Why are you wasting your time here when you should be at the Beatles photo blog?? Miss Tammy has posted some AMAZING photos that have made me wet my pants in excitement. Here is one of those photos. It was taken I would guess a fan on an airplane from South Africa to New York in May 1980.
Now there has been a lot of discussion about John actually going to Capetown, South Africa in May of 1980. Honestly, there isn't a LOT of information about this trip (it was a short get-away). I quickly scanned my books tonight and I found the most information in the book Nowhere Man by Robert Rosen I will type here part of what it says. I don't' want to type up the whole chapter because it is a little....well...gross!!
The other tidbit about his South African trip comes from a source I find to be more reliable, and that is Philip Norman's book <>John Lennon The Life.
Now there has been a lot of discussion about John actually going to Capetown, South Africa in May of 1980. Honestly, there isn't a LOT of information about this trip (it was a short get-away). I quickly scanned my books tonight and I found the most information in the book Nowhere Man by Robert Rosen I will type here part of what it says. I don't' want to type up the whole chapter because it is a little....well...gross!!
The last week of April 1980, Yoko told John that a karmically cleansing directional voyage to the south and east was imperative - he was to leave immediately for Cape Town, South Africa. This was, perhaps, a peculiar choice of destination. The South African Broadcasting Company had banned Beatles music for five years in the wake of John's 1966 comment that the group was more popular than Jesus. And even after lifting the ban, they kept Lennon's solo work blacklisted. Nonetheless, he jumped at the opportunity to get away. Even though he thought the karmic cleansing was a load of bloody crap, he felt the isolation would be beneficial. And having been to C-town before, he knew that it was a good place to get jacked off.
The journey inspired John. He took notes on everything: the scenery, the cab ride to Cape Town form the airport, and his cab driver and self-appointed tour guide, Mohammad. After checking into the Mount Nelson Hotel under an assumed name, John went shopping for a raincoat, shampoo and macrobiotic fruit.
Back at the hotel bar, he couldn't' figure out how much money to put in the cigarette machine. A businessman who recognized him from the plane offered him a cigarette, which he happily accepted.
That day, every time John set foot outside his hotel room, somebody recognized him. Strangers offered him drugs and whores, but he declined. A pretty, blond hotel waitress tried to pick him up, but he turned her down. The last thing he wanted was a story in the gossip rags about being seen in public with a waitress. Alone in his room, he clipped classified ads for massage parlors form a local sex tabloid.....
John sat in his hotel room that night reading the local newspaper. An article reported that he'd been spotted buying a raincoat. HE felt strange -- like a flying saucer. He suspected reporters had somehow gotten into his hotel room when he was out.
Later in the week, he telephoned May Pang. She was depressed and unemployed. They chatted for an hour; he promised to send her a postcard Next he telephoned Yoko. She played a tape of a song she'd just written. John thought that the lyrics were great, but he was concerned that the muse had given Yoko exactly one melody, which she was doomed to repeat for the rest of her life. HE asked God to inspire his wife.
The following afternoon, John sat in his hotel room eating his macrobiotic fruit. He decided to return to the massage parlor....
The next day John returned to Cold Spring Harbor, only the tarot card reader Charlie Swan aware of exactly what he'd been doing in Africa.
The other tidbit about his South African trip comes from a source I find to be more reliable, and that is Philip Norman's book <>John Lennon The Life.
For much of this turbulent time for Yoko, as things turned out, John was not in the same home, the same town, or, finally, even the same country. As spring turned Central Park's trees into pink and white froth, the all-powerful numerologist, Takashi Yoshikawa- presciently but, alas, far, far too prematurely -- detected clouds of evil beginning to form above his head and worked out the direction in which he needed to travel to escape them. At the end of May, he flew off alone on the prescribed course, ending up in Cape Town, South Africa.
