“For far too long now, Mum has put up with being relegated to a puff of smoke in Dad’s life and that is simply not the truth. Now it’s time to set the record straight.” - Julian Lennon, about his mom, Cynthia

At face value, it’s the classic tale of “boy meets girl, boy is in a band, boy’s band becomes the biggest band in the world.” But wait, what about the girl? Though much of her story was dictated by her first husband’s career, Cynthia Lennon was a whole lot more than just the Mrs. The first episode of the Dolls Pod’s Beatle Girl Miniseries is up now, wherever you stream your podcasts 🤍

(Episode starts at 5:35)

Sources used for this episode:

Cynthia Lennon, “John” (2005)

Bill King, “Interview with Cynthia Lennon” Beatlefan Vol. 4 No. 2-3 https://beatlefansomethingnew.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/the-beatlefan-interview-with-cynthia-lennon/

Gerry in Liverpool, “White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon” That’s How The Light Gets In, 8/3/2009 https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/white-feather-the-spirit-of-lennon/

“White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon” via jamiebeatles on YouTube, 6/29/2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFwP2oFv6lE (originally in “White Feather” exhibition at The Beatles Story museum, summer 2009)

Songs used in this episode:

The Beatles - “Til There Was You” (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 2/9/1964)

Gene Vincent - “Ain’t She Sweet” (1956)

Chuck Berry - “Maybellene” (1955)

The Quarrymen - “That’ll Be The Day” (1958)

Tony Sheridan and The Beatles - “My Bonnie” (1961)

The Beatles - “She Loves You” (1963)

The Beatles - “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 2/9/1964)

The Beatles - “Help!” (1965)

The Beatles - “Hey Jude” (1968)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and photos from this episode, including Cynthia’s art!

She’s a rock star, she’s a mom, she’s the ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Plucked from the LA club scene for her fierce style, Cherie Currie went from never having sang before to fronting the biggest all-girl rock band of all time. The Runaways lit up the stage, sold out arenas, and recorded best-selling albums, all before Cherie was out of high school. Then she put down her microphone for a CHAINSAW and entered the world of competitive wood carving! Cherie’s life is just as wild as her music is.

Plus, Emma and Abby mull over an alternate universe in which they were band geeks instead of podcasters and confess some of their own teenage antics 👀 Hear about it all on the new episode of the Dolls Pod, available wherever you stream your podcasts 🍒💣

(Episode starts at 7:38)

Sources:

Cherie Currie, “Neon Angel: A Memoir of A Runaway” (2010)

Tony Shaffer, “The left’s war on women and children with Cherie Currie” The Hard Truth with Tony Shaffer, 4/1/2024

“Ex-Runaways’ Cherie Currie Interview - Band’s Turbulent Times, Incident w/ Rush, Kidnapped & Kim Fowley” by The Metal Voice, YouTube, 7/14/2024

Songs used in this episode:

David Bowie - “Time” (Live at the Universal Amphitheater, 9/5/1974)

The Runaways - “Cherry Bomb” (1976)

The Runaways - “You Drive Me Wild” (1976)

The Runaways - “Queens of Noise” (Live in Tokyo, Japan, 1977)

Cherie Currie - “Beauty’s Only Skin Deep” (1978)

Cherie Currie - “Reverie” (2015)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“It was, after all, 1970. No Twitter, no websites, no email. Bags of fan mail five feet high arriving at the studio every day – no possible way to read or answer them. How to respond to tens of thousands of fans, mostly girls in their early teens, some who wrote every day? They really needed to hear back from me…Tiger Beat, in the person of Ann Moses, was on the set, in the studio, and in my life.” - Bobby Sherman

It’s a very special day on The Dolls Pod! We are joined by editor of Tiger Beat magazine, NME columnist, and “Meow! My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols” author Ann Moses. She speaks about her groovy career, getting swept off her feet by a pop star or two, motherhood, a touch of Walt Disney magic, and finding her happily ever after. Ann is such a wonderful storyteller, you won’t want to miss this one!

We’re thrilled to present Ann Moses: In Her Own Words on the Dolls Pod, available wherever you stream your podcasts. Thank you Ann for sharing your stories and photos with us! 🐯

(Episode starts at 4:55)

Resources used for this episode:

Ann Moses with Ann Wicker, “Meow! My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols” (2017)

Songs used in this episode:

The Chordettes - “Lollipop” (1958)

Elvis Presley - “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)

The Dave Clark Five - “Bits and Pieces” (1964)

Dino, Desi & Billy - “I’m A Fool” (1965)

The Monkees Theme Song (1966)

Elvis Presley - “Hound Dog” (“Elvis’s Comeback Special,” 1968)

The Bee Gees - “To Love Somebody” (1967)

The Association - “Never My Love” (1967)

James Taylor - “Your Smiling Face” (1977)

Follow Ann on Instagram: @annmosestigerbeat

Read more of Ann’s stories here!: http://www.annmoses.com

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and photos from this episode!