John Lennon's Son Julian Says He's Never Been Part of the Beatles' 'Inner Circle': 'We Had Nothing to Do with the Beatles or Dad'

Julian Lennon is sharing how he feels like an outsider when it comes to the Beatles — and he has since he was a child.

In a new interview with The Guardian, published on Sunday, Jan. 5, the 61-year-old son of John Lennon spoke candidly about not being a part of the Beatles' "inner circle," meaning that he isn't as close to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr today, and wasn't privy to much Beatlemania as he was growing up.

"It’s news to me half the time," Julian said of the release of new Beatles documentaries and projects.

"I’m not part of the inner circle — I never have been," continued Julian, whom John shared with first wife Cynthia Lennon. "You have to realize that when Dad left, when I was between 3 and 5, it was just Mum and me, and we had nothing to do with the Beatles or Dad."

"I visited him on the odd occasion, but we were very much on the outside," he added of his father, who died in 1980.

Related: John Lennon's Sons Julian and Sean Hang Out Together at The Dakota: 'Something We Rarely Get to Do'

Despite not having a close relationship with his father during his childhood, Julian said he is closer than ever to his half-brother Sean Ono Lennon, whom John welcomed with wife Yoko Ono in 1975.

"I'm thankful that Sean and I get on like a house on fire — we're best buddies, and he tells me what he can, but things are pretty secret on the Beatles front," Julian told The Guardian. "[It feels] extraordinarily strange, but I’m not upset about it. I’d rather be excited and impressed by what they did and continue to do."

"As a fan, I’m just as curious as anybody else, although I do find myself going, 'How is it possible that there’s another Beatles film? ' " he joked, referring to the documentaries that have been released in recent years, including Get Back, the restored version of Let It Be and Martin Scorsese's Beatles ’64.

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For Julian, his mom Cynthia — who died from cancer in 2015 — played a major role in how he looks back fondly on his late father and the Beatles.

"I think it was Mum, watching how she handled what she was dealt with love and grace and positivity," he told The Guardian. "I saw that that's the only way forward. You take the high road, you be the better person and try to learn from all the crap that’s thrown at you."

"Without question, I’ve had my moments of depression and I still deal with some very serious anxiety on occasion, but the only way is to push yourself through," he added. "Wallowing's no good — been there, done that."

Related: Julian Lennon Says He's 'Been Driven Up the Wall' by the Beatles' Classic 'Hey Jude'

Julian, a musician in his own right, previously spoke to PEOPLE about his 2022 album Jude, a reference to the Beatles' classic song "Hey Jude," written by McCartney, 82, in 1968 as a means of consoling Julian as his parents went through a divorce.

"It was very much reflective, looking in the mirror deeply and trying to find that place of peace," Julian said at the time. "I found it one or two times before, but it got lost in the muddle of life. Working on the album was about getting in touch with myself and who I am."

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