BOOK REVIEW: JENNIFER JUNIPER; A JOURNEY BEYOND THE MUSE
If you have ever wondered which girl was the inspiration for the beautiful love song Jennifer Juniper, the answer is here. At the time, the legendary folk singer Donovan had a crush on Jenny Boyd who was a model based in Carnaby Street. Her introduction to the world of pop music came through her sister Pattie, who was dating George Harrison at the time.
Her account of life in ‘Swinging London’, trips to Ready Steady Go, meeting pop stars, is so exciting. Driven by a youthful willingness to take a leap into the unknown, she gave up modelling and spent the ‘Summer of Love’ in San Francisco, subsequently travelling with Pattie and The Beatles on their famous trip to India to meditate with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Her account of that trip and its chaotic ending is fascinating, including her doubts about the motives of the Maharishi, “especially when he talked about the gold aeroplane he wanted”. On her return to London, Jenny ran The Beatles’ ‘Apple’ store and then her own boutique ‘Juniper’.
Jenny met the future Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood when she was sixteen. They married twice and had two daughters. Their relationship was often difficult and although Jenny accompanied the band on tour, the constant touring, coupled with drug and alcohol abuse, led to heartbreak and divorce.
Jenny is very open about her own state of mind and the lasting effect of the break-up of her parents’ marriage. Her eventual reconciliation with her father is a significant part of her story.
Finally taking on board George Harrison’s advice to “be yourself”, Jenny found the inner strength to give up drink and drugs and went to university, gaining a PhD in humanities and became a clinical consultant and author, working in the addiction field in the US and UK for more than twenty years and co-authoring a book about music and the creative process, titled Musicians in Tune.
For those of us with a fascination for the 60’s, this book is an exceptional account from a girl who was at the centre of the excitement of London and San Francisco. It also shines a light on the best and worst aspects of the music scene of the 1970’s and 80’s. But this is also the story of a remarkable woman who found inspiration that enabled her to transform her life and the lives of others.
Jenny Boyd continues to be a sought-after speaker on the subject of musicians, culture, and creativity. Jenny appears in the documentaries: Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels and It Was Fifty Years Ago Today…Sgt. Pepper and Beyond. She was interviewed for a BBC one-hour radio program aired in August A Day in The Life: The Beatles in Bangor.
Jenny has lectured on musicians and creativity at Michigan State University and has appeared on radio programs across the US and in the UK. Jenny divides her time between London, where she lives with her architect husband, and Los Angeles with her extended family (including Mick Fleetwood), her children, and grandchildren.
SixtyPlus Surfers - Simon Fine