Where’s that, fellers?’ and they’d say, ‘To the toppermost of the poppermost, Johnny!’ I’d say, ‘Riiiight!’ and we’d all cheer up. That was our little mantra that got us through.” (8)
Chapter 16: “Mach Schau” – Footnote 8
JOHN LENNON/ PLAYBOY, 1980 – SOURCE
PLAYBOY: What were you depressed about during the “Help!” period?
LENNON: When “Help!” came out in ’65, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it’s just a fast rock-‘n’-roll song. I didn’t realize it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie. But later, I knew I really was crying out for help. It was my fat Elvis period. (…) Anyway, I was fat and depressed and I was crying out for help. In those days, when the Beatles were depressed, we had this little chant. I would yell out, “Where are we going, fellows?” They would say, “To the top, Johnny,” in pseudo-American voices. And I would say, “Where is that, fellows?” And they would say, “To the toppermost of the poppermost.” It was some dumb expression from a cheap movie — a la “Blackboard Jungle” — about Liverpool. Johnny was the leader of the gang.
Sheff, Playboy, 1980
Exact Words 
This references the Sheff quote. I think it’s obvious that Mark has heard the tapes and is referencing them and not Playboy or “All We Are Saying”. His citation reads, “Interview by David Sheff, September 24, 1980 for Playboy.”
Also, if you check citation 33-18 (abridged, referencing p. 734) or citation 38-32 (extended, referencing p. 1409) you see a citation for the Sheff interview with John quotes that you won’t find in the published versions of it.
Did Mark make these up, too, or did he hear tapes we don’t have access to?
Please take this down.
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