Lennon's relationship with his first son was always strained. AfterLennon and Ono's 1971 move to New York, Julian would not see his fatheruntil 1973.[116] With Pang's encouragement, it was arranged for him (and his mother) to visit Lennon in Los Angeles, where they went to Disneyland.[117] Julian started to see his father regularly, and Lennon gave him a drumming part on a Walls and Bridges track.[118] He bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul guitar and other instruments, and encouraged his interest in music by demonstrating guitar chord techniques.[119]Julian recalls that he and his father "got on a great deal better"during the time he spent in New York: "We had a lot of fun, laughed alot and had a great time in general".[120]
Lennon told Playboy in 1980, "Sean was a planned child, andtherein lies the difference. I don't love Julian any less as a child.He's still my son, whether he came from a bottle of whiskey or becausethey didn't have pills in those days. He's here, he belongs to me, andhe always will."[10]In an interview shortly before his death Lennon said he was trying tore-establish a connection with the then 17-year-old, and confidentlypredicted that "Julian and I will have a relationship in the future."After his death it was revealed that he had left Julian very little inhis will.[121]
Yoko Ono
There are two versions of how Lennon met Ono during his marriage toCynthia. According to the first, on 9 November 1966 Lennon went to the Indica gallery in London, where Ono was preparing her conceptual art exhibit, and they were introduced by gallery owner John Dunbar.[122]Lennon was intrigued by Ono's "Hammer A Nail": patrons hammered a nailinto a wooden board, creating the art piece. Although the exhibitionhad not yet begun, Lennon wanted to hammer a nail into the clean board,but Ono stopped him. Dunbar asked her, "Don't you know who this is?He's a millionaire! He might buy it." Ono had not heard of The Beatles,but relented on condition that Lennon pay her five shillings. Lennon replied, "I'll give you an imaginary five shillings and hammmer an imaginary nail in."[10] The second version, told by McCartney, is that in late 1965, Ono was in London compiling original musical scores for a book John Cage was working on.[123]The Word". (The latter are reproduced in Cage's book, Notations.)[124]McCartney declined to give her any of his own manuscripts for the book,but suggested Lennon might oblige. When asked, Lennon gave Ono theoriginal handwritten lyrics to ""The Word". (The latter are reproduced in Cage's book, Notations.)[124]
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Ono began telephoning and calling at Lennon's home. When his wife askedfor an explanation, he told her Ono was a mad person trying to obtainmoney for her "avant-garde bullshit".[125] While his wife was on holiday in Greece, Lennon invited Ono to visit. They spent the night recording what would become the Two Virgins album, after which, they said, they made love at dawn.[126] When Lennon's wife returned home she found Ono wearing her bathrobe, drinking tea with Lennon who simply said, "Oh, hi."[127] Ono miscarried John Ono Lennon II on 21 November 1968.[128] From the beginning, the relationship was bizarre. In a 1981interview, Ono light-heartedly remarked, "I used to say to [Lennon], 'Ithink you’re a closet fag, you know.' Because after we started to livetogether, John would say to me, 'Do you know why I like you? Becauseyou look like a bloke in drag.'"[129] According to author Albert Goldman,Ono was regarded by Lennon as a "magical being" who could solve all hisproblems, but this was a "grand illusion", and she openly cheated onhim with gigolos; eventually "both he and Yoko were burnt out fromyears of hard drugs, overwork, emotional breakdowns, quack cures, andbizarre diets, to say nothing of the effects of living constantly inthe glare of the mass media."[130]After their separation, "no longer collaborating as a team, theyremained in constant communication. ... No longer able to livetogether, they found that they couldn’t live apart either."[131] During Lennon's last two years in The Beatles, he and Ono beganpublic protests against the Vietnam War. They were married in Gibraltaron 20 March 1969, and spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam campaigningwith a week-long Bed-In for peace. They planned another Bed-In in the United States, but were denied entry, so held one instead at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, where they recorded "Give Peace a Chance".[132] They often combined advocacy with performance art, as in their "Bagism", first introduced during a Vienna press conference. Lennon detailed this period in The Beatles' song "The Ballad of John and Yoko".[133] Lennon changed his name by deed poll on 22 April 1969, adding "Ono" as a middle name. The brief ceremony took place on the roof of the Apple Corps building, made famous three months earlier by The Beatles' Let It Berooftop concert. Although he used the name John Ono Lennon thereafter,official documents referred to him as John Winston Ono Lennon, since hewas not permitted to revoke a name given at birth.[134]After Ono was injured in a car accident, Lennon arranged for aking-sized bed to be brought to the recording studio as he worked onThe Beatles' last album, Abbey Road.[135]To escape the acrimony of the band's break-up, Ono suggested they movepermanently to New York, which they did on 31 August 1971. They firstlived in the St. Regis Hotel on 5th Avenue, East 55th Street, then moved to a street-level flat at 105 Bank Street, Greenwich Village, on 16 October 1971. After a robbery, they relocated to the more secure Dakota at 1 West 72nd Street, in May 1973.[136] May Pang/The Lost Weekend |