Friday, October 4, 2013

I Still Hate Yoko

On December 9, 1980, twenty-four hours after her husband was shot dead in cold blood, Yoko Ono had dinner with three people. They were Calvin Klein, Steve Rubell [ from ''Studio 54'' fame[ and David Geffen. The dinner was in a secluded restaurant in New York. The media and world's press had descended on Yoko's residence, the Dakota, since the shooting. Therefore,the sight of this dinner had to be discreet, away from the prying eyes that were still crying for the loss of a beloved public figure. At the dinner, Yoko was flying high. Those in attendance testify that she was in good spirits. She was in ''Yoko Mode'', meaning, that all she cared about was Yoko Ono. What was uppermost on her mind was promotion. The album she and her late husband had put out, which received a tepid response when released three weeks earlier, was now, in the wake of his death, selling like hotcakes. Yoko was very game to take advantage of this unexpected oppurtunity. She pressured Geffen, who had put out the album on his record company label, to market it anyway he could. All at the table knew that this tragedy would incite the fervor of the fans to buy it. Geffen, for his part, was on cloud nine. He had announced that shortly before the shooting, he had insured Yoko's husband for a million dollars. So, with the sudden death--- and, the outpouring of grief making people buy the album---- Geffen was gonna make millions. Yoko Ono was satisfied. She finished her dinner and then went  back to her apartment of grief, content on the knowledge that the album was gonna go through the roof...... On Wednesday, December 10, 1980, Yoko Ono was at the Record Plant, the famous recording studio in New York. She was with Jack Douglas, who was an old friend of the family and a legendary record producer. Douglas had just produced ''Double Fantasy'', the comeback album of Yoko and her late husband that had just been released. Yoko had convinced Douglas that he needed to come to the studio right away and work on a tribute project for the murdered rock star. Jack Douglas, one of the nicest and most honest men in the music business, was so full of grief about what had happened 48 hours earlier, that he agreed to do it as a special favor to Yoko and, also, to honor the memory of his fallen friend. When Jack got to the studio, Yoko was full of her typical zest. She wanted Douglas to take the song her husband was holding when he was shot down, ''Walking On Thin Ice'', a Yoko single, and intercut classical music along with snatches of dialogue from the famous couple. Jack Douglas, with tears streaming down his face, complied, because, as he later stated, he thought he was still serving and honoring his friend. While Yoko chain-smoked constantly, Douglas finished the editing job. Yoko was happy. Now, she would have a hot single to release to coincide with the continued mourning of her husband...... Meanwhile, across town, John Lennon was being cremated. Cremation was a horror to Lennon. He had given instructions that he wanted a proper burial. Yoko, not for the first time, but, certainly for the last, overruled his wishes........ I am among the legion of people who hate Yoko Ono. The two examples above are some reasons. I saw the beginning of David Letterman the other night and they used Yoko Ono in the ''cold opening'', which is the comedy bit shows do before the opening credits roll. The bit was funny. Then, I saw that she was gonna be the musical guest on the show. She was gonna sing!!! Not wanting to waste any time on this woman  I quickly turned off my set. But, lying in bed, I kept thinking how history changes the perception of people. Once reviled, now Yoko is, well, not beloved, but accepted. Her music, if you wanna call it that, is called in some quarters, as pioneering. The ''New Wave'' groups of the early 80's cite her as a prime influence. As I write this, the song Lennon was carrying when he was shot, Yoko's ''Walking On Thin Ice'', has been rereleased as a dance song in clubs. And, it is a hit now [ despite Yoko's aggressive hustling of it after John's death, the single failed to chart]. Now, Yoko Ono, age 80, is an admired musical person. I know, its unfuckinbelievable....... John and Yoko met in November of 1966. By his own estimation, Lennon was on an acid binge for three days. He was invited to an avant garde show by some Japanese artist named Yoko Ono. John went thinking that this show was some kind of prelude to a sexual happening. He was disappointed. However, he was intrigued by the art and the artist. They met that night and stayed platonic friends for 18 months, until, one night in May 1968, they became lovers. From that night on, they became the team of John and Yoko. They used promotion to sell anything from her bullshit art to peace slogans. Their most famous ''happening'' were the ''Bed Ins For Peace''. There were two of these events and they were advertisements for peace. And, they were advertisments for John and Yoko........ Much of their history, mostly public, has been exposed by the media for years and years. All of their hijinks were out there for the public to judge and either applaud or condemn. I always spilt the line of these events. Some things, like the peace movement and hope for a better world, I agreed with. But, other things, like their foolish embrace of leftist politics in the early 1970's, spoke badly for them. However, a person is allowed to live their lives in any way they seem fit, so, unless they were hurting someone, I always felt, whatever gets you through the night..... But, the Ballad Of John And Yoko ran much deeper. I'm not talking about her bad art and music, or, how his music and art suffered after they became a team and husband and wife. No, I was always disturbed about the amount of obsessive control Yoko had over John. Many Lennon fans do not want to believe Yoko controlled him, but the evidence is so heavy in that direction that it cannot be dismissed. In all of the interviews the couple gave during John's lifetime, he always talked about how he fell head over heels in love with Yoko and was willing to give up everything to be with her. He certainly did. His public image never recovered from 1968 until his death. On the day he died, he was still thought of as a nutcase in some people's minds. But, if you read those very same interviews in which John talks about falling in love with Yoko, nowhere, in any interviews they gave together, does she talk about when she fell in love with him. Clearly, he was more besotted with her than she was with him....... So, then, what were Yoko's feelings towards John? Did she use him amd exploit him? Well, yes, she did. Not being in Yoko's mind I cannot read her true emotions and thoughts. But, her actions observed by those close to the couple always maintain that she held a