Primal Scream

I saw Dar Williams in concert a couple years ago, and before she played "Yoko Ono" she said something to this effect: "when I was in art school, we were artists, and we thought that John Lennon was the problem.  We didn't understand that in the wider world, Yoko was the bad guy.  We thought that Yoko was a tortured artist, and John Lennon came in and took away her solo art."

Interesting, right?  Actually, I've always agreed more with Dar than the rest of the world.  I felt that maybe Yoko was getting a bad rap.  John loved her, after all, and that was enough for me to think that she was somewhat okay.  Perhaps what I was reading was enforcing that idea; I think my dad also thinks that Yoko was somehow good for John.  (Though I could be mixing him up with the myriad other people in my life that have some sort of Beatles opinion.  Seriously.)

I think my opinion is slowly being revised.  I think I sort of hate Yoko Ono for what she did to John, and to the Beatles.  This definitely comes off of reading "Magical Mystery Tours" by Tony Bramwell, who was clearly a member of the Apple/NEMS crew.  I'm not sure I realized what a friggin' stalker Yoko was, or that John never tried heroin until Yoko.  I've heard about the "Lost Weekend", but only peripherally knew about May Pang; I had no idea that John (according to Bramwell) longed for May Pang long after that time. 

By all accounts, Yoko was controlling and obsessed.  Did she actually love John?  Well, she sure maintains a pose that yes, she did.  Did John love Yoko?  I guess we'll never know.  We do know, of course, that he loved Sean, and that's maybe part of the reason he went back, and stayed. 

I've always been a Macca fan, of course.  I hate(d) the school of thought that posed Paul as the commercial sell-out, and John as the tortured, true genius.  I still don't like the fact that John is seen as some tragic genius victim, but it's hard not to have that opinion.  It's not hard at all, when you consider the fact that most of the people closest to John seems to have it.  Maybe it sucks because it's the truth.  (Though I'll never hop onto the Paul as commerical whore train, regardless of the truth of that.  I'm allowing myself to adore Macca.)

Anyhow, I now dislike Yoko.  The Beatles probably would have broken up without the destructive influence of Yoko, but Yoko sure didn't help matters.  No, Yoko sucks.  And her wailing?  What's fucking arty about yelling?

Comments

[Laura]

Better yet, try taking an entire college class on the Beatles led by a John-wannabe, who was convinced that it was not Yoko, but, in fact, LINDA who broke up the Beatles. Actually, it was a pretty awesome class to take, especially if you've gotta take a class over the summer. That was when I finally completed my studio album collection... made it much easier when I could pass it off as neccessary class supplies. Nonetheless... the man had some interesting theories...

See Ang... if only I'd know we could've had so so many Beatles convos. Before U2 ever entered the picture, I had my Beatles obsession, and Lennon obsession (hey, he died the day after I was born... literally... so he held a sort of facination in my mind even before I knew much about him as a child). See, after you get good and into things again, you and S. need to go to Liverpool (all C. references aside) and do the "Magical Mystery Tour." Yes, there literally is one, which is basically a Beatles tour of liverpool. One of the coolest things I've ever done. Anyway... nuff babbling.

Yeah... and still kinda in shock about the hair... :)

[M]

Chicago comedienne Judy Tennuto had a stand-up routine in the early 80's in which she commented "If Mark Chapman had aimed about 18 inches to the right, he would have been a national hero". She compared Yoko's singing to fingers on a blackboard and did a bang-up impression. Dark humor, but it was funny!