Very interesting picture. I've never seen it before. I'm sorry you find my writing "gross." But I can assure you that the passage you posted from my book is accurate. When taking such large excerpts from people's books, you should always identify the publisher (Quick American Archives) and the holder of the copyright (Robert Rosen). And I will extend to you an offer I extend to all writers, journalists, and bloggers: I would be happy to answer any additional questions you have about Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon.
ReplyDeleteHello...it wasn't your writing per say that I found to be "gross." It was more that I found what happened to be "gross." You were just writing what occured at the massage parolor. Just for me personally, I felt uncomfortable writing that on this blog. I am sure the people that read this here can fill in the blanks as to what occured. And I dont' have any doubts that is what happened, but I don't know...something about typing up stuff like that makes me feel uncomfortable. *shrug*
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me know that I needed to identify the publisher and copywrite holder. I really did not realize that and I will make sure I do so in the future.
Thank you for adding information about John's South Africa trip. There are many who do not believe he ever visited Cape Town and I was just trying to prove that he really was there.
Well, although he may have spent his time in a way that was a bit unsavory, I'm so happy to get some confirmation that John visited Cape Town, which is a beautiful city, and my fave city in the whole world (out of the ones I've visited thus far)! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletewell first at all I'm sorry to write as anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the others options mean.
the question for me here is if john went by himself to Cape Town, South Africa how someone like robert rosen can know almost all what john did there.
I've never read a magazine or interview of john sayin too much about it.
sorry mister rosen but I don't believe much of your book.
I'd rather believe in fred seaman's book and there's nothing about this trip to Cape Town, South Africa in it.
I agree.I don't believe John was ever in South Africa.That photo I saw was not John ,but a look alike
DeleteJohn stated in one of his final interviews that he indeed was in SA.
DeleteWhether the person in that photo is John or not...is irrelevant.
sure looks like john
DeleteSara, thank you very much for your response. As long as I've brought up copyright, I should also explain the concept of "fair use," which means (briefly) that one should not use more than 25 words of another writer's work without permission. Since your blog appears to be a labor of love rather than a profit-making entity, I don't mind that you've quoted an extensive passage from my book. I'm glad that people are still talking about Nowhere Man ten years after it was published. However, another writer might not feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you're free to believe anything you want. As Sara has correctly pointed out, I'm not the only writer to say that John went to Capetown. There's also a reference to it in Ray Coleman's book on Lennon. And I explain in detail how I know this in the opening chapter of Nowhere Man.
ok mister rosen.
ReplyDeleteas you put it I'm free to believe what I want.
I don't know what's your source for your book.
I THINK IS SOMETHING ABOUT LENNON JOURNALS
but I've never seen a manuscript of these journals printed.
there's a saying here in mexico that goes more or less "a lie said 1000 times becomes a truth"
I've read a lot of lies in my 30 years as a beatle fan.
Hi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteIt has long ago ceased to surprise me that the harshest critics of Nowhere Man are those who have not read it.
Have a nice day.
Boy, talk about hitting a nerve there. Whatever John did or didn't do that the rest of us might find uncomfortable, what's the big deal? After all this Legendary Icon, Greatest Songwriter of the 20th Century over-the-top star struck slavering analysis of Saint John's character we all seem to lose sight of one major fact....John was a living breathing puts on his trousers like the rest of us human being. He didn't glow in the dark, he didn't levitate (though I'm sure he wished he could)he could'nt snap his fingers and poof! a magical six foot tall white rabbit would suddenly appear...he was a real flesh and blood man that suffered from the same flaws, had the same quirks of character and made the same mistakes that the rest of us do. It's always kind of turned my stomach to see this ridiculous type of deification and I've no doubt that John himself would've hated it...hell, he said as much when he was alive, and frankly speaking it was this obsessive fantasy that alot of people have of John the Great that got him killed in the first place. Harsh yes, but d'you honestly think for a moment that that fat, pathetic slug sitting in jail would've commited such a horrific and tragic act if John hadn't been turned into an object rather than the man that he really was? Don't think so.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Capetown trip yes he did go and it's a proven fact that was documented in May Pang's first book...not only did he call her from there, she's got physical proof in the form of two postcards he'd sent her. Look, you guys...I love the Fabs and John just as much as everyone else out here does...hell, I cried for a month after his death and even now I still get teary eyed at the thought, but I've never looked at him as anything more than what he was...an incredibly talented, very funny guy with just as many hangups, just as many quirks just as many imperfections as rest of us.
