Maureen Cleave
Maureen Diana Cleave entered the world on the 20th of October 1934 in Mussoorie, British India. Her father was Major John Cleave of the 7th Rajputs. Her mother Isabella hailed from Ireland. The family moved to Ireland where Maureen grew up. She attended Rosleven boarding school in Athlone. Later she went to Howell’s Girls’ School in Denbigh. These early years shaped her background before higher education.
Cleave studied Modern History at St Anne's College Oxford. She graduated with third class honours in 1957. At Oxford she became the first woman asked to speak at the Oxford Union. After graduation she worked as a secretary for the Evening Standard. Editor Charles Wintour let her write a pop music column called Disc Date. This shift turned her career toward music journalism.
In January 1963 Cleave travelled to Liverpool to interview the Beatles. A friend working there gave her the tip. The piece titled Why the Beatles create all that frenzy appeared in the Evening Standard the following month. It stood among the first substantial critiques of the band. In early 1966 she interviewed the four members and their manager Brian Epstein. The series How Does a Beatle Live? ran from the 4th of March to the 1st of April on consecutive Fridays. Lennon stated the group was more popular than Jesus now. Five months later an American magazine reproduced the remark. Anti-Beatle sentiment surged across many parts of the US especially the South and Midwest.
Cleave interviewed Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones during the 1960s. She favoured talking to individuals who were not celebrities. She avoided actors and politicians because they had said it all before. Her choice of remarkable people included Guinness heiress Aileen Plunket in 1983. Rock star Little Richard appeared in 1985. Donald Maclean chaired the National Vegetable Society. She wrote a warm tribute to Lennon in The Telegraph Weekend Magazine a decade after he was murdered in December 1980. Some claimed a liaison with Cleave inspired Norwegian Wood This Bird Has Flown. Pete Shotton suggested her but Lennon could not remember who the song was about.
Over 50 years she continued to interview people in all walks of life. Her work appeared in the Standard the Telegraph Magazine Observer Magazine Saga magazine and Intelligent Life magazine. She conducted interviews with many prominent musicians of the era including Bob Dylan and John Lennon. In 1964 she began guesting on TV’s pop panel game Juke Box Jury alongside Millicent Martin Matt Monro and Bobby Vee. Her career spanned five decades without focusing solely on fame.
Cleave married Francis Nichols in September 1966. They met while studying at Oxford. They resided in Peru for three years during the late 1960s because of his job as an economist and farmer. After his mother's death in 1972 they relocated to Lawford Hall. They remained married until his death in 2015. Together they had three children named Sadie Dora and Bertie. Cleave collapsed on the platform of Tottenham Court Road tube station in August 1992. She was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome shortly after that event. She died on the 6th of November 2021 two weeks after her 87th birthday.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Maureen Cleave born?
Maureen Diana Cleave entered the world on the 20th of October 1934 in Mussoorie, British India. Her father was Major John Cleave of the 7th Rajputs and her mother Isabella hailed from Ireland.
What significant interview did Maureen Cleave conduct with the Beatles in 1966?
In early 1966 she interviewed the four members and their manager Brian Epstein for a series titled How Does a Beatle Live? that ran from the 4th of March to the 1st of April on consecutive Fridays. The piece included Lennon stating the group was more popular than Jesus now which later caused anti-Beatle sentiment across many parts of the US especially the South and Midwest.
Which musicians did Maureen Cleave interview during the 1960s besides the Beatles?
Cleave interviewed Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones during the 1960s while favouring talking to individuals who were not celebrities. She avoided actors and politicians because they had said it all before and instead chose remarkable people like Guinness heiress Aileen Plunket in 1983 and rock star Little Richard in 1985.
When did Maureen Cleave die and what health condition affected her near the end of her life?
She died on the 6th of November 2021 two weeks after her 87th birthday following a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Cleave collapsed on the platform of Tottenham Court Road tube station in August 1992 and was diagnosed with the condition shortly after that event.
Who was Maureen Cleave married to and how long did their marriage last?
Maureen Cleave married Francis Nichols in September 1966 and they remained married until his death in 2015. They resided in Peru for three years during the late 1960s because of his job as an economist and farmer and together they had three children named Sadie Dora and Bertie.