John Lennon's Angry Letter to Paul McCartney Up for Auction

A circa 1971 letter from John Lennon to Paul McCartney illustrates how strained relations were between the Beatles after Lennon left the band. The letter, which is up for auction in Boston, is a response to a missive from Linda and Paul McCartney that apparently didn't impress Lennon much. He opens his response: "I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it." He continues to dress down Paul and Linda throughout the rest of the letter, saying: "Do you really think most of today’s art came about because of the Beatles? — I don’t believe you’re that insane — Paul — do you believe that?" Despite the somewhat hostile tone, he does close the letter: "inspite (sic) of it all, love to you both." The letter, which is expected to sell for more than $20,000, can be seen in full at Page Six. (More John Lennon stories.)