I read your book sometime ago.but maybe it was so "good" that I don'r remember some chapters.
ReplyDeletewhat I mean about the source it's that I don't remember where you got it.
did you write in your book that you stole the jornals from fred seaman?
My book is so "good" that 10+ years after publication it continues to sell, to be translated into new languages (Italian edition coming in February), to be discussed in the media, to delight people, and to piss people off. To answer you last question, No. Perhaps you should refresh your memory before making accusations in the form of "innocent" questions.
ReplyDeleteYes Robert, yours is one of the better Lennon bios out there, but in all honesty the circumstances surrounding both you and Fred Seaman and the books that were written are in a word, reprehensible. I don't buy for a second that either one of you were as innocent as you both claim to be...both of you were looking to score a big payday, both of you were equally responsible for this blatant scheme to profit from a man's death. Go ahead and keep trying to justify you and Seaman's actions as a "noble cause" or that it was the other guy's fault, you were a victim in all this etc.....no matter how you spin this, you guys BOTH were in possession of something that you had absolutely no right to have, you betrayed the trust of a man that can no longer defend himself all for the sake of making a buck. It doesn't matter how truthful these books are, it doesn't matter how well they were written...the fact is that John's journals were stolen, you two clowns were in possession of 'em and you guys made money from 'em. End of story.
ReplyDeleteMr. Rosen, I owe you are apology. I went back and read the book reviews I had written on Beatles books over the years and realized that I had your book mixed up with "Lennon in America" which also was published around the same time as your book. I read these books during the same month and had them confused in my mind 10 years later.
ReplyDeleteI should have stated that your book is "controversial" instead of "not reliable."
I guess what I dont' understand is how one can remember what was written in someone's diary. I realize that you did take notes, but still a great deal of memory work had to occur. My Grandfather (the one that looked like Mal Evans) wrote diaries very much like John Lennon's and I have read them and I can't remember the details of what went on well enough to write a book about them.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy your book (and Fred Seaman's book as well). With ALL books written about John, I always take them with a grain of salt. I like to read from different sources and try to get the full picture of his life. Your book did help in that area, epsecially when read alongside some other books written about the same time period.
Anonymous, thanks for reminding me that it's pointless to argue with critics, especially anonymous ones who don't have the courage to sign their names to their opinions.
ReplyDeleteSara, your apology is appreciated and a rare thing to see on the internet. Thank you. You ask a very fair question about how I was able to remember so much from Lennon's diaries. It so happens, the current issue of Headpress journal ran actual pages from my own diaries as I was recreating Lennon's diaries. Here's a link to some excerpts that they posted online:
http://www.worldheadpress.com/ezine2/index.html?pageNumber=36
Printed issues containing the entire story are still available.
Mr Rosen, people who post anonymously here do not have to apologize to you or anyone else because they "don't have the courage to sign their names to their opinions". I'm not posting my real name on a blog so some sicko who doesn't like my post tries to track me down. That happened to a work colleague. Aint happening to me. If that bugs you, sorry not sorry.
DeleteBut hey, you've invested alot of time on this blog to get some free publicity for your book. Hey, nothing wrong with that. You're welcome.
hi mr rosen
ReplyDeletewell as I said before.
I'm sorry to write as anonymous.
I don't know what the others options mean.
AND ONCE AGAIN SORRY FOR MY LIMITES ENGLISH.
BUT NOW WE HAVE 2 ANONYMOUS HERE.
ME AND THE ONE WHO WROTE ABOUT YOU AND FRED HAD NO RIGHT TO HAVE LENNON'S JOURNALS.