viselike grip on him. First, when they got together, she alienated John from his son, Julian. Then, his family. Finally, she went after the elephant, The Beatles. It is no coincidence that the band started to fall apart just when the couple got together. John brought Yoko to the studio when the boys made their music [ a practice prohibited before to wives and family] and Yoko sat right by John. At first, the other Beatles treated her with politeness. She was, after all, John's girl, and, who knew if she would be around long? Well, she was gonna be. And, that is when the tension started. First, it was George  who spoke out against her, and, then, Paul. Fights, bad feelings, and a general awkwardness spread into the group dynamic and ate at its core. Paul and George grew to hate Yoko and her domineering influence over John. He changed. Suddenly, this strong-willed man, who had been the others idol and leader they worshipped, was a lapdog to this crazy artist with strong opinions about their music and themselves personally. John tried to play referee. These were his dearest friends fighting with the love of his life. But, finally, he had to choose a side and he chose Yoko. Also thrown into this bizarre atmosphere was Yoko hooking John on heroin. John Lennon was no saint when it came to drugs. He abused all drugs. George Harrison always maintained that Yoko truly got a full hold on John as a person by getting him on smack. Yoko, of course, denies it. With all of the negative vibes swirling in the air, John's heroin addiction drove him into complete dependence on Yoko. In time, about a year and a half later, John announced to the group during a meeting that he was quitting. The others were shocked and tried to talk him out of it. John and Yoko ran from the room, with Yoko shouting as they left, ''Its over!!''........ In 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono went to America and into primal therapy. The heart  of this psychoanalysis is that a patient is taken back into the source of his or her pain and tries to scream out the pain. John was deeply haunted by his childhood. His father left before he was born and his mother left him in the care of his Aunt Mimi. Later, John would establish a realtionship with his Mum but she was killed by a drunk driver when he was 16. He never got over the pain of her death and his parents abandoning him when he was small. John always was looking for a Mother substitute, someone who could tell him what to do and protect him against the bad people in the world. Here, the aggressive Yoko, fit the bill to a T. She became not only John's lover but his protector and Mother replacement. So, when primal therapy came along the couple jumped on it, believing John could possibly exorcise his anger and suffering from childhood. The therapy was a success in that John did confront some issues he had hidden in his mind for years. He never, though, shook his feeling of loss when he was young....... Primal therapy exposes one's soul. All of the agony is wide open to be analyzed. Whomever witnesses this unleashing of the human soul will grasp where a person's most vulnerable feelings are. Yoko Ono was right next to John when he opened up his soul. She now knew his deepest fears......... From 1971 on, John Lennon was under the full control of Yoko Ono. She made him move to New York [ which, it must be said, he loved]. Never again would he set foot in England. Never again would he see his Aunt Mimi and other family members. It would be years between visits with his son Julian. Yoko even distanced the other Beatles from him, not telling him when one of them called or was in town. She held him on a short leash and monitored everyone he spoke to and saw. That is how he got involved with the Radical Left of Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. These fools stuck to Lennon like glue and brought the heat of the Nixon government after John. Sure, John enjoyed baiting the squares and lighting the fires of controversary. The old John still rose up at times and he was truly himself. But, after a while, Yoko would swoop in and John would go back to being the smothered baby......... 1975 brought the arrival of their son, Sean. Yoko told John that if she had to carry the baby for 9 months, then, after he was born, it would be his responsibility to raise the child while she played businesswoman. Basically, they exchanged sexual stereotypes. John took to this, lovingly raising Sean for his first five years. The couple had many miscarriages prior to Sean, so, John did not want any distractions when it came to rearing him. This plan went hand in hand with Yoko's domination plan, so, all bases were covered. For five years, John became a hermit behind the enormous walls of the Dakota. While he relished bringing up his son, he also became a frustrated musician because Yoko told him no making of music during this time. That is why John Lennon never made music during the bulk of the 70's....... The dirty, dark fact no Lennon fan wants to admit to is this. John Lennon wanted to be dominated. He was a very smart person. He knew when someone was conning him and taking advantage of him, whether it was a groupie or the Maharishi. He willingly went along with her plans for him because, at heart, he was a very scared person. Yoko Ono provided with that screen of security that kept the rest of the world away. Even his closest friends and family. When John made his deal with his Devil, Yoko, he knew fully well what she was doing. And, he accepted it. This is the saddest thing about John Lennon, apart from his death...... Then, he was shot. Yoko was right in front of him. She screamed and pleaded for him to survive. Of course, he didn't......... So, as the years have gone on, Yoko Ono has been transformed from the homewrecker- con artist-evil witch public persona to the grieving widow. And, she has found the respectability and love from some people denied her when John was alive. She lives and markets the pity well, I grant her. But, when you compile all of the evidence I still hate her. I really don't believe she loved John. I think she used him for his fame and fortune. She denies these charges, naturally. But, again, the evidence is overwhelming....... So, she can be a hitmaker at 80, with appearances on shows that show off her good will. I don't buy it. She still is the same hustling figure she always was......

2 comments:

  1. Excellent observations! You hit that nail on the head over and over. Brilliant deduction of a horrible,tragic, and manipulative scenario.

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  2. what galls me is that MDC had such bad aim. I can't prove it but he was insured for a million dollars and then he was shot ? sounds very fishy to me. I hope the bitch burns.

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