Moving from Amsterdam to Prague allows past treasures in the form of books and photographs to re-surface and inspire attention.
Not unlike long term relationships, like emotions, items get lost, then found and this one made me particularly happy, David Sheff's book called "All we are saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono."
A book about the miracle of a man; the mystic prince and the Oriental princess. When I say Oriental, I write the term in the deeply respectful manner of Edward Said.
Back then, Yoko Ono was reviled, not only regarded as a manipulative bitch, the press crucified her. She was Lucifer and his minister Mephistopheles combined. It's insane in hindsight. She was just a completely independent soul, uniquely Yoko Ono.
David Sheff implies this might be the major reason for Lennon inviting him into their lives, their home and their hearts for three very intense weeks. It's a magical and sad book.
Epilogue; On December 7th, Yoko called to say that she was very pleased with the interview, which had hit the stands the previous day. She said John was also pleased and excited.
The next day, December 8th, John was gone.
I think its safe to say, we all miss him, we all deeply miss the mystic prince for a myriad of reasons. It was interesting to finish the book the same day Whitney Houston passed away, as if their mutual exit might be slightly symbiotic.
Both artists were particularly prickly, full of rebellion. Both checked out relatively early even as the world wanted and expected more, creating mountains of resentment, unfair expectations. It was their life, not ours...
Throughout the book Lennon talks about being exhausted, not unlike Houston, he was tired, tired to the bone. He was too tired to dish out any more of his huge talent. You couldn't help but admire the work and discipline, you couldn't help but see the amount of effort pumped into their respective performances, but they were both exhausted with the game.
If you can and wish to review your life, get some perspective, you'll do this if you can afford to and Lennon could afford to do exactly that.
Many differences, obviously; Lennon's lost weekend lasted 18th months until he was saved, literally, by the love of life Yoko Ono. Whitney wasn't saved by anyone and the cruelest difference, the deep pang felt by all who were touched by Lennon, the pacifist, was he should suffer such a violent death. For any of us that had his music in our lifes prior to puberty, this is the cruelest bit. It's still somehow shocking.
This interview blew me away, the chaucerian irony...at one point he says, "Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are great examples of fantastic non-violents who died violently, I can never work that out. We're pacifists, but I'm not sure what it means when you're such a pacifist that you get shot. I can never understand that." So many things he has to say, so much cuts deep into our hearts. In hindsight.
He was such a visionary, you get to enjoy that fact all over again while reading the book. Yoko Ono was a visionary as well and that's part of what's so suprising; you get to finally meet Yoko and its a joy. You can see why he loved her as much as he did, why he was so happy to get off the hamster wheel and have a life, play househusband and love his son. He was perfectly content to simply 'be' with his family.
However, the book is much ado about Yoko. His defence of Yoko and their ideas, which fall in line with their bed ins in both Amsterdam and Montreal. I recommend that film, immensely entertaining and moving, to me at least. They're bookends.
"Don't look for leaders, watch your parking metres," is a key mantra for Lennon. They were so in love and they had such hope. They thought the 80's would provide the key to our release as a society, or as Yoko said presciently, if it isn't, "it'll be like George Orwell's 1984."
You can understand why McCartney, the perpetual performer, can please audiences forever with their set list. For we're certainly grateful he's around to do so just as its easy to understand why he resented her, "I can see why he wants to be with her, but why all the time." I paraphrase but close to that effect.
Yet Lennon was euphoric about the impact he and Yoko had on one another, "it's a teacher pupil relationship. That's what people don't understand. She's the teacher and I'm the pupil. I'm the famous one who's supposed to know everything but she's my teacher. She's taught me everything I fucking Know. She was there when I was nowhere, when I was the nowhere man."
"She's my Don Juan, (a reference to Carlos Castanedes's Indian teacher) Don Juan doesn't have to laugh, he doesn't have to be charming. Don Juan just is and what goes on around Don Juan is irrelevant to Don Juan.
David Sheff: What's the difference between following Yoko and the other kinds of leaders, "Don't follow leaders...""
Lennon, "What's the difference between illusion and reality? It's that different. She has absolutely never looked for other since I met her, Don Juan doesn't have disciples and doesn't need anything and doesn't proselytize or propagate. Those who know don't say, and those who say don't know."
He was completely and forever in love with Yoko Ono and it's wonderful to read about their love, especially now, long after his death, realizing how happy he was if only for such a painfully short time.
Their ideas on family are very intense and overlap interestingly enough with those on the other side, they're not only against the corporatocracy but the pill, how it causes cancer, how the corporations push for individual lifestyles if only to sell more stuff, more homes. If you're single, they make more money. John and Yoko were so into family and they felt the benefits, they wanted to share, almost always.
And they were prescient. They thought we should focus on the solution, not give energy to the problem, the enemy, our adversaries. Simply concepts yet profound.
"What do you do about fascists? how can you have peace when you've got a Hitler?" Yoko said, "I would have gone to bed with him. I'd only have needed ten days with him."
The book is such a great read. At the end Lennon goes through all the songs, what he thought, recalling several tracks, remembering every single ounce of sweat that went into every single song. That's why he couldn't listen to them, why he was happy to move on...he gave it all until he couldn't give it any more...
When I put the book down I just focused on the fact he was so happy in those last years, with his son and Yoko...Lennon...Yoko...what a gorgeous trip...