I'm going to start putting my name at the end of my writting.btw my name is LUIS.
LET'S FACE IT AND TALK WITH THE TRUTH.
I REALLY WANT TO HAVE A MATURE CHAT WITH YOU HERE.
I'M A VERY "HARD " LENNON FAN BUT I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO SEPARATE PRIVATE LIFE FROM PUBLIC LIFE.
NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS I'LL THINK LENNON WAS A SAINT,HE WAS AS HUMAN BEING AS YOU AND ME.
I THINK JOHN WAS A GUY WITH A LOT OF FEARS THAT MADE HIM MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES.
I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE PRIVATE YEARS FROM 1976 TO 1980.YOUR BOOK IS A GOOD REFERENCE FOR IT.
BUT I STIIL WONDER HOW A GUY(YOU)THAT WAS OUTSIDE DAKOTA BUILDING THE NIGHT JOHN WAS KILLED AS 100'S OF FAN SUDDENLY BECAME A WRITTER WHO HAD ACCESS TO JOHN'S JOURNALS?
WELL I DON'T LIKE TO TAKE SPACE HERE IN THIS SITE
I SAW YOUR E-AMIL IN YOUR SITE BUT I'VE LOST IT.
LUIS
Luis, the answer to your question is in chapter one of Nowhere Man.
Deletehi mr rosen I'm luis it's been a long time since I sent my last comment. unfortunately I LOST my copy of Nowhere Man and I CAN'T FIND another copy to buy here in mexico
Deletemr rosen you are a sucker
ReplyDeleteIve just purchased Nowhere Man and ive just started reading it. I was so excited to dive into this book and the first few pages had me hooked until...Mr. Rosen admittes that the diaries were stolen and some of his writing was based on imagination (darn it!). Then I became even more discouraged to read the book when Id read that Mr. Rosen had a meeting with Yoko regarding the publishing of the book. Ive read how controlling she is and I immediately suspected that she probably wouldnt want the whole truth exposed. Then i considered putting the book down.. havent given up on it but im thinking about it. Did
ReplyDeleteanyone read Dakota Days by John Green aka Charlie Swan? That book seemed to be the total opposite of Nowhere Man because it shows more of the depression that John suffered and anger issues as well. Dakota Days says that when Sean was born, John wasn't allowed in the hospital so he was at home a nervous wreck and calling the hospital constantly. Nowhere Man says he was there the whole time asleep on the floor. Dakota Days John often had mean outbursts toward Sean and one time kicked him and Sean was afraid of John but Nowhere Man says the opposite. Ugh, I wish I knew who had a more accurate story. I'm thinking maybe Fred Seaman's book may be more accurate since he was there as a witness but idk...any thoughts?
I met John on Long Street Cape Town , he had apple tea with me, he was very depressed . He meditated on Signal Hill for the release of Nelson Mandela, he told me darkness was approaching
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...interesting. Did you take any photo of John or get his autograph? How did you know he was depressed? Did he say that he was or was it just something you could tell? And what do you mean by "darkness was approaching." Are you trying to say that he was predicting his murder?
DeleteHello everyone.
ReplyDeleteFor the doubters who don't believe that John visited South Africa in 1980.
Listen to his interview with Andy Peebles from December 6th 1980.
John states that he was in Cape Town a few months previously.
Peter Hodgson
Liverpool UK
(Currently in Amsterdam for a few days)
I am born and lived my entire life here in South Africa. I remember an article in the STAR, a national newspaper had a printed article about this event. PA photo of John Lennon and a short story / description of him exiting the Carlton Hotel which was Johannesburg city centre. So all I can confirm is that he was in Johannesburg at this time - Roy Visser
ReplyDeleteRoy Visser [South Africa]~ post Nov 26 2015: I live in Johannesburg South Africa and may have an additional interesting comment on John Lennon's visit to Johannesburg in late May 1980. Can we chat?
ReplyDelete